Ranking 134 college football teams after Week 5: Alabama is inevitable

Editor’s Note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.

‘You can’t live with your own failure. Where did that take you? Back to me.”

When Nick Saban retired, many wondered if Alabama would take a step back. It had to be done, right? The greatest coach in the history of the sport was no longer there. Certainly the days of the Alabama dynasty were finally over. Georgia had emerged as the new Alabama.

But like Thanos, Bama can be unavoidable. After a 41-34 win against Georgia, the Tide have returned to the No. 1 spot in the Athletic 134 rankings.

It’s the first time Alabama has topped these rankings since the 2022 preseason. That year, Georgia took more than a week after plastering Oregon, and the Tide haven’t returned to No. 1 since.

But it turns out that if you get head coach Kalen DeBoer to figure out some things for top-level talent, he can do a lot. Jalen Milroe looks like the best quarterback in the country. After the wild swings of Game of the Year, I’m not sure what to think of either team. Alabama had a 28-0 lead and also blew a 28-0 lead. Georgia overcame that deficit on the road. But in the end, it’s each team’s best win of the season, so Alabama moves up from No. 7 to No. 1.

Georgia drops to number 3, and not just because of this result. Clemson’s Week 1 blowout looks better every week. The Bulldogs’ schedule doesn’t get any easier, though, with a trip to No. 2 Texas just a few weeks away.

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Here is the latest edition of The Athletic 134.

1-10

I’m aware the SEC has the top four here. I don’t expect this to still be the case at the end of the season. But so far, Alabama beat Georgia, Texas beat Michigan, Georgia beat Clemson and Tennessee beat NC State and Oklahoma. So that’s how it is now. Ohio State’s big games are coming, and the Buckeyes will rise if they win.

Miami drops to No. 8 after needing an overturned Hail Mary to beat Virginia Tech, and Penn State beat a ranked Illinois team to move up to No. 7. I don’t think the ceiling is very high for Michigan after holding on to beat Minnesota, but the Wolverines’ win against USC last week means they’re here to stay until something changes.

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Stewart Mandel’s 12-team Playoff projections after Week 5

11-25

BYU jumps to No. 12 after beating Baylor, but its previous win against SMU continues to look better after the Mustangs moved to 4-1 with a 42-16 loss to Florida State. (Last weekend’s K-State win looks better, too). Clemson is ranked No. 13 and is still rolling since Week 1 after a 40-14 win against Stanford.

Utah drops from No. 9 to No. 17 after a 23-10 loss to Arizona. It’s very difficult to rank the Utes because we don’t know when (or if) injured quarterback Cam Rising will return. Notre Dame moves up to No. 18 after beating Louisville. The loss to Northern Illinois continues to look worse, but the wins against Louisville and Texas A&M help. Indiana continues to rise, to No. 19 after a 42-28 win against Maryland.

Ole Miss drops from No. 5 to No. 20 after a 20-17 loss to Kentucky. The Rebels just don’t have good wins to offset the loss and make a case for a higher ranking. They have defeated Furman, Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest and Georgia Southern. Oklahoma is back in the top 25 after a comeback win at Auburn. Undefeated UNLV is back after beating Fresno State 59-14, and Boise State moves into the top 25 after beating Washington State 45-24.

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Vannini: Alabama-Georgia had no interests because of the CFP? Think again

26-50

Texas A&M’s win against Arkansas moves the Aggies to No. 29. Navy’s 41-18 win over UAB moves the Midshipmen to No. 31. Rutgers moves up to No. 32 after beating Washington on Friday night, and Arizona is at No. 32. 33 after the win against Utah. It’s Arizona’s 31-7 loss to Kansas State a few weeks ago that keeps the Wildcats ranked higher for a while.

Oklahoma State drops from No. 20 to No. 37 after a 42-20 loss to K-State. The Cowboys are 0-2 in Big 12 play and needed a late comeback to beat Arkansas. Kentucky’s win against Ole Miss moves the Wildcats to No. 39, but Week 2’s loss to South Carolina keeps the Wildcats behind the Gamecocks for now.

Colorado jumps from No. 67 to No. 44 after a 48-21 win over UCF, easily the most impressive performance of the Deion Sanders era.

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Mandel’s final thoughts: Don’t blink! Bama-Georgia is just another classic from the NIL era

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No. 55 NIU is now 0-2 since the Notre Dame upset, but the Huskies stayed close in a 24-17 loss to NC State, which moved up to No. 54. Virginia Tech even moves up two spots to No. 56 after the blowout loss of Hail Mary against Miami, given the nature of that finish. Army is 4-0 and rises to No. 62 after its third straight win against an Owls team (FAU, Rice, Temple).

Sam Houston jumps from No. 91 to No. 68 after a 40-39 win against Texas State to move to 4-1. Since an 0-8 start as an FBS program last year, the Bearkats are 7-2 in their last nine games.

76-100

Kansas drops to No. 80 after falling to 1-4. The Jayhawks entered the weekend with three consecutive one-score losses, but their latest setback was a 38-27 loss to TCU. Florida State drops again to No. 81 after a loss at SMU.

Louisiana rises to No. 84 after beating Wake Forest, which drops to No. 88. UConn makes a big jump to No. 86 after a dominant 47-3 win against Buffalo. The Huskies have certainly been on the rise over the past three weeks. Georgia State falls out of the top 50 to No. 85 after losing to Georgia Southern, tempering the value of the win against Vanderbilt. USF may be beaten up after a tough non-conference schedule, falling to No. 87 after a 45-10 loss to Tulane.

East Carolina defeated UTSA 30-20 to move up to No. 92. Purdue and Mississippi State kept it close to Nebraska and Texas in the first half, but they remain the lowest-ranked Power 4 teams at No. 98 and No. 9. 99. Purdue fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell on Sunday.

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Projections for the 2024 College Football Playoff: Alabama rises, Notre Dame returns to prominence

101-134

ULM is ranked No. 101, now 3-1 after beating Troy. That’s already an improvement over last season’s 2-10 record for first-year coach Bryant Vincent. Bowling Green competed well with Penn State and Texas A&M, but falls to No. 105 after losing to previously winless Old Dominion. Wyoming also earned its first win of the season, over Air Force, moving to No. 119, while Air Force fell to No. 120 with Navy next.

San Diego State drops to No. 112 after a last-second field goal loss to Central Michigan. Charlotte defeated Rice in a wild finish to move to 2-3 and reach No. 124.

There are only three teams left without a win, and they form the bottom three. They also all have losses against FCS programs, after Kennesaw State lost 24-13 to UT Martin. Kent State remains at No. 134. The Golden Flashes played Eastern Michigan close to the box score, but four turnovers led to a 52-33 loss.

The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories prior to publication.

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)