Sports
College Football Power Rankings: Alabama takes over lead spot
On the heels of a weekend that brought more big developments than any other so far this season, the College Football Power Rankings have been shaken up accordingly.
In a game fans won’t forget anytime soon, Alabama and Georgia put on a show that had us on the edge of our seats until the end. It was a matchup between undefeated conference opponents and Alabama ended up walking out of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a 4-0 record.
It’s a season in which true freshmen are making their mark and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is showing he’s a real problem for opposing defenses. Smith is three touchdowns shy of a program record and we’re only five weeks into the regular season.
With Oklahoma State and Illinois both losing over the weekend, Boise State and Rutgers join the rankings following Week 5 wins and big performances from Ashton Jeanty for the Broncos and Kyle Monangai for the Scarlet Knights.
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team’s Week 5 performance.
Previous ranking: 5
Alabama had owned Georgia with Nick Saban as coach, and now it’s Kalen DeBoer’s time. It was DeBoer’s debut in the rivalry, and this one was wild until the end with Alabama holding on to win 41-34 after leading 28-0 in the first half. A pair of true freshmen came up huge for the Crimson Tide (4-0). Receiver Ryan Williams scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 75-yard catch and spin move to the end zone. And then with Georgia driving to potentially tie the score, cornerback Zabien Brown intercepted Georgia quarterback Carson Beck in the end zone.
DeBoer said afterward there was obviously celebration in the locker room, but added, “We expect to win these games.” He has won a bunch of them, too. He’s 13-2 in his past 15 games against AP nationally ranked teams and has lost only three games as a power conference coach, including his two seasons at Washington. Alabama still has some tough tests remaining, notably Tennessee and LSU on the road. The Tide travel to Vanderbilt this coming weekend. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 1
This is how good Texas is: The Longhorns, with their backup quarterback, muddled through a sloppy start in their SEC opener against Mississippi State, lost two fumbles, dropped a wide-open touchdown pass and had eight offensive penalties. But they still rolled up 522 yards and won by 22 over the Bulldogs.
It helps, certainly, that Arch Manning is their backup quarterback and could start at most every school in America, throwing for 324 yards, two touchdowns and rushing for 33 more and another TD. But going into a bye week, the Longhorns are 5-0, have played most of their roster during three nonconference wins in which they outscored opponents 159-10, and added a 31-12 road win at Michigan for an exclamation point. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 4
True freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith again stole the show, this time, with a pair of dazzling one-handed grabs, as the Buckeyes easily dispatched Michigan State 38-7. With five receiving touchdowns already, Smith is only three scores away from breaking Cris Carter’s record set in 1984 for most receiving touchdowns by an Ohio State true freshman in a season. Smith also scored a 19-yard touchdown on a reverse in the second quarter that helped break the game open.
In Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes have had four receivers drafted in the first round in the past three years. Smith-Njigba told ESPN over the summer that Smith could be ready for the NFL by next year. Smith, however, won’t be eligible for the draft until 2027. That is a scary proposition for opposing Big Ten defenses. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 3
While Georgia and Alabama were playing one of the wildest games of the season, Ole Miss was falling to Kentucky and Texas was working a little harder than expected to get past Mississippi State, Tennessee was kicked back on a bye week, basking in the glow of a 4-0 start and a 216-28 scoring margin.
The Vols have been mostly untested, and they’ll be comfortably favored in their next couple of games — a road test at Arkansas and a visit from Florida in Knoxville — before a third Saturday in October visit from Alabama. The Tennessee defense has given up the fewest points and yards per drive in FBS, and the offense has rediscovered its explosiveness. But the tests resume soon enough. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 2
Kirby Smart didn’t mince words. He said he didn’t have his team ready to play Saturday in a 41-34 loss to Alabama. The Bulldogs (3-1) fell behind 28-0 before rallying valiantly and taking the lead in the fourth quarter. That kind of fight should serve Georgia well the rest of the way because the Bulldogs have a grueling schedule. They still have to play at Texas, at Ole Miss and get Tennessee at home. Georgia’s defense was much better in the second half against Alabama and kept the Bulldogs in the game.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing for Georgia is that quarterback Carson Beck has not played particularly well the past two games. He wound up throwing for 439 yards and three touchdowns Saturday but turned the ball over four times. His final pick was in the end zone in the final seconds with Georgia trying to tie the score. The Bulldogs need to get Beck back to playing with the efficiency he displayed last season if they’re going to stay in the playoff race. — Low
Previous ranking: 7
Well, that was close. It would be easy enough to look at Week 5’s narrow escape against Virginia Tech Hokies as a reminder that nothing about this Miami season is guaranteed, and the relatively painless first four weeks were but an hors d’oeuvre to a much tougher conference slate.
