College Football Rankings: Who Deserves Their Rankings?

The College Football Rankings for Week 5 are officially in! The teams ranked in the Top 25 are slowly but surely starting to show us who they are (as opposed to who we thought they were in the preseason).

Although we are not even halfway through the 2011 College Football season, let us take a look at the Top 25 teams and evaluate those who are well-rated and who do not deserve to be ranked at all.

No. 1: LSU Tigers

LSU started the season ranked No. 4 and immediately faced BCS runner-up No. 3 Oregon in Dallas in Week 1. After a blowout win, LSU moved to No. 2, where they shared it back-and-forth with Alabama before taking over the No. 1 spot from the Oklahoma Sooners in Week 5.

The Tigers are ranked 100th in passing yards, 48th in rushing yards and ninth in points against. For the season they have scored 190 total points and their defense has allowed only 67 points. Their closest game was a 19-6 victory over then-No. 25 Mississippi State.

Are the Tigers deserving of No. 1?

Based on their statistics, not really. But time will tell what kind of team they are, especially when they face Alabama in November.

No. 2: Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama started at No. 2 this season and after a back-and-forth with LSU, the Crimson Tide are sitting as the number-two team in the country.

They are ranked 80th in passing yards, 13th in rushing yards and first in points against. On the season they have scored 192 points and their defense has allowed only 32 points in five games. They have faced a decent schedule in then-No. 23 Penn State, No. 14 Arkansas and No. 12 Florida.

Their biggest test will come against LSU on November 5. At the moment, the Tide seem to be playing more dominant football than the Tigers and appear more deserving of the No. 1 spot as a result.

No. 3: Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners were heavily touted as the No. 1 team in the nation during preseason. They returned most of their starters on offense and defense and were poised to go all the way to the BCS Championship this January. In Week 5, they have dropped to No. 3 in the rankings.

Is that fair?

This season, they are ranked fifth in passing yards, 44th in rushing yards and 14th in points against. The Sooner offense has put up 170 points while allowing 61 points. They are not playing like a No. 1-ranked team, and their stats show that.

Time will show us if they deserve to be in the BCS Championship after they face No. 6 Oklahoma State, No. 11 Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor throughout the remainder of the season.

No. 4: Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin is coming off of a blowout road win against then-No. 8 Nebraska, 48-17.

They are ranked 29th in passing yards, 10th in rushing yards and second in points against. Their offense has put up an incredible 242 points and their defense has allowed only 51 points. They have one shutout this season against Oregon State and the rest of their season seems to be easier after the Cornhuskers.

At Ohio State and at No. 19 Illinois will be games to watch for. Are they deserving of No. 4? No.

Are they a top-10 team? Yes.

No. 5: Boise State Broncos

That crazy blue field seems to be working for them. The Broncos are sitting 4-0 for the fourth year in a row, looking to go undefeated for the first time since their 14-0 2009 season.

The only difference? They want to claim their third National Championship.

The Broncos are ranked 20th in passing yards, 65th in rushing yards and 20th in points against. Their offense has scored only 146 points while the defense allows 16.8 points per game.

They don't play like a No. 5 team.

Their conference schedule of unranked teams will make it hard to take them seriously as a BCS contender, so if they want a shot at the Coaches' Trophy, they need to be convincing against Wyoming, TCU and the Air Force.

No. 6: Oklahoma State Cowboys

Those uniforms are just plain ugly. Just sayin'.

With that out of the way, the Cowboys are off to a great start this season. Brandon Weeden has passed for 1,592 yards and 10 touchdowns and overall OSU is second in the nation in passing yards, 53rd in rushing yards and 76th in points against.

The Cowboys have scored 187 points this season while allowing 110 points to be scored. Their one-point win against then-No. 8 A&M was the highlight of Week 5 and speaks a lot for the Cowboys as a whole.

Are they deserving of No. 6 in the country? Perfect fit at the moment, unless their defense can prove otherwise.

No. 7: Stanford Cardinal

QB Andrew Luck has thrown 1,013 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. The Cardinal offense is sitting at 32nd in passing yards, seventh in points and sixth in points against, while their offense has put up 183 points and defense has allowed 46.

These guys mean business and are playing like a No. 5 team.

No. 8: Clemson Tigers

The 5-0 Tigers are sitting at No. 8, and I'm not too convinced that they are a top-10 team.

