Check out how the College Football AP Top 25 Ranked Teams fared in Week 5 for our Top 25 Roundup!
#1 Texas Defeats Mississippi State 35-13
For the second week in a row, Arch Manning got the start for the Texas Longhorns and once again, looked the part as the quarterback of the future for the Longhorns as Quinn Ewers sat out the game because of injury. Manning completed 26 of 31 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Longhorns to their first conference win in the SEC. The Longhorns offense had 523 total yards highlighted by Manning and DeAndre Moore Jr., who had four catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the game. The Texas defense held the Bulldogs to less than 300 yards of offense and only 13 points on the board making this team a deadly team no matter who is under center for the Longhorns.
#3 Ohio State Defeats Michigan State 38-7
Ryan Williams may be getting the headlines, but Jeremiah Smith is also showing why he is among the best freshmen players in the country. Ohio State’s star freshman had five grabs for 83 yards and a touchdown while also having a 19 yard touchdown run as well. Will Howard completes 21 of 31 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The Buckeyes defense also forced three turnovers to help take care of business against the Spartans.
#4 Alabama Defeats #2 Georgia 41-34
As expected, the top game of the early college football season between Alabama and Georgia did not fail to disappoint in one of the best college football games that you will see. It was a heavyweight boxing match as the Alabama Crimson Tide jumped out to a 28-0 lead just a few minutes into the second quarter, but Carson Beck and the Georgia Bulldogs fought their way all the back. Although Beck threw three interceptions in the game, he put on a show in what was an incredible comeback by the Bulldogs with the Georgia signal caller throwing for 439 yards and three touchdowns including a 67 yard bomb to Dillon Bell their first lead of the game at 34-33 with 2:31 left in the game, but Alabama responded right back when Jalen Milroe threw a 75 yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams, who caught the pass in mid-air and then put a spin move on two Georgia defenders for the go-ahead and eventual game winning touchdown. The Crimson Tide also got the two point conversion to put them up 41-34. Georgia had a chance to tie the game, but Zabien Brown intercepted Beck in the end zone to secure the win. Milroe elevated his Heisman stock completing 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards and two touchdowns to one interception while rushing for 117 yards and two more touchdowns. Freshman sensation Ryan Williams finished with six grabs for 177 yards and one touchdown.
#5 Tennessee (BYE)
Kentucky Defeats #6 Ole Miss 20-17
Kentucky once again had a chance to get a huge SEC upset, but this time, the Wildcats were able to get it done with a 20-17 win over #6 Ole Miss when the Rebels’ kicker Caden Davis missed a 48 yard field goal attempt to tie the game with 48 seconds left to play in the game. It was the highest ranked win of Mark Stoops’ career at Kentucky. Kentucky took the lead when tight end Josh Kattus caught a Kentucky fumble in mid-air and was able to fall into the end zone for the 20-17 lead after Brock Vandagriff converted a fourth down and seven to Barion Brown. The Wildcats offense held the ball for 40 minutes to play keep away from an electric Ole Miss offense that was held to only 17 points. Jaxson Dart finished throwing for 261 yards passing and a touchdown, and he connected with his top receiver Tre Harris for 11 grabs for 176 yards and one touchdown, but it was not enough as the Wildcats were able to dictate and play their type of football game in order to get the most shocking win of the weekend.
#7 Miami Defeats Virginia Tech 38-34
For what seemed like an eternity, it looked like Virginia Tech was going to pull off a Top 10 win over Miami on the road with a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the game, but the pass that was originally ruled a touchdown by Virginia Tech was reversed to an incomplete pass as both Miami and Virginia Tech players were swarming for the ball. Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward threw for 343 yards and four touchdowns including the go ahead touchdown to Isaiah Horton that ultimately became the winning touchdown at 38-34. The Hurricanes were trailing 34-24 in the fourth quarter, but scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Kyron Drones threw two touchdown passes while Bhayshul Tuten ran for 141 yards and another score for Virginia Tech. The Hokies also took advantage of three Miami turnovers into 14 points, but just were on the wrong end of one of the most controversial endings ever. Meanwhile, Miami does survive the scare and will keep their undefeated season alive.
