College Football Rankings 2014: Week 5 NCAA Standings and Top 25 Team Records
The four weeks of the 2014 college football season have been interesting, to say the least. We've already seen once-promising teams fall swiftly down the rankings, and, in turn, others have risen from the ashes after several vastly impressive performances.
That trend was prevalent in Week 4, as LSU and Missouri plummeted after suffering brutal losses, Florida State and Oregon survived huge scares of their own and previously unranked teams surged into the Top 25 standings for the first time this season.
The AP Top 25 Twitter account relayed the changes just prior to the release of the new rankings:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Despite some struggles, the nation's top teams remained in their previous positions, but which squads were the biggest movers heading into Week 5? Here's a look at the full Top 25 standings, followed by an early outlook for the College Football Playoff.
| 1 | Florida State | 1,439 | 3-0 | North Carolina State |
| 2 | Oregon | 1,400 | 4-0 | Bye |
| 3 | Alabama | 1,377 | 4-0 | Bye |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 1,343 | 4-0 | Bye |
| 5 | Auburn | 1,268 | 3-0 | Louisiana Tech |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 1,232 | 4-0 | Arkansas |
| 7 | Baylor | 1,143 | 3-0 | Iowa State |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 967 | 3-0 | Syracuse |
| 9 | Michigan State | 905 | 2-1 | Wyoming |
| 10 | Mississippi | 889 | 3-0 | Memphis |
| 11 | UCLA | 806 | 3-0 | Arizona State |
| 12 | Georgia | 789 | 2-1 | Tennessee |
| 13 | South Carolina | 764 | 3-1 | Missouri |
| 14 | Mississippi State | 706 | 4-0 | Bye |
| 15 | Arizona State | 702 | 3-0 | UCLA |
| 16 | Stanford | 564 | 2-1 | Washington |
| 17 | LSU | 541 | 3-1 | New Mexico State |
| 18 | USC | 459 | 2-1 | Oregon State |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 451 | 2-1 | South Florida |
| 20 | BYU | 376 | 4-0 | Bye |
| 21 | Nebraska | 296 | 4-0 | Illinois |
| 22 | Ohio State | 196 | 2-1 | Cincinnati |
| 23 | East Carolina | 180 | 3-1 | Bye |
| 24 | Oklahoma State | 132 | 2-1 | Texas Tech |
| 25 | Kansas State | 131 | 2-1 | UTEP |
College Football Playoff Outlook
(1) Florida State
Without Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston in the fold on Saturday, Florida State just squeezed past Clemson in an overtime thriller. The Seminoles lucked out again, as Oregon struggled against Washington State soon after, solidifying Florida State atop the rankings for another week.
Winston will be back in action on Saturday against North Carolina State, but this matchup shouldn't be overlooked by the Seminoles. The Wolfpack's defense has been phenomenal this season, allowing an average of just 18.5 points per game. However, North Carolina State has yet to face a team near Florida State's caliber.
The Seminoles should be able to come away with a convincing win to maintain their No. 1 ranking, and with No. 8 Notre Dame being the only ranked team currently residing on the team's remaining schedule, we could expect to see Winston and Co. at the top seed entering the playoffs.
(2) Oregon
The Ducks have a much-needed bye in Week 5 after barely defeating Washington State by a score of 38-31. Marcus Mariota was terrific once again, passing for 329 yards and five touchdowns. Rob Moseley of GoDucks.com tweeted Mariota's impressive season statistics:
Unfortunately, the team's defense was rather suspect. Cougars quarterback Connor Halliday torched the secondary for 436 yards and four scores.
A lackluster effort in Week 4 didn't allow the Ducks to leapfrog the struggling Seminoles for first place; however, they didn't lose any ground, either.
A well-timed bye week is next up for Oregon, and the team will have plenty of time to get things in order before facing Arizona in Week 6. No. 11 UCLA and No. 16 Stanford remain on the Ducks' schedule, but if the team's secondary can get back on track, there's no reason to assume it will relinquish the No. 2 ranking.
(3) Alabama
Alabama also has a bye in store for Week 5; however, that may not be the most optimal timing, as this team has really started to jell over the past couple of weeks. The Crimson Tide trounced Florida in Week 4 by a score of 42-21 thanks to the efforts of Blake Sims and Amari Cooper.
Sims solidified himself as the team's quarterback with another strong performance. He completed 23 of his 33 passing attempts for 445 yards, four touchdowns and one interception against the Gators. Cooper reeled in 10 receptions for 201 yards and three scores.
ESPN College Football relayed Sims' historic performance:
Combine that lethal passing attack with the ground game of Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon, and you get a very dangerous offense. The Seminoles and Ducks should be looking over their shoulders, as the Crimson Tide continue to improve and gain ground.
Expect to see Alabama in the top four—or possibly higher—by season's end.
(4) Oklahoma
The Sooners emerged victorious once again in Week 4 after a back-and-forth contest against West Virginia. The Mountaineers have a solid passing attack—they almost upset Alabama in Week 1—and while they're unranked, they can't be overlooked.
Oklahoma's defense did allow 376 yards and two touchdowns to quarterback Clint Trickett, but the unit also picked him off twice and limited West Virginia's running game to just 3.4 yards per carry.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Sooners saw a blazing performance from Samaje Perine. The ball-carrier rushed 34 times, racking up 242 yards and four touchdowns. His breakout performance will help take pressure off quarterback Trevor Knight going forward.
The running back was given 247Sports' weekly award for true freshmen:
The Sooners will get their toughest test of the year in November when they face off against No. 7 Baylor. If Oklahoma can survive the high-flying Bears, it can be conceived it will remain in the top four up until the playoffs.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