On the other hand, it could also be a reminder — if you’re into the whole “vibes” thing — there’s something entirely special about this particular group of Canes, and the magic of Cam Ward‘s shovel pass, Xavier Restrepo‘s catch from his back, to Schrödinger’s replay, which was somehow both right and wrong at once. If nothing else, it was probably some needed adversity for a team that will still face plenty more ahead. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 9
At times it looked as if Oregon was going to blow out UCLA by more than 30 points. And yet, there were still moments during Saturday night’s 34-13 win over the Bruins in which the Ducks seemed to be sleepwalking their way into danger against an inferior opponent. A pick-six thrown by Dillon Gabriel (albeit not his direct fault) gave UCLA life that, though short-lived, again raised some eyebrows about the Ducks’ ability to handle better teams than the ones they’ve faced so far.
Still, their talent on both sides of the ball (over 400 yards on offense while giving up fewer than 200 on defense) remains not just undeniable but enough to carry them through dry spells. That’s more than enough to stay undefeated — for now. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 8
The Nittany Lions didn’t play their cleanest game but wore Illinois down in a grinding 21-7 win. Penn State’s standout running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton combined for 196 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Penalties hampered Penn State, including a block in the back that wiped out what would’ve been a game-clinching touchdown return on an interception.
Sander Sahaydak also missed two 40-yard field goal attempts, and Penn State squandered another scoring opportunity in the red zone, failing to convert on a fourth-and-3. Still, the Nittany Lions controlled the game and are now the only FBS team to begin 4-0 in each of the past four seasons, according to ESPN Research. More importantly, Penn State remains firmly in the thick of the playoff race. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 11
Last we saw of Mizzou, the Tigers were laboring into overtime to get past Vanderbilt. It wasn’t the most top-10 worthy performance in the world, but they got to 4-0 and got to soak in a bye week before a huge trip to Texas A&M this coming Saturday.
Aside from a couple of long-pass glitches, the defense has been mostly awesome, giving up only 12 points per game. But the offense has underachieved, failing to top 27 points in regulation against either of their two power conference opponents so far. Last year, when the Tigers had to raise their game, they very much did so. To live up to top-10 hype and remain in the playoff race, they’ll have to do the same starting this coming Saturday. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 12
The Wolverines recorded a one-score home win for the second straight week, but the team’s outlook doesn’t look quite as promising as it did after beating USC. Michigan again failed to eclipse 100 passing yards, as Alex Orji had 86 — an improvement from 32 against USC — with a touchdown and an interception. But Michigan’s run game wasn’t nearly as potent, even though Kalel Mullings continued to bully his way for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wolverines were outgained in consecutive wins for the first time since 2005, as a Wolverines defense that stoned Minnesota for three quarters really struggled down the stretch, giving up 21 points and 109 yards in the final 14:01. All-American Mason Graham led the defense with two sacks and a quarterback hurry, but Michigan must find a way to balance its offense with Orji or the losses will start coming in October. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 14
The Tigers did not get off to as fast a start on offense as their previous two games, but you would never know it if you just looked at the 40-14 final against Stanford. The Cardinal played Clemson much tougher at the outset, before eventually being worn down. Cade Klubnik scored five total touchdowns and now has 16 touchdowns in the past three wins.
The defense gave up an uncharacteristic 236 yards rushing (5.4 yards per carry) but made plays when it mattered, including forcing three turnovers and three fourth-down stops. Next up is a trip to Florida State, where former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei awaits. Clemson sits 2-0 in the ACC with a schedule that looks more manageable by the week. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 15
For the second week in a row, the Trojans started off sluggish against a Big Ten opponent, but Lincoln Riley’s team made the second-half adjustments necessary to bounce back from a deficit. While a failed goal-line stand at Michigan cost the Trojans their first loss of the season last week, on Saturday against Wisconsin at home, USC didn’t falter. It erased an 11-point halftime deficit with 28 unanswered points in the second half thanks to a strong passing day from Miller Moss, who found nine different receivers for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.
The Trojans’ new-look defense continued to look the part as it didn’t allow a point over the last two quarters and had a pick-six by linebacker Mason Cobb that sealed the result — the program’s biggest win after trailing by 10 points or more at the half in 25 years. Now four games into the season, it’s clear new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has not only revamped the unit, but more importantly, has shown he’s able to make key adjustments during games to shut down opposing offenses with authority. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 18
Matt Campbell became the winningest coach in Iowa State history Saturday thanks to a 20-0 road victory at Houston, securing the first 4-0 start of Campbell’s nine-season tenure. This was an ugly 3-0 game at halftime, but the Cyclones eventually pulled away with a 240-yard effort from their run game and another excellent effort from Jon Heacock’s defense.
