Week 5 of the college football season is officially in the books. From start to finish, there were some fantastic games across the Saturday slate. Most teams are playing conference games, for the most part — providing some fun results.
Now, it’s time to see how the top teams in the country stack up against one another. Sunday brought the latest edition of the Coaches Poll via USA TODAY. A new top 25 has been released, giving us an idea of who is viewed highly by coaches.
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Due to some losses, there is a big shake-up inside the top-10. Movement takes place throughout the entire poll, as conference games begin. Let’s check out the full thing below, beginning in Austin.
Folks in Austin got to sit on their couch with the rest of us and take in Week 5. A bye week for Texas, coming off a major win in Knoxville, now preparing to travel up I-35 to Dallas for the Red River Shootout.
Despite no result, the Longhorns remain atop in the rankings. This will be just the sixth time in history Texas faces Oklahoma as the No. 1 team in the country, two of which have now come under head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Through two SEC games, Georgia is absolutely flying. To nobody’s surprise, Kirby Smart has his team with a 2-0 record in conference play. Both games have taken place in Athens, meaning UGA is still waiting to get one on the road.
An opportunity certainly arises in Week 6, heading to Tuscaloosa. ESPN College GameDay will meet them there. Tons of energy will be put into this one, wanting to get a statement victory. For now, a spot at No. 2 in the Coaches Poll will have to do.
Standout performances pop off the stat sheet after Notre Dame took down North Carolina early Saturday afternoon. CJ Carr deserves a ton of praise, completing 21 of 29 for 234 yards and four touchdowns. You can add a score on the ground as well.
If Carr is going to play like that on a weekly basis, the Irish will continue to be quite high in this poll. They come in as the top-ranked non-SEC team. Coaches across the country continue to think a lot about Notre Dame.
No matter the current state of Clemson‘s program, going into Death Valley at night is a difficult task. Even for Miami, who had yet to really be challenged this season. Well, a test was certainly passed, beating Clemson by four touchdowns.
Darian Mensah walks out of Memorial Stadium with quite a few more incompletions to his name. The numbers are still fantastic, though. Two total touchdowns for the quarterback, also throwing for 227 yards.
No coach is going to take winning on the road in the Big Ten lightly. Especially Curt Cignetti, who wanted Indiana to respond in a big way after a nail-biter last Friday night. Over a week later, his team executed in a big way.
Rutgers was on the receiving end of what turned into a blowout. Indiana ran for 329 yards, 204 of which came from Turbo Richards. You can bet that he is healthy and ready to become the Hoosiers’ top back through conference play.
Ohio State came into Week 5 with one of the more interesting matchups. Going into Kinnick Stadium has proven to be a major trap for top-10 teams. The Buckeyes avoided any kind of tomfoolery, coming out with a win on the other side.
Really, only one name needs to be mentioned here. Jeremiah Smith continues to do incredible things, adding to his record-setting career in scarlet and gray. Ohio State knows they can rely on potentially the best player in college football.
Alabama-Mississippi State is up there as one of the most played games in SEC history. The two schools are separated by a short drive down Highway 82, which Kalen DeBoer had his team take on Saturday morning.
Some early turnovers in favor of the Crimson Tide defense set the tone before Keelon Russell slammed the door shut. Another offensive explosion for Alabama, while also recording a pick-six in a fourth-straight game.
BYU is the latest team inside the top-10 to play away from home and come out with a win. They did so in Fort Worth, taking down Sonny Dykes and the TCU Horned Frogs. Maybe not the prettiest result but one the Cougars will take.
Twelve total punts happened in this game. BYU only threw for 62 yards. Bear Bachmeier made his presence known on the ground, rushing for 66 yards on 15 carries, but getting into the end zone twice.
Plenty of avenues in Saturday’s matchup against Colorado went right for Texas Tech. Having parts of the CU playbook could not have hurt. Ultimately, three interceptions thrown by Issac Wilson turned into the difference.
Defense continues to be how Texas Tech wins games. The reigning Big 12 Champions had a standout unit a year ago as well. Joey McGuire will rely on them throughout the year, as he attempts to get the offense moving.
For the final time this season, LSU lined up against a nonconference opponent. McNeese State was on the receiving end of a massive blowout, adding to the decent start Lane Kiffin is having in Baton Rouge.
Now, the schedule begins to get a whole lot tougher. LSU already has a loss on the resume, not having much room for error moving forward. Two of the next three are on the road before hosting Alabama on Nov. 7.
You have to imagine the previous two weeks have been quite emotional. Ole Miss took down LSU in Oxford in Kiffin’s return. Only to turn around and play below expectations in the Swamp against Florida.
Thankfully, the schedule provided some rest with a bye week. Plenty of tough games remain on the schedule, meaning emotions will continue to run. A lot for head coach Pete Golding to deal with moving forward.
After beginning Big 12 play with a win, the conference decided to sit Utah down for a Saturday. No game for the Utes, letting the rest of the conference get on the field. You have to imagine they are antsy to get back on the field, though.
Utah remains one of the favorites to ultimately lift the trophy in Arlington. The Coaches Poll remains quite high on them. And opportunities await down the road, as two ranked opponents pop up over the next two months.
