Week 5 of college football didn’t look like much on paper, with only three matchups between ranked opponents. But the new AP Top 25 poll released Sunday shows just how little that mattered. Teams moved in every direction, and not always in the direction their win-loss record would suggest.
The biggest riser was Missouri, which jumped 11 spots to No. 14 after demolishing Florida 45-17 — just a week after the Gators had looked dominant in a win over Ole Miss. Florida paid the price, dropping eight spots after the 28-point loss.
Alabama climbed only one spot to No. 6 despite blowing out Mississippi State, but the Crimson Tide still managed to pass defending national champion Indiana, which fell a spot even after winning on the road at Rutgers.
The top eight teams, including an untouched top five carried over from last week, remain largely beyond dispute. Below that, the SEC turned chaotic. Ole Miss sat at No. 9 on a bye week after its own blowout loss at Florida the week before. LSU moved up one spot to No. 10 after beating McNeese to go 4-1. Mississippi State fell just one spot to No. 17 despite losing at home to Alabama by 33 points.
No team got a rawer deal than Kentucky. The Wildcats went from No. 24 last week to unranked entirely — despite winning on the road at South Carolina in overtime.
The Big Ten fared better overall, placing six teams in the poll, but USC has reason to be frustrated. The Trojans dropped six spots to No. 18 after coming from behind to beat Washington 25-21. Meanwhile, Oregon rose five spots despite not playing at all in Week 5, and Iowa gained three spots after losing to Ohio State by 17 points.
The pattern is hard to miss: winning isn’t what moves a team up the poll, and losing isn’t always what sends a team down. Voters are reacting to style, opponent reputation and prior-week perception as much as to results on the field.
