College Football Rankings: What the Top 25 Should Look Like in Week 6

It wasn't a big shock to see LSU overtake Oklahoma for the No. 1 ranking in the polls this past week.

Although Oklahoma has been the national championship favorite ever since the preseason rankings were released, LSU has been arguably the most impressive team in the regular season.

LSU defeated then-No. 3-ranked Oregon in a dominant victory in their season opener. They defeated Mississippi State while playing away. They just recently defeated No. 16 West Virginia at West Virginia.

LSU does not play in a marquee game for once this week, as they play Kentucky at home.

However, as always in college football, Week 5 does not lack marquee matchups that will shake up the rankings for Week 6.

The two top games have to be No. 3 Alabama at No. 12 Florida, and No. 8 Nebraska at No. 7 Wisconsin.

Another game between two ranked teams this week is No. 18 Arkansas at No. 14 Texas A & M.

These three games are going to shake up the rankings after Week 5. The question is, how will it shake out?

No. 25 Arizona State

Week 5 Ranking: No. 25

Week 5 Opponent: Oregon State

The Sun Devils have been a surprise team so far in 2011.

ASU recently defeated USC for their first victory over the Trojans since 1999. They dismantled the Trojans 43-22 and forced Matt Barkley into three turnovers.

The Sun Devils currently sit in first place in the Pac-12 South.

They face one of the most disappointing teams in college football in the Oregon State in Week 5. Expect Arizona State to defeat an extremely inexperienced Beavers team. The Sun Devils should remain at the No. 25 spot as the Week 6 rankings are released.

No. 24 Florida State

Week 5 Ranking: No. 23

Week 5 Opponent: Bye

Florida State has dropped all of the way from the No. 5 ranking to the No. 23 ranking in just a couple of weeks.

Florida State got manhandled by Oklahoma in Week 3 in a game between two top-ranked teams. They struggled against the Sooners, as E.J. Manuel had to leave the game in the second half due to injury.

Manuel missed the following week's game against ACC rival Clemson, and the Seminoles lost a heartbreaker there, 35-30.

Florida State gets a chance to regroup in Week 5, as they enter a bye week.

The Seminoles, at 2-2, should remain a ranked team despite losing both of their ranked matchups this season.

No. 23 TCU

Week 5 Ranking: No. 20

Week 5 Opponent: Southern Methodist

After losing to Baylor in one of the best college football games in recent memory, TCU has rebounded to go 3-0.

The only problem is, it hasn't been against anybody of note.

TCU should be 4-1 after this week after they play Southern Methodist.

Although TCU has done nothing wrong since losing to Baylor, the problem with their victories is that they've been against weak competition.

They should drop in the rankings after impressive victories by the teams that were behind them in the Week 5 rankings.

 

No. 22 Clemson

Week 5 Ranking: No. 13

Week 5 Opponent: Virginia Tech

Clemson is 4-0 at the moment, and will travel to Blacksburg to play undefeated Virginia Tech.

The Tigers are coming off of a huge momentum-booster after defeating the previously-No. 11-ranked Florida State Seminoles.

The problem is, the Tigers face a Virginia Tech team that is at full health. Another problem is despite Tajh Boyd's tremendous season this year, he faces one of the stiffest defenses in the entire nation. Virginia Tech has the fourth best defense in NCAA football.

If there ever was a team outside of the SEC that has SEC-caliber speed on the defensive end of the football, it's V-Tech.

Clemson should lose at Virginia Tech, thus dropping them in the rankings for Week 6.

No. 21 West Virginia

Week 5 Ranking: No. 22

Week 5 Opponent: Bowling Green

West Virginia has been surpassed by South Florida as the best team in the Big East at the moment.

WVU faced the best team in the nation in the LSU Tigers in Week 4, and well, they just got destroyed.

This shouldn't impede West Virginia's progress as a team, as Geno Smith continues to play at a Heisman level, and Tavon Austin continues to show why he's one of the top receivers at the college level.