Usually, rivalry wins are the toughest to mentally move on from. In a different world, Dan Lanning would have spent all week making sure Oregon was focused on what’s ahead after taking down USC in Los Angeles.
Instead, Lanning had the benefit of a bye week. Oregon got to bask in the victory just a little bit longer. However, the other Big Ten team in Los Angeles pops up to Eugene in Week 6. Some old-school Pac-12 vibes.
Priority No. 1 was accomplished on Rocky Top — beating Auburn. Past that, there are going to be a lot of questions moving forward for Tennessee. Mainly at the quarterback position, where there might be some change.
Faizon Brandon was benched for George MacIntyre at one point. The Vols began to move the ball with MacIntyre in there, even if most of the yards came on the ground. Some interesting decisions ahead.
Florida was able to take advantage of Ole Miss on the road following an emotional victory. Maybe they walked into the same trap themselves, just seven days later. The Gators had a second half to forget against Mizzou.
Jadan Baugh had just 13 rushing yards on 12 carries. Aaron Philo and the passing game could not get anything going. Head coach Jon Sumrall will need to get back on the drawing board after loss No. 1 of the season.
Eli Drinkwitz badly needed a win over a top-10 opponent. All the stars aligned in Columbia to pull off an upset against Florida. Missouri put together a huge second half to get the job done, easing some concerns.
Jamal Roberts turned into the story of the game. He rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns, absolutely torching the Florida defense. Austin Simmons was fantastic as well, adding 340 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Even Torjan fans would tell you it wasn’t the best effort on Saturday vs. Washington. USC did produce a last-second defensive stand to earn its first Big Ten win of the season. And yet, not many positive feelings right now.
At one point, the USC student section was calling for head coach Lincoln Riley to be fired. Not what you want at any point of the season — let alone one already halfway over. Now, another cross-country trip takes place in Week 6.
Pulling off the upset and beating Ohio State would have opened all kinds of doors. Instead, Iowa came up short in their efforts. Certainly not the result anyone wanted after having the national spotlight on the program.
Offensive issues stand out, which has become normal for the Hawkeyes. Just 39 rushing yards pop up on the stat sheet, while quarterback Hank Brown did not have an efficient day. One they will want to flush.
Saturday’s game against UCF may as well have been played on the International Space Station. Instead, Houston had to do. The Cougars wore special uniforms and wound up on the right side of the result.
Big 12 hopes remain intact for Houston. Yes, there is a bit of a mountain to climb as the calendar turns to October. If Conner Weigman is going to rush for three touchdowns every week, UH will have to like their chances.
Starkville was ready to explode, even with an 11 a.m. kickoff vs. Alabama. One of the more anticipated matchups in the rivalry, Jeff Lebby was just four quarters away from the statement win of his tenure at Mississippi State.
While some positives took place, the Bulldogs were on the losing side. Kamario Taylor, for the first time this season, looked like a first-year starting quarterback. Mississippi State gave up too much on defense too.
Since joining the ACC, SMU has stacked up wins against conference opponents. And through five weeks, the Mustangs already have two of them in three tries. Boston College was the latest team to come to Dallas.
Rhett Lashlee is another head coach with College Football Playoff aspirations. Margins are going to be incredibly thin moving forward with a loss already. Taking down BC was almost a requirement, getting the job done.
Part of being in the Big Ten for UCLA is some long flights taking place. After traveling to Maryland in Week 4, some time away from the field was given to the Bruins. Yes, it’s an early bye week but one Bob Chesney was likely happy to have.
UCLA carries an undefeated record heading into the final eight games of the season. Plenty expected Chesney to have success out West — maybe just not this early. Saturday brings the biggest challenge of the year in Eugene.
Duke finds itself in a similar position as UCLA. Four weeks, four wins for Manny Diaz. The ACC opted to give them an early bye week, meaning an eight-game stretch — all against conference foes — is on the horizon.
Only three of those will take place in Durham. Diaz is going to be taking his team on the road a considerable amount moving forward. However, two of them are against NC State and Wake Forest.
Two undefeated teams took the field at Lane Stadium on Friday night. Weirdly enough, both of them were unranked at the time. Well, no more. Pitt cracked into the top 25 following a bizarre ending against Virginia Tech.
Pitt did receive some unfortunate news in the meantime. Quarterback Mason Heintschel suffered a knee injury during the victory, meaning he will miss the remainder of the 2026 season. The Panthers will have to find a way to adapt.
Will Stein wanted one play to determine who won between Kentucky and South Carolina. Down one in overtime, Stein kept his offense out on the field for a two-point conversion. The Wildcats executed, potentially stealing one in Williams-Brice Stadium.
Getting to 4-1 was enough to get into the Coaches Poll top 25. Kentucky might be ahead of schedule with Stein at the helm — one bad half against Alabama away from an undefeated record.
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 187; Boise State 161; Nebraska 117; Wake Forest 87; Northwestern 70; Wisconsin 47; James Madison 42; Minnesota 40; North Dakota State 29; Arizona 15; New Mexico 7; Baylor 3; Virginia Tech 1; Texas A&M 1; Kansas State 1
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