College Football Week 5 Power Rankings

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The path to the College Football playoff begins here with our post-Week 5 college football power rankings.

This weekend was paradise for a sports fan. The United States won their first Ryder Cup in eight years, of course there were NFL games, the MLB season came to an end and there was yet another good week of college football on Saturday. The top two teams in the most recent AP Poll, Alabama and Ohio State, got it done in easy fashion, while teams like Tennessee and Clemson had to fight until the very end.

This slideshow will provide you with the top 10 teams in college football at the moment.

Miami Hurricanes

4-0

Last week: W 35-21 @ Georgia TechLast rank: not ranked

Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Hurricanes found a way to enter the top ten in both the AP Poll (10) and my power rankings after their 35-21 win at Georgia Tech. Miami announced the hiring of Hurricane alumnus Mark Richt this summer. The outlook of the program took a turn after announcing the hiring of the former Georgia Bulldogs head coach.

So far the results are what many in South Florida were hopeful they were going to be. The Hurricanes moved to 4-0 after their win on Saturday, and have yet to play in a close game.

They started off their first two games with blowout wins against Florida A&M and Atlantic, but Saturday’s win was a statement that Miami is ready to compete again amongst the best teams in college football.

Shaquille Quarterman and Joe Jackson each returned fumbles by Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas for touchdowns in a span of less than a minute in the second quarter. Miami found themselves up 28-7 and filled with all the momentum they needed to stay undefeated.

Miami doesn’t play Clemson or Louisville this year, and with a struggling Florida State there could be room for Richt and his team to make a run. In back to back weeks Miami has Florida State and North Carolina at home. With Carolina and them being 1,2 in the Coastal division of the ACC, Week 7 could shape who makes the trip to Orlando for the ACC Championship.

Next Matchup: Florida State

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Texas A&M

5-0

Last week: W 24-13 @ South CarolinaLast rank: 8th

Texas A&M, who came in ranked eighth last week, dropped a spot in the Week 5 rankings. The Aggies are coming off a 24-13 against a struggling South Carolina team.

Will Muschamp and the South Carolina Gamecocks have not had a good start to the 2016-2017 season. Their loss on Saturday against the Aggies moved them to 2-3, losing to Mississippi State and Kentucky as well.

Texas A&M is finding themselves in a similar position, as they have now started 5-0 in their last three seasons.

Their game on Saturday didn’t start the way they were hoping. South Carolina’s AJ Turner took the first play of scrimmage 75 yards to the house for a rushing touchdown. After announcing four starters weren’t going to play due to injury, and the 7-0 hole they started themselves in, head coach Kevin Sumlin and the Aggies saw no reason to panic.

Quarterback Trevor Knight came into the game second in the SEC in total offense, and threw for 206 yards while rushing for 84. After the first play of the game, South Carolina only managed to rack up 142 yards and didn’t find the end zone again.

SEC wins on the road aren’t easy to come by no matter who you play, so the Aggies have to be pleased with what they saw on the field Saturday.

It was briefly mentioned last week, but the next two games are brutal for A&M. They have Tennessee at home this weekend before traveling to Tuscaloosa for a matchup against Alabama after their bye week. Tennessee (9) and Alabama (1) are the two other teams to represent the SEC in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll.

The Aggies have already announced a maroon out for this weekend’s game in College Station.

Next Matchup: Tennessee

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Louisville Cardinals

4-1

Last week: L 42-36 @ ClemsonLast rank: 2nd

Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday night in Death Valley.Clemson, the two-point underdog, upset Louisville 42-36 to gain control of the ACC Atlantic division.

Louisville, who started the season better than anyone, now has to deal with adversity for the first time this year.Everything was coming easy for Louisville their first four games, so it should be very interesting to see how they handle this loss.

Jackson continued to dominate the field again, throwing for 295 yards and a touchdown, along with 162 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Louisville found the game slipping from their grasp after Artavis Scott began Clemson’s comeback with a 77-yard kickoff return. Two plays later and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson found Mike Williams for a 20-yard passing touchdown.

Clemson then proceeded to force Louisville to punt for the second time of the game, which lead to the game-winning 31 yard touchdown reception by Jordan Leggett.The Cardinals had a chance to answer, but came up just one yard short after failing to get the first down in Clemson’s redzone with 33 seconds left to play.

Yes, Louisville suffered their first loss of the season, but their season isn’t over by any means. They still have time to prove themselves with a Week 12 matchup at Houston, but they might need a little help. If Clemson runs the table, Louisville will have a very hard time trying to make this years College Football Playoff.