#8 Oregon Defeats UCLA 34-13
In their first ever Big 10 game matchup after competing against each other for the Pac-12, the Oregon Ducks had an impressive conference debut by defeating the UCLA Bruins 34-13. Dillon Gabriel threw three touchdown passes and became the fourth player to reach 16,000 passing yards in his career and also moved into a three-way tie for third all-time with 134 touchdown passes. Tez Johnson had 11 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns while Jordan James added 103 yards rushing and a touchdown. While the Ducks’ offense shined, the defense forced two Bruins interceptions and four sacks for one of their better overall performances this season.
#9 Penn State Defeats #19 Illinois 21-7
The Penn State Nittany Lions continue their undefeated season by defeating a previously undefeated and ranked Illinois Fighting Illini team 21-7. Nick Singleton ran for 102 yards and a touchdown while Kaytron Allen added close to 100 yards and another touchdown to help lead the Penn State rushing attack. The Illini marched right down the field for a touchdown on their opening drive, but were held scoreless the rest of the game. The Penn State defense made it tough for Luke Altmyer and company by forcing four punts, an interception, and a fumble. Penn State showed Illinois how tough it is to win in Happy Valley for their White Out game.
Arizona Defeats #10 Utah
The Arizona Wildcats got one of the biggest upsets of the college football weekend upsetting #10 Utah. Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns while the Wildcats defense made it tough for the Utah Utes to get on the scoreboard by stopping them on fourth down four times in order to get the 23-10 victory. The Wildcats also forced two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and seven tackles for loss to get a big Top 10 win. It also was the first ever Big 12 Conference
#11 Missouri (BYE)
#12 Michigan Defeats Minnesota 27-24
The Michigan Wolverines were able to hold off a late rally by Minnesota to win the Little Brown Jug by a final score of 27-24. Once again, the Wolverines were able to lean heavily on the ground game led by Kalel Mullings, who ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The Wolverines’ offense also capitalized on a block punt and cashed in for a third touchdown as Alex Orji hit Tyler Morris for a 11 yard touchdown to make it 21-0. Despite leading 24-3, the Golden Golphers were able to claw their way back into the game with two touchdown runs by Darius Taylor. Minnesota was able to pull within three points with a 12 yard touchdown pass from Max Brosmer to Daniel Jackson, but it was too little too late with Michigan running the rest of the clock out for the win.
#13 USC Defeats Wisconsin 38-21
USC overcame a 21-10 deficit and was able to turn it on to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers by a final score of 38-21. The Trojans turned the ball over three times and struggled against Wisconsin’s offense to put them in a double digit deficit. However, Lincoln Riley and the Trojans made halftime adjustments and had a much better outing in the second half as Miller Moss threw two of his touchdown passes to Ja’Kobi Lane in order to outscore the Badgers 28-0 in the second half. Lane had 10 grabs for 105 yards while Duce Robinson added a touchdown catch as well. Moss’ seven yard touchdown run and a 55 yard interception return by Mason Cobb helped the Trojans get the bounce back win after losing to Michigan last week.
#14 LSU Defeats South Alabama 42-10
The LSU Tigers got their most complete game of the year in a 42-10 win over South Alabama. Garrett Nussmeier threw for a career high 409 passing yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for two more touchdowns. Nussmeier became the third LSU quarterback to throw for 400 yards and run for two touchdowns. Also, Caden Durham provided a spark with 157 yards on the first two plays of scrimmage. He finished with 217 yards and two touchdowns. The offense racked up 667 yards of offense while the defense held South Alabama to only 10 points led by Greg Penn and Whit Weeks, who combined for 23 tackles in the victory.
#16 Notre Dame Defeats #15 Louisville 31-24
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish was able to hold off the Louisville Cardinals in a Top 20 ranked matchup by a final score of 31-24. Riley Leonard was able to throw for two touchdowns and rush for another one to account for three total touchdowns. The Fighting Irish was also able to capitalize on three Cardinals turnovers and also held Louisville’s offense to only one fourth down conversion out of five attempts. Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough threw for three touchdowns but was also picked off twice. Before the game, Shough threw 88 passes before throwing an interception. Louisville was able to pull within a touchdown twice, but just could not make the plays needed to overcome the deficit on the road.
