NCAA Football Rankings 2022: Predicting Week 6 Poll for Top 25 Teams

Georgia may still be unbeaten, but it might lose the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll during the upcoming week. That's because for much of Saturday night, the Bulldogs did not look like the top team in the country.

Playing on the road against unranked Missouri, Georgia nearly suffered an upset loss. The Bulldogs trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter, before scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final nine minutes and 39 seconds to pull out a 26-22 win.

So even though Georgia improved to 5-0, it wouldn't be surprising to see it drop to No. 2 or even No. 3 in the AP poll. The Bulldogs were expected to blow out the Tigers, and that was far from what happened.

Who will take over the top spot if Georgia falls? And which other teams are poised to drop? Ten ranked teams lost over the weekend, so there could be some big movement in the rankings.

Here's a prediction for what the AP Top 25 poll will look like heading into Week 6 of the 2022 season.

Projected AP Top 25 Poll

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 10: College footballs sit on the field before the college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Indiana State Sycamores on September 10, 2022, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

1. Alabama (5-0)

2. Georgia (5-0)

3. Ohio State (5-0)

4. Michigan (5-0)

5. Clemson (5-0)

6. USC (5-0)

7. Oklahoma State (4-0)

8. Tennessee (4-0)

9. Ole Miss (5-0)

10. Penn State (5-0)

11. Utah (4-1)

12. Oregon (4-1)

13. Kentucky (4-1)

14. NC State (4-1)

15. BYU (4-1)

16. Wake Forest (4-1)

17. Kansas State (4-1)

18. Kansas (5-0)

19. Cincinnati (4-1)

20. Washington State (4-1)

21. UCLA (5-0)

22. TCU (4-0)

23. Washington (4-1)

24. Syracuse (5-0)

25. Florida State (4-1)

Alabama Should Take over Top Spot in Poll

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FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 01: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jahmyr Gibbs (1) runs for a touchdown in the game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Alabama Crimson Tide on October 01, 2022 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, AR (Photo by John Bunch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Alabama lost Bryce Young, its Heisman Trophy-winning junior quarterback, to a shoulder injury on the second quarter on Saturday. Yet, the No. 2 Crimson Tide didn't have any trouble putting away No. 20 Arkansas.

Without Young, Alabama leaned heavily on junior running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns to power the Tide to a 49-26 victory. Freshman Jalen Milroe filled in at quarterback, passing for 65 yards and a touchdown and running for 91 yards and a score.

It was an impressive performance for Alabama, which went on the road and beat a quality opponent. The best news for the Crimson Tide? Young should be fine for the long term.

"I think he's OK," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough. "He doesn't have a serious injury. We didn't think he could go back in the game today because I didn't think he had much steam throwing the ball."

The Crimson Tide's strong showing should move them up to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll. They've fared much better than Georgia the past two weeks, and they should be rewarded by getting the top ranking over their SEC rival.

Oklahoma State, Ole Miss Will Be on Rise

AP Photo/Gareth Patterson

Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders (3) throws down the field during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Baylor in Waco, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Oklahoma State and Ole Miss each played in marquee matchups on Saturday. The No. 9 Cowboys went on the road to face No. 16 Baylor, while the No. 14 Rebels hosted No. 7 Kentucky. It was an opportunity for both to record big wins that would help propel them further up the rankings. And that's what happened.

Oklahoma State defeated Baylor 36-25, and the game wasn't even as close as that score might indicate. The Cowboys had a 20-point lead by early in the second quarter, and they traded blows back and forth with the Bears in the third quarter to keep things from getting interesting.

It wouldn't be surprising if Oklahoma State is all the way up to No. 7 in the poll this week, as No. 7 Kentucky lost and No. 8 Tennessee was idle.

Ole Miss should have an opportunity to move into the top 10, as they could jump from No. 14 to as high as No. 9 in the poll. The Rebels beat the Wildcats 22-19, as they held on after taking the lead on Jonathan Cruz's 26-yard field goal with 2:19 to go.

This was Ole Miss' first true test of the season, as its first four games were against unranked non-SEC opponents. Now, the Rebels have proved they're clearly deserving of a high spot in the AP poll.

UCLA, TCU Notched Statement Victories

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) leaps over Washington linebacker Kamren Fabiculanan during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Neither UCLA nor TCU were ranked in last week's AP poll despite both teams getting off to undefeated starts this season. That should change this week, because both the Bruins and Horned Frogs notched statement wins over the weekend.

On Friday night, UCLA upset No. 15 Washington, holding on for a 40-32 victory at home. The Bruins had a 24-point lead after three quarters before the Huskies scored 16 points in the fourth. UCLA senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson led the way for his team, passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bruins are now 5-0, and they've defeated a Pac-12 rival each of the past two weeks. With how many ranked teams lost this week, they should easily have a spot in the top 25.

TCU hosted No. 18 Oklahoma on Saturday in a game that ended up not even being close. The Horned Frogs jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first 7:43 and cruised to a 55-24 win. They put up 668 total yards of offense against the Sooners, who will likely be unranked after falling to 3-2.

Over the next three weeks, TCU will face some challenging opponents, as it will be taking on Kansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. So while the Horned Frogs should be ranked for now, they'll need to play well against solid teams to keep their spot in the AP poll.