NCAA Football Rankings 2020: Week 5 Standings and Analysis for Latest Polls

Two massive upsets and two power conferences announcing a return to play caused significant change in the AP Top 25.

Clemson and Alabama remain atop the poll entering Week 5, but Oklahoma and LSU both dropped 14-plus spots following their upset losses. They fell a bit farther than expected because AP voters are now allowed to rank Big Ten and Pac-12 teams.

And the return of Ohio State, Oregon and others necessitated a larger shakeup near the bottom of the rankings.

Finally, a new AP Top 25 is loaded with storylines.

Week 5 AP Poll

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. Florida

4. Georgia

5. Notre Dame

6. Ohio State

7. Auburn

8. Miami

9. Texas

10. Penn State

11. UCF

12. North Carolina

13. Texas A&M

14. Oregon

15. Cincinnati

16. Mississippi State

17. Oklahoma State

18. Oklahoma

19. Wisconsin

20. LSU

21. Tennessee

22. BYU

23. Michigan

24. Pitt

25. Memphis

Welcome Back, Big Ten and Pac-12

Just because the AP allowed its voting body to rank schools from the Big Ten and Pac-12 doesn't mean they needed to include any of those programs.

"I will only consider teams that have produced results, now and for the remainder of the season," Jon Wilner of the Bay Area News Group said.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

And that's an entirely reasonable stance. Yet enough voters put down five schools from those two power conferences.

Ohio State checked in at No. 6, and Penn State landed at No. 10. Wisconsin and Michigan entered the poll at Nos. 19 and 23, respectively. For good measure, Minnesota received the third-most votes among programs outside of the Top 25.

No. 14 Oregon is the lone Pac-12 squad in the Top 25, but USC is right behind Minnesota in the "others receiving votes" category.

While the Big Ten opens the season Oct. 24, the Pac-12 is slated to kick off an abbreviated campaign Nov. 7.

Unlucky Winners Exit Top 25

Since the above-mentioned quintet entered the poll, simply winning this weekend did not guarantee a spot in the rankings.

No. 21 Tennessee, No. 22 BYU and No. 24 Pitt each won Saturday yet dropped five, four and three places, respectively. Louisiana and Virginia Tech both won, but they exited the poll from 19th and 20th—along with former No. 25 Marshall.

Right or wrong, welcome to 2020.

"Remember: This is a crazy year, and these rankings are fluid," Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times said of his ballot.

Put simply, that's the most straightforward piece of advice to consider for this season's polls. Subjectivity is the biggest factor in the AP Top 25 anyway, and an inconsistent schedule across all of college football only adds another layer.

What wrinkle will Week 5 produce?

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.