College Football Top 25 Rankings (After Week 5)
Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football
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 2018 season featured its share of big matchups on Saturday night. In the marquee games for Week 5, Notre Dame defeated Stanford, and Ohio State edged Penn State to remain unbeaten. Alabama remains No. 1 in the top 25, but the Buckeyes jump to No. 2, followed by Georgia at No. 3 and Clemson at No. 4. Syracuse, Florida and NC State join the top 25 after Week 5 action. With the fifth week of the 2018 season officially in the books, here are the top 25 teams in college football:
College Football Top 25 Rankings (After Week 5)
1. Alabama (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Louisiana
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has yet to take a snap in the fourth quarter through five games this season.
2. Ohio State (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Penn State
Ohio State’s offense comes alive for two clutch touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to escape Happy Valley with a one-point win.
3. Georgia (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Tennessee
Bulldogs pound Tennessee for 251 yards on the ground to win 38-12 over the Volunteers.
4. Clemson (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Syracuse
Running game and redshirt freshman QB Chase Brice step up with Trevor Lawrence out to keep Clemson undefeated.
5. LSU (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Ole Miss
Joe Burrow’s huge performance leads LSU to 45-16 victory over Ole Miss.
6. Notre Dame (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Stanford
Brian Kelly’s switch to Ian Book looks even better after the win over Stanford.
7. Oklahoma (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Baylor
Kyler Murray doesn’t start but still accounts for seven touchdowns in Oklahoma’s win over Baylor.
8. Penn State (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Lost to Ohio State
Fourth-down run was a questionable call, but Penn State’s defense couldn’t contain Ohio State’s offense when the game was on the line.
9. Auburn (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Southern Miss
Auburn’s offense sputters for the second week in a row, but coach Gus Malzahn’s team held off an upset bid by Southern Miss.
10. Washington (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated BYU
Jake Browning was sharp, and Washington’s defense allowed only 194 yards in a 35-7 win over BYU.
11. Michigan (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Northwestern
Wolverines overcome slow start to dominate second half and avoid road loss at Northwestern.
12. UCF (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Pitt
Knights averaged 7.2 yards a play in Saturday’s easy 45-14 win over Pitt.
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13. West Virginia (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Texas Tech
Mountaineers hold off a second-half charge by Texas Tech to remain unbeaten.
14. Kentucky (5-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated South Carolina
Kentucky’s defense and rushing attack once again lead the way to beat South Carolina. Next Saturday’s game against Texas A&M is suddenly one of the top games for Week 6.
15. Stanford (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Lost to Notre Dame
Stanford struggled in the trenches and managed only 229 yards in Saturday’s loss at Notre Dame.
16. Miami (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated North Carolina
The turnover chain made several appearances in the Thursday night victory against South Carolina.
17. Wisconsin (3-1)
Week 5 Result: Bye Week
The Badgers were off in Week 5 and return to action next Saturday against Nebraska.
18. Texas (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Kansas State
Longhorns hold off Kansas State to earn first victory in Manhattan since 2002.
19. Oregon (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated California
No hangover from last week’s loss against Stanford, as the Ducks beat California 42-24.
20. Colorado (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated UCLA
Quarterback Steven Montez and receiver Laviska Shenault deliver big performances to improve Colorado to 4-0 for the first time since 1998.
21. Texas A&M (3-2)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Arkansas
Aggies a little sluggish, but find a way to beat Arkansas for seventh consecutive season.
22. NC State (4-0)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Virginia
Ryan Finley was solid as usual, and NC State’s rushing attack showed signs of life in the win over Virginia.
23. Florida (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Mississippi State
Dan Mullen was victorious in his return to Starkville.
24. TCU (3-2)
Week 5 Result: Defeated Iowa State
Bye week comes at a good time for coach Gary Patterson’s team. Quarterback Shawn Robinson and receiver KaVontae Turpin were injured in Saturday night’s win against Iowa State.
25. Syracuse (4-1)
Week 5 Result: Lost to Clemson
Despite falling short of another upset win over Clemson, coach Dino Babers’ team deserves a spot in the top 25.
