NCAA Football Rankings 2019: Predicting Week 6 Poll for Top 25 Teams

Clemson's schedule looked fairly light for the rest of the season. Then, North Carolina came along and changed that perception.

In a surprising Saturday contest, the Tar Heels gave the Tigers their closest game of the season so far. North Carolina couldn't score on a two-point conversion attempt with 1:17 to go, as Clemson held on for a 21-20 victory. Javonte Williams scored a 1-yard touchdown run prior to that attempt, which nearly led to a huge upset win for the Tar Heels.

Clemson has only one ranked team on its schedule: Texas A&M. The Tigers beat the Aggies, who were ranked No. 12 at the time, 24-10 on Sept. 7. But perhaps some other ACC teams will give the Tigers competitive games now that North Carolina showed that Clemson might be beatable.

But in the short term, how could this close game affect Clemson? Will the Tigers lose their No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll?

Here's a look at how the rankings could look when they're released on Sunday.

AP Top 25 Predictions

1. Alabama (5-0)

2. Clemson (5-0)

3. Georgia (4-0)

4. LSU (4-0)

5. Ohio State (5-0)

6. Oklahoma (4-0)

7. Auburn (5-0)

8. Notre Dame (3-1)

9. Wisconsin (4-0)

10. Florida (5-0)

11. Penn State (4-0)

12. Texas (3-1)

13. Oregon (3-1)

14. Iowa (4-0)

15. Washington (4-1)

16. Boise State (4-0)

17. Utah (4-1)

18. Michigan (3-1)

19. UCF (4-1)

20. Virginia (4-1)

21. Arizona State (4-1)

22. Texas A&M (3-2)

23. Michigan State (4-1)

24. California (4-1)

25. Wake Forest (5-0)

Alabama takes over top spot from Clemson

Vasha Hunt/Associated Press

Clemson won't fall far after its one-point victory, but combined with Alabama's continued dominance, the Crimson Tide are deserving of taking over the No. 1 spot in the poll.

Alabama beat Ole Miss 59-31 on Saturday, and it has scored 42 points in each of its first five wins. Tua Tagovailoa passed for 418 yards and six touchdowns, while also rushing for a score, to continue his Heisman Trophy-worthy start to the season for the Crimson Tide.

It's possible these rankings will change later in the year, and perhaps Clemson could beat Alabama in a head-to-head matchup, which is a game that could certainly happen in the College Football Playoff. Just because the Crimson Tide will move up to No. 1 doesn't necessarily make them the better team.

But at this point, Alabama has been more impressive five weeks into the season. And because of that, it deserves to be rewarded by the voters with its first No. 1 ranking of the 2019 campaign.

Notre Dame, Washington move up with quality wins

AJ MAST/Associated Press

On Saturday, Notre Dame and Washington each defeated fellow ranked opponents. And both should see a slight jump in the poll because of it.

The Fighting Irish, who fell to No. 10 after a loss at No. 3 Georgia last weekend, bounced back with a 35-20 win over No. 18 Virginia. Notre Dame overcame a three-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Cavaliers 21-3 in the second half.

Notre Dame should move up a couple spots to No. 8. The Fighting Irish are still one of the best teams in the country. Although they're not undefeated, their loss came to another top program, and they proved that they're a strong team with this win over Virginia.

Meanwhile, No. 17 Washington defeated No. 21 USC 28-14. The Trojans are likely going to fall out of the Top 25 poll with their second loss, but the Huskies should move up two spots to No. 15, a spot that was occupied by California, which lost to Arizona State on Friday night.

Arizona State returns to rankings; Wake Forest enters

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Speaking of Arizona State, the Sun Devils should get back into the Top 25 poll this week. They dropped out of the rankings after a 34-31 loss to Colorado last week.

However, Arizona State's win over No. 15 Cal was its second road victory over a ranked opponent this season. It also defeated Michigan State, which was ranked No. 18 at the time, on Sept. 14.

With USC and Kansas State both likely dropping out of the Top 25 poll, one more team will enter the rankings along with Arizona State. And that deserves to be Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons are off to a 5-0 start, including wins over North Carolina and Boston College that proved they may be one of the better teams in the ACC. They were on the fringe of making it into the rankings last week, so now that there will likely be a pair of open spots up for grabs, they should slide in at No. 25.