The Mountaineers should easily dispose of the Bowling Green Falcons, as they move on after their first loss of the season.

No. 20 Michigan State

Week 5 Ranking: Unranked

Week 5 Opponent: Ohio State

If there is one team that was unranked in Week 5 that has the best chance of being ranked in Week 6, it's the Michigan State Spartans.

Michigan State is 3-1 and was blown out by Notre Dame a couple of weeks back.

Ohio State is also 3-1 after being blown out by Miami a couple of weeks back.

Both teams are historic programs in the Big Ten. If Michigan State is able to defeat Ohio State at the "Horseshoe," Michigan State should enter the Top 25 at 4-1.

B.J. Cunningham should be able to carry the Spartans to victory on Saturday.

No. 19 Illinois

Week 5 Ranking: No. 24

Week 5 Opponent: Northwestern

Illinois has been one of the handful of teams that have "flown" under the radar in 2011.

The Fighting Illini are currently 4-0. They don't have "impressive" victories, but they do hold a victory over No. 25 Arizona State, after defeating them 17-14 a couple of weeks back.

The Fighting Illini play their first Big Ten game of the season against Northwestern this Saturday. This can easily be a trap game as Northwestern has proven to be a decent team over the last few seasons. If the Illini can escape with a victory, they should move up the rankings at 5-0.

Illinois' first chance at truly proving themselves as a legit contender in the Big Ten should come Oct. 15th when they play the Ohio State Buckeyes at home.

No. 18 Florida

Week 5 Ranking: No. 12

Week 5 Opponent: No. 3 Alabama

The Gators have a tremendous chance at proving they are a legitimate national championship contender when they play the Crimson Tide at the "Swamp" this Saturday.

In what is potentially the game of the week, the Gators will have to prove that they are more than just a "Chris Rainey team" if they are to have a chance against one of the top teams in the nation.

This game will mainly be a matchup of two of the fiercest defenses in the nation. The Gators and Tide personify the SEC. Florida has the fifth-best defense in the country, and the Tide has the second-best.

I can't see either team scoring more than 21 points in this game. It should be the definition of a defensive battle.

With all of that said, I think the Gators will come up short. Alabama is a little bit more experienced, they have the better defense, and I'm of the belief that John Brantley will make more mistakes than he needs to make.

Therefore, expect the Gators to drop in the polls for Week 6.

No. 17 Georgia Tech

Week 5 Ranking: No. 21

Week 5 Opponent: North Carolina State

Georgia Tech is undefeated at 4-0. The problem is, similar to TCU, they just haven't had any impressive victories as far as top-tier competition goes.

However, after embarrassing North Carolina last week, the voters could no longer ignore the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech's unstoppable triple-option offense piled up 312 yards on the ground, and 496 total yards in defeating their first ACC opponent of the year.

Expect Georgia Tech to continue to their winning ways in the ACC, as they play at NC State in Week 5.

Georgia Tech should remain undefeated until they play Clemson in late October.

No. 16 Michigan

Week 5 Ranking: No. 19

Week 5 Opponent: Minnesota

Denard Robinson-centric Michigan is 4-0. The Wolverines are suddenly buzzing again in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines play one of the worst teams in the Big Ten in the Minnesota Gophers. Michigan should dispatch the Gophers for their first Big Ten win of the season, as they move on to 5-0.

The Wolverines should face their first real test in the Big Ten when they play at Northwestern on Oct. 8th.

No. 15 Texas

Week 5 Ranking: No. 17

Week 5 Opponent: Iowa State

Of all of the Top 25 teams, the Texas Longhorns may be the most puzzling.

The Longhorns started out the season with Garrett Gilbert as their starting QB, but after a couple of games, was benched in favor of Case McCoy. Gilbert was announced out for the season last week due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Texas is one of the most puzzling teams because they have such an inconsistent passing attack. Case McCoy did impress in his first career start, throwing for 168 yards and 2 TDs in a blowout victory over UCLA.

