Alright, let’s talk about the beautiful chaos that was Week 4 of college football and how it impacted the AP Top 25. While some of the big dogs like Ohio State and Penn State were probably enjoying a nice, quiet Saturday sipping iced tea and watching film, the rest of the country was out there playing football with their hair on fire. And boy, did it get spicy.
The ‘U’ is Back? Hold Your Horses, But…
The biggest headline, without a doubt, is the Miami Hurricanes. After putting a good old-fashioned 26-7 beatdown on the Florida Gators, “The U” rocketed up the AP Poll to the No. 2 spot. Yes, you read that right. Number. Two. They leapfrogged both LSU and Penn State, which has to feel like cutting in line at the world’s best BBQ joint. Are the Hurricanes officially back? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves; we’ve been hurt before. But beating your in-state rival like a drum is a pretty convincing argument. The swagger is palpable, and for the first time in a while, it feels earned.
An Upset For the Ages In the Big Ten
Now, for the “what on earth just happened” moment of the week. Remember when No. 9 Illinois thought they had a nice, manageable game against No. 19 Indiana? Yeah, about that. The Hoosiers didn’t just win; they decided to commit a football felony, demolishing the Illini 63-10. A 53-point thrashing!
That’s the kind of score you see in a video game when your little brother gets frustrated and starts throwing controllers. It was the largest victory ever by a non-top-10 team against a top-10 opponent. As a reward, Indiana soared to No. 11. Illinois? They took a tumble down the rankings ladder, hitting every rung on the way down to No. 23. Ouch.
Red Raiders and Close Calls
Elsewhere, the upsets kept coming. No. 17 Texas Tech rolled into Utah and handed the No. 16 Utes a decisive 34-10 loss. It was a statement win that catapulted the Red Raiders to No. 12 and knocked Utah clean out of the top 25. Note to self: don’t sleep on Texas Tech.
Some of the other ranked teams decided to give their fans a complimentary cardiac stress test. Oklahoma just barely survived a scare from Auburn, 24-17. The game ended with former Sooner Jackson Arnold, now with Auburn, getting sacked for a safety while trying to lead a game-winning drive. You can’t write this stuff.
Michigan also flirted with disaster, escaping Nebraska with a tight 30-27 win. And down in SEC country, Missouri needed 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to put away a scrappy South Carolina team. These games are a perfect reminder that on any given Saturday, anything can happen. It’s why we love this sport. It’s beautiful, unpredictable madness.
Your Official Week 5 AP Top 25 Poll
So, after all that madness, here’s how the landscape looks. Grab your popcorn, because it’s only going to get crazier from here.
- Ohio State (52)
- Miami (Fla.) (7)
- Penn State (5)
- LSU
- Georgia
- Oregon (1)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Florida State
- Texas A&M
- Texas
- Indiana
- Texas Tech
- Ole Miss
- Iowa State
- Tennessee
- Georgia Tech
- Alabama
- Vanderbilt
- Michigan
- Missouri
- USC
- Notre Dame
- Illinois
- TCU
- BYU
