NCAA Football Rankings 2017: Week 6 Standings for College's Top 25 Teams

A major upset on Friday night paved way for the typical mayhem on Saturday in Week 5 of the 2017 college football season, surely setting up the Top 25 for some big changes as the season rumbles to the midway point.

No. 16 Washington State pulled off a 30-27 stunner against No. 5 USC to put a damper on the Trojans' playoff hopes while putting themselves in dark-horse contention for college football's top postseason competition. 

Sunday will see the release of the latest Top 25 poll, but for now, let's take a look at the latest standings based on the Associated Press rankings from Week 5.

Week 6 Standings              Week 5 Result

1. Alabama (5-0)                  W, 66-3 vs. Ole Miss

2. Clemson (5-0)                  W, 31-17 at Virginia Tech.

3. Oklahoma (4-0)                did not play

4. Penn State (5-0)               W, 45-14 vs. Indiana

5. USC (4-1)                         L, 27-30 at Wash St.

6. Washington (5-0)              W, 42-7 at Oregon St.

7. Georgia (5-0)                    W, 41-0 at Tennessee

8. Michigan (4-0)                   did not play

9. TCU (4-0)                          did not play

10. Wisconsin (4-0)                W, 33-24 vs. Northwestern

11. Ohio State (4-1)               W, 56-0 at Rutgers

12. Virginia Tech (4-1)            L, 17-31 vs. Clemson

13. Auburn (4-1)                    W, 49-10 vs. Miss St.

14. Miami (3-0)                      W, 31-6 at Duke

15. Oklahoma State (4-1)       W, 41-34 at Texas Tech

16. Washington State (5-0)     W 30-27 vs. USC

17. Louisville (4-1)                 W, 55-10 vs. Murray St.

18. South Florida (5-0)           W, 61-31 at East Carolina

19. San Diego State (5-0)       W, 34-28 vs. Northern Illinois

20. Utah (4-0)                        did not play

21. Florida (3-1)                     W, 38-24 vs. Vanderbilt

22. Notre Dame (4-1)             W, 52-17 vs. Miami (OH)

23. West Virginia (3-1)            did not play

24. Mississippi State (3-2)       L, 10-49 at Auburn

25. LSU (3-2)                         L, 21-24 vs. Troy 

Washington State will likely leapfrog USC in the next poll or at the very least converge somewhere around the No. 9 spot after the Cougars' thrilling home win in Pullman. One place where the rankings should absolutely flip is in Heisman consideration, as Cougars signal-caller Luke Falk should be considered a favorite over USC quarterback Sam Darnold.

Falk was excellent against the Trojans, throwing two touchdowns against one interception and bringing his season totals to 16 and two in those respective categories. The senior quarterback commented on the program's massive win, per 710 ESPN Seattle's Jessamyn McIntyre:

Darnold had a tough night playing behind a banged-up offensive line, completing 15 of 29 passes for no touchdowns and one interception.

Darnold has been a good quarterback for much of his time this season, but defenses are capitalizing on his mistakes, while Falk manages to keep his game mostly free of turnovers and game-changing errors.

Clemson might chip away a bit at Alabama's hold on the No. 1 spot, but it's hard to see the Crimson Tide relinquishing their spot after a 66-3 drubbing of Ole Miss.

Eight different Alabama players carried the ball against the Rebels, with five of them finding the end zone. The defense was just as relentlessly punishing, forcing three fumbles, coming up with five sacks and notching two picks, both of them by senior Levi Wallace. When coach Nick Saban's squad is firing on all cylinders, it looks impossible to beat.

That said, Ole Miss is a rather lackluster squad this year, and Clemson looked great in a 31-17 win over another ranked foe, No. 12 Virginia Tech. The Tigers made history with another resume-boosting win early in the season, per Clemson Football:

No. 7 Georgia blasted Tennessee 41-0 in Week 5, which should bump them ahead of USC and Washington and have them knocking on the door of the Top Four and a potential College Football Playoff spot. 

The combination of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel at running back continues to bedevil defenses, but it's the Bulldogs' defense that makes them a serious contender. The blanking of Tennessee brought their points per game allowed down to 9.2 on the season. Pro Football Focus noted linebacker Roquan Smith was instrumental in shutting down the Volunteers:

At the bottom of the poll, San Diego State continues to punch above its weight. The Aztecs notched a 34-28 win over Northwestern, a victory that should at least secure their No. 19 standing but might not boost them up, considering the impressive wins of the teams directly ahead of them in the rankings.

At least one of Mississippi State and LSU will find themselves bounced from the Top 25 after both teams lost in Week 5. 

North Carolina State deserves to take one spot, but with so many other contenders to move into the rankings losing in Week 5—such as Duke, Texas Tech, Iowa and Memphis—one of the two losing SEC squads might still earn a number next to their name by the end of Sunday.