College Football Rankings 2016: Final NCAA Overview of Week 5 Standings

Whatever the rest of the Top 25 teams in college football have in store for Week 5 on Saturday, it's going to be tough to top the performance of the Washington Huskies.

A pedestrian 7-6 last season, the No. 10 Huskies are 5-0 this year after destroying a Pac-12 foe in No. 7 Stanford 44-6 Friday night at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The game was never close, as the Huskies were up 23-0 at halftime. Washington quarterback Jake Browning threw three touchdown passes, and the defense held Stanford's do-everything running back Christian McCaffrey to just 79 yards of total offense on 17 touches.

It's been 25 years since the Huskies won the national championship (Washington topped the coaches poll in 1991, while Miami topped the Associated Press' rankings). While there's still plenty of football left to be played, this year's iteration of the squad looks like it has a chance to at least force its way into the College Football Playoff conversation. 

No. 6 Houston's cooly dominant 42-14 win over Connecticut ensures they will remain a top contender through Week 5, and a move into the Top Five is possible pending Saturday's results.

As for the rest of the teams in the AP Top 25, here's where they stand entering Saturday and the matchups they have on tap. 

Ranking	Team (First-Place Votes)	Record	Points	Week 5 Opponent
1	Alabama (50)	4-0	1,511	vs. Kentucky
2	Ohio State (4)	3-0	1,440	vs. Rutgers
3	Louisville (6)	4-0	1,409	at No. 5 Clemson
4	Michigan (1)	4-0	1,292	vs. No. 8 Wisconsin
5	Clemson	4-0	1,267	vs. No. 3 Louisville
6	Houston	5-0*	1,239	W, 42-14 Connecticut
7	Stanford	4-1*	1,166	L, 44-6 at Washington
8	Wisconsin	4-0	1,084	at No. 4 Michigan
9	Texas A&M	4-0	1,036	at South Carolina
10	Washington	5-0*	986	W, 44-6 vs. Stanford
11	Tennessee	4-0	909	at No. 25 Georgia
12	Florida State	3-1	804	vs. North Carolina
13	Baylor	4-0	729	at Iowa State
14	Miami (FL)	3-0	696	at Georgia Tech
15	Nebraska	4-0	640	vs. Illinois
16	Ole Miss	2-2	540	vs. Memphis
17	Michigan State	2-1	527	at Indiana
18	Utah	4-0	493	at California
19	San Diego State	3-0	304	at South Alabama
20	Arkansas	3-1	241	vs. Alcorn State
21	TCU	3-1	239	vs. Oklahoma
22	Texas	2-1	217	at Oklahoma State
23	Florida	3-1	176	at Vanderbilt
24	Boise State	3-0	163	vs. Utah State
25	Georgia	3-1	142	vs. No. 11 Tennessee

Game of the Week: No. 3 Louisville at No. 5 Clemson

So, Washington has already shaken up the college football landscape—or at the very least the Pac-12—with a hugely impressive win over Stanford. If anyone's going to top that performance, it might be No. 3 Louisville, who has a tough road battle against No. 5 Clemson.

The Cardinals have been the must-watch team in college football this year, all thanks to quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is setting up timeshares in end zones all across America and turning the cushy chain-gang gig into a blistering cardio workout. 

The sophomore signal-caller has already accounted for 25 touchdowns on the young season. Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee noted that's more than almost every Division I team: 

He can seemingly score at will, hitting receivers in stride with the flick of a wrist or calling his own number and dashing through defenses with incredible ease.

While the Jackson fever has gotten to such a fever pitch that the Cardinals are actually favored on the road, per Odds Shark, CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli notes that people shouldn't be so quick to bet on the Tigers faltering at home: 

"

Since the start of the 2011 season, Clemson has gone 33-2 at home with the two losses being to South Carolina (which finished 11-2) in 2012 and Florida State (which won the national title) in 2013. That means the Tigers have won 18 straight in Death Valley.

Meanwhile, Louisville has played out of this world through the first month of the season. Lamar Jackson is a dang supernova and seems unstoppable, but what Louisville has not done yet is play a defense near the caliber of Clemson, let alone in a road environment such as this one. Also, for as great an in-game play-caller as Bobby Petrino has been throughout his career, he's still 5-12 against teams ranked in the top 10.

"

While Clemson's defense is excellent, Florida State's wasn't supposed to be too shabby either, and the Cardinals merely put up 63 points on the Seminoles.

Jackson has a trio of big-play receivers in James Quick, Jamari Staples and Jaylen Smith, while tight end Cole Hikutini is no slouch with 14.8 yards per reception and three touchdowns. When Jackson isn't taking off and running on his own, he can hand the ball to Brandon Radcliff, who is averaging a ludicrous 9.3 yards per carry.

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables isn't afraid to let people know he's scared of the Cardinals offense.

“It is a nightmare to watch. It just makes you sick. It’s frightening to see those chunk plays happening,” Venables said, per the State's Matt Connolly. “They do a good job of putting themselves in those one-on-one winnable situations.”

Bobby Ellis/Getty Images

Clemson's defense has its bona fides, so it's not like Venables won't have the talent in place to slow down Jackson.

The Tigers are third in the nation in scoring defense at 11 points per game, with opponents managing just five touchdowns in four games so far. They pitched a 59-0 shutout of South Carolina State (a cupcake team, but still) on September 17, and in Week 4 they held Georgia Tech's robust triple-option attack to just 124 total yards. 

As The Ringer's Zach Kram notes, Clemson's defensive success starts with the big heavies up front:

"

Christian Wilkins swung outside from defensive tackle to end this year, and he’s joined by Carlos Watkins and no. 2 national recruit Dexter Lawrence up front, giving Clemson three big, mobile bodies on the line. Wilkins, Watkins, and Lawrence tip the scales at an average of 6-foot-4, 318 pounds, and on any given play, they can explode into the pocket like ends or move side to side like linebackers carrying an extra 75 pounds. The base defense’s 4–3 front rounds out with redshirt freshman Clelin Ferrell, a talented player in his own right, but in this unit one who’s overshadowed by the sheer size around him.

"

Whether it's plugging gaps up front or collapsing the pocket, the size and versatility of Clemson's defensive line could be the antidote to Jackson's venomous quick-strike ability. With his mobility, the Tigers have to disrupt plays at the point of attack and at least try to take away the running game.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

If there is a team capable of slowing down Jackson, it figures to be the Tigers.

The prospect of being directly compared to Jackson could light a fire under Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, a preseason favorite to win the Heisman who has not enjoyed the electrifying campaign he hoped for.

The junior quarterback has nine touchdowns against four interceptions this year, hasn't scored a rushing touchdown and both his yards-per-completion (6.6) and completion-percentage numbers (60.0 percent) are down from last season.

That said, Pro Football Focus still has him pegged as one of the best in college football at his position (thought not as good as you-know-who): 

Watson will have to step up his game, as will Clemson's 85th-ranked rushing attack, if the Tigers are to score enough points to keep pace with even a modest Jackson, which could still be around four total touchdowns at the rate he's going.

For Louisville, a win against Clemson will need to be a total team effort. Should the Cardinals pull it off without Jackson doing it all for them, any remaining doubters will have to consider that this is no one-man hype train, but a great overall team helmed by a fine coach in Bobby Petrino.

Clemson is also undefeated so far, but the Tigers have looked uneven in three of their four contests. A win over a hot-starting Louisville team would certainly quell the fears of fans nervously waiting for a major letdown, to say nothing of a fine resume-booster for when the College Football Playoff starts to loom large.