Houston went 1-for-10 on third downs and did not reach the red zone once against a unit that now ranks fourth in FBS in scoring defense at 7.3 points per game. With Baylor and West Virginia up next, a 6-0 start looks entirely possible. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 16
The Irish saw a bit of everything in their first full month of the season, and came up on the other side still with their CFP hopes probably intact. Notre Dame has clear flaws on offense, especially in the passing game, and was outgained 395-280 in Saturday’s win against Louisville, while running 22 fewer plays than the Cardinals. The Irish are still looking for a convincing offensive performance at home, although quarterback Riley Leonard showed some promise Saturday, completing 17 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, and leading Notre Dame with 52 rushing yards and a score.
Coach Marcus Freeman’s main theme afterward was to maintain “an aggressive mentality,” which he displayed by attempting consecutive fourth-down conversions despite a 10-point lead and a struggling offense. Notre Dame overcame several injuries to key defenders against Louisville and gets a well-placed open week to heal up before hosting Stanford on Oct. 12. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 6
One of the most explosive offenses in the country, at least against teams with lesser personnel, got a little dose of reality Saturday. Ole Miss, which had scored a total of 220 points in its first four games, was stopped in its tracks in a 20-17 home loss to Kentucky. The Rebels were held to 92 rushing yards and were just 1-of-10 on third down. And on defense, Ole Miss couldn’t get off the field, as Kentucky nearly doubled Ole Miss in time of possession (39:43 to 20:17).
As damaging a loss as it was for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels (4-1), they still have some chances for resumé-building wins as they now head into the teeth of their schedule, which looked to be one of the more manageable ones in the SEC back in August. Ole Miss goes on the road the next two games, at South Carolina next week and then at LSU on Oct. 12. That will be seven games in seven weeks for the Rebels, and both the Gamecocks and Tigers will be coming off bye weeks. There’s also a home game against Georgia looming on Nov. 9. In other words, the road to the playoff just got a lot more difficult for Ole Miss. — Low
Previous ranking: 20
After jumping out to a 28-7 lead against Baylor, it looked as if the Cougars were on their way to another lopsided Big 12 win, but they were kept out of the end zone in the second half as Baylor cut the deficit to six with 10 minutes left. BYU combined for only two yards over its next three drives, but Baylor wasn’t able to capitalize and the Cougars remain undefeated. With an upcoming bye week, they’ll try to avoid the fate rival Utah suffered over the weekend — a loss at home to Arizona — in an attempt to remain undefeated. The Cougars and Iowa State are the only remaining Big 12 undefeated teams this season. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 17
After the season-opening loss to USC, LSU has won four in a row, albeit against teams it should beat, and now the Tigers get a week off before diving into the toughest part of their schedule. LSU (4-1) routed South Alabama 42-10 on Saturday with the Garrett Nussmeier-to-Kyren Lacy connection working well. Nussmeier passed for 409 yards and two touchdowns (also two interceptions), and Lacy had five catches for 107 yards.
LSU had 11 different players catch passes, and the offense rolled up 667 yards. After the bye week, LSU gets Ole Miss at home on Oct. 12 and then road games at Arkansas and Texas A&M before another bye week and then Alabama at home on Nov. 9. If LSU is indeed a playoff team, we should know after that stretch. — Low
Previous ranking: 23
The Wildcats bounced back strong from their first loss of the season with a convincing 42-20 win against Oklahoma State, in a matchup between two of the Big 12’s preseason favorites. Running back DJ Giddens was particularly impressive, running for 187 yards on 15 carries, and quarterback Avery Johnson ran for two scores and threw for three more. With a bye week before back-to-back road games against Colorado and West Virginia, Kansas State should gain more confidence as Johnson gains more experience. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 22
No first-year coach has brought a more dramatic surge of success and excitement than Indiana’s Curt Cignetti this fall. The Hoosiers are 5-0 for the first time since 1967 — the last time the team shared a Big Ten title — after Saturday’s 42-28 win against Maryland. They also have their highest five-game points total (244) in team history. Even the first signs of shakiness from quarterback Kurtis Rourke couldn’t slow him down or Indiana’s offense, which overcame turnovers on three of its first five drives.
Beginning late in the first half, the Hoosiers scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives as Rourke revved up the big-play passing attack. Elijah Sarratt (128 yards) and Omar Cooper Jr. (78 yards) led the way as Rourke averaged 16.3 yards per completion. Cignetti won’t like four turnovers, but his team still won comfortably thanks to the passing game and a defense that recorded five sacks, two by James Carpenter. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 10
It was only a matter of time, it seemed, for the Cam Rising injury saga to catch up with the Utes — and it finally did. With true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson thrust into another start — this time against a dangerous Arizona team — the Utes were not able to find key conversions when it mattered.
