What exactly just happened, folks? Three top-ten teams went down on this college football Saturday, opening up the College Football Playoff race for several other unexpected teams to make runs at glory heading into the heart of October. We address all of this and more in our College Football Final for Week 5.
Florida Is For Real
The #25 Gators hammered the #3 Ole Miss Rebels 38-10 in a statement home win that will resonate for years to come. This may very well be the moment where Florida announces "we're back" and reclaims its spot atop the heap in college football. As it stands, this was a monumental defensive effort that has vaulted UF into the College Football Playoff picture. Also, kudos go to QB Will Grier who shredded the Ole Miss "Land Shark" defense for four passing TDs IN THE FIRST HALF.
Alabama Is Alive And Well
Just a few days ago, people were talking about the "end of the Nick Saban dynasty" like it was a foregone conclusion in advance of #13 Alabama's road date against #8 Georgia. So much for media chatter. QB Jacob Coker ran the offense to perfection, the defense schooled UGA's offense in spellbinding fashion, and Bama basically turned in a perfect game in a 38-10 victory in front of a hostile crowd in Athens. After three top-ten teams (Ole Miss, Notre Dame, UCLA) fell on Saturday, Bama is now back in the College Football Playoff race at 4-1 and just as threatening as ever.
Notre Dame/Clemson Was An Instant Classic
It didn't look like an undermanned #6 Notre Dame squad had any fight in them down 21-3 after three quarters in Death Valley. However, sophomore QB DeShone Kizer led one of the craziest comebacks of the year so, passing for two TDs and running in one more to offset a #12 Clemson field goal and move within two with under ten seconds to go. A failed two-point conversion would end Notre Dame's undefeated run and hand Clemson a resume-building win in their College Football Playoff quest. However, the real winners here are whoever was lucky enough to have the night to watch this bonkers game.
UCLA Is Mortal And The Pac-12 Is Crazy
So sayeth Arizona State who took down the #7 Bruins going away, 38-23 in Southern Calfornia. Freshman QB Josh Rosen finished strong after having a dismal time of it for most of the game, but a stout Arizona State defense kept the high-powered Bruins offense in check for the most part -- rekindling the team's Pac-12 title hopes with a banner win. As a whole, the Pac-12 is upside down this year. How upside down is it? Well, Cal (5-0) and Utah (4-0) are the only undefeated teams left. No, that's not a typo.
All Hail TCU (?)
Beating the Longhorns 50-7 doesn't mean what it used to, but still -- when you can put a 30-point whooping on any team IN THE FIRST QUARTER, you are by definition a "dangerous team." TCU has won 13 straight games over the past two years, despite a myriad of injuries on the defensive side of the ball in 2015. QB Trevone Boykin added another five touchdown passes to his staggering total of 19 over five games. There is no offense quite like TCU's. And heck, even the defense looked fantastic in this Charlie Strong-could-get-fired-sized rout. Stop writing off TCU. They belong in the CFP top four as of right now, and maybe even at #1.
Ohio State Looks A Lot Like 2014 Florida State
FSU escaped a handful of near-upsets to tiptoe their way into the College Football Playoff last year. The defending champion Buckeyes have already staved off upset specials twice in five weeks, including a fingernail-cracking 34-27 escape job at Indiana on Saturday. We're not saying that it's going to continue on this way. But, Buckeyes fans still might want to hold on to their seats. It's been bumpy so far, but it may get bumpier if OSU can't cure the turnover bug (3 on Saturday, 13 in five games).
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