College Football Week 5 Top 25

Photo via msn.com

Another week, another one of my college football top 25’s for your reading pleasure (yes I missed last week due to personal reasons, but we can just ignore that). Anyways, you’re not here to read the intro, so let’s get into it.

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In Consideration: Louisville, BYU, Arizona State, Washington, Kansas, USF

25. TCU Horned Frogs (3-0)

Last Week: W 35-24 vs SMU

This Week: at Arizona State (Fri, 9 ET, FOX)

TCU has proven to be one of the top offenses in America through three games, and the Josh Hoover to Eric McAllister connection showed how elite it is against rival SMU. But the Frogs will face probably their toughest test of the season on a Friday night this week against Arizona State.

24. Auburn Tigers (3-1)

Last Week: L 17-24 at Oklahoma

This Week: at Texas A&M (3:30 ET, ESPN)

I’m not punishing Auburn for their loss to Oklahoma, as they were highly competitive on the road against a top 10 team, and arguably got hosed by officiating on top of it. The schedule doesn’t get easier though, as they’re faced with another tough road trip, this time to Texas A&M.

23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-0)

Last Week: W 38-10 vs Northern Illinois

This Week: vs Tennessee (4:15 ET, SEC Network)

Mississippi State enters my top 25, mainly for what Arizona State is doing post-loss to the Bulldogs. What Jeff Lebby has done to turn around this team from 2-10 a year ago to a ranked team is unreal, and isn’t getting enough attention nationally. The Bulldogs have a chance to change that this week though, as they host Tennessee in maybe their biggest game in a decade.

22. Michigan Wolverines (3-1)

Last Week: W 30-27 at Nebraska

This Week: Bye Week

Michigan proved for the first time this year why they’re a top 25 team, as they went on the road and beat Nebraska in a game I was almost sure the Cornhuskers would win. QB Bryce Underwood showed his improvement already from the Week 2 road test at Oklahoma, playing much better in the raucous environment that was Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday.

21. USC Trojans (4-0)

Last Week: W 45-31 vs Michigan State

This Week: at Illinois (Noon ET, FOX)

USC opened Big Ten play in classic Lincoln Riley fashion – by outsourcing an opponent, shootout style. Though, it wasn’t through the air show that we usually see Riley teams win by, it was more of a ground and pound attack with the RB duo of Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders. USC either caught a blessing or a curse with Illinois getting smoked at Indiana this past weekend, as the Illini could either wave the white flag, or use that as extra motivation to beat the Trojans on Big Noon Kickoff.

20. Missouri Tigers (4-0)

Last Week: W 29-20 vs South Carolina

This Week: vs UMass (7:30 ET, ESPNU)

Missouri’s game against South Carolina went about exactly how I thought it would (which was proven in my predictions from last week), as the Gamecocks made it a close game with LaNorris Sellers at the helm, but the Tigers were too much in the end in what ended up being a two-possession win. Mizzou gets a tune-up game this week before fully diving into SEC play.

19. Tennessee Volunteers (3-1)

Last Week: W 56-24 vs UAB

This Week: at Mississippi State (4:15 ET, ESPN)

Tennessee continues to amaze me on how wrong I was about them in the preseason. I thought the Vols would have a similar defense to last year but the offense would regress even further from the struggles it had, but it’s been the total opposite. Joey Aguilar and the offense has proved me wrong and absolutely balled out to start the year, but the defense looks like it’s taken a major step back and might keep them from contending for the playoff.

18. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-2)

Last Week: W 56-30 vs Purdue

This Week: at Arkansas (Noon ET, ABC)

This will probably be the ranking I’ll get the most pushback on, so here’s my reasoning for having the Irish this high. They’re four points away from being ranked in the top 3-5, and I’m a big believer that close games come down to such small margins, so I’m not going to punish someone a ton for losing close games to good opponents, which Miami and Texas A&M both are.

17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-0)

Last Week: W 45-24 vs Temple

This Week: at Wake Forest (Noon ET, ESPN)

Georgia Tech’s two power conference wins (Colorado/Clemson) are getting less and less impressive as the season goes by, but I still think they’re a good enough team to be ranked this high when Haynes King is healthy. The schedule really opens up for the Yellow Jackets though, and it’s not crazy to say they could be 11-0 when they face Georgia.

16. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-0)

Last Week: W 70-21 Georgia State

This Week: vs Utah State (12:45 ET, SEC Network)

What a world we live in, where both Georgia Tech and Vandy are ranked in the top 20, but here we are. After walking into Columbia, S.C. and slaughtering South Carolina a week ago, they follow it up with a 70-bomb over an opponent that beat them a year ago.

15. Iowa State Cyclones (4-0)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: vs Arizona (7 ET, ESPN)

Iowa State is coming off a well-earned bye week after having to go overseas to play a conference game, then coming back home to play three more games. The Cyclones have a test against a sneaky-good Arizona team this week though, where they’ll have to perform better than they did against Arkansas State to pull out the victory.

