What a week of college football we just had. With the wicked wrath that Hurricane Helene displayed over the weekend, some teams conquered the weather and made a statement in week five. The Indiana Hoosiers, who are now 5-0 for the first time in 57 years, are ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2021.
Additionally, down south, the Alabama Crimson Tide picked up a huge win at home against Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. Safe to say that we were entertained in the first full week of conference play. And there has been a lot of movement in this week's edition of my college football playoff predictions.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
WOW, Kalen DeBoer hasn’t missed a beat after moving to Tuscaloosa from Washington over the winter. The Crimson Tide went from having the greatest college football coach of all time, Nick Saban, to Kalen DeBoer, a coach who has won everywhere he has been. The offense was ROLLING on Saturday night. Ryan Williams and Jalen Milroe are a sensational duo who have put themselves at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation. The Tide bested Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs in back-to-back years, and I feel that this isn’t the last time that these two teams will play this year. The Tide travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt.
Key Matchup
Ryan Williams vs Vanderbilt DB’s
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes picked up a nearly flawless win on the road against the Michigan State Spartans. The Buckeyes gave up seven points throughout the entire game and scored 38 points through three quarters. Offensively, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have looked like an unbeatable pair in the backfield for the Buckeyes throughout the year so far. Through just a couple of games, the Buckeyes have looked like the best team in the Big Ten. True Freshman Jeremiah Smith has been phenomenal for the Buckeyes as he tallied two more touchdowns, including a one-handed touchdown in the second quarter. The Buckeyes host the Iowa Hawkeyes this week in what should be a packed Ohio Stadium.
Key Matchup
Ohio State D-Line vs Iowa O-Line
3. Miami Hurricanes
Heisman hopeful Cam Ward had a heart attack in those final seconds. The Hurricanes game on Friday came down to a couple of inches. Mario Cristobal’s defense showed some clear flaws on the defensive line as the Hokies rushed for over 200 yards. The Hurricanes have a tough task this week as they face the California Golden Bears in Berkeley.
Key Matchup
Miami D-Line vs Jaydn Ott
4. BYU Cougars
The Big 12 Conference is in shambles. The Cougars are one of two undefeated teams left in the conference. This past week, the Cougars traveled to Waco, Texas, and narrowly beat the Baylor Bears. At the same time, it’s too early to name a clear front-runner in the Big 12. After all, I believe history will repeat itself, and the Big 12 will beat itself up. For now, I see BYU as the best team in the conference but I don’t know if I will be saying that next Wednesday.
Key Matchup
IDLE
5. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns were first last week in my seedings. However, they were jumped by Alabama purely by how the Crimson Tide looked on Saturday. The past two weeks for the Texas Longhorns haven’t been too interesting to the eyes of a real college football fan. I know that is crazy, considering Arch Manning was making his starts for Texas. While Arch looked like the future for the Longhorns, the team is missing its gunslinger Quinn Ewers. From the eye test, the Longhorns look better with Ewers under center, and they will have a great chance to go back to the college football playoff with Ewers at the helm.
Key Matchup
IDLE
6. Tennessee Volunteers
Two weeks ago, Josh Heupel and the Tennesse Volunteers waltzed into Norman and welcomed Oklahoma to the SEC. Heupel’s quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, has been phenomenal throughout the season's first four games. The offense is ranked as the No. 4 offense in the nation, and the defense is ranked as the No. 1 defense in the country. This team is stacked with talent and could make some definite noise in the SEC this year. On Saturday Night, they are back in action when they travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Key Matchup
Volunteer Defense vs Taylen Green
7. Oregon Ducks
Here come the Ducks! Don’t look now, but Dan Lanning has the Ducks rolling just in time for the bulk of the Big Ten season. The past two weeks have been very dominant on both sides of the ball for the Ducks. This Friday, the Ducks host the Michigan State Spartans in a game that will feature two very good quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Aidan Chiles. It is important for the Ducks not to look ahead to next week when they host the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Key Matchup
Oregon Secondary vs Aidan Chiles
8. Georgia Bulldogs
I feel odd ranking the Bulldogs this low. Kirby Smart is one of the best coaches in all of college football. However, on Saturday night in the place where he used to coach, he was outmatched by the Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs have no time to live with their defeat as the next three weeks will feature SEC games with Auburn, Mississippi State, and traveling on the road to take on Texas. The Bulldogs desperately need an offensive identity. This year is unlike years past when the Bulldogs can march down the field and score on just about anyone. This past week was an instant classic, and I expect to see the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs play later in the season.
