by Wayne Root
Wednesday, Oct 07, 2026Week 5 of the college football season produced three Top-25 matchups that ended in double-digit blowouts, creating movement across the rankings.
1. Texas:
The Longhorns were off in Week 5 and will be back in action against rival Oklahoma next Saturday. I can’t wait to see if there’s anything remarkable about Archie Manning this weekend.
2. Georgia:
Though their ranking is not expected to change, the anticipation for next week's meeting with Alabama was only heightened after another dominant defensive performance in a 38-14 win against Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs are allowing just 14.7 points per game in SEC play through three games after bottling up Blaze Berlowitz, but the challenge changes when staring down Keelon Russell and the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa next weekend.
3. Notre Dame:
Rainy conditions in Chapel Hill forced the Fighting Irish to lean on their ground game in the second half, and the results were a continuation of the encouraging signs we've seen from the offense in recent weeks. Notre Dame rolled up a season-high 241 rushing yards on 45 attempts (5.4 per rush) while holding North Carolina to just 77 net rushing yards on the ground. This is the fifth straight game that Notre Dame has run for more yards than it did in the week prior, and suddenly the loss of two first-round running backs seems like less of an issue.
4. Miami:
The Hurricanes defense arrived in Death Valley with numerous injuries, but the depth of that group was on full display in a convincing win against Clemson. Miami likely did not do much to close the gap on No. 1 with the win but played well enough to avoid getting jumped by Alabama's rise. That was their media eye candy game until Notre Dame in a few weeks. They covered a big spread.
5. Alabama:
Saturday's early slate had Alabama in the spotlight in a tricky road spot at Mississippi State, which entered the weekend at No. 16. What voters tuned in and found was yet another runaway win for the Crimson Tide, who have put up 45+ points in every game and are beating opponents by 28.8 points per game. This is a team that's building a case for No. 1 consideration, and that debate will be the backdrop for next week's showdown with Georgia. Coach Sabin would approve of this team.
6. Ohio State:
It's unlikely that Ohio State will have too many complaints about getting in and out of Iowa City without too much of an upset scare, but the 31-17 win against the Hawkeyes might not carry as much juice as Alabama's high-scoring win in Starkville. Ultimately, our projection is that the tiebreaker is the loss column, and the Tide's undefeated record gives them a slight edge for that last spot in the top five.
7. Indiana:
The Hoosiers methodically picked Rutgers apart and cruised to a 47-15 win. We don't expect voters to be overwhelmed by the result, even if it came dominantly while dealing with injuries. The only real adjustment is a re-shuffling in response to Alabama's jump up. But a huge test is this Saturday in Lincoln against the Cornhuskers.
8. Ole Miss:
The Rebels were off in Week 5 and will be back in action next week at Vanderbilt. Their profile took a hit with Florida's loss at Missouri, but the head-to-head win against LSU could prevent any major changes. Their quarterback keeps them relevant.
9. Florida:
While it will be difficult for Florida fans to justify a drop below the Ole Miss team that the Gators just beat, we are projecting that voters will use the Oregon-Mississippi State-Tennessee range as the floor for a move down. The strength of the Ole Miss win still carries plenty of weight, but the poor performance at Missouri and a common opponent with Tennessee (close win against Auburn) point to a shared tier in that range of the SEC. Florida got pushed off the charts after suffering last week’s embarrassing loss to Missouri.
10. Mississippi State:
It does seem confusing that a team could give up 56 points at home and not move in the rankings, but the strength of Mississippi State's resume and the growing respect for Alabama could leave voters keeping the Bulldogs in this range on their ballots. With head-to-head wins against Missouri and Minnesota, this is a team that has already logged multiple quality power conference victories, and the loss to the Bulldogs included myriad injury issues, the most notable of which was star quarterback Kamario Taylor.
1. Texas:
The Longhorns were off in Week 5 and will be back in action against rival Oklahoma next Saturday. I can’t wait to see if there’s anything remarkable about Archie Manning this weekend.
2. Georgia:
Though their ranking is not expected to change, the anticipation for next week's meeting with Alabama was only heightened after another dominant defensive performance in a 38-14 win against Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs are allowing just 14.7 points per game in SEC play through three games after bottling up Blaze Berlowitz, but the challenge changes when staring down Keelon Russell and the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa next weekend.
3. Notre Dame:
Rainy conditions in Chapel Hill forced the Fighting Irish to lean on their ground game in the second half, and the results were a continuation of the encouraging signs we've seen from the offense in recent weeks. Notre Dame rolled up a season-high 241 rushing yards on 45 attempts (5.4 per rush) while holding North Carolina to just 77 net rushing yards on the ground. This is the fifth straight game that Notre Dame has run for more yards than it did in the week prior, and suddenly the loss of two first-round running backs seems like less of an issue.
4. Miami:
The Hurricanes defense arrived in Death Valley with numerous injuries, but the depth of that group was on full display in a convincing win against Clemson. Miami likely did not do much to close the gap on No. 1 with the win but played well enough to avoid getting jumped by Alabama's rise. That was their media eye candy game until Notre Dame in a few weeks. They covered a big spread.
5. Alabama:
Saturday's early slate had Alabama in the spotlight in a tricky road spot at Mississippi State, which entered the weekend at No. 16. What voters tuned in and found was yet another runaway win for the Crimson Tide, who have put up 45+ points in every game and are beating opponents by 28.8 points per game. This is a team that's building a case for No. 1 consideration, and that debate will be the backdrop for next week's showdown with Georgia. Coach Sabin would approve of this team.
6. Ohio State:
It's unlikely that Ohio State will have too many complaints about getting in and out of Iowa City without too much of an upset scare, but the 31-17 win against the Hawkeyes might not carry as much juice as Alabama's high-scoring win in Starkville. Ultimately, our projection is that the tiebreaker is the loss column, and the Tide's undefeated record gives them a slight edge for that last spot in the top five.
7. Indiana:
The Hoosiers methodically picked Rutgers apart and cruised to a 47-15 win. We don't expect voters to be overwhelmed by the result, even if it came dominantly while dealing with injuries. The only real adjustment is a re-shuffling in response to Alabama's jump up. But a huge test is this Saturday in Lincoln against the Cornhuskers.
8. Ole Miss:
The Rebels were off in Week 5 and will be back in action next week at Vanderbilt. Their profile took a hit with Florida's loss at Missouri, but the head-to-head win against LSU could prevent any major changes. Their quarterback keeps them relevant.
9. Florida:
While it will be difficult for Florida fans to justify a drop below the Ole Miss team that the Gators just beat, we are projecting that voters will use the Oregon-Mississippi State-Tennessee range as the floor for a move down. The strength of the Ole Miss win still carries plenty of weight, but the poor performance at Missouri and a common opponent with Tennessee (close win against Auburn) point to a shared tier in that range of the SEC. Florida got pushed off the charts after suffering last week’s embarrassing loss to Missouri.
10. Mississippi State:
It does seem confusing that a team could give up 56 points at home and not move in the rankings, but the strength of Mississippi State's resume and the growing respect for Alabama could leave voters keeping the Bulldogs in this range on their ballots. With head-to-head wins against Missouri and Minnesota, this is a team that has already logged multiple quality power conference victories, and the loss to the Bulldogs included myriad injury issues, the most notable of which was star quarterback Kamario Taylor.
