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)