College Football Week 5 Power Rankings - Vito's View - Comcast.net Sports

After four weeks of stunning upsets, order was restored in college football over the weekend. Nine of the top 10 teams in my rankings came out on top, resulting in only minor tweaks to this week’s lineup.

But the next few weeks will deliver a series of showdowns that will go a long way toward determining the top teams in college football.

Before the mayhem begins, see how your team stacks up against the rest:

1. Florida (4-0)
Previous Rank: 1
Last Week: Idle
The Gators expect to have QB Tim Tebow back from a concussion in their first test of the season Saturday at Baton Rouge. If the ’07 Heisman winner can’t go, Florida’s hopes rest on redshirt sophomore John Brantley. Although Brantley was a prep phenom, it’s a far cry from besting overmatched high school players on Friday nights to taking on LSU on a Saturday night in Death Valley.

2. Texas (4-0)
Previous Rank: 2
Last Week: Idle
Coming off a bye week, the Longhorns get another week off before the shootout with Oklahoma. I know, I know … they need to be careful against Colorado; otherwise they’ll pull a USC. But have you seen Colorado play this season? The ’Horns will be fine – just make sure no one gets hurt.

3. Alabama (5-0)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: W, at Kentucky, 38-20
QB Greg McElroy (15-of-26, 148 yards, two TDs) and RB Mark Ingram (career-high 140 yards rushing and two TDs) continue to impress as the Tide just keep rolling along, topping 30 points in every game this season. But now ’Bama gets into the meat of its schedule, which has them home against Ole Miss, at South Carolina and home against LSU over the next five weeks.

4. Boise State (5-0)
Previous Rank: 4
Last Week: W, UC-Davis, 34-16
I’m not going to penalize Boise State for looking uninspired against UC-Davis. It happens. But if it turns into a trend, the Broncos will see some teams jump over them even if they keep winning. But Chris Petersen is determined not to let that happen. “I'm frustrated with a couple different phases,” the coach said. “We’ll have their attention without question here and get a few things corrected.” Have fun at practice this week, boys.

5. Virginia Tech (4-1)
Previous Rank: 5
Last Week: W, at Duke, 34-26
QB Tyrod Taylor enjoyed a career day, completing 17 of his 22 passes, including two scores, and a career-high 327 yards. But the Hokies defense was uncharacteristically vulnerable against the pass, allowing Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis to throw for 359 yards and two TDs. “We weren’t as sharp as we would like, but I don’t think it was lack of effort. Part of it was Duke, and part of it was us,” coach Frank Beamer said. “Sometimes I think you’ve just got to win some games that’s not real pretty on the road.”

6. LSU (5-0)
Previous Rank: 6
Last Week: W, at Georgia, 20-13
Most pundits claim that LSU isn’t deserving of its lofty ranking. But RB Charles Scott helped LSU prove its worth with a 33-yard scoring scamper in the final minute to give the Tigers a win between the hedges in Athens. “Our football team, if you turn your back on them, they will beat you up,” coach Les Miles said. Now comes the Tigers’ ultimate chance to prove that they very much belong among the top teams in the nation when top-ranked Florida makes a visit to Death Valley.

7. Cincinnati (5-0)
Previous Rank: 7
Last Week: W, at Miami (OH), 37-13
QB Tony Pike struggled – completing just 55 percent of his passes with a pick – and still threw for 270 yards and two TDs. But RB Jacob Ramsey got a rare chance to shine, rushing for 103 yards and three scores. The Bearcats now get a week off before the showdown at South Florida that will go a long way toward deciding the Big East champ.

8. USC (4-1)
Previous Rank: 9
Last Week: W, at Cal, 30-3
That pounding of Cal would have been much more impressive if Oregon hadn’t beat you to the punch a week earlier (and in such similar fashion, too). Still, after a week in which RB Stafon Johnson nearly lost his life in a weightlifting accident, the Trojans’ resiliency was moving. “We were talking about him, before and after,” QB Matt Barkley said. “He was a big motivator for us.”

9. Ohio State (4-1)
Previous Rank: 10
Last Week: W, at Indiana, 33-24
Terrelle Pryor is making the most of the mismatches the Buckeyes’ schedule has been giving him the last three weeks. This time, the sophomore QB threw for 159 yards and three TDs and rushed for another 63 yards and a score as Ohio State won its 16th straight conference game on the road, one shy of the league record. The Buckeyes will have to wait a few weeks to try to tie the mark … in the meantime, unbeaten Wisconsin visits Columbus.