#17 Clemson Defeats Stanford 40-14
Ever since Clemson’s opening day blowout loss, the Tigers are gaining some confidence. Cade Klubnik is playing at a high level as he threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns while also adding a rushing touchdown in a 40-14 win over Stanford to continue a stretch in which he has accounted for 16 total touchdowns over the last three weeks. While the offense is getting hot, the defense had just as impressive of an outing with three interceptions and three fourth down stops. The victory for Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney marked the 173rd of his career, which ties the late great Bobby Bowden for most wins with an ACC school.
#18 Iowa State Defeats Houston 20-0
The Iowa State Cyclones defense continues to play at a very high level as they are ranked ninth in the nation allowing only 9.7 points per game and this past Saturday, they were able to shutout the Houston Cougars in order to improve to 4-0, which is the first time since 2000 that the program has accomplished that feat. Head Coach Matt Campbell also made some history by becoming the school’s active leader with 57 wins. Rocco Becht threw for 153 yards and a touchdown while Abu Sama III ran for 101 yards and a touchdown to lead the way offensively.
#21 Oklahoma Defeats Auburn 27-21
The game looked in doubt for Oklahoma, but that was until Kip Lewis returned a 61 yard interception for a touchdown to complete an 11 point comeback over the Auburn Tigers by a final score of 27-21. This was Oklahoma’s first ever SEC conference win. The Sooners started slow offensively trailing the Tigers 21-10, but Michael Hawkins proved to give the offense a spark in his first career start as he ran for a 48 yard touchdown and accounted for 230 yards of offense. Auburn jumped out to a lead as Payton Thorne threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns, but his sixth interception of the year came at a bad time and gave the Sooners a 24-21 lead before the Sooners added another field goal late.
#22 BYU Defeats Baylor 34-28
The BYU Cougars are 5-0 for the third time in five seasons with a 34-28 win over the Baylor Bears. BYU safety Crew Wakley sealed the deal for the Cougars with a late interception with 59 seconds to play in the game. BYU jumped out to a 21-0 lead and three times, had a three possession lead led by Jake Retzlaff, who finished the game completing 17 of 31 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns plus a touchdown on the ground. However, Baylor found their way back in the game when Sawyer Robertson connected with Josh Cameron seven times for 125 yards and two touchdowns. It still was not enough as Robertson’s second interception thrown sealed the victory for a big conference win for the Cougars.
#23 Kansas State Defeats #20 Oklahoma State 42-20
Avery Johnson put on a show on Saturday for the Wildcats in their 42-20 win over Oklahoma State as he passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns while running for two touchdowns. DJ Giddens also ran for 187 yards and a touchdown. At one point, the Wildcats did trail against the Cowboys, but scored 35 straight points to take control of the game. While their offense had 559 total yards of offense, the defense did force two Alan Bowman interceptions and a fumble and also held Ollie Gordon to 76 yards rushing. In what was de-facto elimination game for the College Football Playoff, the Wildcats made a big statement a week after getting blown out by BYU on the road the previous week.
#24 Texas A&M Defeats Arkansas 21-17
The Texas A&M Aggies met the Arkansas Razorbacks in Jerry’s World on Saturday. Once again, the Aggies showed their dominance in the rivalry. Since joining the SEC conference, the Aggies defeated the Razorbacks 12 times in their last 13 meetings. Marcel Reed threw two touchdowns for the Aggies including the go-ahead five yard scoring toss to Tre Watson. Although the Aggies have won majority of the games, seven of those games have been one score games with three going into overtime. Arkansas started the game hot with Taylen Green throwing a 75 yard touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa and an eight yard touchdown run from Ja’Quinden Jackson, which was set up by a fake punt to make it 14-7. Texas A&M tied the game at 14 when Reed hit Noah Thomas for 58 yards. The Aggies took a 21-17 lead and scored the eventual game winning touchdown with nine minutes left to play in the game.
#25 Boise State Defeats Washington State 45-24
Ashton Jeanty is making his early case to be in the Heisman Trophy conversation after an amazing start to the season highlighted by Boise State’s 45-24 victory over Washington State. Jeanty ran for 259 yards and four touchdowns to put him at 845 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on just 82 carries. This game was his fourth 200 yard rushing performance, which already ties a school record. Right now, the Broncos are putting themselves in position to grab the Group of Five playoff spot that goes to the highest ranked team, and as of right now, that spot goes to the Broncos.