Iowa State is not ranked, but they are 3-0. The Longhorns face a potential trap game against a fellow Big 12 team. If the Longhorns can escape unscathed, they should move up slightly in the rankings, improving to 4-0.

No. 14 South Florida

Week 5 Ranking: No. 16

Week 5 Opponent: Pittsburgh

Through the first several weeks of the season, South Florida has been the best team in the Big East.

South Florida has one of the most balanced attacks in all of college football, ranking 20th in total offense, and 26th in total defense.

Behind the stellar play of QB B.J. Daniels, the South Florida Bulls have raced out to a 4-0 start and a No. 16 ranking as they enter their Week 5 matchup at Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh should be a tough game, as South Florida has not defeated them since 2007.

The Bulls should be able to escape a close game with the Panthers. If they are able to do so, they should continue moving up the rankings as the only undefeated team in the Big East.

No. 13 Nebraska

Week 5 Ranking: No. 8

Week 5 Opponent: No. 7 Wisconsin

In a game between the two best teams in the Big Ten, the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Wisconsin to play the Badgers in front of a national television audience.

Both are run-heavy teams, with Nebraska ranking eighth in rushing, while Wisconsin ranks 13th. The difference between the two teams is that Nebraska does not have a developed passing attack, and Wisconsin does.

Taylor Martinez has not improved in his sophomore season, as he has completed just 50 percent of his passes. Transfer Russell Wilson has proven to be one of the best QBs in the nation. He has thrown for 11 TDs, one INT, and has completed 76 percent of his passes to add balance to an offense that was previously known just for their willingness to run the football.

Because of Wisconsin's dynamic offensive attack, they should be able to outlast the Cornhuskers.

Because of this, Nebraska should drop slightly in the rankings to No. 13.

No. 12 Baylor

Week 5 Ranking: No. 15

Week 5 Opponent: Kansas State

Robert Griffin has simply been amazing. Through a 3-0 start, Griffin has thrown for 13 TDs, no INTs and has completed over 85 percent of his passes.

Griffin has made a Baylor Bears team that was an afterthought in the Big 12, into a potential sleeper. Griffin is the clearly the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy early on in the season.

The Bears travel to play an undefeated Kansas State team that upset the Miami Hurricanes in Miami last week.

Bill Snyder always gets the best out of his teams. If Baylor is not careful, Kansas State could easily upset this Baylor team, which is heavily dependent upon the talents of Robert Griffin. Baylor ranks 59th in total defense, despite facing Stephen F. Austin and Rice in their past two games.

Baylor should be able to squeak this one out as they head back home to face Iowa State. 

No. 11 Texas A&M

Week 5 Ranking: No. 14

Week 5 Opponent: No. 18 Arkansas

Texas A&M is coming off a tough loss to Oklahoma State that saw them blow a 17-point lead at halftime.

The Aggies will look to rebound against another team that lost in a battle of ranked teams the previous weekend, when they host the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Arkansas lost to Alabama 38-14, in a game that showed just how good of a team the Crimson Tide are.

The Aggies should be able to rebound to hand Arkansas their second straight loss. This will be one of the few times you see a ranked Big 12 team defeat a ranked SEC team.

No. 10 Oregon

Week 5 Ranking: No. 9

Week 5 Opponent: Bye

Oregon is coming off a 56-31 thumping of the Arizona Wildcats.

The Ducks have been every bit as impressive as they were in 2010, scoring at least 56 points in their last three outings.

What hurts the Ducks is their Week 1 loss to LSU, which saw Oregon trail by three TDs for a good portion of the second half.

The Ducks should remain stable in the polls, but expect them to drop slightly as many teams do on their bye week.

No. 9 South Carolina

Week 5 Ranking: No. 10

Week 5 Opponent: Auburn

The Gamecocks are the favorites win the SEC East division. In order to add legitimacy to that claim, they'll have to defeat the Tigers this Saturday.

