College Football Power Rankings Week 5: All 138 Teams Ranked
College Football Power Rankings Week 5 are here, and all 138 teams are back on the board. These are not the AP rankings and they are not supposed to be. This is where I think every team stands after what they have actually shown on the field.
The retro helmets are back too. Every helmet below was worn by that school at some point, and I picked them because they stood out as some of the coolest, strangest or most memorable looks from each program's history.
Week 5 gave us plenty to sort out. Missouri hammered previously unbeaten Florida, Minnesota knocked off Michigan, Northwestern stunned Penn State, Miami embarrassed Clemson and Alabama made a statement in Starkville.
So yes, there is movement. A lot of it.
🏈 Explore More of the College Football Vault
The rankings change every week. The Vault goes much deeper.
138. Sacramento State (1-4)
Bye
137. Charlotte (0-5)
Lost to Memphis 8-59
136. Ball State (1-4)
Lost to Toledo 24-39
135. ULM (0-5)
Lost to South Alabama 35-52
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134. Northern Illinois (0-4)
Bye
133. Sam Houston (1-3)
Bye
132. Bowling Green (1-4)
Beat Miami (Ohio) 24-20
131. UTEP (1-4)
Lost to New Mexico 7-61
130. Missouri State (1-2)
Bye
129. Utah State (1-4)
Lost to Boise State 18-37
128. Middle Tennessee (2-2)
Lost to Kansas 0-55
127. Southern Miss (1-3)
Bye
126. Kent State (2-3)
Lost to Ohio 10-13
125. Akron (1-4)
Lost to Central Michigan 17-41
124. New Mexico State (2-3)
Beat Western Kentucky 34-13
123. Rice (1-4)
Lost to UTSA 14-16
122. Eastern Michigan (3-3)
Beat UMass 38-14
121. Buffalo (2-3)
Lost to Western Michigan 17-20
120. UAB (3-2)
Beat Samford 33-14
119. San Jose State (3-2)
Beat Hawaii 20-16
118. South Alabama (3-2)
Beat ULM 52-35
117. Coastal Carolina (1-3)
Lost to Georgia Southern 24-31
116. Western Kentucky (1-4)
Lost to New Mexico State 13-34
115. Central Michigan (3-2)
Beat Akron 41-17
114. Louisiana (4-1)
Beat Arkansas State 23-20
113. Liberty (3-1)
Beat Delaware 30-14
112. FIU (2-2)
Bye
111. Kennesaw State (1-2)
Bye
110. Delaware (2-3)
Lost to Liberty 14-30
109. Louisiana Tech (2-2)
Beat Army 31-29
108. Nevada (1-3)
Bye
107. Arkansas State (2-3)
Lost to Louisiana 20-23
106. Georgia State (4-1)
Beat Old Dominion 42-10
105. Wyoming (2-3)
Lost to North Dakota State 0-28
104. UConn (2-3)
Lost to Syracuse 41-42
103. Ohio (3-2)
Beat Kent State 13-10
102. Georgia Southern (2-3)
Beat Coastal Carolina 31-24
101. Marshall (3-2)
Lost to James Madison 17-45
100. Temple (2-3)
Beat USF 17-13
99. Jacksonville State (3-2)
Bye
98. Oregon State (3-2)
Beat Colorado State 56-26
97. Toledo (4-1)
Beat Ball State 39-24
96. Appalachian State (3-1)
Bye
95. Washington State (1-4)
Lost to Fresno State 6-26
94. Old Dominion (1-3)
Lost to Georgia State 10-42
93. San Diego State (2-3)
Beat Texas State 31-29
92. Troy (2-2)
Bye
91. Colorado State (1-4)
Lost to Oregon State 26-56
90. UMass (4-1)
Lost to Eastern Michigan 14-38
89. Boston College (2-3)
Lost to SMU 16-25
88. Hawaii (1-4)
Lost to San Jose State 16-20
87. Navy (1-3)
Lost to Air Force 9-14
86. Fresno State (4-1)
Beat Washington State 26-6
85. Western Michigan (3-2)
Beat Buffalo 20-17
84. Texas State (2-3)
Lost to San Diego State 29-31
83. Tulsa (3-2)
Lost to North Texas 44-45
82. Miami (Ohio) (2-3)
Lost to Bowling Green 20-24
81. East Carolina (2-2)
Bye
80. Tulane (2-2)
Bye
79. UNLV (3-2)
Beat California 39-31
78. Air Force (3-1)
Beat Navy 14-9
77. Army (2-2)
Lost to Louisiana Tech 29-31
76. Syracuse (2-2)
Beat UConn 42-41
75. Georgia Tech (1-3)
Bye
74. Stanford (2-3)
Lost to Wake Forest 3-57
73. Purdue (2-3)
