Week 5 Power Rankings: Miami moves up, Missouri and Pitt join the top 25

Minutes after the Tigers finished stomping No. 8 Florida on Saturday, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz attempted to downplay his team's 45-17 victory.

"It's a good win against a really good team today," Drinkwitz said. "That's all it was."

Of the 19 AP Top 25 teams in action Saturday, 16 came away with victories. But, despite Drinkwitz's assertion, not all Week 5 wins are created equally.

For instance, there were impressive road wins of varying degrees of difficulty for Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Indiana and Alabama. Ditto for College Football Playoff contenders BYU and Texas Tech in the Big 12.

Tennessee got past Auburn despite benching its five-star freshman quarterback. Georgia, LSU and Boise State cruised to convincing victories, and Kentucky and USC eked out wins that could carry significant meaning not just for themselves but also the programs (and head coaches) they beat.

As for Drinkwitz and Missouri, the 28-point rout of the Gators provided, among other things, the end of an unbecoming streak of nine consecutive losses to AP Top 25 opponents.

Here's what we learned from the top teams in our Power Rankings in Week 5. -- Eli Lederman

1. Texas Longhorns

Previous ranking: 1

The Longhorns had a bye week before they head to Dallas to face Oklahoma, but they watched from home as their victory over then-No. 1 Ohio State looked even better with the Buckeyes' handling of Iowa. Texas is preparing to face a struggling Sooners offense but managed just 262 yards itself in its win over Tennessee in Knoxville. The Longhorns' defense, however, appears even more dominant than the unit that intercepted Oklahoma QB John Mateer three times and sacked him five times last season. -- Dave Wilson

2. Georgia Bulldogs

Previous ranking: 2

Georgia fans wanted to see more downfield passing from quarterback Gunner Stockton. He has more than delivered in his second season as the starter. Through five games, Stockton is completing 75.5% of his passes for 1,049 yards with 13 touchdowns and one interception. In Saturday's 38-14 win against Vanderbilt, Stockton threw for 295 yards with three touchdowns. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said it was probably Stockton's best game. The Bulldogs have developed plenty of options in the passing game as 13 players have caught touchdowns this season. Stockton will get his biggest test yet in this week's SEC showdown against Alabama. -- Mark Schlabach

3. Miami Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 4

The Hurricanes are banged up and injured, and yet they still handed Clemson a 41-13 loss -- its second-largest home loss under Dabo Swinney. That speaks volumes not just with the resiliency they showed but the depth they have as younger players have stepped in and played more. Against Clemson, wide receiver Malachi Toney, starting offensive linemen Matthew McCoy and Max Buchanan, cornerback Ethan O'Connor and defensive end Marquise Lightfoot all got hurt. Only Lightfoot did not return to the game. Miami relied on its dominance up front to put the game away, wearing away the Clemson defensive line while the Hurricanes' own defensive front sacked Tait Reynolds six times. Miami rushed for 192 yards and held Clemson to 55 in the win. Now, the Hurricanes get an open date to get healthy before facing Florida State on Oct. 17. -- Andrea Adelson

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Previous ranking: 8

Welcome to the Heisman Trophy race, Keelon Russell. Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor was supposed to be the SEC's top Heisman Trophy candidate, but Russell snatched that honor with a four-touchdown performance (three passing, one rushing) as the Crimson Tide dominated the Bulldogs in Starkville. It's not just Russell, though. The defense, while a little leaky when it comes to big plays, has been opportunistic with four defensive touchdowns in five games. And the running game has come alive with an average of 186.4 yards. -- Alex Scarborough

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Previous ranking: 3

The biggest concern dogging Notre Dame through its first four games was the lackluster performance of the run game. With two NFL first-round draft picks gone from last season's team, are the Irish still capable of asserting their will on the ground? North Carolina wasn't the best test, but Saturday's 37-26 win certainly showed Notre Dame can push some folks around. The Irish pulled away in the second half based on a power run game -- barreling between tackles repeatedly, 17 times on their first 28 snaps of the half -- to grind away the clock and punish the Heels' front. For the game, Notre Dame finished with a season-high 241 yards rushing, led by Jonaz Walton's 120 yards on 23 carries. -- David Hale

