College football rankings: Projected AP Top 25 after Alabama outlasts Georgia, Utah & Ole Miss upset in Week 5

Sometimes, the college football gods simply smile on fans with a week that will shake up everything in the AP Top 25 rankings. What we saw in Week 5 was most definitely one of those days, particularly with the exclamation point that the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs delivered in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

What looked like an Alabama rout early turned into a thriller as Georgia stormed back and took the lead late in the fourth quarter only for the Crimson Tide to immediately answer and turn it all on its head before sealing the win in the Top 5 matchup in the NCAA football rankings. But that wasn't all in the SEC as another leading contender, the Ole Miss Rebels, were upset by Kentucky in Oxford.

That was just the start, though, as we saw USC, Michigan, Texas and several others get upset scares, we saw Notre Dame and Penn State make statements, and then teams like Ohio State and LSU, among others, kept on humming.

But will Alabama take over the No. 1 spot after their win? How far will Georgia fall? We have the answers to that and much more as we break down our projections for the AP Top 25 college football rankings after a wild Week 5.

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 25-21

25. Indiana Hoosiers

Curt Cignetti doesn’t do a damn thing but win football games. The Indiana Hoosiers were a relative pushover a season ago but are now off to a 5-0 start after thumping Maryland on Saturday behind another stellar Kurtis Rourke effort, even with two interceptions. The Hoosiers defense still has some holes that we’ve seen but Indiana is wholly deserving of cracking the AP Top 25 after their unbeaten start, their first after five games in nearly 60 years. 

24. Boise State Broncos

Boise State cracked the Top 25 rankings last week and then were given another opportunity to prove they deserved it as they welcomed Wazzu to the blue turf late on Saturday night. And boy did they — or at least Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty — show the right stuff. The star running back amassed 259 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-24 statement win to hand the Cougars their first loss of the year. The Broncos defense also continues to show signs of improvement and solidify this team's place as the Group of 5's favorite to make he CFP.

23. Louisville Cardinals

It would be a bit harsh to drop Louisville outside of the AP Top 25 after the Cardinals were the 15th-ranked team in the country before they lost at Notre Dame on Saturday. And make no mistake, Jeff Brohm’s team continues to look solid as they had their moments, specifically with Tyler Shough having a big day against a stout defense. Yet, the body of work for Louisville remains a bit underwhelming at this point, so they’re flirting with the back end of the rankings after the Week 5 loss. 

22. Texas A&M Aggies

Despite being 4-1 now after Saturday’s close win over Arkansas in College Station, it’s becoming even more difficult to know what to make of this Texas A&M team. There’s no doubt that Marcel Reed is their best option at quarterback after he accounted for all three of the Aggies’ touchdowns on Saturday. The defense also largely did a good job containing a unique and dangerous Razorbacks offense. However, it’s going to be hard to envision this team competing with the class of the conference if they don’t find more dynamism on both sides of the ball. 

21. Illinois Fighting Illini

In their second marquee game in as many weeks, albeit with a bit of extra rest, Illinois saw its perfect season come to an end on Saturday in Happy Valley. But it’s hard to dock the Illini too much, especially with a hodgepodge of teams outside the Top 15. The defense did a stellar job holding Drew Allar and Co. in check but Luke Altmyer and the offense met their match with the vaunted Penn State defense. Still, Illinois is going to be a tough test for everyone on the schedule based on what we’ve seen. 

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 20-16

20. Kansas State Wildcats

After a disastrous result last week against BYU, Chris Klieman had his Kansas State team ready to show exactly what they needed to in a clash with Oklahoma State in Manhattan. Avery Johnson and DJ Giddens were electric with over 500 yards of offense and six touchdowns between them. But the Wildcats defense may be the bigger story, limiting Oklahoma State to only 20 points and forcing three turnovers. KSU needs that if they want to keep Big 12 title and CFP hopes alive. 

19. BYU Cougars

There were certainly makings of a letdown game for BYU on the heels of taking down Kansas State in emphatic fashion last week, even against Baylor. The trip to Waco saw Jake Retzlaff throw two picks and look inefficient but his three scores were enough to help carry the Cougars to the victory, one that was a bit hairy down to the wire. The BYU defense came up big again in the right spots, though, and Kalani Sitake’s team is shaping up to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the season. 

18. Oklahoma Sooners

On the one hand, Oklahoma with Michael Hawkins Jr. replacing Jackson Arnold went on the road as underdogs to Jordan-Hare and took down Auburn. On the other more pressing hand, there still seems like plenty of work ahead for the Sooners. This was not a great effort overall from Brent Venables’ defense and the offense continued to look stale at times. If Venables doesn’t find solutions quickly on both sides of the ball, the SEC could eat OU alive before season’s end. 

17. Utah Utes

Kyle Whittingham probably wishes he was telling the truth about Cam Rising being on track to play on Saturday night because the veteran signal-caller sitting out cost the Utes dearly. Isaac Wilson performed admirably but the Arizona defense caused him too many problems with an offense that's simply limited when the backup is in. Even if the Utah defense did hold the explosive Wildcats to just 23 points, this game felt largely one-sided and now puts the Utes in a precarious position in the Big 12.

