NCAA Football Rankings 2016: Week 5 Standings and Analysis for Latest Polls
After a weekend that featured a bunch of games between ranked opponents, there was a lot of shakeup in the Top 25.
The very best in college football remained steady at the top of the rankings thanks to relatively easy wins from the top six from the previous week. There were big changes after that, though, with Michigan State, LSU, Georgia and others seeing big drops.
Here is a look at the latest rankings from the major polls heading into Week 5.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Alabama (4-0) | Alabama (4-0) |
| 2 | Ohio State (3-0) | Ohio State (3-0) |
| 3 | Louisville (4-0) | Clemson (4-0) |
| 4 | Michigan (4-0) | Louisville (4-0) |
| 5 | Clemson (4-0) | Michigan (4-0) |
| 6 | Houston (4-0) | Stanford (3-0) |
| 7 | Stanford (3-0) | Houston (4-0) |
| 8 | Wisconsin (4-0) | Wisconsin (4-0) |
| 9 | Texas A&M (4-0) | Washington (4-0) |
| 10 | Washington (4-0) | Texas A&M (4-0) |
| 11 | Tennessee (4-0) | Tennessee (4-0) |
| 12 | Florida State (3-1) | Florida State (3-1) |
| 13 | Baylor (4-0) | Baylor (4-0) |
| 14 | Miami (3-0) | Miami (3-0) |
| 15 | Nebraska (4-0) | Nebraska (4-0) |
| 16 | Ole Miss (2-2) | Michigan State (2-1) |
| 17 | Michigan State (2-1) | Ole Miss (2-2) |
| 18 | Utah (4-0) | Utah (4-0) |
| 19 | San Diego State (3-0) | TCU (3-1) |
| 20 | Arkansas (3-1) | Georgia (3-1) |
| 21 | TCU (3-1) | Florida (3-1) |
| 22 | Texas (2-1) | Arkansas (3-1) |
| 23 | Florida (3-1) | North Carolina (3-1) |
| 24 | Boise State (3-0) | San Diego State (3-0) |
| 25 | Georgia (3-1) | Texas (2-1) |
Perhaps the most surprising part of Saturday's action was the close games on paper that turned into routs.
Wisconsin had a role in one of those games, shocking Michigan State with a 30-6 win on the road. Freshman Alex Hornibrook impressed at quarterback while Corey Clement had two rushing touchdowns, although the real story was the defense that forced four turnovers and held the Spartans out of the end zone.
As Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports noted, the defensive play has been impressive all year long:
The Badgers had one of the best defenses in college football a year ago and look just as strong in 2016, making this squad a serious threat going forward. Of course, facing Michigan and Ohio State in the next two games will represent a serious test.
Another team that was able to earn a surprising blowout was Texas A&M, which pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a 45-24 win over Arkansas. Trevor Knight was the star in this one, throwing for 225 yards and two touchdowns while adding 157 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee had high praise for the Aggies after the win:
Even if they are the second-best team in the SEC behind Alabama, which earned an easy 48-0 win over Kent State to remain No. 1, plenty of other teams in the conference came through with strong performances Saturday.
Ole Miss had gotten off to a tough start to the season with losses to Alabama and Florida State, both games the Rebels had a chance of winning. However, they showed what they could do in Week 4 with a 45-14 domination of Georgia.
The squad came through with big play after big play and showed that despite its 2-2 record, this is still one of the better teams in college football. The Rebels are especially dangerous when Chad Kelly is playing at his best and avoiding turnovers.
One game that did live up to the hype was the battle between Florida and Tennessee, although no one expected what transpired.
The Gators built up a 21-3 lead at halftime and appeared to be in complete control, but the Volunteers bounced back by outscoring their rival 35-7 after halftime. Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs had five total touchdowns as Tennessee pulled out the 38-28 victory.
Head coach Butch Jones was proud of his team for overcoming adversity in the win, per George Schroeder of USA Today:
"The ability to win a game like that, with the magnitude of the game, the stress of the game, playing a team we hadn’t beaten in a number of years. And for our kids not to blink. They could have said, 'Here we go again.' They could have felt sorry for themselves, and they didn't. They really revved it up.
"
While the Vols have had close calls almost every week, including Week 1 against Appalachian State, they are 4-0 and in the driver's seat in the SEC East.
Among the other notable games, Stanford survived a tough battle against UCLA thanks to a go-ahead touchdown with 24 seconds remaining. Utah also proved to be a top team in the Pac-12 after its win over USC. Colorado's road victory over Oregon showed it can be a contender in the South Division as well.
Meanwhile, Michigan, Louisville and Houston had little trouble lighting up the scoreboard in easy wins Saturday.
Week 5 features a handful of games that could shake up the standings once again, including three top-10 battles between Stanford-Washington, Wisconsin-Michigan and Louisville-Clemson. We still have a while before we can start filling in the playoff spots, but these games could go a long way toward deciding the postseason.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
