Ranking the top 25 teams in college football after Week 5
Weekly college football top 25 rankings are a big part of every season, and Athlon Sports will update its top 25 following the games each weekend. The fifth weekend of the 2019 season was headlined Ohio State's blowout victory over Nebraska, Clemson's close call at North Carolina, Notre Dame's home win over Virginia and dominant victories by Penn State, Oklahoma and Auburn in conference play. Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Ohio State take the top four spots, with Clemson falling to No. 5 and Oklahoma remaining at No. 6 in the post-Week 5 top 25 rankings. With the fifth week of the 2019 season officially in the books, here are the top 25 teams in college football:
College Football Top 25 Rankings
1. Alabama (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Ole Miss
Big days from Tua Tagovailoa (418 passing yards) and DeVonta Smith (274 receiving yards and 5 TDs) guide Alabama to a 59-31 win over Ole Miss.
2. LSU (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Off Week
The Tigers did not play in Week 5 and will return to action next Saturday against Utah State.
3. Georgia (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Off Week
The Bulldogs did not play in Week 5 and return to action next Saturday against Tennessee.
4. Ohio State (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Nebraska
Ohio State’s offense recorded 368 rushing yards, while the defense held Nebraska to just 231 in a 48-7 blowout in Lincoln.
5. Clemson (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated North Carolina
Survive and advance. Clemson stuffed North Carolina’s two-point attempt to escape Chapel Hill with a 21-20 victory.
6. Oklahoma (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Texas Tech
Jalen Hurts has accumulated at least 400 total yards in three out of Oklahoma’s four games this year.
7. Auburn (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Mississippi State
Best performance of Bo Nix’s young career (391 total yards) leads the way for Auburn in a 56-23 victory over Mississippi State.
8. Notre Dame (3-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Virginia
Brian Kelly’s team moved on from last week’s loss to Georgia by recording eight sacks in a 35-20 win over Virginia.
9. Texas (3-1)
Week 5 Result: Off Week
The Longhorns were off in Week 5 and return to action next Saturday against West Virginia.
10. Wisconsin (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Northwestern
Wisconsin’s defense scores twice and limits Northwestern to just 255 yards in a 24-15 victory.
11. Florida (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Towson
The development of Florida’s offensive line will be tested in next week’s showdown against Auburn.
12. Penn State (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Maryland
Nittany Lions have won their last three matchups against Maryland by a combined score of 163-6.
13. Oregon (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Off Week
The Ducks were off in Week 5 and return to action next Saturday against California.
14. Iowa (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated MTSU
The Hawkeyes closed out their non-conference slate with an easy win over MTSU (48-3) on Saturday.
15. Boise State (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Off Week
The Broncos were off in Week 5 and return to action next Saturday at UNLV.
16. Washington (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated USC
Huskies get a balanced effort out of the offense, while the defense picks off three passes to knock off USC 28-14.
17. Oklahoma State (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Kansas State
Chuba Hubbard’s 296 rushing yards was more than enough for Oklahoma State to beat Kansas State on Saturday night.
18. UCF (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated UConn
Receiver Gabriel Davis closed out a terrific September by catching three more touchdowns in Saturday’s win over UConn.
19. Utah (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Washington State
The Utes leaned on their tough defense and quarterback Tyler Huntley to beat Washington State and rebound from last week’s loss at USC.
20. Wake Forest (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Boston College
Demon Deacons were outgained (536 to 440) against Boston College, but coach Dave Clawson’s team won the turnover battle (three to one) and converted 17 of 24 third-down attempts.
21. Virginia (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Lost to Notre Dame
Bryce Perkins is capable of carrying Virginia’s offense a long way, but as evidenced in Saturday’s loss in South Bend, it’s hard to overcome eight sacks and 13 tackles for a loss.
22. Texas A&M (3-2)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Arkansas
Kellen Mond threw for three touchdowns, and the defense got a key stop with less than a minute remaining to lift Texas A&M to its eighth win in a row over Arkansas.
23. Arizona State (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated California
A stingy Arizona State defense limited California to just 30 yards on its final five offensive drives, with steady efforts by quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Eno Benjamin providing enough offense to score a big win in Berkeley.
24. California (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Lost to Arizona State
Friday night’s loss against Arizona State was a costly one for California. Quarterback Chase Garbers suffered a shoulder injury in the first half and is out indefinitely.
25. SMU (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated USF
The Mustangs join the top 25 after a convincing 48-21 win over USF. This is SMU’s first 5-0 start since 1983.
