Week 5 Rankings: The Brakes Come Off

Now that every team has played at least three games, pre-season rankings are no longer taken into account. The teams are no longer held back (or held up) by what they achieved last year.

Your Top 25:

Rk	Δ	Team	Pts
1	0	Oregon	90.2

The Ducks solidify their position with a 55-16 victory over Cal.

2

0

Baylor

79.1

Baylor had a bye this week, but their score improves by jettisoning their pre-season ranking.

3

+5

Washington

76.5

The Washington Huskies also benefit from removing the pre-season from the calculation, as Washington is nearly 40 points better than last year. Starting the Pac-12 season with an 18-point victory over Arizona doesn't hurt either.

4

+1

Ohio State

71.1

Ohio State significantly improves their strength of schedule, beating Wisconsin 31-24.

5

-2

Florida State

68.1

The Seminoles slide this week after only managing a 14-point win over a subpar Boston College squad.

6	+10	Stanford	66.4
7	+8	Missouri	66.2
8	+1	Alabama	66.2
9	+5	Miami (FL)	64.9
10	+2	Louisville	64.1
11	-7	Georgia Tech	61.0
12	+9	Florida	60.6
13	+6	Clemson	60.0
14	-3	UCLA	56.3
15	+18	Houston	56.2
16	-9	LSU	55.4
17	+11	Georgia	55.4
18	+20	Virginia Tech	55.0
19	-9	Arizona	54.0
20	-7	Oklahoma	53.5
21	+4	Utah	53.2
22	+5	Maryland	52.8
23	+6	Auburn	51.3
24	-2	Texas Tech	50.3
25	+10	South Carolina	50.3

Teams falling out of the Top 25: (#26) Northwestern, (#27) Oklahoma State, (#30) Wisconsin, (#36) Navy, (#44) UCF, (#50) Ole Miss

Teams worse than the average FCS team: Western Michigan, Massachusetts, FIU, Georgia State, New Mexico State

Largest improvement in rank: +39 East Carolina improves by not only removing last year's information (as they were 28 points worse last year) but also by upsetting North Carolina 55-31.

Largest drop in rank: -32 Notre Dame falls not so much from losing to Oklahoma, which was expected, but by losing last year's 12-1 season to inflate their ranking.

Most consistent team: Kentucky has gone from beating Miami (OH) by 34 to losing to Florida this week by 17. Sounds like the same team to me.

Most inconsistent team: Louisiana-Lafayette: Arkansas State reverted to the mean this week with a 22-point loss to Mizzou. Louisiana-Lafayette takes over this position after a bye week. So far this season, the Ragin' Cajuns have swung from a 63-point win over Nicholls State to a 21-point loss to Kansas State.

Conference Rankings

Conference	Average
Pac-12	48.76
SEC	47.80
ACC	43.99
Big Ten	41.46
Big 12	37.26
American	30.48
Sun Belt	25.43
MWC	23.26
C-USA	21.01
MAC	19.97

Games to watch next week:

(#3) Washington at (#6) Stanford (10:30 PM ET, ESPN) Washington has impressed so far, while Stanford got off to a slow start. Both teams are 4-0 as the Pac-12 season gets underway, and this game will be the first indicator of who will win the Pac-12 North. Line: Washington by 9.5

(#11) Georgia Tech at (#9) Miami (FL) (3:30 PM ET, ESPNU) The math has been high on Georgia Tech, even through this week's loss to Virginia Tech. Even if you doubt the Yellow Jackets, this game will likely be important in deciding who wins the ACC's Coastal Division, where Virginia Tech and Pitt are contenders as well. Line: Georgia Tech by 7

Honorable Mention:

• (#4) Ohio State at (#26) Northwestern (8:00 PM ET, ABC)
• (#17) Georgia at (#34) Tennessee (3:30 PM ET, CBS)
• (#14) UCLA at (#21) Utah (Thursday 10:00 PM ET, Fox Sports 1)

Week 4 Rankings

Your Top 25:

Rk	Δ	Team	Pts
1	0	Oregon	86.1

Oregon had a bye last week, but their position improves as Virginia's 49-0 win over VMI makes the Ducks' schedule look stronger.

2

+4

Baylor

74.2

Baylor has had a weak schedule so far (FCS Wofford, #104 Buffalo, and #85 Louisiana-Monroe), but they've beaten their opponents by an FBS-best 62 points. The cakewalk is coming to an end though, as the Bears face Big 12 opponents from here on out.

3

-1

Florida State

70.3

The Seminoles slide after only beating FCS Bethune-Cookman 54-6.

4

-1

Georgia Tech

70.3

Georgia Tech's rushing offense has kept them highly ranked, having out-rushed their first three opponents by an average of 238 yards. Look for the Yellow Jackets to fall this week, though, after a Thursday night loss to Virginia Tech.

5

+8

Ohio State

66.4

The Buckeyes break into the Top 5 after finally making a statement win, a 76-0 throttling of Florida A&M.

6	-1	Oklahoma State	65.1
7	+1	LSU	62.5
8	+7	Washington	62.4
9	-5	Alabama	62.2
10	0	Arizona	60.9
11	-4	UCLA	59.6
12	+7	Louisville	58.6
13	-4	Oklahoma	58.5
14	+14	Miami (FL)	58.0
15	+9	Missouri	57.3
16	+1	Stanford	56.8
17	+8	Wisconsin	54.6
18	-4	Navy	52.9
19	+4	Clemson	52.5
20	-8	Northwestern	51.4
21	+18	Florida	51.3
22	+4	Texas Tech	50.5
23	-3	UCF	50.5
24	-6	Ole Miss	50.4
25	+5	Utah	50.2

Teams falling out of the Top 25: (#26) Michigan, (#29) Auburn, (#37) Utah State, (#39) Arizona State

Teams worse than the average FCS team: Massachusetts, FIU, New Mexico State, Georgia State

Largest improvement in rank: +34 Memphis: Memphis rises on their first win of the season, a 24-point win over inconsistent Arkansas State.