10. TCU (4-0)
Previous Rank: 11
Last Week: W, SMU, 39-14
The Horned Frogs are 4-0 for the first time since ’02, taking the Iron Skillet from SMU, and head into conference play with everyone asking two questions: 1) Can this team go unbeaten and make a case for a BCS berth? And 2) Is this team worthy of a top-10 ranking? “There’s people who believe we’re not good enough, and others who believe that we are,” coach Gary Patterson said. “Our whole goal is just to keep winning one more and keep proving people wrong. It hasn’t changed since I started here.”

11. Miami (3-1)
Previous Rank: 15
Last Week: W, Oklahoma, 21-20
QB Jacory Harris was picked off on the Canes’ first two possessions, but rebounded to cap three long drives with TD passes as Miami scored 21 straight points before holding on for the win. “Big, huge win for us,” coach Randy Shannon said. “Don't think I won't enjoy it. I will enjoy it.” OK, coach, enjoy away.

12. Oregon (4-1)
Previous Rank: 12
Last Week: W, Washington State, 52-6
The Ducks are averaging nearly 41 ppg since the season-opening loss to Boise State. And the offense could become even more dynamic with the possible return of RB LeGarrette Blount, who was suspended for the season after punching a Boise State player after the loss to the Broncos. Chip Kelly’s admission that Blount could be reinstated is drawing both criticism and praise, but Kelly could have avoided this debate if he had kept the label of the suspension as “indefinite” instead of declaring Blount done for the year a day after the incident. Of course, you wonder if Kelly would even think of bringing Blount back if the Ducks weren’t in the running for the Pac-10 title.

13. Oklahoma State (3-1)
Previous Rank: 14
Last Week: Idle
The Pokes’ bye week came at a great time because it gave coach Mike Gundy the option to give WR Dez Bryant (hamstring), RB Kendall Hunter (ankle) and CB/KR Perrish Cox (shoulder) an extra week to get healthy after the three sat out last week’s game against Grambling. Apparently, the move paid off – OK State easily disposed of Grambling and all three are expected back for this week’s conference opener against Texas A&M.

14. Iowa (5-0)
Previous Rank: 16
Last Week: W, Arkansas State, 24-21
The Hawkeyes appeared to be suffering from a hangover after last week’s big win at Penn State, giving Arkansas State a chance to pull off a major upset. But QB Ricky Stanzi threw for a 296 yards and three TDs as Iowa secured its best start in 14 years. However, the last time Iowa won its first five games, it lost four straight. The Hawkeyes will try to avoid similar fate starting this week at home against Michigan.

15. Ole Miss (3-1)
Previous Rank: 17
Last Week: W, at Vanderbilt, 23-7
QB Jevan Snead threw three TD passes but also was picked three times, giving him back-to-back sub-par performances – not the way you want to go into next week’s divisional showdown with Alabama. “I think he would be the first to tell you that we can’t have some of those mistakes that he made in the second half,” coach Houston Nutt said. “We were executing the offense very well to start, then we started forcing things.”
Still, if Snead and the Rebels can bounce back and upend the Tide, they’ll suddenly grab control of the SEC West.

16. Auburn (5-0)
Previous Rank: 21
Last Week: W, at Tennessee, 26-22
The Tigers are 5-0 for the first time in three years with new coach Gene Chizik winning over more fans each week. QB Chris Todd threw for 218 yards and a TD and RB Ben Tate rushed for 128 and a score as Auburn piled up 459 yards of offense on the eighth-ranked defense in the country. “We’re trying to prove something every time we hit the field,” RB Mario Fannin said. “We know what we have in mind, and that’s a championship.”

17. Penn State (4-1)
Previous Rank: 19
Last Week: L, at Illinois, 35-17
The Nittany Lions had struggled to run the ball almost all season, but their ground game came to life as RBs Stephon Green (120) and Evan Royster (105) each surpassed 100 yards rushing. Penn State amassed 338 yards on the ground, and we all know how much coach Joe Paterno likes to win games on the ground. “Earlier in the year we did some things well for a half,” Paterno said. “This is the first time I’ve felt we played well the whole ballgame.”

18. Oklahoma (2-2)
Previous Rank: 8
Last Week: L, at Miami, 21-20
Despite all their injuries, the Sooners have lost their two games by a grand total of two points. But while the Sooners are still very much alive for a Big 12 title, the slew of injuries to offensive playmakers – first TE Jermaine Gresham, then QB Sam Bradford and now WR Ryan Broyles – will prevent them from repeating as conference champs.

