College Football Top 10 After Week 5

Hail Mary Media
October 01, 2025

Below I give you one paragraph per team: why they sit where they do, how they have looked all season, and exactly what they did in Week 5.

No. 1 Ohio State. Week 5: beat Washington 24-6. Still the measurement stick. The Buckeyes’ offense is surgical and their defense closes space, which is what separates pretenders from title teams. Julian Sayin managed the pocket, the run game got timely yards, and OSU won the line battles that decide close games on the road. A road, top-tier win like this against Washington tells you the depth up front and situational coaching are for real. Ohio State is not just 4-0 on paper; they look like a team built to survive chaos and make opponents pay for mistakes.

No. 2 Oregon. Week 5: beat Penn State in double overtime, 30-24. This was the kind of win that changes perception. Dante Moore late, clutch throws, and a defense that stiffened when the moment got loud. Through five games the Ducks have mixed big-play offense with bend-but-don’t-break defense, and that double overtime victory on the road proves they can win the ugly, the loud, and the dramatic. If you want a team that can carry itself through the season when the schedule tightens, Oregon is at the front of that line.

No. 3 Miami. Week 5: bye. That bye is a luxury after four straight clean wins. Miami’s identity this year is efficient quarterback play, a physical running game that opens the playbook, and a defense that forces short fields. They have the kind of complementary balance that survives sloppy quarters and still wins the scoreboard war. Until they lose one of those core attributes, they keep riding high. Next week’s Florida State game will actually tell us whether the Hurricanes are elite or just well coached.

No. 4 Ole Miss. Week 5: upset LSU, 24-19. Lane Kiffin’s crew is clicking at the right time. Trinidad Chambliss continues to look like the transfer who rewired this offense, and the Rebels beat a top opponent in a game they controlled more than the final tally suggests. Ole Miss is not a bubble team anymore. They are an aggressive, playmaking unit with speed on the perimeter and enough defensive snaps to hold leads. This win vaults them into real contender conversation.

No. 5 Oklahoma. Week 5: bye. The Sooners have looked efficient all season and their defense has been the kind that makes the game manageable while the offense finds its rhythm. An off week keeps everyone healthy and gives coaching staff time to tighten execution. This ranking treats Oklahoma as a team with fewer glaring weaknesses than most, but still waiting for a signature, late-game identity moment against a top opponent.

No. 6 Texas A&M. Week 5: beat Auburn 16-10. That is the kind of grind-it-out, defensive victory that changes narratives. The Aggies ran the ball when they had to, their defense held served in the red zone, and they survived a late push. Texas A&M has been built around physical play and situational toughness. A 4-0 start with a hard-earned SEC road-style win puts them squarely in the top tier until someone proves otherwise.

No. 7 Indiana. Week 5: beat Iowa 20-15. The Hoosiers survive a classic gut-check and did it with late-game execution. Indiana has not been flashy this season but they have been reliable in tight spots. When your quarterback throws a 49-yard dagger to win with 90 seconds left, you earn the benefit of the doubt. This ranking rewards a team that can close games and shows poise under pressure.

No. 8 Texas. Week 5: bye. Texas has looked solid but not dominant. The defense keeps them competitive; the offense still needs to prove consistent downfield passing against a top SEC rotation. A bye here keeps them fresh, but the ranking flags that their ceiling depends on the passing game growing into a dependable weapon. Until that happens, Texas stays below the handful of teams that have already proven playoff-level depth.

No. 9 Alabama. Week 5: beat Georgia 24-21. This was an attention-grabbing win. Ty Simpson played like a difference-maker and the Tide offense showed the patience to execute in a hostile environment. Alabama’s resume still has room to grow, but grabbing a win in Athens is a résumé builder you can hang the whole season on. They climb into the top ten because they win the big moments.

No. 10 Texas Tech. Week 5: bye after a 4-0 start. The Red Raiders’ offense has been explosive and their defense has made enough stops to keep opponents from ever getting comfortable. Behren Morton and the receiving corps have given Tech a vertical identity, and their schedule management has kept them undefeated. This ranking rewards pace and playmaking, while also recognizing that a bye means we still need a top-tier opponent to validate the ceiling.

College Football Top 10 After Week 5

Subscribe to keep reading

Keep Reading

Framework