College Football 2023: B/R's Top 25 Rankings After Week 5
The USC vs. Colorado showdown lived up to the hype and set the table perfectly for another stellar week of college football in Week 5 of the 2023 season.
Caleb Williams added 403 yards and six touchdowns to his Heisman Trophy case in a 48-41 victory that solidified the Trojans' standing as a top-10 team in the nation, and a spirited comeback from the Buffaloes also signaled that they are not simply going to roll over.
The afternoon games also saw Kentucky and Maryland continue their undefeated starts to strengthen their cases for spots in the AP poll.
Here's how Bleacher Report's college football writing staff—David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Morgan Moriarty and Joel Reuter—lines up the top 25 teams in the nation:
1. Michigan
2. Georgia
3. Texas
4. Ohio State
5. Washington
6. Florida State
7. Penn State
8. Oregon
9. USC
10. Notre Dame
11. Oklahoma
12. Washington State
13. Alabama
14. Miami
15. North Carolina
16. Oregon State
17. Ole Miss
18t. Kentucky
18t. Utah
20t. Missouri
20t. Tennessee
22. Duke
23. Maryland
24t. Louisville
24t. Texas A&M
Who's Hot: Ole Miss Makes a Statement in a Wide-Open SEC West
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This is the final season that divisions will matter in the SEC, as the conference is eliminating divisions next season when Oklahoma and Texas bring the league's total to 16 teams.
Can Ole Miss take advantage of this final year under the current format to play its way into the SEC title game out of the West Division?
That might have seemed like a long shot when the season began considering No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 LSU both resided in that division, but the Crimson Tide have struggled to find consistency under center and the Tigers just fell to 3-2 with a loss on Saturday.
That loss just happened to come at the hands of Ole Miss in a 55-49 shootout.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns and led an eight-play, 88-yard drive to deliver the decisive score with 39 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Quinshon Judkins helped open up the passing game by pounding out 33 carries for 177 yards and a score on the ground.
Now, after playing Alabama and LSU in back-to-back weeks and walking away with a split, Ole Miss will have Arkansas at home, a bye week, Auburn on the road, Vanderbilt at home and Texas A&M at home over the next five weeks.
Suddenly, it's not out of the question to think this could be an 8-1 team sitting atop the SEC West standings heading into a Nov. 11 matchup on the road against Georgia.
Who's Not: Florida Loses to Kentucky...Again
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Once again, the Florida Gators came up short against the Kentucky Wildcats.
After suffering a season-opening loss on the road against then-No. 14 Utah in Week 1, the Gators played their way into the AP poll with three straight wins, including an upset of then-No. 11 Tennessee two weeks ago.
However, that momentum was halted on Saturday when the Wildcats piled up 329 rushing yards with 9.1 yards per carry on the strength of a 280-yard, three-touchdown performance from senior Ray Davis.
"I really didn't do a whole lot today," Davis told reporters. "You've got to give credit to the O-line and the receiver corps. These guys were blocking downfield. I was just staying with it."
That's now three straight losses for the Gators against Kentucky.
They suffered a 20-13 loss in 2021 that kicked off an ugly 1-4 stretch of games for a Florida team that started the year ranked No. 13 in the nation, and last year Kentucky was the first loss of the season for the Gators on their way to a 6-7 finish.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats are now off to a 5-0 start and on a collision course with Georgia next weekend as SEC play is now in full swing.
Fun Fact: Caleb Williams Makes History
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The marquee USC vs. Colorado matchup lived up to the hype, and Caleb Williams once again proved why he is the best quarterback in the country.
After USC built an early 34-7 lead, Colorado fought back to make things interesting, though its comeback ultimately fell short in a 48-41 victory by the Trojans.
The stat line for Williams once again read like a player poised to make a serious run at a second straight Heisman Trophy: 30-of-40 passing, 403 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT
With those six touchdown passes, he made a bit of history that dates back to his time at Oklahoma during the 2021 season:
He threw five touchdowns passes four different times at USC, including once earlier this year against Nevada in Week 1, before reaching six for the first time on Saturday.
What will he do for an encore next week against Arizona?
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Looking Ahead: The Red River Rivalry
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In their final Big 12 matchup before they both pack up and move to the SEC next year, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners will face off in a huge game that will determine which team will still be alive in the College Football Playoff race.
The Longhorns have already survived a tough test with a 34-24 victory over Alabama that vaulted them into the Top Five in the AP poll, while Oklahoma has yet to face a ranked opponent and has something to prove.
The other matchup of ranked teams is also part of the early slate of games with LSU traveling to take on an upstart Missouri squad. Undefeated Maryland and quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa will also have a chance to prove they belong in the national conversation with a road matchup against Ohio State.
The Pac-12 (Washington State vs. UCLA), SEC (Alabama vs. Texas A&M) and ACC (Syracuse vs. North Carolina) have solid midday matchups that could have a significant impact on the bottom half of the AP poll.
The night game on ESPN is undefeated Kentucky against reigning national champion Georgia, who survived a tough road test against Auburn this weekend. The late game will be USC star Caleb Williams at home against Arizona.
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