19. Georgia Tech (4-1)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, at Mississippi State, 42-31
The Jackets have become known for their ground game under coach Paul Johnson. But QB Josh Nesbitt got a chance to strut his stuff against the Bulldogs, throwing for a career-high 266 yards and a score. Of course, Tech still shelled out a heavy dose of the ground game, rushing for 213 yards and four scores. It’s that kind of multi-dimensional attack that’ll help the Jackets find their way back into the ACC title hunt.

20. Nebraska (3-1)
Previous Rank: 22
Last Week: Idle
The ’Huskers three wins have all come against teams from the Sun Belt Conference, but they’ve remained in the rankings thanks to that near-upset of Virginia Tech. Thursday’s battle with Missouri will show whether Nebraska is deserving of the ranking. “It’s time to put the foot on the gas pedal and go,” coach Bo Pelini said.

21. Missouri (4-0)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: Idle
QB Blaine Gabbert is off to a hot start (passing for 1,161 yards, 11 TDs, no INTs), but the ground game is struggling. The Tigers rushing attack is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry and 143 yards per game. Heading into Thursday’s clash with Nebraska, the unbalanced offense could translate into a short stay in the rankings.

22. South Florida (5-0)
Previous Rank: 25
Last Week: W, at Syracuse, 34-20
It wasn’t pretty, but the Bulls turned four of Syracuse’s seven turnovers into points to overcome a sloppy offensive performance. The Bulls lost three fumbles of their own, and QB B.J. Daniels completed just 12 passes for 208 yards – 85 of which came on a scoring toss to Carlton Mitchell on the first play of the season half. USF is off until next week’s showdown with Cincinnati in a game that will have Big East championship implications.

23. Kansas (4-0)
Previous Rank: 23
Last Week: Idle
QB Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks offense are sixth in the country with 41 ppg – and they have two more opportunities to inflate their numbers over the next few weeks against struggling Iowa State and hapless Colorado.

24. South Carolina (4-1)
Previous Rank: NR
Last Week: W, South Carolina State, 38-14
The Gamecocks’ offense finally put together a game that coach Steve Spurrier approved of – well, kind of – as QB Stephen Garcia threw two TDs and rushed for another. “We’re still not a great passing team,” the Ol’ Ball Coach said. “But Stephen really had a good game. He really bounced around. After a shaky start, we were actually pretty decent throwing the ball.” USC’s 4-1 mark matches its best start under Spurrier.

25. Michigan (4-1)
Previous Rank: 18
Last Week: L, at Michigan State, 26-20 (OT)
Tate Forcier is already a gamer … once he gains more experience, he’ll make better decisions, which in turn will make him one of the most dangerous QBs in the nation. The freshman showed remarkable poise in throwing two TD passes late in the fourth to tie the game. But his forced pass in OT was picked off, opening the door for Sparty to pull off the upset.

Dropped Out:

Houston (3-1)
Previous Rank: 13
Last Week: L, at UTEP, 58-41
Gone: The Cougars’ BCS hopes, the BCS aspirations of Conference USA, which has never sent a team to a BCS game, and any dreams Houston had of cracking the top 10 this season. And that’s with QB Case Keenum throwing for 536 yards and five touchdowns. That’s what happens when your defense allows more than 40 ppg over the last three games.

Cal (3-2)
Previous Rank: 20
Last Week: L, USC, 30-3
The Bears didn’t get dropped from the rankings just because they lost back-to-back games … the two losses did come to ranked teams. It’s because they failed to find paydirt in both contests, mustering just six points combined in the pair of losses.

Georgia (3-2)
Previous Rank: 24
Last Week: L, LSU, 20-13
The Dawgs nearly delivered the upset, but their lapse down the stretch in the loss to LSU is enough to merit a fall from the rankings.

On the radar:

Wisconsin (5-0)
Wisconsin is unbeaten thanks to a ball-control offense that is averaging 35 ppg, 433 ypg and 217 rushing ypg. The defense, however, is allowing 25 ppg.

Stanford (4-1)
If it wasn’t for that hiccup at Wake Forest in the second game of the season, the Cardinal would already be sitting in the rankings.

Notre Dame (4-1)
All but one of the Irish’s games have come down to the final moments. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing for this team.

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Email me at vitosview@comcast.net; follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/vjforlenza.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Message Edited by Vito_Forlenza on 10-05-2009 03:23 PM