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SALT LAKE CITY — If you love chaos in college football, Week 5 of action was for you.
Of the 25 teams ranked going into the weekend, nine finished with a blemish — a giant "L" — to their overall record for the season. And while some of those losses came to other ranked opponents and looked better than others, it still led to an overhaul in the rankings, especially for six teams ranked in the top 15.
The precursor to the chaos was the fact that 13 of the 25 teams had road games this weekend, though three of the losses came on a team's home field.
The road environment didn't necessarily contribute to the losses in these games — except for Fresno State, who had the dreaded trip to Hawaii for a football game; it's an island oasis, but not for the football teams that travel there — but it's hard to ignore the difficulty of playing away from home.
Here's a brief look at some of the changes to my ballot this week:
- There's no changes to my top two teams this week, but it's clear (again) that Alabama and Georgia are in a class of their own. Both teams played talented and undefeated ranked opponents, but neither had trouble usurping power for a victory. Arkansas and Ole Miss remain strong contenders in the SEC, but the top order for the East and West divisions are set. That SEC championship game should be great football — assuming Alabama and Georgia don't have any missteps along the way.
- Speaking of Arkansas and Ole Miss, I dropped them each only one spot in this week's ballot. Both remain competitive teams and play each other this weekend for supremacy. The schedules remain difficult for both programs, but such is life in the SEC. Still, they're two of the best teams in the country.
- Cincinnati, Iowa and Penn State did exactly what they were supposed to this week. The Bearcats got the "best" win of the three this weekend with a win over Notre Dame, but Iowa and Penn State showed they are not ones to be messed with in the Big Ten race. The three programs round out my top 5, with Iowa leading the pack at No. 3. The Hawkeyes are followed by No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Cincinnati.
- The Pac-12 had the high-profile win in its back pocket and just needed Oregon to not stumble along the way. But as is the case with the Pac-12 most of the time, unranked Stanford played spoiler with a win over the Ducks. Oregon still has that win over Ohio State, which gives them a little cushion — at least for a week. I dropped them to No. 7 in my ballot and contemplated a drop much lower. Still, Ohio State helps them out here. We'll see if the Ducks rebound from the loss.
- BYU, Coastal Carolina and Michigan get a boost from those ahead of them losing. Michigan has quietly climbed the ranks and remains a threat in the Big Ten, but they're still a bit unproven. Their best win is over Rutgers, which is good, but it's not Iowa, Ohio State or Penn State. Still, they're doing well with what they've got.
- BYU hasn't played its best ball the last two weeks, but they're getting wins and moving up in the rankings — No. 10 in my ballot. Injuries are really decimating this team, but Tyler Allgeier remains the biggest reason for the Cougars' success. If BYU can find a way to piece together an offensive and defensive performance similar to its starts in games, there's few teams in the country that could combat the Cougars. When everything is clicking, there's no stopping BYU, especially with Allgeier in the backfield.
- Kentucky is undefeated this season and took out the 10th-ranked team in the country. They're showing some grit and ability to be a contender in the SEC. Now how far it will take them remains to be seen, but it's fun to see the Wildcats have success outside of basketball. This week, they jump up to No. 19 in my ballot. That ranking will be tested quickly, though, with back-to-back contests against LSU and Georgia coming up.
- Arizona State dominated a UCLA team that claimed a good win over LSU early in the season. And while the Bruins have regressed a bit to the mean, Arizona State has showcased a talented team good enough to win the South division of the Pac-12. Their only blemish is a loss on the road to BYU — and a lot of that was because of the Sun Devils hurting themselves with double-digit penalties. One game is the difference between an undefeated season and a top 10 ranking. Instead, the Sun Devils check in at No. 16 in my ballot this week.
- Clemson went from a powerhouse team to average quickly — at least for this season. Sure, they got a win over the weekend, but it was anything but impressive. Had Boston College not fumbled on the snap at Clemson's 11-yard line with under a minute to play, there's a good chance the Tigers lose and fall out of the rankings. Maybe it's delaying the inevitable, but Clemson is on shaky ground with poor offensive play and they barely hold a spot in my ballot. Last week I gave them the benefit of the doubt (I shouldn't have) because they're Clemson, but I dropped them this week because it's not pretty out there.
Checking in: Arizona State (4-1), Kentucky (5-0), SMU (5-0), Wake Forest (5-0)
Dropping out: Baylor (4-1), Fresno State (4-2), Texas A&M (3-2), UCLA (3-2)In consideration: Houston (4-1), Liberty (4-1), Mississippi State (3-2), San Diego State (4-0), Stanford (3-2), UTSA (5-0)
If you can't see the rankings below, click here.
