UK & Ireland College Football Media Top 25 Rankings: Week 5

By Simon Carroll

If the AP or CFP committe can’t get it right, then perhaps we can!

Since the start of the 2022 season, some of the UK & Ireland’s most talented writers, content creators and students of the college game have combined to deliver their own weekly set of college football rankings. The UK & Ireland CFB Media Top 25 is announced every Monday evening, and today we can bring you the standings after Week 5. Buckle up – there’s a surprise or two!

2024 - Week 5

Graphic: Owain Jones (Twitter - @Owain_Jones_)
  1. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (4-0, ↑4)
  2. TEXAS LONGHORNS (5-0, ↓1)
  3. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (4-0, ↑1)
  4. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (4-0, ↓1)
  5. GEORGIA BULLDOGS (3-1, ↓4)
  6. OREGON DUCKS (4-0, ↑2)
  7. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (4-0, ↑2)
  8. MIAMI HURRICANES (5-0, ↓1)
  9. MISSOURI TIGERS (4-0, ↑2)
  10. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (4-1, ↑2)
  11. USC TROJANS (3-1, ↑4)
  12. IOWA STATE CYCLONES (4-0, ↑3)
  13. BYU COUGARS (4-0, ↑5)
  14. LSU TIGERS (4-1, ↑6)
  15. CLEMSON TIGERS (3-1, ↑2)
  16. OLE MISS REBELS (4-1, ↓10)
  17. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (4-1, ↑2)
  18. UTAH UTES (4-1, ↓8)
  19. OKLAHOMA SOONERS (4-1, ↑4)
  20. INDIANA HOOSIERS (5-0, NE)
  21. UNLV REBELS (4-0, =)
  22. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (4-1, NE)
  23. BOISE STATE BRONCOS (3-1, NE)
  24. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (4-1, ↓10)
  25. RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (4-0, NE)

*NE – New Entrant. Teams dropping out: Oklahoma State, Washington State, Louisville, Pitt

TAKEAWAYS

Tie At The Top

In what was one of the all-time classics of College Football, Alabama prevailed over Georgia on Saturday night. An SEC slobberknocker that in seasons past was reserved for the conference title game will now be a lot more common thanks to the abolition of divisions in America’s greatest collegiate fraternity. The Crimson Tide started out like a house on fire, reducing the Bulldogs to a performance unseen in the Kirby Smart era – before UGA turned it around in the second half. And then, the magic of QB Jalen Milroe and 17-year old freshman receiver Ryan Williams to stem the momentum of the ‘Dawgs and get ‘Bama over the line – well, it was dramatic, to say the least.

Both these schools will be in the playoffs, of that I have no doubt. As will Texas, who dispatched Mississippi State with ease and have maybe the best backup quarterback in college football in Arch Manning. But despite a victory in their first ever SEC game, and the win over the reigning national champs, the Longhorns were pipped to top spot by the slimmest of margins…

That’s right – these two programs finished on exactly the same amount of points as each other in the voting (268). Alabama sits above Texas on a tie-breaker by virtue of having one more 1st-place vote – all of which really means little at this stage. But college football is nothing without manufactured drama, and the UK & Ireland media will not be found wanting in that regard.

Traditional Big Ten Cannon Fodder Feeling The UK & Ireland Love

Rutgers. Indiana. Illinois. Three power four programs that, if we’re honest, would not look out of place in a group of four conference based on recent history. But some shrewd hiring and gutsy performances have seen this trio of Big Ten teams all break into the rankings – and deservedly so…

Out of those three schools, only one has suffered a loss – and to be fair to the Fighting Illini a two-score defeat to Penn State is no disgrace. They already have impressive wins against Kansas & Nebraska on their resume, and as such were spared the chop by the panel. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights can now boast wins over Virginia Tech and Washington, whilst the Hoosiers have vanquished UCLA and Maryland. Bigger tests are still to come in what is now a daunting conference even for the heavyweights – but considering where they have been, these schools deserve their flowers.

The common denominator between them is the hiring of a head coach with pedigree, character and resolve. Greg Schiano has been and done it in Piscataway before, and probably still has the winner’s t-shirt to prove it. Wisconsin haven’t been the same since Brett Bielema left, and his torrid time in Arkansas is all but forgotten as he doubles down on an impressive 2023 in Champaign. And then there’s Curt Cignetti, who helped establish James Madison as a GO5 force in the FBS before taking over one of the toughest Power 4 jobs in the nation. Five games in, and it’s looking like a shrewd move by the Indiana heirarchy. I’m intrigued to see how far these three can take their respective teams.

The Best Conference? No. But The Big 12 Is Always Fun

You can never take your eye off the Big 12. Even in the offseason, Brett Yormark was scorching earth, unafraid to ruffle feathers as he dived into conference realignment with reckless abandon. Unperturbed by the loss of blue bloods Texas & Oklahoma, they added quality from the Group of Five, and seized on the opportunity to pick the bones from a dying Pac-12. The result? Possibly the most competitive and unpredictable conference in football – an affiliation that will send at least one team to the playoffs in the top four seeds.

Considering the cannibalisation within this league, the conference champion will likely be the only Big 12 representative in the CFP bracket. Kansas State and Utah, the presumed favourites, have both dropped games (to BYU and Arizona). Meanwhile, the Cougars sit atop the standings undefeated, something not many would have predicted heading into October. Iowa State also have an unblemished record, Colorado have overcome doubters, and Texas Tech look feisty. West Virginia have two out-of-conference losses, but on their day? I wouldn’t want to go to Morgantown…

It says something that Kansas – a preseason ranked team, prop up this conference. Every week there’s drama, explosive plays, and little in the way of defense. The UK & Ireland voters have repaid entertainment by including four of the Big 12 in their Top 25. But they best not get comfortable – each one is only a tricky game in Waco or a poor performance in Tempe away from falling out. Stay tuned!

Players Of The Week:

Offense: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

Defense: Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head Of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST.

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