NCAA Football Rankings 2019: Week 6 Polls, Top 25 Standings and Analysis

An unconvincing road performance knocked Clemson off its perch at the top of the AP Top 25 and Amway Coaches Poll. 

The Tigers' one-point win over North Carolina did not impress many voters, and it allowed Alabama to take over the No. 1 position. 

Depending on who you ask, the debate regarding the top program in the country involves as many as five teams. 

Ohio State and Oklahoma enhanced their resumes in Week 5 with blowout victories, while Georgia is in possession of a Top 10 win.

The changes continued at the bottom, with three sides tumbling out of both polls. The American Athletic Conference earned some respect with a new entrant joining UCF in each of the rankings. 

AP Top 25

1. Alabama (5-0) 

2. Clemson (5-0) 

3. Georgia (4-0) 

4. Ohio State (5-0) 

5. LSU (4-0) 

6. Oklahoma (4-0) 

7. Auburn (5-0) 

8. Wisconsin (4-0)

9. Notre Dame (3-1) 

10. Florida (5-0) 

11. Texas (3-1) 

12. Penn State (4-0) 

13. Oregon (3-1) 

14. Iowa (4-0) 

15. Washington (4-1) 

16. Boise State (4-0) 

17. Utah (4-1)

18. UCF (4-1) 

19. Michigan (3-1) 

20. Arizona State (4-1) 

21. Oklahoma State (4-1) 

22. Wake Forest (5-0) 

23. Virginia (4-1) 

24. SMU (5-0) 

T25. Texas A&M (3-2) 

T25. Michigan State (4-1) 

Amway Coaches Poll

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Georgia

4. Oklahoma

5. Ohio State 

6. LSU 

7. Auburn

8. Florida

9. Wisconsin

10. Notre Dame

11. Penn State

12. Texas

13. Oregon

14. Iowa

15. Boise State

16. Washington

17. Utah

18. Michigan

19. UCF 

20. Wake Forest 

21. Texas A&M 

22. Virginia

23. Michigan State

24. Memphis

25. Oklahoma State 

Alabama finds itself in a familiar position entering Week 6. 

As Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News pointed out, the Crimson Tide have reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the 12th consecutive season: 

Nick Saban's team crushed its first five opponents by a combined score of 259-74. It reached 40 points in every victory and scored 59 in its Week 5 win over Ole Miss. 

Tua Tagovailoa ranks second in the FBS in passing yards, and DeVonta Smith is fifth in receiving yards. Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III reside in the top 40 receivers going into the Week 6 bye.

After a Week 7 trip to Texas A&M, the Crimson Tide play three straight home games, a run that concludes November 9 versus LSU. 

In order for the SEC West clash to be a Top 5 matchup, the Tigers have to beat Florida and Auburn. 

While Alabama kept rolling, Clemson dealt with criticism for struggling with North Carolina in its third ACC game. 

ESPN's Paul Finebaum was adamant about where Dabo Swinney's side should be placed, and he ended up being right: 

Some experts believed the Tigers should have dropped multiple spots because of their struggles and the dominant showings of others. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller said he would put Ohio State and Oklahoma above Clemson: 

The Buckeyes controlled all aspects of their 48-7 win over Nebraska, and it led CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd to think of the possibility in which they jump both Clemson and Alabama: 

Ohio State racked up 262 points behind quarterback Justin Fields, who has 1,092 passing yards and 222 more on the ground. 

Ryan Day's team impressed enough to earn 11 first-place votes in both polls. That was six more than No. 3 Georgia.

SEC Network's Peter Burns went as far to say he would take Auburn over Clemson, in addition to Ohio State: 

Gus Malzahn's squad has a pair of Top 25 victories and could pick up a third over Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Saturday. 

Auburn has the potential to pick up four additional wins over ranked foes, and if it achieves that, it could be in the mix for No. 1. 

There was reason to celebrate at the bottom of the rankings as well with SMU earning an appearance in the AP Top 25 for the first time since October 1986, per Sam Blum of the Dallas Morning News: 

The Mustangs eclipsed the 40-point mark in the last four weeks and are the second-highest program from Texas in the AP poll, one spot ahead of Texas A&M. 

By the time SMU and Memphis meet November 2, they could both be ranked. The Tigers landed at No. 23 in the Coaches poll but only earned 71 votes from AP pollsters. 

The victor of that clash could end up in The American championship game against UCF, who jumped four spots in each ranking due to the losses suffered by California, Virginia and USC. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com