• Georgia remains at the top: Even after only beating Auburn by seven points, the Bulldogs remain No. 1.
• Oklahoma cracks the top-10: The unbeaten Sooners rank 10th ahead of its massive showdown with third-ranked Texas this Saturday.
• Maryland and Texas A&M make the top 25: Despite being unranked in the AP poll, the Terrapins and Aggies are in this top-25 ranking.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Week 5 of the college football season brought forth some madness as five ranked teams went down, including one in the top 10 (Utah). Three other top-10 teams (Georgia, Washington and USC) also endured scares, each winning by a touchdown over their unranked opponents. Heading into the midway point of the season, it’s anyone’s guess who the top team is right now.
Ahead of a jam-packed Week 6, here are our top 25 teams in the country. Please note that these are not the same as PFF’s power rankings.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 1st)
Week 6 Matchup: vs. No. 17 Kentucky Wildcats
Georgia endured its second scare in three weeks, this time at the hands of Auburn. The game was tied late in the fourth quarter before the Bulldogs escaped with a 27-20 victory thanks to some heroics from superstar tight end Brock Bowers. The junior had six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown in the second half alone.
Georgia faces its toughest test yet this weekend against an undefeated Kentucky team that just beat then-No. 22 Florida by 19 points. The Bulldogs remain at the top of this ranking for now, but the gap between them and the rest of the pack is decreasing every week.
2. Michigan Wolverines (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 2nd)
Week 6 Matchup: at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Michigan had no such problems with its Week 4 opponent, dismantling Nebraska 45-7. In fact, the Wolverines have won every game this season by at least 24 points. However, Michigan has yet to face a team inside the top-30 of PFF’s power rankings and won’t do so until mid-November.
3. Texas Longhorns (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 3rd)
Week 6 Matchup: vs. No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners
Meanwhile, Texas has the best resume in college football this season, beating two top-25 teams already in then-No. 3 Alabama on the road and then-No. 24 Kansas most recently. The Longhorns have a chance for a third-ranked win this Saturday in the Red River Rivalry. With another victory, Texas will at least move up a spot on this list, if not two spots.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (Record: 4-0, AP Ranking: 4th)
Week 6 Matchup: vs. No. 20 Maryland Terrapins
After a thrilling 17-14 win over then-No. 9 Notre Dame a week ago, Ohio State was able to catch its breath this weekend on its bye week. The Buckeyes will have another tough test this weekend against an undefeated Maryland team that I have in the top 25 of this ranking.
5. Florida State Seminoles (Record: 4-0, AP Ranking: 5th)
Week 6 Matchup: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies
Florida State’s resume isn’t too far behind with victories over LSU and Clemson in its first four games. With both teams already sporting two losses though, those wins are losing some of their luster.
After a week off, the Seminoles are favored by 25.5 points over a struggling Virginia Tech team this weekend. Be warned though, FSU was favored by that exact amount against Boston College and barely squeaked by with a 31-29 victory.
6. Washington Huskies (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 7th)
Week 6 Matchup: Bye
After winning its first four games by an average of 33 points, Washington finally looked mortal on Saturday with just a 31-24 road victory over Arizona. The Huskies will have two weeks to figure out what went “wrong” before a colossal showdown with Oregon.
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 6th)
Week 6 Matchup: Bye
Penn State may have (backdoor) covered its 27-point spread over Northwestern, but don’t let that fool you. The Nittany Lions had some issues with the Wildcats, the seventh-worst Power Five team in PFF’s power rankings. The game was tied until midway through the third quarter when Penn State pulled away for a 41-13 victory.
It’s a little alarming how much this offense relies on sophomore quarterback Drew Allar. The Nittany Lions are outside the top 50 teams in the country in rushing grade, receiving grade, pass-blocking grade and run-blocking grade.
8. Oregon Ducks (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 8th)
Week 6 Matchup: Bye
Following an impressive 42-6 victory over Stanford, Oregon’s offense now leads the country in expected points added per play. The Ducks are also 15th in defensive EPA per play, which will surely be tested in two weeks against Michael Penix Jr. and Washington’s high-powered offense.
9. USC Trojans (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 9th)
Week 6 Matchup: vs. Arizona Wildcats
USC is lucky it has a high-powered offense of its own or else the Trojans would have their first loss of the season already. Despite Caleb Williams tying a career-high with six touchdown passes, USC still barely snuck by Colorado with a 48-31 victory.
Lincoln Riley’s offenses will always compete for College Football Playoff berths. But unless the defense steps up, a national championship should remain out of reach.
Offensive and defensive EPA per play during Lincoln Riley’s tenure as a head coach
| Year | Offensive EPA/Play FBS Rank | Defensive EPA/Play FBS Rank |
| 2023 (USC) | 2nd | 61st |
| 2022 (USC) | 1st | 123rd |
| 2021 (Oklahoma) | 5th | 84th |
| 2020 (Oklahoma) | 15th | 31st |
| 2019 (Oklahoma) | 4th | 78th |
| 2018 (Oklahoma) | 1st | 120th |
| 2017 (Oklahoma) | 1st | 71st |
10. Oklahoma Sooners (Record: 5-0, AP Ranking: 12th)
Week 6 Matchup: vs. No. 3 Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma hasn’t had any such defensive issues this year. Under head coach Brent Venables, the Sooners currently have the second-best defensive grade in the country (92.7) and are 10th in expected points allowed per play. Oklahoma will be tested against Quinn Ewers and Texas’ explosive offense in what’s easily the game of the weekend.
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