6. Ohio State Buckeyes

Previous ranking: 5

Jeremiah Smith can't be stopped. He continued his revision of the Ohio State record book by becoming the school's career leader in receptions (207) and touchdown receptions (36) against Iowa, finishing with 11 catches for 206 yards in an impressive Buckeyes win. Smith is the first player to eclipse 150 receiving yards in four of the first five games since Oregon State's Mike Hass in 2005. Ohio State delivered a strong second half on both sides of the ball, scoring 21 consecutive points midway through the game to put things away. Qua Russaw and the defense smothered Iowa's run game, which averaged just 1.9 yards per rush. -- Adam Rittenberg

7. Indiana Hoosiers

Previous ranking: 6

Make no mistake about it: The Hoosiers did exactly what they were supposed to do as a 23.5-point favorite at Rutgers on Saturday night. But Indiana's (relative) early-season struggles on defense and a (seemingly) resurgent Scarlet Knights offense presented Curt Cignetti's squad with an intriguing road test, which Indiana passed with flying colors in a comfortable 47-15 victory. Quarterback Josh Hoover (20-of-27, 251 yards, four touchdowns) cooked. Speedster Turbo Richard, back from a Week 4 injury, powered a season-best team rushing effort with a career-high 204 yards on 13 carries (15.7 yards per attempt). Pass catchers Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh were utterly dominant. And the Hoosiers' defense returned to its characteristically smothering self before a pair of late Rutgers scores. That was more like it from the defending national champions. -- Lederman

8. BYU Cougars

Previous ranking: 10

The Cougars' offense had been explosive through three games, but after LJ Martin was injured early against TCU, the offense never recovered. Bear Bachmeier threw for just 62 yards and the run game produced only 154 yards on 38 carries. BYU still won 17-10, but that was not the performance of a playoff-bound team, which is what BYU should be aspiring toward this season. -- Kyle Bonagura

9. LSU Tigers

Previous ranking: 11

The Tigers continue to bounce back from their deflating loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 19. After dismantling Texas A&M 35-6 at home, the Tigers ran past FCS opponent McNeese 63-14 on Saturday. LSU piled up 731 yards of offense on 101 plays, including 367 rushing. Quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has been bothered by a strained hamstring, threw for 173 yards with three scores. Backups Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet got all of the work in the second half. The Tigers' schedule is about to get more difficult, with a road test at Kentucky on Saturday and a home game against Mississippi State the next week. LSU plays Alabama, Texas and Tennessee in consecutive weeks in November. -- Schlabach

10. Ole Miss Rebels

Previous ranking: 9

The Rebels had a much-needed open week after they were dismantled 52-28 at Florida on Sept. 26. Ole Miss coach Pete Golding spent much of last week trying to improve a defense that surrendered 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns to the Gators. Florida gained 200 yards after contact. The Rebels haven't tackled well, and there have been too many mental breakdowns in the rebuilt secondary. Through four games, Ole Miss ranks last in the SEC in scoring defense (30.8 points), rushing defense (194.8 points) and total defense (404.8). After traveling to Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Rebels will play Missouri at home and then at Texas on Oct. 24. -- Schlabach

11. Utah Utes

Previous ranking: 12

The Utes were on a bye week but are off to as good of a start under first-year coach Morgan Scalley as they could have hoped for. UCLA and Utah are the only Power 4 schools with new coaches that have yet to lose a game. -- Bonagura

12. Oregon Ducks

Previous ranking: 14

The Ducks had a week off to decompress from their win over USC. Coach Dan Lanning dropped in on Seattle Seahawks practice, and quarterback Dante Moore posted on Instagram that he will "be back soon" after sustaining a concussion. Lanning made it clear that he's done with the USC talk, adding that Oregon's next opponent, UCLA, reminds him of Indiana. The Ducks are still looking for improvement from a veteran-laden defense that has allowed 93 points in three games against FBS competition. Oregon surrendered a combined 643 passing yards and four touchdowns against Oklahoma State and USC. -- Rittenberg

13. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Previous ranking: 16

It hasn't been pretty at times, and it certainly wasn't Saturday night, but the Red Raiders are 5-0 after a 29-7 road victory at Colorado. The absence of Cameron Dickey (ankle) and Tommy Castellanos (ineligible) was felt with short-yardage rushing issues that contributed to a 7-3 halftime deficit in Boulder. But Texas Tech's defense played tough the rest of the night with four interceptions -- including a wild 0-yard pick-six from John Curry -- that made life much easier on offense and turned a tense battle into a rout. There's plenty to nitpick, but Joey McGuire is proud of how his players and coaches continue to adapt and figure out a way to win. They have an idle week up next to regroup before Arizona State, the lone Big 12 team they lost to in 2025, visits Lubbock. -- Max Olson

14. Florida Gators

Previous ranking: 7

The Gators learned they have to rely on much more than running back Jadan Baugh to win games this season in a 45-17 loss at Missouri. Winning in Columbia has proven to be challenging for Florida, and that was no different Saturday. Baugh came into the game averaging 150 rushing yards. But after a 12-yard gain on his first carry, he had 1 yard on 11 rushes after that as the Tigers' defense swarmed to contain him. Without an effective run game, Aaron Philo struggled in the pass game. Playing without injured Vernell Brown III did not help, either. Florida scored 17 points after averaging 53.5 points in its first four games. Meanwhile, Mizzou exposed the defense -- finishing with a 300-yard passer and 200-yard rusher. -- Adelson

15. Missouri Tigers

Previous ranking: NR

Eli Drinkwitz & Co. can beat a ranked opponent. The Tigers entered Week 5 wearing last weekend's fourth-quarter flounder at Mississippi State and nine consecutive losses to AP Top 25-ranked opponents. Missouri shed both on Saturday in a 45-17 pummeling of No. 8 Florida, dispatching the September darling Gators behind 560 yards of offense, courtesy almost entirely of quarterback Austin Simmons (340 yards, two touchdowns) and running back Jamal Roberts (24 carries, 211 yards, three touchdowns). It was good, from a Tigers perspective, to see the offensive firepower many expected from the Simmons-led offense. Even better was a defense that responded to a deflating Week 4 showing by bottling up the nation's No. 2 scoring offense. The question now: Which Missouri team will show up when the Tigers travel to Ole Miss in two weeks? -- Lederman

16. UCLA Bruins

Previous ranking: 18

The Bruins are flying high while on a bye this week, as they have waltzed their way to a 4-0 record under new head coach Bob Chesney. Coming off a commanding 54-3 win over Big Ten foe Maryland, UCLA has scored more than 45 points in three of its four games -- all of which have notably come against Power 4 opponents. It has been as flawless of a start to the Chesney era as possible, but now the real test begins. The Bruins head to Eugene to face an Oregon team that started slow but seems to be finding its stride. Prior to the season, not much pointed toward the idea that UCLA could hang in this game, let alone compete. Now, it will be a matchup between two ranked teams with plenty at stake. -- Paolo Uggetti

17. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Previous ranking: 13

A hobbled Kamario Taylor and no Fluff Bothwell spelled doom for the Bulldogs' offense against Alabama. Taylor battled through the pain but just couldn't make enough plays with his feet to keep the Crimson Tide's defense honest. The good news is that neither injury is considered long term. The better news is that Mississippi State gets next week off before hosting LSU. If both players are able to play, the offense should be in good shape. The more interesting question, though, is how the defense rebounds after getting gutted by Alabama to the tune of 483 yards and seven touchdowns. -- Scarborough

18. Oklahoma State Cowboys

Previous ranking: 20

There wasn't much to learn about the Cowboys, who were on a bye in Week 5. But a glance around the rest of the Big 12 should bolster Oklahoma State fans' confidence about the program's place in the league title race. Consider conference front-runners BYU, Texas Tech and Houston, all dragged into fourth-quarter games, respectively, by sub-.500 TCU and Colorado and a UCF team on its second- and third-string quarterbacks. Or consider that the Cowboys' remaining schedule includes only one team -- Texas Tech -- with a winning record in the league. It's still early, and Oklahoma State will surely be tested by an Oct. 17 trip to Houston, a Nov. 17 visit from Texas Tech and the general unpredictability of the Big 12. But the outlook for first-year coach Eric Morris and the Pokes, who began Week 5 with the fourth-best odds to win the conference championship, is rosy. -- Lederman