Beat Illinois 24-17
72. Colorado (2-3)
Lost to Texas Tech 7-29
71. TCU (2-3)
Lost to BYU 10-17
70. Maryland (2-3)
Lost to Nebraska 23-48
69. FAU (4-1)
Beat Texas Southern 66-10
68. North Dakota State (5-0)
Beat Wyoming 28-0
67. North Texas (3-2)
Beat Tulsa 45-44
66. UTSA (4-1)
Beat Rice 16-14
65. Rutgers (1-4)
Lost to Indiana 15-47
64. Iowa State (3-2)
Beat West Virginia 45-42
63. Michigan State (2-3)
Lost to Wisconsin 3-31
62. USF (4-1)
Lost to Temple 13-17
61. James Madison (5-0)
Beat Marshall 45-17
60. Kansas (2-2)
Beat Middle Tennessee 55-0
59. California (2-3)
Lost to UNLV 31-39
58. UCF (3-2)
Lost to Houston 17-27
57. New Mexico (4-1)
Beat UTEP 61-7
56. Baylor (4-1)
Beat Arizona State 55-19
55. Florida State (3-2)
Beat Virginia 38-7
54. North Carolina (2-2)
Lost to Notre Dame 26-37
53. NC State (3-2)
Beat Louisville 31-28
52. West Virginia (3-2)
Lost to Iowa State 42-45
51. Kansas State (3-1)
Bye
50. Cincinnati (4-1)
Lost to Arizona 7-34
49. Arkansas (2-3)
Lost to Texas A&M 7-34
48. Louisville (2-3)
Lost to NC State 28-31
47. Memphis (4-1)
Beat Charlotte 59-8
46. Arizona State (2-2)
Lost to Baylor 19-55
45. Arizona (4-1)
Beat Cincinnati 34-7
44. Clemson (3-2)
Lost to Miami 13-41
43. Illinois (2-3)
Lost to Purdue 17-24
42. Oklahoma (2-2)
Bye
41. Northwestern (3-1)
Beat Penn State 34-13
40. SMU (4-1)
Beat Boston College 25-16
39. Michigan (3-2)
Lost to Minnesota 14-20
38. Washington (3-2)
Lost to USC 21-25
37. Virginia (3-2)
Lost to Florida State 7-38
36. Duke (4-0)
Bye
35. South Carolina (2-3)
Lost to Kentucky 34-35
34. Vanderbilt (3-2)
Lost to Georgia 14-38
33. UCLA (4-0)
Bye
32. Auburn (3-2)
Lost to Tennessee 14-24
31. Oklahoma State (3-1)
Bye
30. Penn State (3-2)
Lost to Northwestern 13-34
29. Virginia Tech (4-1)
Lost to Pitt 33-35
28. Iowa (4-1)
Lost to Ohio State 14-31
27. Mississippi State (4-1)
Lost to Alabama 23-56
26. Florida (4-1)
Lost to Missouri 17-45
The Sovereign Vault Week 5 Top 25
Now we get to the teams that have separated themselves. From here on, every result gets a little more scrutiny — and every slip gets a little more expensive.
25. Pitt (5-0)
Beat Virginia Tech 35-33
Pitt survived Virginia Tech 35–33 and remains unbeaten. It was a much tougher game than the Panthers probably wanted, but 5–0 is 5–0, and winning close games counts too.
24. Nebraska (5-0)
Beat Maryland 48-23
Nebraska keeps rolling, this time beating Maryland 48–23. The Cornhuskers are unbeaten, scoring points in bunches, and increasingly difficult to keep outside the top 25.
23. Wake Forest (4-1)
Beat Stanford 57-3
Wake Forest destroyed Stanford 57–3. There is no clever way to dress that up — it was a demolition. The Demon Deacons have earned their way into the top 25.
22. Wisconsin (4-1)
Beat Michigan State 31-3
Wisconsin absolutely smothered Michigan State 31–3. The Badgers have quietly put together a very solid start, and this was their most complete performance of the season.
21. Minnesota (4-1)
Beat Michigan 20-14
Minnesota earns a major jump after knocking off Michigan 20–14. It was not pretty, but beating a team I had in the top 40 matters, and the Gophers are building a résumé that deserves more respect.
20. Texas A&M (3-1)
Beat Arkansas 34-7
Texas A&M dominated Arkansas 34–7, which is exactly the kind of convincing result I wanted to see. The Aggies have had an uneven start, but this was a substantial step in the right direction.
19. Boise State (4-1)
Beat Utah State 37-18
Boise State took care of Utah State 37–18. The Broncos are doing what good teams are supposed to do against teams they should beat, and they remain one of the most dangerous teams outside the traditional power structure.
