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Top 25 Scoreboard:
(A recap of all the action involving the top 25 teams in college football)
(1) Ohio State (5-0): 34 Indiana (4-1): 27
Much like the Florida State Seminoles of last year, these Ohio State Buckeyes remain my top team in college football (I live by the mantra, to be the champ....you have to beat the champ and I will not move the previous champ from the #1 spot until they've been dethroned) albeit a performance that didn't exactly scream out "WE'RE THE BEST TEAM IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!". Look, you people can go ahead and jump off the Ohio State bandwagon all you want. To me, this is still the most talented college football team in the land. Urban Meyer is one of (if not THE) the best coaches in college football. Just because the Buckeyes are underwhelming everyone thus far (they did this exact same thing last year in the regular season for what it's worth), doesn't mean you should jump off the bandwagon. When Ohio State makes it into the playoffs, something tells me all you bandwagoners will be jumping back on board with me. Plus, it's not like Indiana is that bad of a football team. This isn't your mother and father's Indiana football team. This looks like a legitmate bowl team the Hoosiers have on their hands and it wouldn't shock me at all to see them finish with a record good enough to plant them in their first bowl game since 2007.
(2) Michigan State (5-0): 24 Purdue (1-4): 21
Coming into this weekend, I still wasn't sure how I felt about the Michigan State Spartans. Even though I had them ranked #2, I still didn't love them for some reason. After barely surviving by the skin of their teeth at home against an awful Purdue team.....I'm officially off the Spartans bandwagon. You hear that? That's me selling my Michigan State stock.
Oh, you think I should do the same with my Ohio State stock? They actually have something that proves their a legit football team. What does MSU have besides hype?
(3) Ole Miss (4-1): 10 (24) Florida (5-0): 38
I should take this time to apologize to Ole Miss fans. It seems like anytime I'm high on your team, you come out and have a major letdown. I will take this time to jump off the Ole Miss bandwagon and fully attach my hitch to the Florida Gators bandwagon. How good was Florida QB Will Grier in this game? Grier threw 4 touchdown passes against a tough Ole Miss defense and he did that even though he was reportedly sick with a stomach virus all week. If I'm a Gators fan, I think I'm doing my best to see if I can get Grier food poisoning before every game (just kidding Gators fans, put down the uncooked poultry). The Florida offense wasn't the only surprise here though. The Gators defense absolutely dominated Ole Miss at the line of scrimmage and the Rebels just couldn't get anything going against Florida. At this time, I would like to give a tip of the hat to Jim McElwain. At the time of the hire, I kind of blasted it thinking that the Gators got themselves a mediocre head coach when they could have reached much higher than that. Apparently I was wrong though because McElwain appears to be the real deal. He's already got Florida in line for a shot at the SEC championship and if you don't think the Florida Gators are National Championship material.....
(4) UCLA (4-1): 23 Arizona State (3-2): 38
There's no reason UCLA should have lost this game to Arizona State. Absolutely none. UCLA is a better football team. They are a better coached team. And they had home-field advantage in this one. However, just like the UCLA teams we've grown to now and love, they disappoint us right when they have us on the brink of thinking big things are coming. The Bruins were my pick to win the PAC-12 and that task just got a little more difficult following this loss. UCLA's schedule the rest of the way is extremely difficult. They have a bye week next week and then travel to Stanford (yikes). Then they have a home game against a very good Cal team and then it's a stretch of 3 very winnable games (Colorado, OSU, & Wazzu) before finishing the season with AWAY games against USC and Utah.
So, about that "UCLA winning the PAC-12 thing......"
(6) Notre Dame (4-1): 22 (11) Clemson (4-0): 24
This game easily won the award for "McDonald's Game of the Week" here at TheUltimateSportsBlog.com. In case you missed it (and shame on you for that), Clemson came out guns-a-blazing against the Fighting Irish and quickly got out to a 14-3 lead before turning it into a 21-3 lead in the third quarter. As the game went on, it looked like Clemson was the better football team and easily had Notre Dame on the ropes. And then the fourth quarter started. It's fun to joke about Clemson "Clemsoning" games all the time and they almost did it again here. Somehow, the Tigers allowed Notre Dame to score 19 points in the fourth quarter and that brought the Irish all the way to within two points. The game came down to a game tying two-point conversion that the Tigers eventually stopped, leaving them undefeated on the season. Clemson fans shouldn't get too beat up over this game though. Notre Dame is a good well-coached team (albeit one with a lot of injuries at the moment) that can play with anyone in the country. This was a big win for a Clemson team that has National Title aspirations and as of right now.....they look the part.