They were 0-for-4 on fourth down, turned three straight red zone trips to open the game into only three points and Wilson tossed two picks in a 23-10 loss to Arizona. With a bye week upcoming, there is some hope Rising will be able to return against Arizona State on Oct. 11, but his availability is firmly in believe-it-when-we-see-it territory. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: NR
In what is not a current Pac-12 matchup but will be a future Pac-12 matchup between two teams that are part of the new, seven-team league (for now), the Ashton Jeanty show again took center stage. Jeanty continued his Heisman campaign with a ridiculous performance that nearly matched his record-breaking Week 1 game. On 26 carries, Jeanty totaled 259 yards on the ground and four touchdowns, including a 64-yard score and a 59-yard score on his way to fueling the Broncos’ 45-24 win over undefeated Washington State.
It’s not just the sheer numbers Jeanty is putting together that are impressive (he has 13 touchdowns and is averaging over 10 yards per carry), it’s the way in which he’s doing it. Jeanty has become must-watch TV every time he touches the ball as he’s prone to make defenders miss and rack up yards after contact over and over again. Is he more or less carrying Boise State’s offense? Yes. But right now, that is enough to make the Broncos one of the 20 best teams in the country. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 24
Brent Venables called it Sooner Magic, and he certainly has a point. How else can you rationally explain what Oklahoma pulled off against Auburn? Down 21-10 early in the fourth quarter of its first SEC road test, the Sooners dug deep and played their best football late, rallying for a 27-21 victory.
New starting quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. sparked the rally with a 60-yard shot to J.J. Hester to set up the first score, and linebacker Kip Lewis made an epic play to flip the game, a 63-yard pick-six with less than 5 minutes left. Oklahoma needed this win in a lot of ways and found a way to get it done. That’s a confidence booster for this squad as it begins preparing for Texas and the Red River Rivalry. — Olson
Previous ranking: 13
After a relatively quiet 3-0 start, Louisville had the chance to make a real splash against Notre Dame and essentially remove the Irish from the CFP picture. Notre Dame provided opportunities, fumbling the opening kickoff and again fumbling near its goal line. But coach Jeff Brohm’s team ultimately couldn’t capitalize, despite spectacular catches from wide receivers Caullin Lacy and Ja’Corey Brooks, solid play from quarterback Tyler Shough and a defense that held Notre Dame to 43 yards in the third quarter.
Louisville had sizable edges in yards, plays and third-down conversions (7-2), but had only one long touchdown drive. Stanquan Clark led a strong defensive effort in the second half. But an inexplicable delay-of-game penalty on fourth-and-1 in the closing seconds sidetracked a potential tying or winning drive for Louisville, one of several moments that will sting Brohm and his players after a missed opportunity in South Bend. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 25
How many of these top-25 teams could lose their starting QB and play better without them? The Rebels responded to Matthew Sluka’s sudden departure over an NIL compensation dispute by playing one of their best games yet under coach Barry Odom, a dominant 59-14 win over Fresno State.
New QB Hajj-Malik Williams, a sixth-year senior transfer from Campbell, was excellent through the air (13 of 16 for 182 yards and three TDs) and on the ground (119 rushing yards, one TD) and got a ton of help with UNLV’s defense grabbing four interceptions and its special teams scoring two touchdowns. With the win, UNLV has achieved its first AP Top 25 ranking in program history. If this team can stay on track, the UNLV-Boise State showdown on Oct. 25 will have serious College Football Playoff implications. — Olson
Previous ranking: NR
Greg Schiano entered the season very confident about his team, and he has been proven right so far. Rutgers is 4-0 for the first time since 2012 and has reflected the brand of football Schiano loves — strong line-of-scrimmage play, bruising defense and a run game led by star Kyle Monangai, who had 132 rushing yards and a touchdown in Friday’s win against Washington, including a highlight-reel 40-yarder when Rutgers was backed up to its own 2-yard line in the third quarter.
Linebacker Dariel Djabome (12 tackles) led a defense that bent but rarely broke, giving up only 2-of-12 third-down conversions and let Washington implode with its own mistakes. Rutgers played clean, efficient football, converting both of its red zone trips into touchdowns and improving to 15-1 since 2020 when not committing a turnover. The Scarlet Knights aren’t a dominant team and will need more from their passing attack as the Big Ten schedule gets tougher, but they’re in position for a very solid season. — Rittenberg