14. Ole Miss Rebels (4-0)

Last Week: W 45-10 vs Tulane

This Week: at LSU (3:30 ET, ABC)

The Ole Miss offense under Lane Kiffin has looked elite against good competition the last few weeks, and coming off its best performance yet against a good Tulane team. The schedule only gets tougher though, as the Rebels will host a top 10 LSU team this weekend.

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: at Georgia (7:30 ET, ABC)

This is another team that people may have a problem with me putting this high, and honestly, I’d justify that more than the Notre Dame criticism because of the way Alabama looked in its loss to Florida State. But it seems to be more the case that Florida State is just really good than the Tide were bad, so that’s why I have them at 13. They’ll be facing off against Georgia this weekend in one of the games of the year.

12. Texas Longhorns (3-1)

Last Week: W 55-0 vs Sam Houston

This Week: Bye Week

Texas played more inferior competition on Saturday, but looked much better than they did a week ago against UTEP. We won’t really know what the Longhorns are until they dive into SEC play, but the domination of Sam Houston has to at least give them a little more confidence heading into the bye week.

11. Indiana Hoosiers (4-0)

Last Week: W 63-10 vs Illinois

This Week: at Iowa (3:30 ET, Peacock)

What can I say, Curt Cignetti has done it again. This Indiana team may be better than the one that went to the playoff a year ago, and Fernando Mendoza is a bonafide Heisman contender. The Hoosiers will have a tough test this week though, as they go on the road for the first time this season against a good Iowa team.

10. Texas A&M Aggies (3-0)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: vs Auburn (3:30 ET, ESPN)

Texas A&M is coming off a bye after shocking Notre Dame (and me) in South Bend, where Marcel Reed and the offense had a breakout performance in the victory. The Aggies will be back in action at home against a good Auburn team this week.

9. LSU Tigers (4-0)

Last Week: W 56-10 vs SE Louisiana

This Week: at Ole Miss (3:30 ET, ABC)

It turns out LSU’s win over Clemson may not have been as impressive as we all thought week one, given what both teams have done since then. The Tigers have a chance for another statement win this Saturday at Ole Miss, but the offense will need to find its rhythm for the first time this season against an FBS opponent for that to happen.

8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-0)

Last Week: W 34-10 at Utah

This Week: Bye Week

Texas Tech has separated itself as the clear Big 12 frontrunner after a dismantling of Utah on the road. The offseason spending seems to have paid off for the Red Raiders, and they look like the first legitimate national title contender from the Big 12 in years. There is a question about Behren Morton’s health moving forward, but Will Hammond looked more than capable of taking the reins if Morton misses some time.

7. Florida State Seminoles (3-0)

Last Week: W 66-10 vs Kent State

This Week: at Virginia (Fri, 7 ET, ESPN)

Florida State continued to dominate inferior competition after its Week 1 win over Alabama this past Saturday, but the competition ramps back up this weekend against a good Virginia team on a Friday night. Thomas Castellanos is playing like maybe the best player in the country right now, and the Noles will be hard to stop if that continues.

6. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0)

Last Week: W 24-17 vs Auburn

This Week: Bye Week

Oklahoma is another team with a well-deserved bye, after two tough home wins in the first four weeks of the season. John Mateer is maybe the co-leader for the Heisman with Castellanos, and they’re both so similar in their dual-threat ability and backyard football style of play. The Sooners will have a tune-up game against Kent State in two weeks before the rivalry game versus Texas.

5. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: vs Oregon (7:30 ET, NBC)

Penn State will be tested for the first time this season as they host Oregon in a top-5 matchup this Saturday. We don’t really know much about the Nittany Lions, but we’ll certainly find out about everything we need to know when the Ducks come to town in the white-out game in Happy Valley.

4. Oregon Ducks (4-0)

Last Week: W 41-7 vs Oregon State

This Week: at Penn State (7:30 ET, NBC)

Similar to Penn State, we’re going to find out a lot about the Ducks in that Saturday night primetime matchup. Dan Lanning’s squad has been tested a little more than the Nittany Lions, but no one has really threatened them to this point.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: vs Alabama (7:30 ET, ABC)

We as college football fans are blessed to have two matchups as caliber as Oregon vs Penn State and Alabama vs Georgia, but in a way we’re cursed for having them at the same time. The Bulldogs are set to host the Tide for the first time since 2012, but it seems as if all the pressure is on Bama given what both teams have done up to this point.

2. Miami Hurricanes (4-0)

Last Week: W 26-7 vs Florida

This Week: Bye Week

Miami picked up another statement win over Florida this weekend, pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 19-point victory. The Canes might look like the best team in the country at this point, but Ohio State still has the best win in the country and shouldn’t be removed from number one until proven otherwise. The 305’s team has a bye before a massive game against Florida State next weekend.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

Last Week: Bye Week

This Week: at Washington (3:30 ET, CBS)

As mentioned before, I’m not going to knock the Buckeyes off from being number one until they lose or struggle for multiple weeks. They face their first road test of the season against Washington this weekend, who currently holds the second-longest home winning streak in the country and looks great so far.

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