College Football Rankings 2014: Updated Outlook on Top Week 5 Polls
On the brink of a complete overhaul, the heavy hitters continue to headline the college football rankings after fending off major upsets.
Many premier squads came close to demolishing their College Football Playoff chances with a defeat, but only LSU suffered an upset during an eventful Week 4. Florida State, Oregon and Auburn will have to prove their status as legit title contenders, but they at least remain viable choices after securing narrow victories over the weekend.
Without the BCS telling us what goes, it is interesting to study the different lists to mark the differences in opinion. Although the two major players don't vary significantly, few teams hold the same slotting from the Associated Press and USA Today.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Florida State (34) | 3-0 | 1,439 | 1 |
| 2 | Oregon (11) | 4-0 | 1,398 | 2 |
| 3 | Alabama (7) | 4-0 | 1,378 | 3 |
| 4 | Oklahoma (4) | 4-0 | 1,344 | 4 |
| 5 | Auburn | 3-0 | 1,268 | 5 |
| 6 | Texas A&M (4) | 4-0 | 1,232 | 6 |
| 7 | Baylor | 3-0 | 1,143 | 7 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 967 | 9 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 2-1 | 905 | 11 |
| 10 | Mississippi | 3-0 | 889 | 10 |
| 11 | UCLA | 3-0 | 806 | 12 |
| 12 | Georgia | 2-1 | 789 | 13 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 3-1 | 764 | 14 |
| 14 | Mississippi State | 4-0 | 706 | 27 |
| 15 | Arizona State | 3-0 | 702 | 15 |
| 16 | Stanford | 2-1 | 564 | 16 |
| 17 | LSU | 3-1 | 541 | 8 |
| 18 | USC | 2-1 | 459 | 17 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 2-1 | 451 | 19 |
| 20 | Brigham Young | 4-0 | 376 | 21 |
| 21 | Nebraska | 4-0 | 296 | 24 |
| 22 | Ohio State | 2-1 | 196 | 23 |
| 23 | East Carolina | 3-1 | 180 | 31 |
| 1 | Florida State (36) | 3-0 | 1494 | 1 |
| 2 | Alabama (11) | 4-0 | 1466 | 2 |
| 3 | Oklahoma (12) | 4-0 | 1425 | 4 |
| 4 | Oregon (3) | 4-0 | 1403 | 3 |
| 5 | Auburn | 3-0 | 1316 | 5 |
| 6 | Baylor | 3-0 | 1213 | 6 |
| 7 | Texas A&M | 4-0 | 1197 | 7 |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 1022 | 9 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 2-1 | 920 | 11 |
| 10 | UCLA | 3-0 | 899 | 10 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 875 | 12 |
| 12 | Arizona State | 3-0 | 792 | 13 |
| 13 | Georgia | 2-1 | 768 | 14 |
| 14 | Stanford | 2-1 | 657 | 15 |
| 15 | South Carolina | 3-1 | 630 | 16 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 4-0 | 523 | 27 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 2-1 | 518 | 17 |
| 18 | LSU | 3-1 | 514 | 8 |
| 19 | Nebraska | 4-0 | 433 | 22 |
| 20 | Ohio State | 2-1 | 407 | 18 |
| 21 | BYU | 4-0 | 381 | 23 |
| 22 | USC | 2-1 | 309 | 21 |
| 23 | Duke | 4-0 | 155 | 26 |
| 24 | East Carolina | 3-1 | 153 | 33 |
| 25 | Kansas State | 2-1 | 128 | 20 |
Let's take a look at the AP Top 25 and USA Today polls to see how the two compare. As you can see, a few notable differences exist throughout the rankings.
Updated Outlook
Florida State remains No. 1 after sneaking past Clemson in overtime, but how long will the Seminoles maintain the top spot?
Without the suspended Jameis Winston, Florida State sneaked out a 23-17 victory over its ACC rival, which no longer holds a spot in the top 25 after suffering two tough losses. It's easy to blame Winston's absence for the near upset, as Sean Maguire coughed up two interceptions. That, however, would let FSU off the hook too easily.
The understudy quarterback faced heavy pressure all night, getting sacked five times throughout the victory. ESPN Stats & Info illuminated Maguire's circumstances:
Clemson accounted for 407 total yards, and only the most irrational sports fans would blame the Seminoles' defensive struggles on a suspended quarterback. With or without Winston, the Seminoles have not performed like a No. 1 team. ESPN's Football Power Index has them ranked much lower:
In the AP, Oregon is right on FSU's trail. USA Today has the Ducks further behind, but Alabama is on the edge of No. 1 consideration. Florida State shouldn't have to lose a game to lose its No. 1 standing. What type of frightful NCAA juggernaut boasts a 12.3-point margin of victory?
Working in its favor, Oregon also walked a tightrope against Washington State, allowing 436 passing yards and four touchdowns to Connor Halliday during a 38-31 shootout. Heisman hopeful Marcus Mariota answered with five passing scores of his own, but his defense shattered against Mike Leach's passing scheme.
Following three massive victories, one of which came against a then-top-10 ranked Michigan State, Oregon appeared poise to usurp Florida State before nearly unraveling against the Cougars. Now it must get back on track to finally run the table.
The week's biggest stunner produced the largest ramifications, as LSU slid down the rankings while Mississippi State vaulted from unranked to prominently featured. It's amazing what one game can accomplish.
A trendy upset pick heading into Saturday, the Bulldogs bruised their way to a 34-29 victory behind a brilliant performance from Dak Prescott. The junior contributed 268 passing yards, 105 rushing yards and three total touchdowns against Les Miles' squad.
Miles spoke fondly of the dual-threat quarterback before their meeting, via Around the SEC's Twitter page, and now he's probably not happy to see Prescott prove him right:
LSU now must follow South Carolina's path to initiate damage control. Facing Auburn, Ole Miss, Alabama and Texas A&M this season, the Tigers can amend this loss by surviving those four top-10 opponents. Or they can fall from relevancy by succumbing to a brutal schedule.
Mississippi State faces those same four opponents, starting with the Aggies in two weeks after taking the upcoming weekend off. If Prescott can outgain Kenny Hill to win another SEC showdown, the Bulldogs will soar further up the ladder upon facing Auburn the following week.
After its next two games, we'll certainly know whether or not this squad is the real deal.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
