Top 6 Overreactions after Week 5 of 2026 College Football Season

The more we play, the more we learn. It's that simple.

As college football says farewell to Week 5 and welcomes Week 6 with open arms, we suddenly find ourselves deep enough into the season to start drawing sizable conclusions.

Then again, doing so is dangerous. One week, Florida is on top of the college football universe; the next, it's getting absolutely manhandled. Such is life in the SEC.

Elsewhere, we saw breakout performances, shocking losses that could result in massive changes and more.

Here are our biggest overreactions from Week 5.

Penn State Has Rapidly Regressed Under Matt Campbell

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On paper, it all looked so easy. 

Penn State's schedule in Matt Campbell's debut season looked delightfully manageable.

Now, after a second-half collapse against Wisconsin and an ugly 21-point loss to Northwestern, one can't help but wonder what the rest of this year—and beyond—will look like in Happy Valley.

Under James Franklin, Penn State largely won the games it should have. That wasn't the issue. The problem was largely his inability to go beyond that ceiling and take the program to new heights.

But now? Penn State finds itself coming off multiple losses to programs it is expected to handle. And the optics of those losses on both sides of the ball were ugly.

Granted, Campbell needs time. His tenure won't be defined by two ugly weekends in the first half of his first season. With that firmly acknowledged, the vibes are not spectacular, and they likely won't be anytime soon.

Keelon Russell Will Be No. 1 Overall Pick in 2028

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Thankfully, we still have plenty of time to enjoy Alabama's starting quarterback, who is just getting his feet wet. 

But even in the infancy of his college football career, Keelon Russell is doing extraordinary things for the Crimson Tide.

Forget about stats, although we'll get to those. Against Mississippi State, there were plenty of throws that seemingly flipped the game on its side. Russell's arm coupled with his ability to extend plays was on full display yet again.

He is a highlight machine.

As for those stats, he has those, too. Through five games, he has scored 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He had one really rough half against Kentucky, although he's been nearly perfect otherwise.

The NFL, in many respects, can wait. Alabama plays Georgia next week, and the result of that game will impact this college football season in a major way.

That said, scouts are drooling. Russell, just a true sophomore, is dynamic. And in 2028, he will be the first name called come draft time.

Bryce Underwood Will Be Starting for a New Team Next Fall

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It just isn't working. That about sums it up.

For all the physical talent Bryce Underwood possesses, his play has been wildly inconsistent. And with so much change at Michigan, coupled with his early struggles, the future for the former 5-star recruit is clear.

And it doesn't involve his current school. 

He needs a change of scenery. The program needs a new starting quarterback. This football marriage isn't working. Period.

In fact, it's hard to know how much longer he'll be the starter. Head coach Kyle Whittingham teased the possibility of making a quarterback change earlier in the year. And while Underwood has still shown flashes, his two-interception performance against Minnesota feels like the beginning of the end.

Given the talent, teams will still line up to recruit him. (Lane Kiffin comes to mind.)

Time will tell what the future holds, although it's increasingly likely it won't be at Michigan.

DJ Lagway is Back and Better Than Ever

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Speaking of transfer quarterbacks, enter DJ Lagway.

Not terribly long ago, he was a 5-star recruit and one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in college football. At Florida, we saw glimpses of brilliance along with plenty of turnovers.

Lagway transferred to Baylor, and the early returns weren't exactly dazzling. Against Arizona State on Saturday night, however, he was sensational, throwing for 306 yards and accounting for five touchdowns.

An ankle injury sidelined Lagway for multiple weeks, although the QB has been productive when healthy. He has nine touchdowns and only two interceptions in three games.

In terms of size and skills, Lagway has always been intriguing. He's 6'3" and nearly 240 pounds. The football flies out of his hand. It's no wonder he was one of the most coveted quarterbacks coming out of high school, because he often looks the part.

Here's to hoping we see more of what we just witnessed on Saturday.

Jesse Legree is the Biggest Star in CFB You Don't Know (Yet)

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Something spectacular is happening in Corvallis.

Jesse Legree, a true freshman wide receiver, is the most dominant player to play the position not named Jeremiah Smith. His five-catch, 156-yard, three-touchdown performance against Colorado State wasn't some random outlier.

This has become his norm.

In his first five collegiate games, Legree has gone over 100 yards each time. He caught eight passes for 240 yards earlier in the season against Texas Tech. Now, he enters Week 6 with nine receiving touchdowns, which matches what Smith has done at Ohio State.

He wasn't viewed as a can't-miss prospect. If he had been, his recruitment likely would have included more high-profile programs. His 5'10", 175-pound frame may have contributed to that evaluation, as he does not have the size of a prototypical outside receiver.

To date, though, this hasn't slowed him down one bit.

No, we're not talking about where he's playing next year despite the growing questions that emerge each and every time he dominates a football game. Let's save that for another month or two.

Instead, we're going to tune in to celebrate one of the sport's most unlikely stars.

The SEC Will Once Again Cannibalize Itself

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The SEC is very good. Through five weeks, it's clear this is the premier conference in all of college football.

With that honor comes some pain. This week, we saw unbeaten Mississippi State and Florida run right into brick walls. These weren't just losses; these were lopsided, potentially resume-crushing defeats.

And we're not done.

The gauntlet SEC teams will go through before the end of the season is real. Another undefeated team will fall next week when Alabama plays Georgia in one of the more exciting games of the season.

But the real damage will come to teams looking to finish the season with two losses or less: Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Florida, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee and others will try to avoid that dreaded third loss that has been a playoff eliminator so far.

Last season, the playoff committee once again took that stand. Will that group react differently this year when the losses start to mount, or will the same formula unfold?

We shall see.