College Football Week 5 Takeaways
Who's actually good?
Week 5 of this college football season threw more wrinkles into the equation as many top teams faltered.
Top contenders like Ole Miss, Georgia, and Utah stumbled to losses, while others like Texas struggled early but still came out on top.
Here are some of my thoughts following the weekend’s games.
1. The SEC race has tightened
The SEC is one of the two premier conferences in college football and got stronger with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma during the offseason. The conference currently has nine ranked teams and plenty to sort out.
Following last week’s games, Alabama rightfully passed Texas for the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll based on their unbelievable last-minute win over then-No.2 Georgia. However, eight of the nine ranked teams currently occupy the top 8 spots in the SEC standings, meaning almost any of them could rise to the top.
Missouri and Texas A&M will settle some of that this weekend, with the winner earning a better spot in the standings, but the rest of the league will take some time to work itself out.
2. Post-Saban Alabama is still really good
There were plenty of questions when Alabama picked Kalen DeBoer to replace the legendary Nick Saban after his retirement. While DeBoer had had success at all of his previous spots, there was some sentiment that better options were available.
Four games into his tenure in Tuscaloosa, it looks like he’s tamed those concerns. The Crimson Tide have risen to the No. 1 team in the country and have scored at least 41 points in every game.
They also passed a huge test against Georgia on Saturday, answering at pivotal moments in what will go down as one of the best games of the year. And, on the defensive side of things, Georgia was the first team to score more than 16 points on Alabama this year, which mostly came in the fourth quarter.
Alabama still has plenty to prove with No.4 Tennessee, No. 9 Missouri, No. 13 LSU, and No.19 Oklahoma all remaining on the schedule, but the early returns of the DeBoer Era have been positive, and the team is still in a great position.
3. Arch Manning is going to be good, but Quinn Ewers makes Texas better right now
Arch Manning is the future of Texas football and will be a college football star. That much is clear. He already shows the poise and talent of an elite quarterback but has had growing pains, primarily involving some ill-advised decisions and turnovers.
On Saturday, Mississippi State stayed in the game during the first half because of Texas’ turnovers. None of those were Manning’s fault, but a more aggressive and skilled defense could cause some issues.
Manning’s time will come. But the experience Quinn Ewers brings puts Texas in its best position to succeed this year. He is expected to return to the lineup for the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma on Oct. 12.
4. Indiana might be good
The Curt Cignetti hire went under the radar nationally in the offseason as he took the reins at Indiana following a 52-9 run with James Madison that included an 11-1 mark in its first FBS season in 2023.
Under Cignetti, the Hoosiers enter Week 6 as the No. 23 team in the nation and the first-place team in the Big Ten at 5-0. They have two conference wins, destroying UCLA in California and putting away a decent Maryland team on Saturday.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has played well with 1,372 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes, and just 2 interceptions, and a formidable receiving trio has emerged between Elijah Sarratt, Omar Cooper, and Myles Price. The Hoosiers’ running game has also rushed for over 1,000 yards this year and scored 21 touchdowns.
Adding to its case, Indiana only plays two ranked opponents this season, both coming in November with a bye week between them. A win in at least one of those could set Indiana up well.
5. G5 Playoff Spot
The pool of candidates has dwindled here. I think the following teams still have a shot: Boise State, UNLV, James Madison, Liberty, Army, and Navy.
No. 21 Boise State is the only one that has a loss, but that came in a close game on the road against No. 8 Oregon. Outside of that, the Broncos have rolled and may be the favorite in the Mountain West.
No. 25 UNLV is Boise’s biggest in-conference competition. The Runnin’ Rebels are 4-0 with wins over Houston and Kansas. Another win over Syracuse this week could strengthen their case as a showdown with the Broncos looms on Oct. 25.
James Madison has a convincing win over North Carolina. Liberty has a realistic shot of going undefeated in the regular season. Army and Navy are not who most think of when talking College Football Playoff, but both are unbeaten and would each have wins over No. 14 Notre Dame if they continue that way until their annual rivalry game on Dec. 14.
Imagine how difficult that could make things for the selection committee.
6. SMU’s second chance
SMU’s start of the season was slower than expected, surviving a close call against Nevada and falling to BYU at home. At the time, it looked like last year’s American Athletic Conference champs were in for a tough first season in the ACC, but the tides seem to have turned.
The Nevada game still looks bad, but the BYU loss no longer looks bad as the Cougars currently sit atop the Big 12 Conference and are ranked No. 17 nationally with a 5-0 overall record.
The Mustangs have won two in a row since that loss and looked like a well-oiled offensive machine in the process, putting up 66 points on TCU and absolutely throttling defending ACC champ Florida State on Saturday night.
Suddenly, SMU has everything in front of them, and a win at No. 22 Louisville this weekend could go a long way toward building momentum for the rest of the season.
7. This freshman class is loaded
Freshmen performances across the country highlighted last weekend’s games. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams both look like they could play in the NFL immediately, but college defenses will have to deal with them for two more years.
Quarterback Dylan Raiola (Nebraska) and DJ Lagway (Florida) have also lived up to the hype, as have guys like Texas’ Ryan Wingo and Collin Simmons, Michigan State’s Nick Marsh, Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart, and Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava.
8. Heisman front-runners
There’s plenty of season left, but players have started to separate themselves from the pack regarding the Heisman Trophy. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has had a tremendous season with 845 yards and 13 touchdowns.
As long as Miami (FL) continues to win, quarterback Cam Ward will be in the conversation as he has been their best player. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter are making great cases, but the Buffaloes’ overall success will influence where they end up. QB Jalen Milroe (Alabama) has also put himself in the running for the second straight year.
9. Realignment never sleeps
Just when you think we get a break, realignment in college sports strikes again. Gonzaga is joining the Pac-12 in basketball, and football-wise, a few Mountain West teams have agreed to join a new-look PAC-12, and the Mountain West has been evaluating potential additions.
I have mixed feelings on this. While it’s great to see the PAC-12 rebuild itself in some form and other programs move up in the college football world because of the ripple effect, it’s honestly tiring to keep up.
It also seems incredibly unnecessary as it appears most of us can agree we are heading toward a two-megaconference format with the Big Ten and the SEC.