(7) TCU (5-0): 50 Texas (1-4): 7
In case you were confused as to who the top team in Texas is, TCU came out and put an ass whooping on the Longhorns this weekend....once again. I think it's pretty clear the last few years that TCU is just on a different level than Texas is at the moment and judging from this game, I don't know if the Longhorns are going to get it fixed anytime soon. You want to know how bad it is for Charlie Strong right now? One of his players retweeted a tweet about transferring during HALFTIME of this game! Now THAT'S a disciplined football team who is all-in on the season. Some people in Texas are already calling for Charlie Strong's head and while it's probably still a little too early to send him packing (college football coaches should get 3-5 years at least to build up a program), I wouldn't be shocked if it happens. That's why the Longhorns will continue to suck while TCU continues to flirt with the playoffs. Man, times have changed in the Lone Star State.
(8) Florida State (4-0): 24 Wake Forest (2-3): 16
#Unconquered
(9) Georgia (4-1): 10 (14) Alabama (4-1): 38
Just when you think Alabama is going away, they come back and remind everyone why they have been the premiere college football program of the last 10 years. Nick Saban and his boys went into Athens, Georgia as underdogs and absolutely pummeled the Bulldogs. This game just goes to show you once again the huge talent gap between the SEC West and the SEC East. The good news for Georgia fans is, they will probably still end up in the SEC title game because even though Alabama boat-raced them, they are still the best team in the SEC East, although the Florida Gators might disagree. The bad news for Georgia fans is, you'll likely face Alabama again in the SEC title game....and if it's not Alabama it will be Ole Miss, or LSU, or Texas A&M or......you get my point, don't you? Anyway, Georgia once again let it's fan base down after teasing them with a potential National Title contender the last few weeks. Shocker.
(10) Baylor (4-0): 63 Texas Tech (3-2): 35
College football teams play defense? Don't tell that to anyone of these teams.
(12) Oklahoma (4-0): 44 (18) West Virginia (3-1): 24
This is a game that I was really excited about going into the weekend. Both these teams have looked exceptionally good so far this year and it was high time to see if they were for real or not. Well, I can officially say....Oklahoma, you're for real. I know it's been awhile since we can honestly look at each other and say that the Oklahoma Sooners are legit National Title contenders, but this year they are. They have one of the best QB's in college football. They are extremely well-coached. They have a good defense and they also have a pretty rough schedule. If the Oklahoma Sooners can get through the season unscathed, there's no way they miss the playoffs. All the pre-season talk in the BIG 12 revolved around whether or not Baylor or TCU would make it through the season undefeated and once again miss out on the playoffs because of the fact that the conference doesn't have a title game. Well, where was Oklahoma at during all that talk? Did everyone just assume that TCU and Baylor were the creams of the crop in the BIG 12 and the Sooners were just yesterday's garbage? If that's what everyone thought, than everyone is in for a rather rude awakening this year. This Sooners team is for real and the quicker you realize that, the better your life will be.
(13) LSU (4-0): 44 Eastern Michigan (1-4): 22
One of the best teams in the SEC against one of the worst teams in all of college football?
(15) Texas A&M (5-0): 30 (23) Mississippi State (3-2): 17
I can't say this enough. If I was an NFL owner and I needed a good head coach (HELLO MIAMI DOLPHINS!), Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M is at the top of my list. This guy is one of the best head coaches in the land and if you don't believe me, look at his track record. Another big time win against a good SEC school? No problem in the Kevin Sumlin era. Watch out for the Aggies folks. They aren't going away anytime soon.
(16) Kansas State (3-1): 34 (21) Oklahoma State (5-0): 36
Another absolutely fantastic game between two good BIG-12 teams. Is it just me or is the BIG-12 better this year than last season? Not only do we have TCU and Baylor still kicking ass at the top of the conference, but Oklahoma looks pretty scary as well. West Virginia and Texas Tech are by no means "easy victories" this year either. Add all that on top of two really good teams in Kansas State and Okie State and maybe it's just me....but I think the BIG-12 is legit this year. I know last year we all liked to hamper on the conference (and it was absolutely justified), but something tells me that if a BIG-12 teams gets through this season undefeated, than they absolutely deserve a spot in the college football playoff. Can Oklahoma State make it through the season unscathed? The schedule is DEFINITELY in their favor. The Cowboys draw Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma ALL AT HOME this year! Ladies and gentlemen....if you want a dark horse team in college football. Circle the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Don't say I didn't warn you in a few months when these guys are being talked about for a spot in the college football playoff.
