The games are about to get good.
That’s not to say they haven’t been good already. This season, still barely a month old, has delivered in both upsets and intrigue. But with a massive lineup of games on deck for Week 5, maybe the best we’ll get all year, a sizable shakeup is imminent.
Alabama and Ole Miss will tussle in a matchup between Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin that could very well break the scoreboard. Georgia will get a crack at Arkansas, maybe the hottest team in college football. Cincinnati will try to keep its playoff hopes alive against a rejuvenated Notre Dame.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Seriously, cancel all plans. Do what is needed to consume as much football as possible in the coming days.
As for our updated CFB Power Rankings, we’re looking back at a wild week before further carnage comes. For Clemson, it didn’t have to wait for Week 5. A loss to NC State is yet another massive change for the rankings.
Here they are, in all their glory.
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50. Army (Last Week Unranked)
The Black Knights are a sneaky 4-0. Sure, the competition has been lacking, although that will change soon. Army draws Wisconsin and Wake Forest in a few weeks.
49. Louisville (Last Week Unranked)
48. TCU (Last Week No. 35, Down 13)
47. Nevada (Last Week No. 44, Down 3)
46. Appalachian State (Last Week No. 49, Up 3)
45. Miami (Last Week No. 43, Down 2)
A 69-0 blowout of Central Connecticut will do given the way things have started. With ACC play set to kick up in earnest, Miami needs to string together wins to stay in the top 50.
44. Indiana (Last Week No. 38, Down 6)
43. Rutgers (Last Week No. 46, Up 3)
42. UAB (Last Week No. 47, Up 5)
41. Iowa State (Last Week No. 19, Down 22)
40. West Virginia (Last Week No. 42, Up 2)
You can move up, even in defeat. I loved what I saw from West Virginia’s defense on the road at Oklahoma, and I am curious to see how it translates ahead. After Texas Tech, road games at Baylor and TCU should be interesting.
39. Boston College (Last Week Unranked)
38. Wisconsin (Last Week No. 17, Down 21)
37. Liberty (Last Week No. 22, Down 15)
36. Kansas State (Last Week No. 26, Down 10)
35. Oregon State (Last Week No. 50, Up 15)
The Beavers are one of the most watchable teams in college football. Simple as that. The offense destroyed USC, and the schedule looks pretty manageable, by Pac-12 standards, moving forward.
34. Fresno State (Last Week No. 29, Down 5)
33. UTSA (Last Week Unranked)
32. North Carolina State (Last Week Unranked)
31. SMU (Last Week No. 41, Up 10)
30. Arizona State (Last Week No. 30, Unchanged)
It’s go time now. ASU will take on UCLA in one of the biggest games of the Pac-12 season to date. Jayden Daniels looked fabulous last week. If he continues to play like that, the Sun Devils will be back on the rise.
29. Virginia Tech (Last Week No. 27, Down 2)
28. Texas (Last Week No. 36, Up 8)
27. Clemson (Last Week No. 11, Down 16)
26. LSU (Last Week No. 28, Up 2)
NC State’s 2OT victory over Clemson all but ended the Tigers’ hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff for the seventh straight year. (Image: USA TODAY Sports)
25. Auburn (Last Week No. 20, Down 5)
Well, last week could’ve been really bad. Auburn nearly fell as a huge favorite to Georgia State. Survival keeps the Tigers in Top 25 (barely). Lose to LSU this weekend, and the drop will be big.
24. Baylor (Last Week No. 40, Up 16)
What a win. Beating Iowa State certainly changes the scope of the season, although the Bears can’t celebrate for long. A trip to Oklahoma State, a fellow undefeated, is on deck.
23. San Diego State (Last Week No. 34, Up 11)
A big bump for Brady Hoke and San Diego State. Unbeaten with wins over two Pac-12 teams, the Aztecs have a chance to linger for a bit. After digging into them further, I needed to boost them up.
22. Oklahoma State (Last Week No. 33, Up 11)
That was a big win against Kansas State. Oklahoma State has a chance to vault into the top 20 with a win over Baylor. Spencer Sanders is starting to sling it.
21. Maryland (Last Week No. 31, Down 10)
If Maryland beats Iowa on Friday night, the Terps will catapult up the rankings. This could be Taulia Tagovailoa’s big moment. The QB has played very well of late.
20. Kentucky (Last Week No. 24, Up 4)
It wasn’t pretty against South Carolina, although a road win against a fellow SEC team will do. Next up? Florida. Kentucky will be on the move next week one way or another.
19. Wake Forest (Last Week No. 39, Up 20)
The biggest jump this weekend belongs to Wake Forest. I loved what I saw against Virginia, and the losses of other teams allowed the Demon Deacons to catapult upward. This might be the best team in the ACC.