16. Iowa State Cyclones

There’s a real chance that Iowa State is very good this season and could be a real threat to take the Big 12’s spot in the Playoff with the way things are shaking out. With that said, I’m not sure a win at Houston is going to be the game that gets them in. The offense didn’t have to show all that much while the defense completely suffocated the Cougars on Saturday afternoon. However, with Baylor, West Virginia, UCF, Texas Tech and Kansas on the docket before playing Cincinnati, the Cyclones are in a great spot to keep improving.

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 15-11

15. Clemson Tigers 

There probably isn’t a person alive who watched Clemson look completely hapless against Georgia in Week 1 who would’ve expected the Tigers to put up 40+ in their next three games but here we are after Dabo Swinney’s team took it to Stanford. Cade Klubnik wasn’t efficient but still poured on five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) while the defense was the real star. Don’t count this Clemson team out for winning the ACC just yet, or at least so it seems.

14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Since the wild upset loss to Northern Illinois, calling Notre Dame anything other than impressive would be a miscarriage of justice. The latest entry was welcoming Louisville to South Bend and earning a hard-fought victory behind Riley Leonard. For Marcus Freeman’s team to fully re-enter the College Football Playoff picture, however, the defense will have to tighten up against the better teams on the schedule. 

13. LSU Tigers

Even with a 42-10 drubbing over South Alabama, there are still causes for concern for the LSU Tigers. Credit where it’s due, the defense showed up nicely against a Jaguars team capable of putting up points. However, Garrett Nussmeier has to be better after throwing two interceptions in this game while the offensive line needs to be more consistent as well. The pieces are still there for a CFP-caliber team but the product hasn’t yet totally been that on the field. 

12. Ole Miss Rebels

For much of the season, it appeared as if Ole Miss had leveled up and was primed for a College Football Playoff spot as many considered the Rebels a lock. Not so much anymore. Letting Kentucky come to Oxford, completely stifle the offense by holding Jaxson Dart and Co. to just 17 points, and also putting up 20 of their own is not at all what the Rebs were hoping for. Given that this was by far their biggest test to date, Lane Kiffin’s team will have a lot of work and privng to do in order to change the budding narrative after this loss.

11. USC Trojans

Even in a 17-point victory, it would be easy to say that USC didn’t exactly answer the call in the way that Trojans fans would hope after last week’s loss to Michigan. However, considering that this team was sloppy and trailed 21-10 at halftime, blanking Wisconsin in the second half is a huge step in the right direction. This defense continues to look improved and Miller Moss is still playing at a high level, but we’ll see what to really make of this USC team in two weeks when they welcome Penn State to town.

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 10-9

10. Michigan Wolverines

Yes, Michigan is on the heels of their big win in the Big House over USC last week but what we saw on Saturday didn’t do much to truly make anyone believe that they’re a viable CFP contender this season with a 27-24 win over Minnesota, a team that has pretty clearly looked like one of the cellar-dwellers in the Big Ten to start the year.

We shouldn’t be shocked that the offense was limited again as they've adopted a run-first (or nearly run-only) approach after moving to Alex Orji, but seeing the Gophers hang 24 points on the Wolverines is the bigger cause for concern moving forward and perhaps the limiting factor that will ultimately cost this team a Playoff spot as they weather their new Big Ten schedule.

9. Georgia Bulldogs

Admittedly, it looked like it was going to be an abject disaster for the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. Carson Beck and the Dawgs offense looked completely hapless against the Alabama defense throughout the majority of the first half and the defense somehow looked even worse trying to keep Jalen Milroe contained, falling behind 28-0. It was a completely different ballgame out of halftime, however. 

Georgia stormed back in the second half and seemed like they might be able to steal it from the Crimson Tide when Beck hit Dillon Bell for a huge touchdown strike to take a 34-33 lead. But the defense had a lapse at the worst time, giving a long TD right back to Bama before Beck threw a game-sealing pick in the end zone on the Bulldogs’ last drive. Even with the 41-34 loss, though, Georgia proved its worth in that second half and won’t be going anywhere this season. 

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 8-7

8. Missouri Tigers

Is there ever a better time for a bye week than the week after nearly getting upset? Eli Drinkwitz probably feels that way about his Missouri Tigers after they were pushed to the absolute brink a week ago against the Vanderbilt Commodores in an upset bid that very few saw coming. But Mizzou did survive and, after some chaos this week, the Tigers are moving back into the Top 10 without having to take a live-game snap. 

What’s becoming clearer after the past two weeks against Vandy and Boston College, however, is that the Missouri defense needs to tighten up in SEC play while Brady Cook and the offense need to find another gear (perhaps by just force-feeding Luther Burden III). But a visit to College Station next week coming out of the off week should be the wake-up call this team clearly needs to get the ship righted before the back half of the schedule. 

7. Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks moved to 4-0 on the season with a late-night win at UCLA but, really, you're biggest takeaway from that game should be about the Bruins being perhaps the worst Power 4 team in the country and less so with Dan Lanning's group. This game even being close would've been an indictment of the Ducks, so hats off to them for checking that box but it's hard to still fully know what Oregon is right now.

Dillon Gabriel had another big night statistically but the eye test was still not promising, including an ugly pick-six to end the first half. The defense was stout but, again, that has a lot more to do with UCLA than anything else. It's always been the case that Oregon had a soft runway before their biggest test of the season against Ohio State and we may truly not know what this team is capable of until that happens on Oct. 12.

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 6-5

6. Miami Hurricanes

Comparing the starts to the 2024 season for the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Tech Hokies, Friday night’s matchup seemed like it should’ve been another rolling victory for The U. Of course, it was anything but that with one of the most dramatic final stretches we’ll see all season after Cam Ward threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns to erase a 10-point deficit but then a last-second Hail Mary from the Hokies was initially ruled a walk-off score but then overturned after a debacle of a replay. 

Frankly, it was a bit sloppy from the Canes on Friday night with Ward throwing two picks and the defense allowing numerous explosive plays. The fact that Miami was still able to win this game, even by the skin of their teeth, is a great sign that the corner has been turned under Mario Cristobal. They need to clean it up in conference play but this is a game they’d have lost in recent years, so there should be some solace in moving to 5-0.

5. Penn State Nittany Lions

It’s starting to look more and more as if the scare that Penn State got from Bowling Green a few weeks ago was a blip on the radar rather than an indication of what James Franklin’s team is going to be this season. On Saturday evening and one week after dismantling an awful Kent State team, the Nittany Lions made a huge statement — and one they direly needed to make — against a spirited and dangerous Illinois team. 

Make no mistake, it wasn’t the prettiest effort from Drew Allar, who threw for just 135 yards in the 21-7 win. But Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton combined for 196 yards and two scores to mak their hay. More importantly, the uber-talented defense showed its moxie, forcing two Illinois turnovers and allowing only 219 total yards. The Nittany Lions will have plenty more tests coming too with USC and Ohio State looming in the next month. 

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 4-3

4. Tennessee Volunteers

It doesn’t get much sweeter than moving up in the rankings while you’re on an off week and coming off of a big win. Tennessee handled Oklahoma pretty emphatically in Week 4 as they started their SEC schedule on the road and then got the open week before a gauntlet in October that sees them play at Arkansas, welcome Florida to Neyland Stadium and then welcome Alabama to Knoxville as well for the Third Saturday in October. 

For as good as Nico Iamaleava has flashed in his first season as the starter for the Volunteers, the big story for Josh Heupel’s team has to be a stalwart defense. We haven’t seen that side of the ball look this strong in many, many years and, when you pair that with the explosiveness this team is capable of on offense, Tennessee is looking the part not just of a CFP lock but of a legitimate national championship contender. 

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

Not that it was a high bar to clear after opening the year with Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall, but Ohio State faced their toughest test to date on Saturday as Ryan Day’s team made the trip to East Lansing to face Michigan State. But even then, it wasn’t much of a test, which is a testament to the Buckeyes first but also a bit telling about the Spartans as well with OSU notching another win by 30+ points. 

Jeremiah Smith, who had two touchdowns and a myriad of highlights on Saturday, continues to be the biggest star on offense. However, the defense is really the driving force for this Ohio State team. They made Aidan Chiles look completely lost and frazzled from start to finish in this game while also forcing three turnovers on top of that. Even if we see Will Howard take a step back as the competition stiffens, the defense will have the Buckeyes in every game they play.

Projected AP Top 25 rankings after Week 5: No. 2-1

2. Texas Longhorns

Given how bad Mississippi State has looked at times this season, some expected the top-ranked Texas Longhorns to welcome the Bulldogs to town and just blow them off of the field, no matter who was at quarterback. It was ultimately Arch Manning that got his first SEC start but it was a bit of a closer affair than many imagined — but not one that should have us thinking less of the Longhorns either. 

Manning looked stellar, throwing from 324 yards on 26-of-31 passing and with three total scores. However, the 35-13 score doesn’t indicate how lopsided the contest was, particularly with Jaydon Blue giving away two fumbles and MSU scoring a meaningless late touchdown. The defense continues to look simply reloaded from last year but now Steve Sarkisian may actually have a QB conundrum on his hands.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

This would’ve been a clear-cut, runaway decision to put Alabama in the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 NCAA football rankings after Saturday’s action had what they did to Georgia in the first half continued into the second half. That, however, was not the case as the Bulldogs found some answers for Jalen Milroe and Co. while Carson Beck started to find his footing against a defense the Tide simply hadn’t put on film this season. 

However, Bama pulling out the win in dramatic fashion while making a top-tier quarterback in Beck look pedestrian for much of the night is a huge feather in the cap for Kalen DeBoer’s team. This offense looks lethal, especially with all-world 17-year-old Ryan Williams somehow getting better with each passing week. This is the best win we’ve seen this season and the Tide have earned pole position in the college football rankings with it.