(17) Northwestern (5-0): 27 Minnesota (3-2): 0
Five weeks into the college football season and the Northwestern Wildcats have an actual argument about being a top 5 team in the sport and no one would argue with them.
(19) Stanford (4-1): 55 Arizona (3-2): 17
I've seen some college football experts compare this Stanford team to the Ohio State Buckeyes of last season. By that, I mean they got beat by a good team in week one (and didn't look very good might I add), but they are still one of the most talented teams in the Nation and will improve week-in and week-out. At first, I hesitated to agree with that statement. However, after watching this Stanford team take a very good Arizona team out to the woodshed this weekend, I think I find myself agreeing with those experts more so than disagreeing with them. Ever since that week one loss to Northwestern, the Stanford offense has come alive. This is the fourth straight week the Cardinal have put up over 30+ points, meanwhile the defense continues to suffocate people. This was the Stanford team that was supposed to show up all year long when I picked them to go 11-1 and contend for a PAC-12 title. David Shaw has got his boys ready to go. You want to know one of the scariest things in college football? It's a team that has a senior QB. A coach that could coach in the NFL TODAY. And a defense that could play against any offense in the land. That is Stanford. Stanford's coming for a playoff spot. Who's going to stop them?
(22) Michigan (4-1): 28 Maryland (2-3): 0
Just in case you were still hesitant to believe that coaching is an extremely important aspect for a winning football team, I point to the Michigan Wolverines as evidence. Michigan is a historical football program that has gone through some crazy ups-and-downs these last few years. Why? Because of mediocrity at one of the most important positions on the football field. It's no secret that Brady Hoke is not a top notch football coach. A good one? Yes. One that should be handed the reigns of a top program in the land? No. Once the Wolverines realized that and shipped his ass out of town and brought in a guy who can actually LEAD a team....things changed in Ann Arbor. Jim Harbaugh has these kids motivated and thinking they can win RIGHT NOW. Not in 3-4 years like everyone (including myself) predicted, but RIGHT NOW! You can recruit good players all you want (Michigan still recruited well under Hoke), but it takes a good head coach to execute a game plan and to develop players into the players he wants them to be. Michigan has absolutely nailed this aspect and I don't care what anyone thinks, the Wolverines are coming for a playoff spot. Stop them if you can. Maybe the USC Trojans should take a page out of Michigan's book?
(25) Memphis (5-0): 24 South Florida (1-3): 17
The Memphis Tigers are the new Boise State Broncos of college football. Is that a compliment? Not really. Is it an insult? Not exactly. That's basically my way of saying they have a good little program brewing at the University of Memphis and if they play their cards right, they could end up doing some real damage in the college football world. Unfortunately, there are ceilings in the college football world for teams like these. It's no secret that in order to win a National Championship in college football, you need to continuously have recruiting classes ranked in the top 10 (go ahead and find a team that's won a National Title without a top 10 recruiting class.....I'll wait). So can the Memphis Tigers turn a program that was once an afterthought in the college football world into a National Title contender? No. That's just asking too much. However, this is a team that could still sneak it's way into the top 10 college football rankings from time to time and perhaps even play in a big-time bowl game on New Year's Eve. Not only that, but I also hear that the BIG 12 conference is looking for teams to add and if the Memphis Tigers keep on winning and dominating teams in the American Athletic Conference, how much longer til the BIG 12 comes knocking? It's a good time to be a Memphis fan....
Upsets Of The Week
(There are upsets every week in college football. These are the best upsets for this week)
-Florida Gators over Ole Miss Rebels
Some people wouldn't call this an upset, but I would. The Florida Gators were not supposed to be this good under first year head coach Jim McElwain. However, here they are, still undefeated following a huge game against a very good Ole Miss team. How far can the Gators take it this year? Following this victory, who the hell knows?
-Illinois Fighting Illini over Nebraska Cornhuskers
It wasn't supposed to be this hard for Mike Riley. Riley was a great coach at Oregon State who could never get fully what he wanted out of a program because of the limitations at OSU. Riley accepted a job at Nebraska in the off-season and it was supposed to be a "match made in heaven". Unfortunately that hasn't happened. Riley's team has been seriously underwhelming this far and a loss to a team that FIRED it's head coach back in week one is not a way to please your fan base. Is Mike Riley already on the hot seat in Lincoln? Yes.
