College Football Rankings 2013 Week 5: Predicting How AP Poll Will Shake out

This weekend was college football's hangover. 

Coming off an unbelievable slate of football last week—game of the year candidate between Alabama and Texas A&M, several upset bids (Akron vs. Michigan, Purdue vs. Notre Dame) and a wild, unbelievable ending between Arizona State and Wisconsin—a letdown was inevitable.

And a letdown is what we got.

The most intriguing matchup—and only Top 25 battle—of the week (Stanford and ASU) quickly turned into an embarrassing blowout. While there were no upsets in the Top 25, very few games were even close and several matchups featured sloppy play.

Perhaps there were some literal hangovers, as well. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at how next week's rankings are anticipated to shake out, along with a closer look at some options to potentially crack the Top 25. 

Fresno State

There wasn't a whole lot of compelling action inside the Top 25, but Fresno State was involved in arguably the most scintillating game of the week, out-lasting Boise State, 41-40, in a thrilling shootout.

In the end, Derek "Yes I'm David's brother" Carr completed 39 of his 60 throws for 460 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who racked up 522 yards of total offense. On the other side of the gridiron, Joe Southwick and Boise State tallied 561.

Carr capped off the back-and-forth battle by putting together an impressive 13-play, 87-yard drive in the final minutes to give the Bulldogs the win.

The only team between Tim DeRuyter's squad and the Top 25 last week was Michigan State, which lost to Notre Dame. 

With ASU leaving the rankings, expect Fresno State to earn its first spot in the Top 25 since 2008. 

Northern Illinois

Last year's mid-major darlings, the Northern Illinois Huskies, could certainly make a case for the Top 25. 

They defeated a very solid Eastern Illinois squad at home in an equally-thrilling 43-39 instant classic on Saturday, adding to their resume that already includes impressive road victories against Iowa and Idaho. 

The Huskies were just three points behind Fresno State in the voting last week, and as such, should be right on the brink when the Week 5 rankings come out. 

However, with this being a slow week inside the Top 25, there just aren't enough open spots to make the leap.

That will change very soon for Jordan Lynch and Co.