College football AP Top 25 poll Week 5: How far did Clemson, Texas A&M and Wisconsin fall?

We’ve made it through four weeks of catastrophes for CFP favorites. Let’s look at what the Week 5 AP Top 25 poll tells us.

Here is a fun piece of information that looks preposterous in hindsight: Clemson, without a functioning offense, trailed Cincinnati in the Week 4 AP Poll by just 71 points. That’s less than the difference between Iowa and Penn State at five and six, respectively.

With the week off, Cincinnati s stuck in limbo until next week when they have a chance to beat Notre Dame in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus.

Week 4 was almost as brutal for the Big 12 as it was for the ACC. Oklahoma needed West Virginia to catch the turnover bug to sneak out a win at home… as 17-point favorites. Add that to Baylor knocking off Iowa State and then Kansas State fell to Oklahoma State. Those struggles, though, have nothing on what the already reeling ACC. The preseason favorites to meet in the championship — Clemson and UNC — have officially ceded claims to their respective divisions. There are more elite teams in the American than in the ACC right now. Hard to believe.

The top end of the Big Ten and Pac 12 managed to avoid any major upsets, although more than a few people expected Wisconsin to beat Notre Dame. Likewise, it’s clear that there is a top of the SEC and everyone else after Texas A&M fell to the surging Razorbacks and Auburn white-knuckled a win over Georgia State.

So, here we are. Trends are starting to develop in college football. Let’s see if any are developing in Week 5’s AP Top 25.

College Football Rankings: AP Top 25 poll, Week 5

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Oregon
4. Penn State
5. Iowa
6. Oklahoma
7. Cincinnati
8. Arkansas
9. Notre Dame
10. Florida
11. Ohio State
12. Ole Miss
13. BYU
14. Michigan
15. Texas A&M
16. Coastal Carolina
17. Michigan State
18. Fresno State
19. Oklahoma State
20. UCLA
21. Baylor
22. Auburn
23. NC State
24. Wake Forest
25. Clemson

There isn’t a really strong candidate for the fourth spot in the Top 25. Oklahoma has played way under expectations. Iowa and Penn State have played well, but really haven’t shined in a way that makes one think that they can hang with anyone ahead of them. Cincinnati, for what it’s worth, hung with Georgia in their bowl game last year. So the Bearcats idling behind both Iowa and Penn State and, sprinkling a little salt on the wound, Oklahoma (!) has to be troubling for fans of the soon-to-be Big 12 team.

The Top 15, besides the clear vendetta against Luke Fickell, makes sense. It’s dominated by the Big Ten and SEC. The bottom ten, Nos. 19 through 25 in particular, make no sense, whatsoever.

Oklahoma State, previously unranked, beats Kansas State, previously No. 25 and now they’re No. 19. On the same day, Baylor beats Iowa State, previously No. 14, and is catapulted all the way to No. 21. Huh?

None of that is as egregious as the mental gymnastics it takes to close out the poll with NC State — with a loss to Mississippi State — undefeated Wake Forest, and… wait for it… Clemson! The Tigers had 214 yards of total offense! That’s not a top anything team. Here is a good thought experiment for ranking any team in the Top 25. Could they score easily against UMass? If the answer isn’t an easy “yes” after a quarter second’s thought, then you can’t be in the Top 25. Those are the rules. Lucky for Clemson, the AP doesn’t know how to quit you.

But hey, enjoy your ranking while it lasts, Tigertown. We’re all looking forward to when BC wins next week and skyrockets to No. 3 in the poll.

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