playESPNMultiple AuthorsOct 5, 2026, 08:00 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsMinutes after the Tigers finished stomping No. 8 Florida on Saturday, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz attempted to downplay his team’s 45-17 victory.”It’s a good win against a really good team today,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s all it was.”Of the 19 AP Top 25 teams in action Saturday, 16 came away with victories. But, despite Drinkwitz’s assertion, not all Week 5 wins are created equally.For instance, there were impressive road wins of varying degrees of difficulty for Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Indiana and Alabama. Ditto for College Football Playoff contenders BYU and Texas Tech in the Big 12.Tennessee got past Auburn despite benching its five-star freshman quarterback.
Georgia, LSU and Boise State cruised to convincing victories, and Kentucky and USC eked out wins that could carry significant meaning not just for themselves but also the programs (and head coaches) they beat.As for Drinkwitz and Missouri, the 28-point rout of the Gators provided, among other things, the end of an unbecoming streak of nine consecutive losses to AP Top 25 opponents.Here’s what we learned from the top teams in our Power Rankings in Week 5. — Eli Lederman1. Texas LonghornsPrevious ranking: 1The Longhorns had a bye week before they head to Dallas to face Oklahoma, but they watched from home as their victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State looked even better with the Buckeyes’ handling of Iowa. Texas is preparing to face a struggling Sooners offense but managed just 262 yards itself in its win over Tennessee in Knoxville. The Longhorns’ defense, however, appears even more dominant than the unit that intercepted Oklahoma QB John Mateer three times and sacked him five times last season. — Dave Wilson 2.
Georgia BulldogsPrevious ranking: 2Georgia fans wanted to see more downfield passing from quarterback Gunner Stockton. He has more than delivered in his second season as the starter. Through five games, Stockton is completing 75.5% of his passes for 1,049 yards with 13 touchdowns and one interception. In Saturday’s 38-14 win against Vanderbilt, Stockton threw for 295 yards with three touchdowns.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said it was probably Stockton’s best game. The Bulldogs have developed plenty of options in the passing game as 13 players have caught touchdowns this season. Stockton will get his biggest test yet in this week’s SEC showdown against Alabama. — Mark Schlabach3. Miami HurricanesPrevious ranking: 4The Hurricanes are banged up and injured, and yet they still handed Clemson a 41-13 loss — its second-largest home loss under Dabo Swinney.
That speaks volumes not just with the resiliency they showed but the depth they have as younger players have stepped in and played more. Against Clemson, wide receiver Malachi Toney, starting offensive linemen Matthew McCoy and Max Buchanan, cornerback Ethan O’Connor and defensive end Marquise Lightfoot all got hurt. Only Lightfoot did not return to the game. Miami relied on its dominance up front to put the game away, wearing away the Clemson defensive line while the Hurricanes’ own defensive front sacked Tait Reynolds six times.
Miami rushed for 192 yards and held Clemson to 55 in the win. Now, the Hurricanes get an open date to get healthy before facing Florida State on Oct. 17. — Andrea Adelson 4. Alabama Crimson TidePrevious ranking: 8Welcome to the Heisman Trophy race, Keelon Russell. Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor was supposed to be the SEC’s top Heisman Trophy contender, but Russell snatched that honor with a four-touchdown performance (three passing, one rushing) as the Crimson Tide dominated the Bulldogs in Starkville.
It’s not just Russell, though. The defense, while a little leaky when it comes to big plays, has been opportunistic with four defensive touchdowns in five games. And the running game has come alive with an average of 186.4 yards. — Alex Scarborough 5. Notre Dame Fighting IrishPrevious ranking: 3The biggest concern dogging Notre Dame through its first four games was the lackluster performance of the run game.
With two NFL first-round draft picks gone from last season’s team, are the Irish still capable of asserting their will on the ground? North Carolina wasn’t the best test, but Saturday’s 37-26 win certainly showed Notre Dame can push some folks around. The Irish pulled away in the second half based on a power run game — barreling between tackles repeatedly, 17 times on their first 28 snaps of the half — to grind away the clock and punish the Heels’ front. For the game, Notre Dame finished with a season-high 241 yards rushing, led by Jonaz Walton’s 120 yards on 23 carries. — David Hale 6.
Ohio State BuckeyesPrevious ranking: 5Jeremiah Smith can’t be stopped. He continued his revision of the Ohio State record book by becoming the school’s career leader in receptions (207) and touchdown receptions (36) against Iowa, finishing with 11 catches for 206 yards in an impressive Buckeyes win. Smith is the first player to eclipse 150 receiving yards in four of the first five games since Oregon State’s Mike Hass in 2005. Ohio State delivered a strong second half on both sides of the ball, scoring 21 consecutive points midway through the game to put things away.
Qua Russaw and the defense smothered Iowa’s run game, which averaged just 1.9 yards per rush. — Adam Rittenberg7. Indiana HoosiersPrevious ranking: 6Make no mistake about it: The Hoosiers did exactly what they were supposed to do as a 23.5-point favorite at Rutgers on Saturday night. But Indiana’s (relative) early-season struggles on defense and a (seemingly) resurgent Scarlet Knights offense presented Curt Cignetti’s squad with an intriguing road test, which Indiana passed with flying colors in a comfortable 47-15 victory. Quarterback Josh Hoover (20-of-27, 251 yards, four touchdowns) cooked.
Speedster Turbo Richard, back from a Week 4 injury, powered a season-best team rushing effort with a career-high 204 yards on 13 carries (15.7 yards per attempt). Pass catchers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh were utterly dominant. And the Hoosiers’ defense returned to its characteristically smothering self before a pair of late Rutgers scores. That was more like it from the defending national champions. — Lederman 8.
BYU CougarsPrevious ranking: 10The Cougars’ offense had been explosive through three games, but after LJ Martin was injured early against TCU, the offense never recovered. Bear Bachmeier threw for just 62 yards and the run game produced only 154 yards on 38 carries. BYU still won 17-10, but that was not the performance of a playoff-bound team, which is what BYU should be aspiring toward this season. — Kyle Bonagura 9. LSU TigersPrevious ranking: 11The Tigers continue to bounce back from their deflating loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 19.
After dismantling Texas A&M 35-6 at home, the Tigers ran past FCS opponent McNeese 63-14 on Saturday. LSU piled up 731 yards of offense on 101 plays, including 367 rushing. Quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has been bothered by a strained hamstring, threw for 173 yards with three scores. Backups Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet got all the work in the second half.
The Tigers’ schedule is about to get more difficult, with a road test at Kentucky on Saturday and a home game against Mississippi State the next week. LSU plays Alabama, Texas and Tennessee in consecutive weeks in November. — Schlabach10. Ole Miss RebelsPrevious ranking: 9The Rebels had a much-needed open week after they were dismantled 52-28 at Florida on Sept. 26. Ole Miss coach Pete Golding spent much of last week trying to improve a defense that surrendered 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns to the Gators.
Florida gained 200 yards after contact. The Rebels haven’t tackled well, and there have been too many mental breakdowns in the rebuilt secondary. Through four games, Ole Miss ranks last in the SEC in scoring defense (30.8 points), rushing defense (194.8 points) and total defense (40
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