College Football Scores Week 5: Clemson Tigers and 3 Teams Who Silenced Critics

Critics and cynics have nothing more to say. After huge wins this week, several teams validated themselves as forces to be reckoned with. 

Be it a team with BCS Championship hopes or a team who is just happy to be in the rankings, all three of these teams have been slighted by voters.

It's been trendy to dismiss these teams, but after Week 4, they've all left their critics speechless.

Clemson Tigers

Every week, people have a new reason why Clemson won't come through. This week, it was the fact that they were going to have to take on a tough No. 11 Virginia Tech team on the road. Clemson hadn't proved they could win on the road. Perhaps it was home-field magic that was behind their monster wins.

It turns out it was not luck, home-field advantage or facing overrated opponents that catalyzed their rise in the rankings. Their highly criticized defense came up huge and shut down Virginia Tech in a 23-3 win. Clemson has proven they can win on the road and they aren't a one-dimensional team. Scary.

Kansas State

Just what the Big 12 needs—another contender. Kansas State was dismissed prior to this game, with voters pointing to their soft schedule as the reason behind their unblemished record. Taking down Baylor this week puts them on the map and proves to the nation that they are a force.

Kansas State was unimpressed with Robert Griffin and his absurd stats. They didn't shut him down by any means, but they answered offensively and stepped it up when everything was on the line. The Big 12 is stacked with talent, and Kansas State just made things even more interesting by throwing their hat in the ring.

Arkansas

For a moment, it looked like Arkansas was going to get blown away by Texas A&M. The Razorbacks never gave up, though, and fed the Aggies their second straight loss. Arkansas was blown away last week by Alabama, but that doesn't mean they aren't a good football team.

At 4-1, they are getting right into the thick of their SEC schedule and will have plenty of opportunities to attain even more signature wins en route to cracking the Top 10. Arkansas finally got a big win and have the full attention of the SEC. There are clearly more than two dangerous teams in the conference.