AP College Football Poll: Winners and Losers of Week 5 Rankings

After a slew of thrilling college football games on Saturday, some teams walked away feeling very good about themselves, while others are forced to make proper adjustments to climb back into the thick of the top 25.

LSU once again proved to be too much for yet another ranked opponent. Oklahoma State, via several miscues by Texas A&M survived the trip to College Station. Clemson put away Florida State for the 'Noles second straight loss. And Arizona State pulled out with a monstrous win over USC to open its Pac-12 schedule.

Moving forward, we know more about which teams are real.

Here are the winners and losers of this week's rankings.

Winner: LSU

For the third time in four weeks, the LSU Tigers triumphed over a ranked opponent, most recently against No. 16 West Virginia 47-21.

The lopsided win in Morgantown lifted the Tigers to the top spot in the AP Poll, jumping over Oklahoma by way of 42 first-place votes to the Sooners' 12.

Many pinned Saturday night's game as a trap for Les Miles and the Tigers, but the Bayou Bengals prevailed in echoing fashion, recording more than 40 points for the third time this season.

Behind its stoutm 18th-ranked defense and its 14th-ranked scoring offense, LSU is putting together a resumé that screams BCS National Championship.

Winner: Clemson

Clemson followed up its emotional win over then No. 21 Auburn with a huge, statement victory over No. 11 Florida State 35-30.

Dabo Swinney has to be squirming inside after his Tigers jumped from No. 21 in the polls last week to No. 13 in the rankings this week, the biggest move of any top 25 club.

Defense may not be the name of the game for the Tigers, but with a 16th-ranked passing offense and a 23rd-ranked scoring offense, defensive posturing hasn't mattered too much up to this point.

But Clemson won't be resting on its laurels, especially with another top 15 ACC team on the horizon in No. 11 Virginia Tech.

Florida State may have had its misfortunes with the injury bug, but the Seminoles have displayed offensive talent that can keep them in games.

Winner: Oklahoma State

Okay, so maybe Oklahoma State got a little bit of help from the turnover prone Aggies on Saturday night. Maybe, the Pokes put themselves in a position to lose.

But when all the dust had settled, the Cowboys left College Station with a huge conference victory over a ranked opponent. They did enough harm to themselves to lose the game, but they also played well enough to win.

Offense, and just enough defense, proved to be the difference in the Cowboys' 30-29 win over the Aggies, moving them from seventh to fifth in the rankings.

Defense may come back to bite them down the road, but for now, offense is top in Stillwater.

Loser: Florida State

With a disappointing loss to the Sooners last week, Florida State figured they would get back on track against a barely proven Clemson team.

Not so fast.

Marred by injuries, the Seminoles clawed and scrapped for a fourth quarter comeback, but it was too little, too late as they dropped to 2-2.

Despite its second consecutive loss, Florida State remains in the top 25, ranked 23rd and the only program in the polls with a two in the loss column.

Fortunately, for the Seminoles, they won't see a ranked opponent until rivalry week when they square off against Florida.

This much is for certain, Jimbo Fisher has a ton of work to do in the ACC.

Loser: Texas A&M

Some will say that Oklahoma State won the game. Others will say the Aggies lost it.

Either way, Texas A&M limped away with a loss in a game that the Aggies could have won.

The Aggies dropped six spots in the polls, going from No. 8 to No. 14. But despite the knock back in the rankings, Mike Sherman's program can immediately lift themselves up in the rankings, with a win against No. 18 Arkansas at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

Texas A&M has proven to be offensively efficient, but turnovers killed drives and handed momentum over to the Cowboys in the 30-29 decision.