-Arizona State over UCLA Bruins
UCLA was supposed to be a National Championship contender this season. Arizona State looked like a "middle of the road" PAC-12 team up to this point. Following an absolute beat-down from USC the previous week, everyone thought the Sun Devils were toast. Well, everyone except for the UCLA Bruins apparently. I don't know why or how the Bruins gave this game away to ASU, but something tells me Jim Mora and staff lost a lot of sleep over it. Not a good week in Los Angeles.
-Cincinnati Bearcats over Miami Hurricanes
The Bearcats aren't a bad team by any means....but c'mon Miami. How does Al Golden still have a job at this point?
-Arizona State over UCLA Bruins
UCLA was supposed to be a National Championship contender this season. Arizona State looked like a "middle of the road" PAC-12 team up to this point. Following an absolute beat-down from USC the previous week, everyone thought the Sun Devils were toast. Well, everyone except for the UCLA Bruins apparently. I don't know why or how the Bruins gave this game away to ASU, but something tells me Jim Mora and staff lost a lot of sleep over it. Not a good week in Los Angeles.
-Cincinnati Bearcats over Miami Hurricanes
The Bearcats aren't a bad team by any means....but c'mon Miami. How does Al Golden still have a job at this point?
Heisman Contenders
(Here are my current leaders for the Heisman trophy, in no particular order)
Baker Mayfield (QB) Oklahoma
Trevone Boykin (QB) TCU
Nick Chubb (RB) Georgia
Seth Russell (QB) Baylor
DeShaun Watson (QB) Clemson
Leonard Fournette (RB) LSU
Ezekiel Elliot (RB) Ohio State
Ezekiel Elliot (RB) Ohio State
Baker Mayfield (QB) Oklahoma
Trevone Boykin (QB) TCU
Nick Chubb (RB) Georgia
Seth Russell (QB) Baylor
DeShaun Watson (QB) Clemson
Still Undefeated
(These are the teams in college football that are still undefeated...)
LSU Tigers
Texas A&M Aggies
Florida Gators
Ohio State Buckeyes
Michigan State Spartans
Northwestern Wildcats
Iowa Hawkeyes
Utah Utes
California Golden Bears
TCU Horned Frogs
Baylor Bears
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Florida State Seminoles
Clemson Tigers
Temple Owls
Houston Cougars
Memphis Tigers
Navy Midshipmen
Toledo Rockets
Texas A&M Aggies
Florida Gators
Ohio State Buckeyes
Michigan State Spartans
Northwestern Wildcats
Iowa Hawkeyes
Utah Utes
California Golden Bears
TCU Horned Frogs
Baylor Bears
Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Florida State Seminoles
Clemson Tigers
Temple Owls
Houston Cougars
Memphis Tigers
Navy Midshipmen
Toledo Rockets
Top 25
(Here is my top 25 as it stands right now)
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0)
2. Utah Utes (4-0)
3. TCU Horned Frogs (5-0)
4. Clemson Tigers (4-0)
5. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0)
6. Texas A&M Aggies (5-0)
7. Baylor Bears (4-0)
8. Michigan State Spartans (5-0)
9. Florida Gators (5-0)
10. Northwestern Wildcats (5-0)
11. Florida State Seminoles (4-0)
12. LSU Tigers (4-0)
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0)
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1)
15. Stanford Cardinal (4-1)
16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1)
17. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1)
18. Michigan Wolverines (4-1)
19. Ole Miss Rebels (4-1)
20. USC Trojans (4-1)
21. UCLA Bruins (4-1)
22. Georgia Bulldogs (4-1)
2. Utah Utes (4-0)
3. TCU Horned Frogs (5-0)
4. Clemson Tigers (4-0)
5. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0)
6. Texas A&M Aggies (5-0)
7. Baylor Bears (4-0)
8. Michigan State Spartans (5-0)
9. Florida Gators (5-0)
10. Northwestern Wildcats (5-0)
11. Florida State Seminoles (4-0)
12. LSU Tigers (4-0)
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0)
14. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1)
15. Stanford Cardinal (4-1)
16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1)
17. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1)
18. Michigan Wolverines (4-1)
19. Ole Miss Rebels (4-1)
20. USC Trojans (4-1)
21. UCLA Bruins (4-1)
22. Georgia Bulldogs (4-1)
23. Memphis Tigers (5-0)
24. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0)
25. California Golden Bears (5-0)
24. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0)
25. California Golden Bears (5-0)
And that's it for week five! I hope to see everybody back here next week. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
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