Week 5 Power Rankings

In a week that only saw 1 ranked team lose to an unranked opponent, there is not a ton of movement within the top 10. USC lost a last minute game to a desperate Michigan team and Kansas State was torched in the night cap, but the remainder of our teams from Week 4 survived. The Week 5 slate has the makings to be the best weekend of the season thus far, with 4 ranked matchups and a pivotal Group of 5 contest. I have fallen into the wedding trap and will be watching this week’s games courtesy of my iPhone at the ceremony. Liberals say love wins; the caveat should be to please do so in the Spring next time. 

1st Texas Longhorns - Despite the storied family name, Arch showed he is human. The good news for Texas? General Booty is not built to take down Rome. Continuing to display defensive dominance, (5.5 points allowed per game) the Longhorns will be a tough out even when they are having an off day. Mississippi State rolls into Austin this weekend as 38.5 point dogs and I don’t expect the cowbells to be ringing - this one could get ugly quickly. Shoutout Michael Taaffe.

2nd Georgia Bulldogs - With a bye last week, they got the week off to recoup from the near disaster in Lexington and now headline the premier game of Week 5. A road game against Alabama is sure to bring fireworks, especially after the surprising loss in the conference championship a season ago. It’s a shame CBS no longer covers the primetime SEC game, I’m sure Gary Danielson will be crying that he has to cover Wisconsin at USC. No need to fear, we are mailing him a photo of Nick Saban to caress during commercial breaks. 

3rd Tennessee Volunteers - They didn’t light up the scoreboard like in weeks past, but the game was more lopsided than the final score indicates. If it weren’t for a last minute score, the Vols would’ve held Oklahoma to single digits at home for the second time since 2003. How’s that for a pad-lock stat? Jackson Arnold pissed down his leg and was benched at half. Is Michael Hawkins Jr going to be Caleb Williams 2.0? Nonetheless, Rocky Top is alive and about to be louder than ever in our lifetime.

4th Ohio State Buckeyes - A slow start against Marshall (don’t worry I won’t make any jokes) garnered some concern, but the Buckeyes pulled away behind 249 yards and 4 touchdowns thanks to the pair of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. A name to learn? True freshman Jeremiah Smith. Has all the makings to be the next of many great Buckeye wide receivers. As long as Will Howard doesn’t donate his brain to the LSU children’s hospital, they got the tools to keep this humming along.

5th Ole Miss Rebels - Another day, another victory for the Rebels. Each week the spreads are massive yet they continue to cover. Jaxson Dart has quite the weapon in Tre Harris (628 yards and 4 TDs) and Miami transfer, Henry Parrish Jr, has proven he can fill Judkins’ shoes. This is a familiar story to years past - dominance early on against inferior competition. What can Lane do come October this time around?

6th Alabama Crimson Tide - Like their upcoming opponent, the Tide had the weekend off to prepare for the big showdown. Winners of 8 of the last 9 between these two, Alabama looks to continue their winning ways and get Deboer a massive win in year 1 at the program. Rumor has it #47 will be in attendance, sounds like we got a classic on our hands. 

7th Miami Hurricanes - The more I watch Cam Ward, the more impressed I get. The kid plays in slow motion and never seems to be under duress. Like Alabama, the Hurricanes were in a tight one with USF early on but proceeded to blow the game open thanks to a near 600-yard offensive effort. October 19th is stacked with matchups like Georgia at Texas and Alabama at Tennessee but be sure to look out for Miami traveling to Louisville. This game will let us know if The U is capable of more than just making the playoff.

8th Oregon Ducks - Just when the wagon started humming, the Ducks hit a bye week. Although it’s a matter of time before Evan Stewart’s 43rd collegiate injury, the mascot will be raking up the push-ups this season. Fresh and rested, they face familiar foe UCLA this weekend in what should be another dominant performance. I mean come on, the Bruins nearly lost to Hawaii. Imagine struggling against UCLA. 

9th Penn State Nittany Lions - Fresh off getting pummeled by Tennessee, Kent State yet again offered themselves up as a sacrificial lamb. A 56-0 victory has to feel good for Penn State regardless of the opponent and it’s just the confidence they need heading into a big week against the Fighting Illini. No disrespect to Penn State, but how are they a 17.5 point favorite? Illinois already proved the oddsmakers wrong with an impressive road victory against Nebraska last week. Look out, this one should be good.

10th Utah Utes - For the first 3 and a half quarters on Saturday, they made Oklahoma State look like they didn’t belong anywhere near the top 25 rankings. What kind of idiot was thinking Ollie Gordon would run all over them? The Utes offense has looked clearly worse without Cam Rising, but props to freshman Isaac Wilson for a ballsy performance this week to cement themselves as the early Big 12 favorite. Who would’ve thought Utah vs BYU could do numbers later this year?

Others Receiving Votes:

Clemson Tigers - On the verge of being considered an offensive disappointment, Klubnik and Riley have put together two of the most dominating performances over the last couple weeks. Throwing their name back in the hat for ACC championship hopes, the Tigers have a relatively favorable schedule that can land them in the playoff. Queue the “if Clemson’s a stock, buy all you can freaking buy” clip.

Missouri Tigers - Dorkowitz didn’t actually receive any votes from us, but had to throw them in here to celebrate their abysmal effort at home against Vanderbilt. If it wasn’t for the Commodores kicker trying to outdo the Ohio State kicker in the 2022 playoff, Mizzou would be in a world of trouble. Congrats, you get this Saturday off to suck your thumb. See you in Aggieland, October 5th.  

As always, be sure to check us out on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Saturday Morning Shotgun

-Zac Bryan, President of the Shemar Stewart fan club