NCAA Football Rankings 2020: Predicting Week 6 Poll for Top 25 Teams

Familiarity breeds upsets in college football.

Oklahoma, Texas and UCF were upset by teams that they have struggled against historically in Week 5. Because of those results, they will be among the many programs tumbling down or dropping out of the Top 25 ahead of Week 6.

Pittsburgh, Mississippi State and Memphis also lost to unranked opponents, while Auburn and Texas A&M should drop a bit following losses to ranked SEC foes.

The top five in the college football polls is not expected to change since Clemson, Alabama, Florida and Georgia won in commanding fashion and Notre Dame did not play.

Most of the alterations will occur between No. 10 and No. 20, as voters have to process how far certain teams drop and which squads deserve more recognition.

Week 6 Top 25 Predictions

1. Clemson (3-0)

2. Alabama (2-0)

3. Florida (2-0)

4. Georgia (2-0)

5. Notre Dame (2-0)

6. Ohio State

7. Miami (3-0)

8. Penn State 

9. North Carolina (2-0)

10. Oklahoma State (3-0)

11. Cincinnati (3-0)

12. Oregon

13. Auburn (1-1)

14. Texas (2-1)

15. Wisconsin

16. BYU (2-0)

17. Tennessee (2-0)

18. LSU (1-1)

19. Texas A&M (1-1)

20. UCF (2-1)

21. Michigan

22. SMU (4-0)

23. Mississippi State (1-1)

24. Virginia Tech (2-0)

25. Minnesota

Oklahoma's spot in the Top 25 is not guaranteed after losing its second straight Big 12 contest.

The Sooners lost to Iowa State for the second time in four years to add to the miserable start in conference play that began with their second defeat to Kansas State in two years.

Since the 2017 season, the Sooners have only lost to Kansas State and Iowa State on multiple occasions.

As The Athletic's Matt Fortuna noted, Lincoln Riley has as many defeats to the Wildcats and Cyclones than he does against every other opponent he has faced as Oklahoma head coach:

The lackluster performance was ended by a fourth-quarter interception on a deep pass Spencer Rattler threw into end zone. While Rattler's decision-making needs some work, the Sooners will not recover until they improve defensively.

Oklahoma allowed 417 total yards to Iowa State on Saturday and was gashed for 75 points in the past two weeks.

The pressure will only grow on the Sooners going into Week 6, even if they find a way to stick in the rankings, since they face their biggest rival, Texas.

Tom Herman's Longhorns lost to TCU for the seventh time in nine years Saturday to set up an unusual Red River Showdown. According to ESPN's Sam Khan Jr., Saturday will mark the third time in the past 20 seasons in which Oklahoma and Texas will enter the rivalry clash off losses.

Texas should stay in the Top 25, but it will likely drop a handful of spots and beneath Oklahoma State, which looks like the Big 12's best College Football Playoff candidate.

The four playoff berths should be handed out to Power Five teams again as UCF's bid for a final four position ended early. The Knights fell to Tulsa for the second straight year, with the loss ending their 21-game winning streak at home.

Depending on how far UCF falls, it may not be the highest-ranked team in its conference. SMU put that thought into the minds of the voters by knocking off Memphis by a field goal Saturday.

Memphis is expected to tumble from a ranked position. As should Pittsburgh, which stumbled at home versus NC State.

Mississippi State could be on the brink of a departure, but its Week 4 win over LSU may remain in voters' minds when evaluating the final few Top 25 teams.

SMU could be joined by Virginia Tech among the teams entering the rankings. Both programs were on the edge of the Top 25 heading into Week 5. Another option to consider is Minnesota, which received the third-most votes of teams outside the AP Top 25 last week.

The Big Ten already has four ranked teams, and it may make sense to put the Golden Gophers in the rankings with so many shifts expected.

There is potential for a change at the top after Week 6, but that would require Miami to put together a perfect showing against top-ranked Clemson, which ran through its first three opponents and gets the Hurricanes at home.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.