Browsing: Risers

The Associated Press Top 25 poll looks a little different thanks to four Top-10 teams going down in Week 5.

Florida State had the biggest fall after losing 46-38 to Virginia in overtime on Friday night. The Seminoles went from eighth to 18th.

Oregon overtook previously No. 3 Penn State after leaving Happy Valley with a 30-24 OT win. The Ducks jumped from sixth to second, with the Nittany Lions slipping to seventh.

The SEC title race had a major shakeup as well with Ole Miss and Alabama upsetting LSU and Georgia respectively. The Rebels and Crimson Tide are now ranked fourth and 10th.

After feeling each other out in the first half, Oregon and Penn State combined to deliver the kind of spectacle fans were expecting from a Top 10 battle.

The Nittany Lions erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, with Drew Allar and Devonte Ross combining for the game-tying score inside the final minute of regulation.

The teams exchanged touchdowns in the first overtime period before Oregon took a six-point lead courtesy of a 25-yard touchdown pass by Dante Moore.

A failed two-point conversion looked like it might be costly, only for Ducks defensive back Dillon Thieneman to make a leaping interception on the first play of Penn State’s possession.

This was an all too familiar sight for Nittany Lions fans. Head coach James Franklin’s woes against Top-10 foes continue.

That casts a big shadow over Penn State’s hopes of another deep run in the College Football Playoff. The fanbase is bound to feel a sense of foreboding if Franklin is matched up with a top-eight seed in the postseason.

Alabama remains a similar boogeyman for Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Nick Saban may no longer reside in Tuscaloosa, but the Crimson Tide continue to have Smart’s number on the field.

Georgia never led on Saturday night. Alabama scored on its first two offensive touchdowns to jump ahead 14-0 midway through the second quarter, and the Tide held on in the second half after Josh McCray’s touchdown run brought the Bulldogs to within three points.

To some extent, the game came down to quarterback play. Ty Simpson threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns for Bama, while Gunner Stockton went 13-of-20 for 130 yards and a score for the Dawgs.

Against a tough defense, Stockton was unable to find the big completion that could vault his team ahead late in the contest.

It’s much easier to boil down what did LSU in for its first defeat of the campaign.

Tigers head coach Brian Kelly emphasized a few weeks ago he was coaching to win games rather than necessarily pile up a ton of yards. Sidestepping the questions over his offense is a lot tougher when his team is out-gained by more than 200 yards.

Garrett Nussmeier, who’s considered one of the best signal-callers in the 2026 NFL draft class, went 21-of-34 for 197 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

Kelly didn’t exactly go out of the way to shield the senior, telling reporters after the game the veteran QB is healthy with many questioning whether an injury is impacting his performance.

One loss doesn’t eliminate LSU from the CFP conversation, and the Tigers might even be able to get there with two losses. Absent major improvement from the offense, though, it could be another year in which the Tigers are shut out of the playoff.

Upsets are always possible, but Week 6 isn’t shaping up to be one that changes the national championship discourse too much.

Miami’s trip to Tallahassee isn’t quite as enticing with FSU no longer unbeaten. A resounding victory over the Seminoles could, however, give the Hurricanes a compelling case to be the No. 1 team in the country.

Vanderbilt vs. Alabama will garner some intrigue considering the Commodores toppled the Tide last year and have opened 2025 with five straight wins.

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