18. Michigan State (Last Week No. 23, Up 5)
It wasn’t pretty, but the end result of Saturday’s win over Nebraska is an unblemished season. Sparty plays Western Kentucky, Rutgers and Indiana next.
17. UCLA (Last Week No. 21, Up 4)
Beating Stanford doesn’t mean all is well, although it’s certainly better than losing. The Bruins’ game against Arizona State is going to be plenty impactful on their Week 6 standing.
16. Coastal Carolina (Last Week No. 16, Unchanged)
Amid the carnage in other places, Coastal Carolina is holding serve. The schedule will make it tough for Coastal to leap upward, although they might have to if losses elsewhere keep coming.
15. Texas A&M (Last Week No. 12, Down 3)
The offense is a problem. That much is clear, especially without starting QB Haynes King. After Mississippi State, the Aggies welcome Alabama to town.
14. BYU (Last Week No. 15, Up 1)
Undefeated watch is still in play for BYU, although I can’t say I was overly impressed with what transpired in Week 4 against USF. Injuries certainly have not helped. After Utah State, the Cougars draw Boise State.
13. Michigan (Last Week No. 13, Unchanged)
Things escalated quickly against Rutgers, which isn’t ideal. And at some point, Jim Harbaugh is going to have to air the ball out more. This week’s game at Wisconsin, which should hover around a pick ’em, is fascinating.
12. Ohio State (Last Week No. 10, Down 2)
The Buckeyes blasted Akron, which is what they’re supposed to do. We still need to see it against quality opponents. After Rutgers, OSU plays Maryland, at Indiana and Penn State. If things don’t improve, there could be another loss in there.
11. Ole Miss (Last Week No. 9, Down 2)
Here we go. Not much else to say. After a bye week, it’s ‘Bama time. Cannot wait. A win, and Ole Miss surges into the top three.
10. Oklahoma (Last Week No. 6, Down 4)
National Championship Odds: (+1500) at DraftKings
The fans in Norman are chanting for the backup QB, which says plenty about how Oklahoma’s season has gone. Still, the Sooners are unbeaten and very capable of winning their conference. Do not sleep on their trip to Manhattan, Kansas this week.
9. Notre Dame (Last Week No. 14, Up 5)
National Championship Odds: (+4000) at DraftKings
That was a nice win. I still don’t fully trust Notre Dame’s offense - and three touchdowns courtesy of defense and special teams didn’t help that. Still, that was a big victory against Wisconsin. This week, the Irish draw Cincinnati in a massive matchup.
8. Florida (Last Week No. 8, Unchanged)
National Championship Odds: (+6000) at DraftKings
Beating up Tennessee is no big deal anymore, and that’s exactly what happened. Beating Kentucky in Kentucky as more than a touchdown favorite won’t be a ranking-altering victory, but it would help.
7. Arkansas (Last Week No. 18, Up 11)
National Championship Odds: (+7500) at DraftKings
The Hogs are on a roll. Wins against Texas and Texas A&M in the early part of the season are a big deal. But on deck is Georgia, and the Bulldogs don’t really care about nice stories. Good luck, Sam Pittman.
6. Iowa (Last Week No. 6, Down 2)
National Championship Odds: (+5000) at DraftKings
It hasn’t been pretty, which is why Iowa dropped. The Hawkeyes have not played clean games against Kent State or Colorado State, which isn’t ideal with Maryland on deck. The defense is fabulous, but the offense needs to get going.
5. Cincinnati (Last Week No. 7, Up 2)
National Championship Odds: (+5000) at DraftKings
Can the Bearcats keep their playoff hopes alive? That’s the question on tap with a game at Notre Dame approaching. The Bearcats had a bye in Week 4, so they will be fresh.
4. Penn State (Last Week No. 5, Up 1)
National Championship Odds: (+2800) at DraftKings
The Nittany Lions move up thanks to Iowa’s offensive issues, although those two will be able to sort that out in a few weeks. Before that, Penn State draws Indiana at home.
3. Oregon (Last Week No. 3, No Change)
National Championship Odds: (+1500) at DraftKings
Against Arizona, it got a little closer than it should have. Still, Oregon has a quality win, a perfect record and a really good team. The Ducks head to Stanford next and UCLA near the end of October.
2. Georgia (Last Week No. 2, No Change)
National Championship Odds: (+200) at DraftKings
By the middle of the second quarter last weekend, Georgia was up roughly 1,457 points on Vanderbilt. OK, it wasn’t that bad. But it was bad. This week, the Bulldogs play one of the hottest teams in the sport. Although the way this group looks, it might not matter.
1. Alabama (Last Week No. 1, No Change)
National Championship Odds: (+175) at DraftKings
Nick Saban vs. Lane Kiffin. Matt Corral vs. Bryce Young. The scoreboard is going to be busy, and the offenses should run wild. A massive game is upon us.
