NCAA Football Rankings 2014: Week 5 Standings and Analysis for Latest Polls
A wild, upset-laden Week 4 of the 2014 college football season resulted in some shifts within The Associated Press Poll's Top 25. While victories over LSU and Missouri by unranked teams shook up the rankings, Florida State and Oregon barely hung on to gain wins and keep their respective positions in the poll.
In the wake of Saturday's madness, the latest round of votes are in, and the AP Poll has been adjusted heading into Week 5. We already knew there would be movement in the standings, but we were also given a few surprises as well.
Here's a look at the latest standings heading into Week 5, followed by some analysis surrounding the biggest movers after Saturday's action.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Florida State | 1,439 | 34 |
| 2 | Oregon | 1,400 | 12 |
| 3 | Alabama | 1,377 | 6 |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 1,343 | 4 |
| 5 | Auburn | 1,268 | 0 |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 1,232 | 4 |
| 7 | Baylor | 1,143 | 0 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 967 | 0 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 905 | 0 |
| 10 | Mississippi | 889 | 0 |
| 11 | UCLA | 806 | 0 |
| 12 | Georgia | 789 | 0 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 764 | 0 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | 706 | 0 |
| 15 | Arizona State | 702 | 0 |
| 16 | Stanford | 564 | 0 |
| 17 | LSU | 541 | 0 |
| 18 | USC | 459 | 0 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 451 | 0 |
| 20 | BYU | 376 | 0 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 296 | 0 |
| 22 | Ohio State | 196 | 0 |
| 23 | East Carolina | 180 | 0 |
| 24 | Oklahoma State | 132 | 0 |
| 25 | Kansas State | 131 | 0 |
The AP Poll can be viewed at CollegeFootball.AP.org.
Biggest Winners
Mississippi State
Watch out, the Bulldogs are for real. The offensive combination of quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Josh Robinson and wide receivers Jameon Lewis and De'Runnya Wilson was far too much for the LSU defense to handle. As a team, Mississippi State put up 34 points and an incredible 570 yards of offense.
Bleacher Report tweeted what the team's improbable feat meant for Tigers coach Les Miles:
The Bulldogs haven't fared well against ranked teams over recent seasons, but Saturday's victory got the team headed in the right direction, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Mississippi State is now 4-0 and very deserving of its 14th ranking. The Bulldogs get a bye in Week 5, and they will need it, as No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 5 Auburn are the next two opponents on the team's slate.
East Carolina
The Pirates have been riding their efficient passing offense en route to putting up some major points so far this season. The team's only loss this season came by the hands of South Carolina in Week 2—although East Carolina made a game of it, losing by 10 points.
An upset victory over Virginia Tech in Week 3 propelled East Carolina back up the rankings, and the team finally finds itself in the Top 25 after trouncing North Carolina on Saturday by a score of 70-41. The Pirates are full of offensive weapons and proved they have the firepower to win in a shootout.
Knox Bardeen of Fox Sports tweeted his thoughts on the team:
Without another ranked opponent looming on the team's schedule this season, we may see the Pirates hanging around on the AP Poll for the duration.
Biggest Losers
LSU
This is an easy one. The Tigers fell from No. 8 to No. 17 in the rankings after suffering a loss to previously unranked Mississippi State. While the final score was 34-29, the game was nowhere near that close for most of its duration.
LSU's defense faltered, a running game couldn't be established and quarterback Anthony Jennings was simply horrible. However, on the bright side, backup signal-caller Brandon Harris entered the game late and quickly displayed his superior arm and playmaking ability.
Harris threw for two quick touchdowns and made the score respectable in the end. ESPN SEC tweeted what everyone was thinking near the end of the game:
"Regardless of outcome tonight, Brandon Harris may have laid claim to LSU's starting QB job.
— ESPN SEC (@ESPN_SEC) September 21, 2014"
LSU is in dire need of a win, and it should get one in Week 5 against New Mexico State. Although, the team must get its quarterback situation settled quickly, as one week later, it is set to face No. 5 Auburn.
Missouri
The Missouri Tigers rode three nice performances all the way up to No. 18 in the nation; however, as we know, one loss can change everything. That was the unfortunate case for this team on Saturday, as the Indiana Hoosiers traveled to Faurot Field and upset the home team by a score of 31-27.
Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated tweeted exactly what the loss means for the Tigers:
It was a back-and-forth contest, and despite solid performances from Maty Mauk, Russell Hansbrough and Bud Sasser, the team simply couldn't stop the Hoosiers.
Indiana racked up 493 yards of offense thanks to a balanced attack featuring a combination of quarterback Nate Sudfeld and running back Tevin Coleman. The Tigers hadn't given up more than 24 points in any previous contest; however, the team wasn't exactly challenged early in the season.
Missouri will attempt to right the ship on Saturday against South Carolina, and it will need a huge upset of its own if it is to claw its way back into the nation's Top 25 teams.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
