The Rules: No Bias, No Bull College Football Rankings
What a great weekend of college football. It started with Utah losing to USC and continued on through the dog fight between Georgia and Notre Dame. Michigan was exposed as fools gold and UCF saw their playoff hopes fly out the window. Saturday could have been a perfect slate of games had Clemson and Alabama played competitive teams. Week 4 in college football provided a lot more information about teams in the College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 5 As it Should Be.
There is no more unbiased ranking out there than Unafraid Show’s College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 5. I get criticized from time to time by people who only want to see the college football world through the lens of the AP Poll. These rankings are not going to look like the AP Poll. Open your eyes to see a different view of evaluating the top 10. Most polls including the College Football Playoff Committee give college blueblood teams a massive “benefit of the doubt.” I don’t believe in that. Teams are ranked by the correct criteria: quality wins, schedule played, and dominance. After the preseason rankings, only games played matter. No consideration is given for future games.
I re-rank the top 10 every Sunday from scratch. The previous week’s rankings do not factor into the next week. So, the rankings will change, sometimes drastically every week because we will have new information. So make sure to come back every Sunday. For reference, you can check College Football Top 10 Power Rankings Week 4.
College Football Top 10 Rankings Week 5:
Next Up: Florida, Notre Dame, Cal, Penn State
10. Oregon Ducks (3-1)
Last Week: 21-6 at Stanford (W)
After their week one loss to Auburn, the Ducks have bounced back in a major way. Their defense has not allowed a touchdown in three straight games. Justin Herbert also NCAA leading extended his touchdown streak. If you are looking for a team that may crash the College Football Playoff, its the Ducks.
9. Texas Longhorns (3-1)
Last Week: 36-30 (W) vs Oklahoma State
Another complete performance by Texas. They took OSUs best shot and responded came out with a solid conference victory. The concern with Texas is that they have given up 45 and 30 points in their two Power 5 games. Sam Ehlinger is poised and is in full command of his team. He will need to be in top form all season because Big-12 play will not be a cakewalk like the ACC for Clemson.
Check out our Pac-12 Football Podcast, Pac-12 Apostles:
8. Wisconsin Badgers (4-0)
Last Week: 35-14 (W) vs Michigan
The Badgers dominated Michigan in every way possible and UCF lost, so it’s only natural that Wisconsin jumps into the top 10. Jonathan Taylor only played half the game and still rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns. This is clearly not the same Wisconsin team that started the season ranked #4 last year but finished unranked. Their ability to pass the ball efficiently to complement their rushing attack makes them dangerous.
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0)
Last Week: 76-5 (W) vs Miami (OH)
Ohio State got a glorified week off before Miami (OH) this week. The Buckeyes are in the same position as Alabama. They haven’t played any real competition, but they have obliterated every team in their way. Justin Fields and JK Dobbins look unstoppable. We will see if they can dominate next week against Nebraska.
Sidenote: We can just make OSU 5-0 now because it’s clear they won’t be losing to Michigan.
6. Auburn (4-0)
Last Week: 28-20 (W) vs Texas A&M
Auburn got a quality win against a Texas A&M, but it was not pretty. Bo Nix still has not has a good passing day, and their offense finished with less than 300 total yards. I’m not sure how much longer they can win games without putting together good offensive performances. Their defense appears as good as advertised. I had to move Auburn ahead of Ohio State because they have two quality wins.
5. Oklahoma Sooners (3-0)
Last Week: IDLE
Oklahoma finished non-conference play with maximum level dominance. The only question about this team is their defense. How much have they improved since last season?
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0)
Last Week: 49-7 (W) at Southern Miss
Nick Saban cried about the heat and the 11 am start time for their game against Southern Miss. There was also a big deal made about Alabama starting 5 freshman due to injuries. In the end, it didn’t matter. The Crimson Tide are too powerful to be even slowed down by their competition. If there is any concern for this team it is their ability to run the football. Bama has been able to run the ball at will for the better part of a decade, but this year has not been quite as dominant.
I am still extremely frustrated that Bama is so good and so talented but we have to watch them play four non-conference
3. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0)
Last Week: 23-17 (W) vs Notre Dame
Georgia makes a huge leap in the top 10. They have been dominant all season, and now they have a quality win. Their key to beating Notre Dame was their ability to stop the run. The Bulldogs controlled the second half and were able to hold on for a win against a good football team. They say if you want to beat UGA, make Fromm throw the ball more than 30 times. Teams will be keying on the run game so he will have to win one or two games with more than 30 pass attempts to win the SEC.
2. LSU (4-0)
Last Week: 66-38 (W) vs Vanderbilt
My mind is completely blown watching LSU’s passing offense. If Les Miles had an offense this competent we would be talking about him instead of Nick Saban as king of the SEC. The Tigers scored 66 points with Joe Burrow throwing for 398 yards and 6 touchdowns. Ed Orgeron is proving that he deserved this job and can compete with Alabama this season.
1. Clemson Tigers (4-0)
Last Week: 41-6 (W) at Charlotte
Clemson already has wins over two Power 5 teams and has displayed dominance only paralleled by Alabama. They got a gimmie against Charlotte and showed out offensively and defensively. Their schedule has no teams left that are currently ranked or have a chance to be ranked. Unlike other teams who have bad schedules because their non-conference games are bad, it’s Clemson’s conference schedule that is poor. If they lose any games, you will see them miss the playoff.
With all that said, It is clear why the Tigers are #1.