B/R Experts Week 5 College Football Rankings 2024
After a lopsided first half, the heavyweight clash between Alabama and Georgia lived up to the hype, with the Bulldogs potential record-setting comeback falling just short in a 41-34 victory by the Crimson Tide.
Elsewhere in SEC action, Ole Miss fell to unranked Kentucky, meaning two teams ranked inside the Top 10 last week suffered their first loss of the season.
Who's ready for a Top 25 shakeup?
Those two games were far from the only outcomes that had a major impact on the rankings, with Kansas State, Notre Dame and Penn State each scoring victories over ranked opponents in Oklahoma State, Louisville and Illinois, respectively.
One final upset unfolded to close out the day's action when Utah fell to Arizona in an impressive 23-10 win by the Wildcats, throwing the Big 12 pecking order into chaos.
All of that meant a long list of previously ranked teams rising and falling, as well as a few unranked teams crashing the party in B/R's latest Top 25 rankings.
This week's panel included Adam Kramer, Morgan Moriarty and Joel Reuter. A first-place vote was worth 25 points, a second-place vote worth 24 points and so on.
Top 25
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B/R Top 25
1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Ohio State
4. Tennessee
5. Georgia
6. Miami
7. Penn State
8. Oregon
9. USC
10. Missouri
11. Ole Miss
12. Clemson
13. Michigan
14. Notre Dame
15. Iowa State
16. LSU
17. Utah
18. BYU
19. Kansas State
20. Oklahoma
21. UNLV
22. Indiana
23. Louisville
24. Boise State
25. Arizona
Who's Hot: Last Week's Losers
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Kansas State, Oklahoma, Nebraska and USC all suffered their first loss of the season during Week 4 action, but they rebounded nicely on Saturday to avoid the dreaded second loss and stay alive in the hunt for a playoff berth.
- Kansas State 42, Oklahoma State 20
- Nebraska 28, Purdue 10
- Oklahoma 27, Auburn 21
- USC 38, Wisconsin 21
The biggest matchup of the bunch was also the most lopsided, as No. 23 Kansas State demolished No. 20 Oklahoma State, with the Cowboys also coming off loss No. 1 last week against Utah. Quarterback Avery Johnson had five total touchdowns for the Wildcats, who also forced three turnovers on defense.
The Cornhuskers were the only one of those four teams to fall out of the Top 25 entirely following last week's loss to Illinois, but they pulled out a win on the road against Purdue thanks to 21 fourth-quarter points.
The Sooners trailed 21-10 early in the fourth quarter, but a touchdown on offense, a pick-six defensively and a field goal over the final 8:32 of play was enough for them to avoid another letdown after getting thumped at home last week by Tennessee.
It was all USC in the second half against Wisconsin, as the Trojans outscored the Badgers 28-0 after halftime. Miller Moss finished with 308 yards and three touchdowns through the air while adding another score on the ground, and this USC team is back on track after last week's 27-24 loss to Michigan.
A single loss is no longer the dagger it once was thanks to the expanded playoff field, but it was crucial that all four of those teams avoided picking up their second loss of the season and they did just that on Saturday.
Who's Not: Utah Falling Out of the Big 12 Driver's Seat
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The battle for Big 12 supremacy continues to be one of the more compelling early storylines emerging from the 2024 college football season, and Utah was knocked out of the top spot with a loss to Arizona in the night cap on Saturday.
Here's where things stood in the AP poll entering Week 5:
No. 10 Utah (4-0)
No. 18 Iowa State (3-0)
No. 20 Oklahoma State (3-1)
No. 22 BYU (4-0)
No. 23 Kansas State (3-1)
Others Receiving Votes: UCF, Arizona
Aside from the Utah upset, Kansas State also handed Oklahoma State its second loss of the season in a lopsided 42-20 game, so the Cowboys are likely going to drop out of the Top 25 entirely.
Iowa State and BYU both stayed undefeated, and both teams have a quality win on their resume, with the Cyclones knocking off in-state rival Iowa in non-conference play and the Cougars coasting to a 38-9 victory over K-State last weekend.
Further down the list, UCF was crushed by Colorado in a 48-21 blowout, which could pave the way for the Buffaloes to re-enter the national conversation after a Week 2 loss to Nebraska sent their stock tumbling. Arizona will also pick up plenty more poll votes this week after upending the Utes in impressive fashion.
Could we see Iowa State as the top-ranked Big 12 team heading into Week 6? The Cyclones were picked to finish sixth in the conference in the preseason poll.
What's Next
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The Week 6 slate features just one matchup of teams that were ranked heading into Week 5 action, with No. 11 Missouri traveling to College Station to take on No. 24 Texas A&M in a big SEC showdown.
However, the rest of the schedule is filled with potential upsets.
Fellow SEC contenders Alabama (at Vanderbilt), Tennessee (at Arkansas) and Ole Miss (at South Carolina) all face tough road tests.
Other teams facing road matchups against sneaky conference opponents include Miami (at Cal), USC (at Minnesota), Clemson (at Florida State) and Michigan (at Washington) in a rematch of last year's national title game. It seems highly likely at least one of those seven teams will be pushed to the limit while playing away from home.
The SMU at Louisville game will give one of those ACC hopefuls a second loss, while Ohio State (vs. Iowa) and Oregon (vs. Michigan State) will both look to stay undefeated in Big Ten action.
Beyond ranked teams, these three matchups also have the potential to be quality games featuring teams on the fringe of the AP poll:
- Rutgers at Nebraska
- Texas Tech at Arizona
- Duke at Georgia Tech
See you all next Saturday!
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