College Football Rankings 2015: Latest Standings and Predictions for Week 5

The college football hierarchy hasn't changed too drastically entering Week 5. Reigning champion Ohio State continues to sit atop both the Associated Press and Amway polls after getting on track with a 38-12 win over Western Michigan at home.

It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing victory, but it was enough for the Buckeyes to gain traction following an upset scare from Northern Illinois in the prior game. Michigan State continues to represent the Big Ten well in the No. 2 slot, hoping to stay there until its marquee matchup with OSU in late November.

The biggest statement came from Utah in a 62-20 romp over Oregon, allowing the Utes to rise to 12th. Suddenly Michigan's opening-game loss to Utah doesn't look too shabby, especially now that the Wolverines have won three straight and are now slotted at No. 22 in the AP poll.

Those are only some of the storylines to emerge from Week 4's action. Check out the updated standings below, along with predictions as to what will transpire in Week 5.

AP Rank	Team	Amway Rank	Team
1	Ohio State	1	Ohio State
2	Michigan State	2	Michigan State
3	Ole Miss	3	TCU
4	TCU	4	Baylor
5	Baylor	5	Ole Miss
6	Notre Dame	6	Georgia
7	UCLA	7	Notre Dame
8	Georgia	8	LSU
9	LSU	9	Florida State
10	Utah	10	UCLA
11	Florida State	11	Clemson
12	Clemson	12	Utah
13	Alabama	13	Alabama
14	Texas A&M	14	Oklahoma
15	Oklahoma	15	Texas A&M
16	Northwestern	16	USC
17	USC	17	Northwestern
18	Stanford	18	Wisconsin
19	Wisconsin	19	Oklahoma State
20	Oklahoma State	20	Stanford
21	Mississippi State	21	West Virginia
22	Michigan	22	Mississippi State
23	West Virginia	23	Florida
24	California	T24	California
25	Florida	T24	Oregon

Week 5 Predictions

Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press

By far the biggest matchup on tap is a showdown between Notre Dame and Clemson in Death Valley. The Fighting Irish are facing an extremely tough road test, but have persevered through numerous injuries this year in keeping their record unblemished, so they're built to weather adversity.

After a torn ACL robbed him of most of his 2014 campaign, Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson is back this year and has completed 74.4 percent of his passes for 8.2 yards per attempt thus far. Home cooking is just what Clemson needs after a close call in Week 3 that ultimately resulted in a 20-17 victory at Louisville as Watson had his first-ever two-interception game.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney spoke highly of Watson's 2015 form thus far and highlighted some of the veteran savvy he's already showing, per Orange and White's Brandon Rink:

"

Overall on the season after three games, he's done exactly what we've asked him to do. He's taken what's been there, he's made some big throws when he need him and he's extended plays. He's ran the ball effectively. He's made some great checks. He's gotten us into some right protections. He's not made a whole lot of mistakes.

"

The ACC opener was tough, but can also be attributed to a short-week letdown. Now the Tigers have had extra time to prepare and should be ready to roll in front of the home fans.

Although Notre Dame ultimately pulled away from UMass on Saturday, this anecdote from ESPN Stats and Info highlights how the team's next game could be a defensive mismatch of sorts:

"

UMass has 20 points so far in 1st half vs Notre Dame in South Bend. Minutemen scored 37 total points in their 1st 2 games

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 26, 2015"

Look for Clemson's No. 9-ranked defense to shut down Irish deep threat Will Fuller, confuse QB DeShone Kizer and hand Notre Dame its first loss of 2015 in ascending inside the Top 10 of both major polls.

One team possibly on upset alert is Texas A&M. Even though Saturday's SEC clash with Mississippi State is at home, the Aggies' improved defense under new coordinator John Chavis will have to shut down Bulldogs dual-threat signal-caller Dak Prescott.

The good news for Texas A&M is Chavis proved capable of shutting down QBs like Prescott during his long tenure at LSU, with Johnny Manziel as a notable among them. It therefore stands to reason that Texas A&M will do enough to confine Prescott to the pocket and grind out a win against a tough adversary that beat Auburn 17-9 in its last contest.

Speaking of defense, Utah shut down Oregon's uptempo attack en route to a landmark triumph this past weekend, prompting Fox Sports' Matt Leinart to heap gaudy praise on the Utes:

But Utah has a whole different task in shutting down California QB Jared Goff in Week 5.

Considered to be the most probable first quarterback selected in the 2016 NFL draft at this point, Goff can sling it all over the lot. The Utes will have to avoid a letdown from their dominant outing versus the Ducks in order to stymie the newly minted Top 25-ranked Golden Bears.

Despite those circumstances, though, Goff won't be able to do enough for Cal. Now that Travis Wilson is back under center for Utah, coach Kyle Whittingham's team will continue its roll and defeat the Golden Bears as they play their part to keep up with UCLA in the Pac-12 South.

Note: Stats courtesy of NCAA.com.