They're 24th in passing yards, 47th in rushing yards and 31st in points against. If that's not enough to convince you, their offense has put up 174 points and their defense has allowed 103 points. Granted, they have played three ranked teams in then-No. 21 Auburn, then-No. 11 Florida State and then-No. 11 Virginia Tech.

Only Auburn hasn't had more than one loss and that should speak for itself.

For now, I'd say the Tigers are more of a No. 11 team.

No. 9: Oregon Ducks

The Ducks were No. 3 when then-No.4 LSU stomped them 40-27 to start the season.

Since then, the Ducks have been fighting their way back to the top to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with. No one in the nation is putting up their kind of points (52.0 points per game), but their defense needs to seriously step it up (59th in points against).

Passing yards aren't great (also 59th), but their rushing game is looking pretty nice, averaging 299.5 yards per game.

*UPDATE*

Right before posting this article, Oregon had just defeated California in convincing fashion: 43-15.

Total Points Scored: 251

Total Points Allowed: 113

59th in passing yards, 6th in rushing, 46th in points against. I hope they are used to the top 10 because that is where they belong.

No. 10: Arkansas Razorbacks

Of course their only loss would come against the team deserving to be No. 1 in the country, Alabama.

Arkansas is sitting at 4-1 as the No. 10 team in the nation, coming off of a beautiful come-from-behind win against Texas A&M.

They're seventh in passing yards, 92nd in rushing yards, 197 total offensive points and 114 scored past their defense. That's your No. 10 team right there.

If they can stay unbeaten through Auburn, South Carolina and make it to the season finale against LSU 10-1, expect them to be higher then ten.

No. 11: Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns: you love them or you hate them. After an embarrassing 5-7 season last year, they are out looking for revenge and right now they are 2-0 against teams that beat them last season.

Some speculate that they are not a No. 11 team. They have a sloppy but lucky offense that is trying to fix its quarterback situation. They have a plethora of fresh talent that is starting to turn heads and an underrated defense.

But are they No. 11?

They are 76th in passing yards (214.8 yards per game), 25th in rushing yards (206 yards per game) and have the 12th best defense (14.8 points per game). The Texas offense has a total of 137 points this season. They need to step it up if they expect to stand a chance against Oklahoma this weekend.

I'm a huge Longhorn fan and even I don't think they are a No. 11 team. They're better than last year, but they aren't in their true form yet.

No. 12: Michigan Wolverines

Michigan is sitting at a nice 5-0 start. They've had a decent schedule aside from an easy win against a poor Minnesota team.

They are 104th in passing, seventh in rushing and No. 2 in points against.

They will really be tested when they play Illinois and Nebraska back-to-back in Weeks 10 and 11.

156 total points scored.

51 total points allowed.

12 seems a nice fit for the Wolverines right now.

No. 13: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Yellow Jackets are also enjoying a 5-0 start. They have the second-highest scoring offense, averaging 51.6 points per game. They also have the best rushing game (378.2 yards), which comes in handy when your passing game and defense are lacking.

Georgia Tech will face a real test when they face Clemson and Virginia Tech.

258 total points scored.

129 total points allowed.

Anywhere between No. 13 and No. 15 would be an accurate fit for the Yellow Jackets.

No. 14: Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Cornhuskers are 4-1 at this point in the season. Although they started overrated, they are playing some serious football and know now what they will be facing in the Big Ten in the years to come.

Their only loss of the season came from a difficult Wisconsin team. Luckily their schedule looks to remain easy, until they face Michigan.

They're ninth in rushing yards, 103rd in passing and 73rd in points against. They've scored 188 total points scored and had 136 scored against them.

Taylor Martinez needs to step it up and lead his team to prevent any further losses. Until then, they belong in the number 15-20 range.

No. 15: Auburn Tigers

The defending National Champions are No. 15 and sitting at 4-1. However, they have had a tough schedule and an even tougher one ahead in No. 10 Arkansas, No. 17 Florida and No. 1 LSU.

The Tigers are 97th in passing yards, 36th in rushing yards and 74th in points against. They have scored 153 total points and allowed 123.

Although this is a different team than last year, they are still putting up wins and should be anywhere from No. 10 to No. 14.

