Week 5 of the college football season had it all. The Ole Miss Rebels and LSU Tigers threw their name in for the best game of the year as the two SEC foes combined for more than 1,300 yards on Saturday night. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish found themselves on the right end of dramatic fashion this week, as they bounced back from last week's loss to Ohio State with a win over the Duke Blue Devils. And we saw both the USC Trojans and the Oregon State Beavers pick up huge Pac-12 conference wins over struggling teams.
With five AP Top 25 teams losing in Week 5, there were changes to our power rankings and the AP Top 25 Poll. Four of those teams — LSU, Utah, Kansas and Duke — lost to other AP Top 25 teams, while the Florida Gators were the lone team to lose to an unranked opponent, falling to the Kentucky Wildcats 33-14. Week 6 of the 2023 campaign sees four more games between ranked opponents, with the most notable being the Red River Rivalry as the Texas Longhorns take on the Oklahoma Sooners.
But before that bout between two Big 12 heavyweights and others take place, check out our updated college football power rankings.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (5-0) (Last Week: 1)
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Thanks to a big fourth quarter by tight end Brock Bowers, the Georgia Bulldogs avoided the road upset against Auburn. The Bulldogs take on No. 20 Kentucky this Saturday to take a commanding SEC East lead.
2. Texas Longhorns (5-0) (Last Week: 3)
The Longhorns jump back into the second spot after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at home, 40-14, in a nice preparation game for this week's showdown against Oklahoma. If Georgia plays a close game again, it could be in trouble of losing the No. 1 spot.
3. Florida State Seminoles (4-0) (Last Week: 2)
The Seminoles were idle this week, and it could not have come at a better time as it seemed as if this team was about to derail in their last two games.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) (Last Week: 7)
Hopefully, Ohio State isn't looking too far ahead as they have Maryland and Purdue over the next two weeks before hosting Penn State.
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) (Last Week: 5)
Photo by Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It took the entire first half for the Nittany Lions to wake up, but once again their offense's long drives and stifling defense took care of business as Penn State enters their bye week.
6. Michigan Wolverines (5-0) (Last Week: 6)
The Wolverines took no chance of an upset on Saturday as they embarrassed the Nebraska Cornhuskers in front of a sellout crowd in Lincoln.
7. USC Trojans (5-0) (Last Week: 7)
Caleb Williams and the Trojans abused the Colorado defense, but once again the USC defense should be a huge concern for Lincoln Riley going forward.
8. Washington Huskies (5-0) (Last Week: 8)
The Huskies improved to 5-0 before entering their bye week, giving them an extra week to prepare for their biggest game of the season so far as they host Oregon on Oct. 14.
9. Oregon Ducks (5-0) (Last Week: 9)
Oregon got off to an unusually slow start against Stanford, but the Ducks took take care of business before their bye week as they get ready for the Washington Huskies.
10. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-1) (Last Week: 10)
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Jalen Milroe picked up two touchdowns on the ground as the Tide took down Mississippi State on the road. They get ready for another road game this Saturday against Texas A&M.
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1) (Last Week:12)
Last week, the Irish lost in dramatic fashion. This week, the Irish win in dramatic fashion, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
12. North Carolina Tar Heels (4-0) (Last Week: 13)
The Tar Heels exit their bye week with a tough match up as North Carolina hosts the 4-1 Syracuse Orange this Saturday.
13. Washington State Cougars (4-0) (Last Week 15)
The Cougars are ready to build off their win over Oregon State last Saturday as they come off their bye week and are set to take the road against the UCLA Bruins.
14. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) (Last Week: 18)
The Sooners had some early first half struggles before pulling away from Iowa State. They now have their sights set on the Red River Rivalry this Saturday.
15. Oregon State Beavers (4-1) (Last Week: 20)
After losing to Washington State a week ago, the Beavers bounced back with a big win over the previously undefeated Utah Utes and keep their Pac-12 title hopes intact.
16. Miami Hurricanes (4-0) (Last Week: 17)
Miami should have a field day this Saturday as they take on Georgia Tech, who just lost in some MACtion against Bowling Green.
17. Kentucky Wildcats (5-0) (Last Week: NR)
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Kentucky Wildcats, but after their big win over Florida on Saturday, the Wildcats look ready to play spoiler in the SEC East.
18. Ole Miss (4-1) (Last Week: NR)
The Rebels lost last week to Alabama and then allowed the LSU Tigers to score 49 points but still somehow managed to win in a shootout and keep themselves around in the SEC West.
19. Duke Blue Devils (4-1) (Last Week: 16)
Hopefully the injury to Riley Leonard is not as bad as it looked, as the Duke Blue Devils suffered a heartbreaking loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.
20. LSU Tigers (3-2) (Last Week: 14)
Barring a lot of situations playing out, the LSU Tigers are most likely out of contention for both the SEC West title and a chance to make the College Football Playoff.