Next Matchup: Bye

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Tennessee Volunteers

5-0

Last week: W 34-31 @ GeorgiaLast rank: 10th

Before we get started, if you didn’t see the ending of this game, watch it here before you do anything else. You won’t regret it.

Tennessee won on a 43 yard Hail Mary as time expired. Georgia, who was leading 31-28 in the final seconds, could not bat down Joshua Dobbs’ last second heave.

The No. 25 ranked Georgia Bulldogs thought they had the game won after completing a touchdown pass with just 10 seconds remaining.

It’s safe to say that the last couple minutes of this game had every fan in Athens, and every fan at home on their couch, on the edge of their seat. Both teams combined for three touchdowns in the last three minutes of the game.

It started with Tennessee taking their first lead of the day after recovering a Georgia fumble in the end zone with 2:56 left to play. It was then Georgia’s turn, as quarterback Jacob Eason completed a 47-yard touchdown to take the 31-28 lead.

Up three with 10 seconds left, what possibly could go wrong?

Fans within the stadium were jumping in happiness as they thought their team just pulled off the upset over the Volunteers.

After Georgia allowed them to return the kickoff past the 50, Dobbs just needed, and had, one opportunity to give his team the win.

If Tennessee had any hopes of going to the College Football Playoff they would’ve diminished with a loss against Georgia. Now Tennessee has to re-focus and prepare for the next two weeks, as they travel to Texas A&M and then have Alabama at home.

Next Matchup: at Texas A&M

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Houston Cougars

5-0

Last week: W 42-14 UconnLast rank: 9th

Houston kept their streak of blowouts alive after a 42-14 win against Uconn. After their 10 point victory in Week 1 against Oklahoma, no team has come within 24 points of the Cougars.

If Houston wants to keep impressing the voters they need to continue to do exactly what they are doing; blow people out. If you haven’t already noticed, if you’re not apart of the Power 5 conferences (Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Pac 12, and the Big 12) then it is incredibly hard to get into the College Football Playoff.

With Houston being in the American, many will look down on their schedule and the competition they play. They have one more chance to impress the voters with their Week 12 matchup against Louisville, but they have to make sure they don’t slip up and lose a game that they shouldn’t.

Houston’s senior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. continues to put up eye-popping numbers. Against Uconn Ward Jr. went 32-38 with 389 yards and three touchdowns. Oh, I forgot to mention he had a rating of 196.3.

Can it get any better than that?

If Ward Jr. continues to play at this pace, Houston can be a very dangerous team. Houston’s high-tempo offense keeps defenses on their heals, while wearing them out throughout the game.

I really like Houston, but it’s hard for me to think that they’ll find themselves as one of the best four teams in the nation at the end of the season.

Next Matchup: at Navy

Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Huskies

5-0

Last week: W 44-6 Stanford Last rank: not ranked

The Washington Huskies were just left off of the Week 4 Power Rankings. I had Washington at 11 last week, but a 44-6 wallop over Stanford gave them a big jump.

The whole week leading up to the Stanford game Washington was quiet, trying to act like this was just another game on the schedule.

They were focused on making a statement against the Cardinal, and they lived up to their expectations.

Washington handed Stanford its worse loss since 2007 when they fell 41-3 to Arizona State.

Quarterback Jake Browning threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns on Friday. Running back Myles Gaskin added another 100 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Browning was more than efficient as he led his offense to scores on seven of their nine drives.

The game on Friday wasn’t close from the beginning. The Huskies went up 13-0 in the first quarter and never looked back, shutting out Stanford in three quarters.

My only worry about the Huskies is four of their first five games have been at home. In their only road game of the year it took Washington overtime to beat Arizona. This leaves Washington with four of their last seven games on the road.

Washington will be a team to watch all year, especially after their impressive win on Friday.

Next Matchup: at Oregon

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Ohio State Buckeyes

4-0

Last week: W 58-0 Rutgers Last rank: 4th

The Ohio State Buckeyes didn’t move a spot in my power rankings after their 58-0 win against Rutgers.

There win on Saturday can be summarized in two words.

Complete dominance.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett broke the school record for career touchdown passes after throwing his third of four touchdown passes on Saturday. He now has 59 touchdown passes in 27 career games with the Buckeyes.

Pretty damn good I’d say, wouldn’t you?