No. 16: West Virginia Mountaineers

The Mountaineers (4-0) are playing an easy schedule, with their only loss coming from then-No. 2 LSU.

They are sixth in passing yards, 78th in rushing yards and 46th in points against. They've put up 202 total points and allowed 133.

Overranked.

No. 17: Florida Gators

The rebuilding Gators are 4-1 and are ranked No. 17: a perfect ranking.

They are 86th in passing yards, 21st in rushing and 13th in points against. They've scored 171 total points and have allowed only 74.

They fought hard against Alabama; the young team and new coach have learned some valuable lessons from that game. Expect them to dominate the rest of the SEC until they meet with LSU.

A victory there would be a huge upset and send them straight to the top 10.

No. 18: South Carolina Gamecocks

The Gamecocks have had a decent schedule, but they are not an SEC contender. Their schedule has started off easy and it will become more difficult in the coming weeks against Arkansas, Florida and Clemson.

As a team, they are 101st in passing, 32nd in rushing and 54th in points against. They've put up 146 total points and held opponents to only 119. The Gamecocks are a Top 25 team, but they belong in the No. 20-25 range.

No. 19: Illinois Fighting Illini

The Fighting Illini: how cool of a name is that? The Illini have fought their way to the No. 19 spot in the rankings, sitting at 5-0.

They have had a decent schedule and it seems to remain as such throughout the season.

Overall, they are 65th in passing yards, 26th in rushing yards and 23rd in points against. They've put up 167 points and allowed 87 points against.

They deserve to be in the Top 15, not barely in the Top 20.

No. 20: Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats are shockingly at 4-0 at this point in the season, with an upset victory over then-No. 15 Baylor. How do they do it?

Weird things happen when you play Kansas State.

111 total points scored; 66 points allowed. They are 115th in passing yards, 18th in rushing and 17th in points against. For that reason, the Wildcats deserve to be No. 15 at the highest, No. 18 at the lowest.

They soon play Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and the 'Horns consecutively. Any upsets there should boost them as well.

No. 21: Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies are 4-1 with their only loss coming from a great Clemson team. Other than that, their schedule has been kind of decent, if not on the easier side.

142 points scored versus 63 scored against; the Clemson blowout is in there too.

With rankings like 87th in passing, 34th in rushing and eighth in points against, the 4-1 Hokies are underrated and will be proving that as they finish out the season.

They deserve to be in the Top 20.

No. 22: Arizona State Sun Devils

The Sun Devils are 4-1, with two of those wins coming off of ranked teams.

They are 27th in passing, 68th in rushing and 31st in points against. They have put up 173 points on the scoreboard and allowed 103. Despite that, they have played a decent schedule and knocked off some ranked teams.

They should be a rank or two higher than where they are.

No. 23: Florida State Seminoles

How the Seminoles are even ranked is well beyond me. They started the season at No. 5. After some big wins against weak teams, they lost two straight to Oklahoma and Clemson.

They are 13th in passing yards, 115th in rushing and 22nd in points against. They've scored 139 points and allowed 68.

They have an easy season until the Florida game and if they lose just one of those games, you can bet they'll be out of the Top 25.

I don't think they should be in it in the first place.

No. 24: Texas A&M Aggies

Just like the Seminoles, A&M started in the top 10 and are now 2-2 after back-to-back losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, the latter of which was a heartfelt welcome to the SEC.

Their two losses were to top-10 teams and their only two wins come from weak teams, so the Aggies being in the Top 25 baffles me.

I don't want to sound biased because I despise the Aggies, but being in the lower Top 25 and on the verge of being unranked should be familiar ground to them.

They're 23rd in passing, 15th in rushing and 49th in points against with 150 points scored and 88 allowed.

If they must be ranked right now, they need to be ranked higher than Florida State, but I still don't think they are a Top 25 team.

No. 25: Baylor Bears

We all remember the first game to kick off the CFB season: Baylor upsetting TCU 50-48. After that win, the Bears were poised to be contenders in College Football as well as the Big 12.

Now the Bears are 3-1 and ranked No. 25.

No. 25? That is underranked in my opinion. Here's why:

They're eighth in passing, 25th in rushing and 84th in points against. They've put up 189 total points and allowed 114.

They play better football than the Seminoles and Aggies. They deserve to be No. 21.