AP top 25 poll: Six most underrated college football teams in Week 6

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Six top-25 teams lost over the weekend, including three of the top five, so the AP poll saw quite a shakeup this week.

For the most part, the voters did a good job. We've been touting in this space for weeks that Oregon was undervalued, and that's now been righted with the Ducks moving to No. 2 after their 30-24 double-overtime win at Penn State. Ole Miss also earned its move to No. 4 after its win over LSU, which seemed to be ranked too high for weeks.

That said, there are still nits to pick and some qualms to be addressed with the latest poll. Here are the most underrated teams entering Week 6.

1. Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana (5-0) checks in at No. 8 this week, up three spots after a 20-15 win at Iowa. But the case could be made to bump the Hoosiers up another couple of spots.

The college football world has seemingly been in collective wait-and-see mode expecting the Hoosiers to reveal their run to the College Football Playoff last year was a fluke, but it's time to take Curt Cignetti's program seriously and give it the respect it's earned.

A 20-15 win at Iowa may not move the needle, but consider this -- since the start of the 2022 season, Iowa has only allowed one visiting team to score more than three touchdowns at Kinnick Stadium (Michigan scored 27 in a 2022 game there). The Hawkeyes also went 6-1 at home each of the last two seasons. That's a good win for Indiana, even if it was ugly.

Meanwhile, the week before the Hoosiers pasted a then-top-10 Illinois team 63-10. The Fighting Illini are back in the rankings this week at No. 22 after beating USC, so that's a mighty impressive win on Indiana's resume.

And yet, Penn State has yet to beat a Power Four opponent, just lost at home (albeit to Oregon) and is still ranked ahead of Indiana. No. 5 Oklahoma, with QB John Mateer sidelined with a broken hand and having narrowly escaped Auburn at home, is also another candidate to switch places with Indiana.

Penn State (one of the worst non-con schedules ever, zero Power 4 wins, just lost at home) is ranked ahead of Indiana (beat a ranked team by 53 points, undefeated).

Complete joke. pic.twitter.com/LzkhajG42Y

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) September 28, 2025

Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) celebrates after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

2. Alabama Crimson Tide

Many were quick to bury the Crimson Tide and second-year coach Kalen DeBoer after the season-opening loss to Florida State (and it remains to be seen how good the Seminoles are, after losing at Virginia last week).

But since that defeat, Alabama has looked very, very much like, well, Alabama -- a 73-0 evisceration of Louisiana-Monroe, a 38-14 beatdown of Wisconsin and then the thoroughly impressive 24-21 win over then-No. 5 Georgia in Athens on Saturday.

Alabama (3-1) moved up seven spots to No. 10 in the AP poll this week, but what is it doing behind other one-loss teams like No. 9 Texas and No. 7 Penn State? Neither of those teams has beaten anyone of note -- their resume is built on the strength of a "good loss" and preseason expectations. Come on, now.

Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen (2) runs with the ball during overtime against the Tennessee Volunteers at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

3. Mississippi State Bulldogs

There may not be a more surprising 4-1 team in college football than Mississippi State, which went 2-10 and was winless in the SEC last year and was picked to finish dead last again in the conference's preseason poll.

But second-year head coach Jeff Lebby has the Bulldogs on the rise and an overtime loss vs. No. 15 Tennessee away from being a stunning 5-0. Mississippi State beat No. 25 Arizona State in Week 1 and has won each of its other three games by at least 17 points.

It's time to acknowledge this isn't the Bulldogs team everyone expected.

Mississippi State is not ranked, but Arizona State is despite losing to the Bulldogs head to head?

Virginia Cavaliers fans and players celebrate on the field after their game against the Florida State Seminoles at Scott Stadium. Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

4. Virginia Cavaliers

Virginia is back in the AP top 25 for the first time since 2019, checking in at No. 24 this week after its thrilling 46-38 double-overtime win over then-No. 8 Florida State. It was the Cavaliers' first win over a top 10 opponent at home since 2005, which led to one of the most memorable scenes from Week 5 as UVA students flooded the field instantaneously as FSU's final pass in overtime fell incomplete in the end zone.

Virginia is a great story, but that's not why it deserves to be ranked even higher. The Cavaliers (4-1) have scored at least 46 points in all four of their wins, including one-sided blowouts of Coastal Carolina (48-7), William & Mary (55-16) and Stanford (48-20), while its lone loss came 35-31 on the road in a back-and-forth competitive game against a solid NC State team.

With a top-10 win on its resume, the Cavaliers have a case to be ranked ahead of fellow one-loss teams like No. 22 Illinois (which, again, lost 63-10 to Indiana) and Michigan (which counts a three-point win over Nebraska as its highlight so far), or even No. 23 BYU, which is undefeated at 4-0 but barely go by a bad Colorado team 24-21 Saturday night and hasn't played a formidable opponent yet.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava looking to make a play against Illinois. Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

5. USC Trojans

USC (4-1) doesn't have a true signature win yet and suffered its first loss over the weekend, 34-32, at Illinois.

OK, that's all fair. But the Trojans went on the road down two starting offensive linemen and their best defensive back and rallied from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to take a 32-31 lead with 1:55 left to play before Illinois won the game on a 41-yard field goal as time expired.

Considering the Fighting Illini are a ranked team again, that's not a damning loss.

USC won its first two Big Ten games by margins of 16 (Purdue) and 14 points (Michigan State) and blew out its overmatched non-conference opponents by margins of 60 (Missouri State) and 39 (Georgia Southern). The Trojans have one of the most entertaining quarterbacks in the country in Jayden Maiava and one of the best receiving tandems nationally, featuring Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane. They ranked third in total offense (565 yards per game) and fifth in scoring (48.4 points per game).

Yet, they're only sixth in the "others receiving votes" department after being bounced from the rankings.

Memphis Tigers wide receiver Jamari Hawkins (9) celebrates after winning the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

6. Memphis Tigers

Memphis appears to be the best Group of Five team in the country, but remains unranked after a 5-0 start that includes a win over SEC foe Arkansas and four blowout wins over Chattanooga, Georgia State, Troy, and Florida Atlantic by an average margin of 26.75 points.

Given that Arkansas just got obliterated by Notre Dame and fired its coach, that win has lost some shine for the Tigers, unfortunately.

However, this is a good team that bears monitoring, particularly with Navy, Tulane, and South Florida, as its toughest games lie ahead the rest of the way.