Urban Meyer has had his team looking extremely crisp all season. Their closest game was the 45-24 beat down in Norman against the Oklahoma Sooners, and that game was never really close.

Many could make an argue that Ohio State is one of the best teams in the nation, and should be ranked higher than five in my power rankings. The only reason why they aren’t higher is because of their schedule.

The Buckeyes have played Bowling Green, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Rutgers on the season. They’re not exactly the best teams in college football are they?

They have plenty of time to prove their worth and make a jump in the rankings. The Buckeyes go to Madison in two weeks to take on Wisconsin, and then have both Michigan State and Michigan later in the season.

Michigan State has disappointed after their win in South Bend, but playing them in East Lansing won’t be the easiest of matchup for the Buckeyes. However, I see this team having little trouble making it to the College Football Playoff at the moment.

Next Matchup: Indiana

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Michigan Wolverines

5-0

Last week: W 14-7 Wisconsin Last rank: 3rd

Just like Ohio State, the Michigan Wolverines find themselves in the same spot as last week after their 14-7 win against Wisconsin.

Before Saturday, no team had come within 17 points of the Wolverines. Granted the best team they played in the first four weeks was Colorado. Colorado is ranked 21 in the latest AP Poll, but I think we can all agree that they are no where near Michigan’s level.

That all changed last weekend with Wisconsin.

Wisconsin was coming to the Big House as the 8th ranked team in the AP Poll, and was filled with nothing but confidence after their 30-6 beatdown in East Lansing.

Michigan brought them back down to reality a bit on Saturday.

Wilton Speight threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Amara Darboh to take the 14-7 lead. In the ensuing drive Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis made one of the best interceptions you will see all year to seal the deal.

Harbaugh led his Wolverines to their first top-ten win since 2008, when they rallied to beat the Badgers.

Michigan fans have two games left circled on their calendar. Week 9 they play their rivals Michigan State in East Lansing, and then in their last game of the season they go to Ohio State.

I don’t see Michigan losing a game before they play Ohio State, which might decide which team makes the College Football Playoff between the two.

Next Matchup: at Rutgers

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Clemson Tigers

5-0

Last week: W 42-36 LouisvilleLast rank: 5th

The game Saturday night was basically what any fan could have hoped for. Clemson had to rally in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns. They then had to stop one of the most dynamic players in college football, Lamar Jackson, and Louisville on fourth down with under a minute remaining in their own redzone.

It didn’t come easy for Clemson, but nothing really comes easy does it?

Clemson will go as far as their Heisman candidate quarterback will take them. Deshaun Watson had a break-out year last year, throwing for over 4,100 yards and rushing for over 1,000 yards. In their first big test of the season, Watson proved to everyone why he’s one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

He threw for 306 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday, while rushing for an additional 91, but he did throw three interceptions. I’m sure head coach Dabo Swinney isn’t too fond of the turnovers, but I’d bet he was more than happy with the outcome when he woke up on Sunday.

Clemson’s schedule is now wide open for them, as they only have one marquee game left on the year (at Florida State). Without any slip ups, expect this Clemson team to keep climbing in the polls.

Next Matchup: at Boston College

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Alabama Crimson Tide

5-0

Last week: W 34-6 Kentucky Last rank: 1st

Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide continue to show why their the best team in college football. Their 34-6 win against Kentucky on Saturday only reassured the voters.

After the first quarter Saban’s face was as red as their jerseys as Alabama was looking at a 3-3 tie, against a lower-tier SEC team in Kentucky.

The second quarter got a little better, as they took a 17-3 lead into halftime and never looked back from there.

Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts continues to lead the Crimson Tide to another top ranking in the AP Polls.

He showed poise that many his age don’t on Saturday.

In the first half Hurts came to star wide receiver Calvin Ridley after their offense had been struggling and was taking to him about how they just need to relax and do their job. Ridley even compared him to Jameis Winston, saying “he’s very cool when something’s going wrong, he’s just like calm down, calm down and let’s just keep going.”

That leadership is what Saban and Alabama’s coaching staff is looking for.

Ridley went for 11 receptions for 174 yards, which were both career-highs.

Saban will look for more of that poise from his quarterback in the next three weeks, as they go to Arkansas and Tennessee before playing Texas A&M at home.

Alabama looks like the team to beat so far yet again, as it seems like they are always finding themselves in the top spot in most polls. In these next three weeks we will learn a lot about this Alabama team.

Next Matchup: at Arkansas