ESPN shakes up Top 25 Power Rankings after Week 5 of College Football

Heading into Week 5 of the college football season, there was anticipation that it could be the best week of the season. It wouldn’t disappoint. Now, after a Saturday full of upsets, ranked battles, and thrilling finishes, ESPN has updated its Top 25 Power Rankings.

There is plenty of movement in the ESPN Power Rankings this week. In fact, just two teams are ranked in the same slot they were a week ago. Meanwhile, three teams made the Top 25 who were outside of the rankings a week ago. Another three teams broke into the Top 10 for the first time.

Undoubtedly, these rankings will continue to shift throughout the season. For now, though, here’s how the ESPN Power Rankings shake out for this season.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes are still the top team in the ESPN Power Rankings. This comes after they went on the road and beat Washington. The Buckeyes controlled the game throughout. More importantly, quarterback Julian Sayin got his first road experience.

The Big Ten schedule should continue to test Ohio State. They’ll be back home next week for that, hosting Minnesota. In the meantime, the Buckeyes look like a sure-fire College Football Playoff team.

2. Oregon Ducks (+1)

The Oregon Ducks have been on a tear to open the season. Last Saturday, that included silencing a Penn State White Out, where they beat the Nittany Lions in double overtime. Now, ESPN has moved them up to second in the Power Rankings.

Next week, Oregon is going to have a bye to hit the reset button. After that, the schedule picks up intensity once again. Big Ten play doesn’t get any easier, after all, with Indiana coming to Eugene.

3. Miami Hurricanes (-1)

The Miami Hurricanes actually slipped a spot in the Power Rankings. That’s coming off a bye and likely has more to do with Oregon getting a win that pushed them up, rather than the Hurricanes doing anything wrong themselves.

Miami will have a chance to add its own marquee win next week, though. The Hurricanes are taking on rival Florida State, who, even after being upset, is having a good season to start out. Getting a win there would be another impressive line to add to their resume.

4. Ole Miss Rebels (+7)

Ole Miss took a massive leap forward, jumping up seven spots in the ESPN Power Rankings. That’s on the heels of a massive win at home over LSU. It’s a win that put the Rebels into a very comfortable position, all things considered, moving forward in SEC play.

There are still some questions that Ole Miss needs to answer, like who their long-term quarterback is. At the same time, both options there have played well, so it’s not a massive concern for head coach Lane Kiffin going into the bye week. After that, it’ll be interesting to see the offensive approach against Washington State.

5. Texas A&M Aggies (+4)

At times, the Texas A&M Aggies may have been a bit quieter than their counterparts in the SEC this season. That could be why they’re not higher than fifth in the Power Rankings already. After all, this has been an incredibly impressive team with an elite defense and a Heisman Trophy candidate, Marcel Reed, at quarterback.

Coming off a suffocating win over Auburn, the Aggies are preparing for another SEC test when they host Mississippi State next week. The Bulldogs are a much improved team. So, it appears that head coach Mike Elko should be in for another big game.

6. Oklahoma Sooners (+2)

Oklahoma is coming off a bye week, managing to move up in the ESPN Power Rankings despite not playing a game. Still, there is major concern in Norman with the injury to quarterback John Mateer hanging over the offense. Without him, that unit has major questions to answer.

The road ahead isn’t an easy one either in SEC play. After getting to test out the new offense against Kent State next week, it’s time for Red River. Playing Texas is always a battle. However, it looks like it’s a game the Sooners will be without Mateer for.

7. Indiana Hoosiers (+3)

The Indiana Hoosiers have been making strides in the Power Rankings. That continues after their win over Iowa on the road last weekend. A year removed from the College Football Playoff, expectations were that Indiana may take a step back. So far, that hasn’t been the case.

Indiana must adjust to being the team that has a target on its back now. They’re going to be doing that while getting tested in a major way in their next game. After a bye week, the Hoosiers will hit the road and take on the Oregon Ducks.

8. Penn State Nittany Lions (-3)

Penn State played its first Power Four opponent of the season when the Nittany Lions hosted Oregon in Happy Valley for a White Out. It was a double overtime thriller, but in the end, head coach James Franklin lost another big game. Now, it’s back to the drawing board as they try to prove that they were worth the preseason hype.

The Nittany Lions slipped in the Power Rankings as a result, but there’s still clearly a lot of trust in this team from ESPN. Big Ten play continues next week against UCLA, which should be a relatively easy game given the circumstances that program finds itself in.

9. Texas Tech Red Raiders (+3)

The top-rated team from the Big 12 is Texas Tech. In fact, they moved up, according to ESPN, even after a bye week. This comes after the Red Raiders embraced the Transfer Portal in the offseason and are now off to a 4-0 start to this season.

The Red Raiders are going to look to prove they’re worthy of this Power Ranking in the coming weeks. That will begin next week as they continue Big 12 play. Next time, that’s going to be on the road against Houston.

10. Alabama Crimson Tide (+6)

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been a tricky team to figure out. They dropped their opener to Florida State. Since then, however, they’ve played well, including a major win over Georgia on the road. Now, ESPN has the Tide surging up six spots in its Power Rankings.

It’s a long season, but all eyes will be on ESPN moving forward. That includes next week with College GameDay in town as Alabama is set to host Vanderbilt. That’s a very capable Commodores team that upset the Crimson Tide just a season ago.

11. Georgia Bulldogs (-5)
12. Texas Longhorns (+1)
13. Tennessee Volunteers (+1)
14. Florida State Seminoles (-7)
15. Iowa State Cyclones
16. Missouri Tigers (+1)
17. LSU Tigers (-4)
18. Vanderbilt Commodores (+2)
19. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-1)
20. Michigan Wolverines (-1)
21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+2)
22. BYU Cougars (NR)
23. Illinois Fighting Illini (+1)
24. Memphis Tigers (NR)
25. Louisville Cardinals (NR)