18. Houston (4-1)
Beat UCF 27-17
Houston handled UCF 27–17 and continues to quietly build a strong season. The Cougars are not getting the attention of some of the bigger names, but four wins in five games with this kind of defense will get my attention.
17. USC (5-1)
Beat Washington 25-21
Washington made USC work for every bit of a 25–21 win, but the Trojans got it done. They are 5–1 now and keep hanging around the edge of the playoff discussion.
16. Kentucky (4-1)
Beat South Carolina 35-34
Kentucky survived South Carolina 35–34, and sometimes surviving is the whole job. It was messy and far too close for comfort, but the Wildcats found a way to leave Columbia with the win.
15. Missouri (4-1)
Beat Florida 45-17
This is the biggest statement of the week. Missouri did not just beat unbeaten Florida — the Tigers hammered them 45–17. A result like that forces a major correction, and Missouri rockets into the top 15.
14. Tennessee (4-1)
Beat Auburn 24-14
Tennessee bounced back nicely with a 24–14 win over Auburn. It was not flashy, but it was controlled, physical football against a solid opponent, and that is enough to move the Volunteers back up.
13. Utah (4-0)
Bye
Another idle team, and another one that benefits from simply watching chaos happen elsewhere. Utah remains unbeaten and keeps a spot in the upper tier heading into Week 6.
12. Oregon (3-1)
Bye
Oregon had the week off. The Ducks still have plenty to prove as the season moves along, but there was not enough reason to punish them for sitting at home while several teams below them stumbled.
11. Ole Miss (3-1)
Bye
Ole Miss was idle this week. Nothing happened around them that convinced me they suddenly became a worse football team, so the Rebels stay planted just outside the top ten.
The Week 5 Top 10
Ten teams remain. This is where the résumé, the eye test and what actually happened on the field start carrying even more weight.
10. BYU (4-0)
Beat TCU 17-10
BYU went into Fort Worth and won a tough, low-scoring game 17–10. The Cougars are still unbeaten, and winning on the road when the offense is not lighting up the scoreboard says plenty about the rest of this team.
9. LSU (4-1)
Beat McNeese 63-14
LSU did what it was supposed to do against McNeese and did it emphatically, 63–14. There is not much to learn from the opponent, but there is also something to be said for putting an inferior team away immediately.
8. Texas Tech (5-0)
Beat Colorado 29-7
Texas Tech went to Colorado and took care of business, 29–7. The Red Raiders remain unbeaten and continue to pair a productive offense with a defense that is giving opponents very little room for error.
7. Indiana (5-0)
Beat Rutgers 47-15
Indiana continues to make this whole thing look strangely easy. Rutgers was the latest victim, 47–15, and the Hoosiers remain unbeaten. At some point we have to stop treating this like a cute story and start treating Indiana like a real contender.
6. Alabama (5-0)
Beat Mississippi State 56-23
Alabama went to Starkville for a matchup of unbeaten teams and turned it into a 56–23 beating. That was the Crimson Tide looking like the Crimson Tide again. If this version keeps showing up, they will not be sitting at No. 6 for long.
5. Notre Dame (5-0)
Beat North Carolina 37-26
Notre Dame handled North Carolina 37–26 and stays unbeaten. It was not quite the demolition we saw from Miami or Alabama this week, but the Irish keep stacking wins and have done nothing to deserve a drop out of the top five.
4. Miami (5-0)
Beat Clemson 41-13
Miami walked into Clemson and absolutely flattened the Tigers, 41–13. That is not just another win; that is the sort of performance that makes you rethink where the ceiling is for this team. The Hurricanes are firmly in the national-title conversation.
3. Ohio State (4-1)
Beat Iowa 31-14
Going into Kinnick and beating an unbeaten Iowa team 31–14 is the kind of win that travels. Ohio State’s defense continues to look nasty, and the Buckeyes are making that early loss to Texas look less important every week.
2. Georgia (5-0)
Beat Vanderbilt 38-14
Georgia did exactly what a top-two team should do to Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs controlled the game, won 38–14, and never really gave the Commodores a path back into it. Texas keeps the top spot for now, but Georgia is right there.
1. Texas (4-0)
Bye
Texas had the week off, so there is no reason to move them. They are still unbeaten, still own wins over Ohio State and Tennessee, and until somebody gives me a better résumé, the Longhorns stay at No. 1.
Week 5 Is Done. Week 6 Gets Even Bigger.
That is the board after five weeks. Some teams are beginning to look like legitimate playoff contenders, some preseason expectations are already falling apart, and there are still enough unbeaten teams hanging around to make the next few weeks very interesting.
Agree with the rankings? Think somebody is way too high — or buried way too low? That is half the fun. Check back after Week 6 when we do all 138 again.
And while you are here, keep exploring the Vault: see the growing Halloween college football helmet collection .