Auburn is a team with many deficiencies, as they obviously aren't the national championship team that won it all last season. However, they are still a tough matchup.

The Gamecocks should be able to defeat Auburn, but don't expect it to be a walk in the park.

No. 8 Virginia Tech

Week 5 Ranking: No. 11

Week 5 Opponent: No. 13 Clemson

Virginia Tech continues to be one of the most underrated teams in the nation due to the fact that they play in the ACC conference.

The ACC is a weak conference. There's not much arguing in that. However, Virginia Tech is the best team in the ACC and has proven to be the most consistent team in the conference for years.

Virginia Tech faces their first true opponent in Clemson at Blacksburg. Clemson should prove to be a worthy opponent in this ACC blockbuster, but V-Tech has a stifling defense, ranking fourth in the country.

With the athletic Logan Thomas and David Wilson carrying the offensive load for the Hokies, it's hard to envision the Tigers beating Virginia Tech. Tech has too much speed on both sides of the football.

In college football, speed usually wins.

No. 7 Stanford

Week 5 Ranking: No. 6

Week 5 Opponent: UCLA

The Cardinal have been quietly flying under the radar, as has future top NFL overall pick Andrew Luck. That's a good thing if you're a Cardinal fan.

Stanford has the inside track to win the Pac-12, and a legit shot at playing in the national championship. Luck has been fantastic in 2011, throwing for eight TDs and one INT, and completing over 67 percent of his passes.

The Cardinal should throttle a UCLA team that does not compare in terms of talent.

The Cardinal should have no trouble going undefeated until they play at USC on Oct. 29th and Oregon on Nov. 12th. It's hard to envision the Cardinal having any trouble with their other opponents for the remainder of the regular season.

No. 6 Oklahoma State

Week 5 Ranking: No. 5

Week 5 Opponent: Bye

Oklahoma State is coming off one of the most impressive victories in Week 4, when they came back from 17 points down to defeat the Aggies.

Oklahoma State is on a bye in Week 5. Expect their place in the rankings to remain constant, but they might drop down a spot due to their bye.

No. 5 Boise State

Week 5 Ranking: No. 4

Week 5 Opponent: Nevada

Boise State plays Nevada this week. Let's just say that this is not the Nevada Wolfpack team that ended Boise State's dreams of playing in the national championship.

Boise State should exact revenge on a below-average Wolfpack team. This game won't be close. Boise State should put up at least 40 points in a blowout win. Expect more hype for Kellen Moore in the Heisman race after this game.

No. 4 Wisconsin

Week 5 Ranking: No. 7

Week 5 Opponent: No. 8 Nebraska

As mentioned before, the Badgers have one of the most potent offenses in all of football. By defeating No. 8 Nebraska, the Badgers will definitely move into the top five in their quest for the national championship.

No. 3 Oklahoma

Week 5 Ranking: No. 2

Week 5 Opponent: Bye

Oklahoma recently got knocked off of the No. 1 ranking by the LSU Tigers. Don't be surprised if they fall one spot again in the rankings by next week.

If Alabama defeats No. 12 Florida at the Swamp, Alabama could easily slide into the No. 2 spot, while Oklahoma falls to No. 3.

I fully expect that to happen in Week 6.

No. 2 Alabama

Week 5 Ranking: No. 3

Week 5 Opponent: Florida

The Crimson Tide should roll over the Gators at the Swamp. By doing so, they will make it hard for voters not to vote them as the second best team in the country.

With two consecutive victories over ranked SEC opponents, the Crimson Tide will be the No. 2 team in the nation by Week 6.

No. 1 LSU

Week 5 Ranking: No. 1

Week 5 Opponent: Kentucky

LSU faces Kentucky this week. It might as well be a bye, because the game will be over before the first half even ends.

The Tigers have been the most impressive team in all of college football through the first quarter of the season. It's hard to argue against that notion.

LSU should retain their No. 1 ranking through this week.