Largest drop in rank: -33 Troy: Troy was clobbered by Mississippi State last week, losing 62-7 in Starkville.

Most consistent team: LSU: Usually, the most consistent team is consistently mediocre. Good news for Tiger fans, LSU has been consistently good this season. You can expect them to beat the average FBS team by 25 points plus/minus a field goal.

Most inconsistent team: Arkansas State started off the season by beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff by 51 and out-rushing them by 497 yards. Last week, they lost to Memphis by 24 and were out-rushed by 255 yards.

Conference Rankings

Conference	Average
Pac-12	47.81
SEC	45.83
Big Ten	42.83
ACC	42.19
Big 12	39.46
American	30.69
Sun Belt	23.91
Mountain West	23.75
C-USA	20.68
MAC	19.23

Games to watch this week:

(#10) Arizona at (#8) Washington (7:00 PM ET, Fox) Both teams begin their conference schedule at 3-0. Washington has not won by as much, but they've faced stronger opponents relative to Arizona. That and home-field advantage wins this one for the Huskies. Line: Washington by 6

(#17) Wisconsin at (#5) Ohio State (8:00 PM ET, ABC) The Big Ten's Leaders Division may be decided right here, as the league's two highest-ranked teams face off tonight. Line: Ohio State by 5.5

(#7) LSU at (#28) Georgia (3:30 PM ET, CBS) The Tigers may be in trouble this week as they face their first true road test, against a Bulldog team better than their #28 rating suggests. Home-field advantage wins this win for UGA. Line: Georgia by 3

Questionable Week 3 Rankings

Your Top 25:

Rk	Δ	Team	Pts
1	0	Oregon	87.6

The math gave the Ducks what I thought was an optimistic line of 43.5 points last weeks. Oregon cleared even that, beating Tennessee 59-14. 

2

+9

Florida State

72.4

FSU jumps up into the Top 25 after the Seminoles trounce Nevada 62-7.

3

+3

Georgia Tech

70.5

The math has been high on Georgia Tech so far, putting them in the Top 25 since the preseason. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets are relegated to the "also receiving votes" category in the official polls. While #3 may still be too high as Georgia Tech hasn't been tested yet, their 3rd best rushing offense and a rushing defense that's limited opponents to 110.5 ypg are reasons for optimism. Look for the Yellow Jackets to slip a little in the future, but finish as a Top 25 team.

4

+1

Alabama

66.6

Alabama got their revenge last Saturday, besting Texas A&M 49-42.

5

-2

Oklahoma State

66.1

Oklahoma State easily beat Lamar 59-3, but the Cowboys slide against more impressive performances.

6	-4	Baylor	65.9
7	+8	UCLA	64.0
8	+2	LSU	63.6
9	-5	Oklahoma	63.3
10	+2	Arizona	61.9
11	+2	Auburn	57.9
12	+4	Northwestern	57.7
13	+5	Ohio State	57.6
14	+21	Navy	57.2
15	+12	Washington	57.1
16	+7	Arizona State	55.7
17	0	Stanford	54.5
18	+12	Ole Miss	53.9
19	+12	Louisville	53.8
20	+13	UCF	53.8
21	-12	Michigan	53.4
22	+16	Utah State	53.2
23	-4	Clemson	52.6
24	-3	Missouri	52.6
25	-17	Wisconsin	52.1

Teams falling out of the Top 25: (#26) Texas Tech, (#30) Utah, (#35) Tennessee, (#36) Texas A&M, (#37) Nebraska, (#57) Bowling Green

Teams worse than the average FCS team: Massachusetts, New Mexico State, Georgia State

Largest improvement in rank: +34 Pittsburgh: Pitt bounces back from a 28-point loss against Florida State with a 49-27 victory over New Mexico. FSU's win also improves their strength of schedule.

Largest drop in rank: -32 Bowling Green: BGSU was ranked at #25 last week before getting crushed by Indiana 42-10.

Most consistent team: Minnesota has had perhaps the easiest schedule so far--#114 UNLV, #125 New Mexico State, and FCS Western Illinois--and has beaten them each by three or four scores.

Most inconsistent team: Kansas State reverted to the mean last week with a 30-point win over Massachusetts, but Week One's upset loss against North Dakota State keeps them here.

Conference Rankings

Conference	Average
Pac-12	48.93
SEC	46.84
Big Ten	43.83
ACC	41.94
Big 12	40.84
American	30.89
Sun Belt	29.54
Mountain West	26.77
C-USA	23.31
MAC	20.29

Games to watch this week:

(#11) Auburn at (#8) LSU (7:45 PM ET, ABC) Both sets of Tigers have gone 3-0 so far, with LSU having strong wins over weak opponents (except TCU) and Auburn having weak wins (except vs. Arkansas State) over stronger opponents. LSU is the clear favorite, but don't discount Auburn. They may not have shown they deserve the #11 ranking yet, but I say they have a 1-in-4 shot of pulling off the upset. Line: LSU by 10

(#16) Arizona State at (#17) Stanford (7:00 PM ET, Fox) Though both teams are 2-0 so far, both underperformed last week. ASU eked out a win against Wisconsin after the officials reacted slowly to a weird play. Stanford only managed a 14-point victory over Army. Both teams were out-rushed. How these teams respond to those games today will set the tone for their Pac-12 seasons. Line: Stanford by 2