19. USC Trojans

Previous ranking: 19

A win is a win, but USC did not make it look easy or pretty Saturday night against a Washington team that was clearly inferior. Down 21-10 in the second half at one point, the Trojans willed their way back, nearly coughed up the game in the end and rescued it with a key defensive stop in the final minute. There was a collective sigh of relief across the program, and while Riley pointed to some defensive strides his players made, he also acknowledged how sloppy they were. Getting out of their own way is something the Trojans seem to have a hard time doing under Riley. One key change that happened Saturday? Defensive coordinator Gary Patterson moved to the booth instead of the sidelines to try to improve communication between him and the defense. Whether that delivers the kind of progress USC needs to see out of its defensive unit against tougher opponents remains to be seen. -- Uggetti

20. Tennessee Volunteers

Previous ranking: 17

The Vols bounced back, beating Auburn after a tough loss at home to No. 1 Texas a week ago. The running game, which had powered the offense for the first three weeks before faltering against the Longhorns, came back to life. DeSean Bishop ran for 220 yards on his own against the Tigers. But the biggest change -- and the biggest development moving forward -- was the decision to bench freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon for sophomore George MacIntyre after Brandon threw an interception. MacIntyre wasn't spectacular, but he operated the offense well, completing eight of 10 passes for 86 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. It will be interesting to see what coach Josh Heupel does next week at Arkansas. Will he stick with MacIntyre with a home game against No. 6 Alabama the following week? -- Scarborough

21. Pittsburgh Panthers

Previous ranking: NR

The Panthers have answers. Coach Pat Narduzzi said throughout the offseason that this team was not going to be one-dimensional, that Pitt had depth. It has been tested throughout the season, from throwing the ball against weaker foes to gutting out a rain-soaked affair against UCF to running it down against Syracuse. But Friday's win over Virginia Tech was a different kind of answer. Pitt trailed 14-0 early, endured a raucous crowd, fended off multiple comeback attempts by the Hokies and came up with five takeaways while backup QB Holden Geriner provided just enough offense to pull out a 35-33 win. It's indicative of the Pitt mentality that it escaped with the win. The question is whether the Panthers still have answers if they're without their starting QB for a while. -- David Hale

22. Boise State Broncos

Previous ranking: 21

After a close loss to Oregon in Week 1, the Broncos' train has kept rolling as they handled Utah State with ease 37-18 on Saturday. Quarterback Maddux Madsen might not wow with statistics, but he has looked more comfortable and confident in Boise State's offense during what is now his third full season under center. Against the Aggies, Madsen was nearly flawless, completing 17 of 21 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns while spreading the ball to eight different receivers. The biggest improvement for Madsen thus far? After throwing nine interceptions last season, he has made it through five games without tossing a single one. -- Uggetti

23. Iowa Hawkeyes

Previous ranking: 15

The Hawkeyes said they threw everything they had at Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith but were still overwhelmed by the Buckeyes, giving up 11 catches for 206 yards to Smith and 484 total yards to OSU. The Hawkeyes were held to just 238 yards (1.9 yards per rush), and Hank Brown struggled at QB, going 12-of-27 for 132 yards and an interception. Kirk Ferentz said he knew Ohio State was a massive challenge, and his team didn't live up to the task but will move on. -- Wilson

24. Houston Cougars

Previous ranking: 23

The Cougars proved their resilience, overcoming frustration after being stopped three times inside the UCF 10-yard line in the second quarter and falling behind 17-0 in the third before scoring 27 unanswered points. Coach Willie Fritz praised QB Conner Weigman, who he said was "sick as a dog" yet rushed for three touchdowns and 50 yards and threw for 239 more. FBS teams trailing by more than 17 points in the second half were 3-130 this season, but the Cougars played a complete game after halftime, including a defense that helped fuel the rally with a Latreveon McCutchin interception he returned to the UCF 2. -- Wilson

25. Duke Blue Devils

Previous ranking: 22

The 4-0 Blue Devils had an idle week to recover and get ready for a run of eight consecutive conference games with no weeks off. The road ahead does not look too daunting at the moment for coach Manny Diaz's squad, not with a struggling Georgia Tech up next in ACC play followed by a trio of foes -- North Carolina, Virginia and Boston College -- that all suffered losses Saturday. Even with the week off, star running back Nate Sheppard remains the national leader in rushing yards per game with 644 yards on 7.1 yards per carry and nine total TDs. -- Olson