The proverbial dust is still settling from the wild weekend in college football. But the top two teams in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll maintained a small degree of order with dominant victories.
Alabama and Georgia continue to show the way, with the entire panel of 65 coaches putting those two heavy SEC favorites in the first two positions on their ballots. All but two still have the Crimson Tide at the top following another impressive league triumph against Mississippi, but the Bulldogs picked up a second first-place nod this week after an equally authoritative blanking of Arkansas.
The Big Ten has the next two spots. Iowa moves up to No. 3, its highest ranking since the poll of Nov. 29, 2015, on the eve of the conference championship game that season. Penn State vaults to No. 4, with the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions about to meet head-to-head this coming Saturday.
TOP 25:Complete USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll
HIGHS AND LOWS:College football winners and losers from Week 5
NO VERDICT:Jury is still out on Michigan and Week 5 other observations
MISERY INDEX:Oregon continues its failure to take leap as a program
Oklahoma was able to get by recent nemesis Kansas State but still slips a spot to No. 5 on the eve of the Sooners’ annual Red River showdown with Texas. The Longhorns, incidentally, are back in the poll at No. 23 after their third consecutive victory.
Cincinnati checks in at No. 6 following its huge win at Notre Dame, ahead of Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan, who give the conference four in the top eight. Oregon slides six places to No. 9 due to its overtime loss at Stanford. Brigham Young cracks the top 10 for the first time this season just ahead of a couple more members of the still-unbeaten club, No. 11 Michigan State and No. 12 Oklahoma State.
Kentucky makes the biggest jump within the top 25 after taking down then-No. 9 Florida. The Wildcats leap nine places to No. 14, while the Gators fall to No. 18.
No. 22 North Carolina State heads the foursome of teams moving in or returning to the top 25 this week. Southern Methodist makes its season debut at No. 24, and Arizona State returns at No. 25 after toppling UCLA in a #Pac12AfterDark special.
The Bruins drop out along with Texas A&M, Baylor and Fresno State.
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