Key Matchup
Trevor Etienne vs Auburn D-Line
9. Penn State Nittany Lions
Wow! The Nittany Lions looked impressive on Saturday. I don’t know if the white-out had anything to do with it, but Penn State looked like a team that could compete with the best in the Big Ten. James Franklin looked like a coach that could compete in the Big Ten, which is still a crazy statement considering he has won a conference championship.. Even Penn State’s defense, led by Tom Allen, looks like a unit that could compete in the Big 10. We will see the real team that Penn State is in the month of November when they host Ohio State. But for now, they are hosting UCLA this Saturday, and that should be a HUGE game for the Nittany Lions offense.
Key Matchup
Nick Singleton vs UCLA D-Line
10. Clemson Tigers
Back like they never left. At the beginning of the season, I thought that the Clemson Tigers had a nonexistent offense. After only scoring three points against Georgia in week one, the Tigers scored 165 points in their last three games combined. Cade Klubnik has done an excellent job leading this offense in his third year starting. The Tigers travel to Tallahassee, Florida, this weekend to take on the sliding Florida State Seminoles. Much like the Big 12, I thought the ACC would be hard to find a clear front-runner. I now feel confident in saying that Clemson looks like the best team in the ACC.
Key Matchup
Clemson Secondary vs Brock Glenn
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
There is life in South Bend. The Fighting Irish picked up a huge win over the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. Meanwhile, the week two loss against Northern Illinois still looks bad from a résumé perspective. Notre Dame still has a favorable schedule for the rest of the year. The Fighting Irish don’t play in a conference, so they don’t get the luxury of an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. I could still see Notre Dame sneaking into this year‘s College Football Playoff.
Key Matchup
IDLE
12. Boise State Broncos
The Broncos are legit. They had a big test this week against the Washington State Cougars, in which they came out on top 45-24. Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty has looked phenomenal at running back, adding four more touchdowns on Saturday. The Broncos look like one of the best groups of five teams in the country and are still my pick to make the College Football Playoff. They host the Utah State Aggies this weekend in what will be the Bronco's first conference test.
Key Matchup
Ashton Jeanty vs EVERYBODY
Bubble
Indiana Hoosiers
What a time to be a fan of the Hoosiers. Curt Cignetti has brought life to the entire fanbase and the city of Bloomington. Did you see the email he sent to all of the students and faculty, “When the clock hits zero, and we're 5-0, I want you to be there to celebrate a historic win with us. The tailgates can wait. The parties can wait. If you need to study, that can wait, too. (Curt Cignetti).” Even after four turnovers against Maryland, the Hoosiers still looked pretty dominant. The Hoosiers are ranked for the first time since 2021 and will travel to Evanston, Illinois, to take on Northwestern.
Key Matchup
Elijah Sarratt vs Northwestern DB’s
UNLV Rebels
There was a lot of controversy surrounding UNLV this past week. Starting quarterback through three games, Matthew Sluka quit over a failed NIL deal. However, Saturday showed that his absence wasn’t felt as Hajj-Malik Williams had four touchdowns in a stomping of Fresno State. This week, the Rebels host Syracuse in what should be a game filled with great offense.
Key Matchup
UNLV Secondary vs Kyle McCord
Missouri Tigers
The SEC feels too congested, and while the Tigers are still undefeated, it seems as if the team isn’t playing to its full potential. The Tigers have to travel to Aggieland this Saturday to take on Texas A&M, what is a must-win for Missouri. Missouri has a very favorable schedule in the SEC for the rest of the year which still could see them in the College Football Playoff in December.
Key Matchup
Luther Burden III vs Texas A&M Secondary
Michigan Wolverines
The defending national champions don’t look great—to be blunt, they don’t look good. However, the run offense has looked stellar behind Kalel Mullings. The Wolverines desperately need a quarterback who can throw the ball in tense situations. What they are getting from Alex Orgi isn’t good enough to find the Wolverines anywhere near the College Football Playoff. We get a rematch of this past year's National Championship this week as the Wolverines travel to Seattle to play Washington.
Key Matchup
Kalel Mullings vs Washington D-Line
Ole Miss Rebels
Finally, we end with Ole Miss. The Lane Kiffin-led Rebels looked horrible on Saturday in their loss to Kentucky. The nations leading passer Jaxson Dart looked horrible on Saturday. Ole Miss got a wake-up call they needed before the bulk of the SEC season. If the Rebels don’t figure it out soon the Lane Train could be headed south to Gainesville. This week, the Rebels travel to Columbia, South Carolina, to play the Gamecocks. With LaNorris Sellers returning for South Carolina the defense of Ole Miss needs to be quick on its feet to stop the run.
Key Matchup
Jaxson Dart vs South Carolina D-Line
Elms' Essentials: Week 12
