College Football Rankings 2012 Week 5: Projecting Which Top Teams Will Fall Next
Another weekend of college football is in the books, and another pair of Top 10 teams has gone down.
Oklahoma and Clemson both fell to formidable conference foes on Saturday night and must now attempt to drag themselves back into the BCS picture despite having a tally in the loss column.
With conference play in full swing the upsets are sure to continue week after week until the arrival of bowl season.
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So, which top teams will be forced to join the Sooners and Tigers in their uphill battle after Week 5?
Here, we project this weekend's upset victims.
No. 8 Stanford
Two weeks after upsetting USC at home, the Stanford Cardinal will travel north to face the Washington Huskies in hostile territory in a Thursday night clash. Conference games are never easy, especially Pac-12 road games. Stanford has yet to play a road game thus far this fall, and will be taking on an underrated Washington offense, led by quarterback Keith Price.
Price has thrown for 560 yards and four touchdowns in three games this season, and was a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate this year after an impressive 2011 campaign. If he can get the Huskies' offense rolling early then Stanford could be in for a long night.
The Cardinal will have to adapt to the crowd and Washington's energy quickly on Thursday night, after nearly two weeks off after beating the Trojans. Don't forget that Stanford's elite ranking is the result of a win over USC, not an entire season of work.
No. 14 Ohio State
Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes will hit the road for the first time this season in Week 5 when they travel to East Lansing to play the No. 20 Michigan State Spartans. Look for the Buckeyes to struggle at Spartan Stadium this Saturday after surviving a pair of close calls against Cal and UAB the last two weekends.
Ohio State needed a late touchdown in Week 3 to escape the Golden Bears at home, and couldn't distance itself from the Blazers, winning by just 14 points at home this past Saturday. Sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller will also face his stiffest test in the Spartans' defense. Michigan State is allowing less than 12 points per game this season.
Saturday's matchup looks to be the Buckeyes' toughest of the season. Therefore, I like Meyer's squad to get its first taste of defeat on the road this September at Michigan State. The Spartans' defense will keep it low scoring and in a tight defensive struggle, the edge goes to the home team.
College Football Rankings 2012 - Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
| 1 | Alabama (59) | 4-0 | 1,499 |
| 2 | Oregon | 4-0 | 1,414 |
| 3 | LSU (1) | 4-0 | 1,346 |
| 4 | Florida State | 4-0 | 1,340 |
| 5 | Georgia | 4-0 | 1,245 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 4-0 | 1,147 |
| 7 | Kansas State | 4-0 | 1,067 |
| 8 | Stanford | 3-0 | 1,055 |
| 9 | West Virginia | 3-0 | 1,045 |
| 10 | Notre Dame | 4-0 | 1,003 |
| 11 | Florida | 4-0 | 864 |
| 12 | Texas | 3-0 | 856 |
| 13 | USC | 3-1 | 801 |
| 14 | Ohio State | 4-0 | 633 |
| 15 | TCU | 3-0 | 616 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 2-1 | 611 |
| 17 | Clemson | 3-1 | 588 |
| 18 | Oregon State | 2-0 | 451 |
| 19 | Louisville | 4-0 | 414 |
| 20 | Michigan State | 3-1 | 348 |
| 21 | Mississippi State | 4-0 | 246 |
| 22 | Nebraska | 3-1 | 179 |
| 23 | Rutgers | 4-0 | 128 |
| 24 | Boise State | 2-1 | 114 |
| 25 | Baylor | 3-0 | 92 |
*All information courtesy of ESPN.com.
Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter for more College Football predictions, reaction and analysis.
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