College football week 5 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 5.
1. Rankings Mean Nothing
College Football fans obsess over rankings, but until the CFP committee gets together, they mean little. Teams ranked highly are projected to be good, but things don’t always work out that way. It is one of the things that makes the sport great. This weekend delivered in this aspect, as 10 ranked teams lost.
Things got started when Washington was upset by UCLA on Friday night. Arkansas and Kentucky lost in big SEC battles. Texas A&M lost a second game on the season to Mississippi State. Florida State was favored to beat Wake Forest, but lost. NC State lost to Clemson in prime time. In a rematch of the Big 12 Championship Game, Oklahoma State defeated Baylor. Georgia Tech upset Pittsburgh, Purdue beat Minnesota and TCU laid down the hammer on Oklahoma. It is impossible to turn of the television on a college football Saturday.
2. Clemson Has a Clear Path to the CFP
Last season, Clemson struggled, especially offensively, which led to some concern for the season. They have been able to figure some things out this year. The Tigers won an overtime shootout with Wake Forest in week 4. This week they defeated NC State 30-20, giving them two big wins in a row.
The last two weeks were the biggest on Clemson’s schedule and they got through them. While they still have some notable games against Florida State, Notre Dame and Miami, Clemson is likely going to be favored in every game the rest of the way. They could end up in the CFP without too much worry before the ACC Championship Game.
3. Oklahoma State is the Big 12’s Best Shot at the CFP
Oklahoma State didn’t have the toughest early season schedule, but came into week 5 undefeated. They defeated Baylor, who was one of the other favorites to win the Big 12. The win came with some good offensive output scoring 36 points on a good Baylor defense.
After week 5, Oklahoma lost their second game of the season, making it extremely unlikely they can go on a run and make the playoff. Texas had a lot of preseason hype, but also has two losses with the same thing ringing true for Baylor. While there are some other teams in the Big 12 who are undefeated, Oklahoma State presents the best chance at making the College Football Playoff.
4. Kansas is for Real
One of the Big 12 teams that remains undefeated is Kansas, who defeated Iowa State to extend their record to 5-0. They won a hard-fought game 14-11, which now puts them just one win away from bowl eligibility with seven regular season games left to play. Lance Leipold has done a fantastic job this season.
Will Kansas make the College Football Playoff? Probably not. The Jayhawks can become bowl-eligible this season, something they haven’t done in over a decade. They may also be able to make a push in the Big 12, especially with some of the other contenders struggling. The Jayhawks should not be taken lightly anymore.
5. Alabama has everything Needed to Win a National Championship
Alabama had a tough road game against Arkansas on the schedule for week 5, but the final score won’t make many people think it was tough. They went up big on Arkansas in the first half. Then starting quarterback Bryce Young was injured, along with several players at their “Star” safety position on defense. Arkansas came back and made it a one-possession game. Led by backup quarterback Jalen Milroe and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama then pulled away and won the game handily.
With as many things that went wrong, Alabama still prevailed by a 23-point margin. It may have taken Nick Saban yelling into his headset to “run the ball”, but Alabama finally got focused and won the game. If they can win by so much with so many things going wrong, it is pretty clear they can go the distance and win the whole thing. That is something that maybe even Saban didn’t believe last year after calling it a “rebuilding year”. Now, the attention goes to Young who has a sprained shoulder and could miss time.
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