Coaches Poll top 25: USC rises, SEC teams crash in Week 5 college football rankings

What teams are on the move in the updated Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings as we look ahead to an active Week 5 games.

The new Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings are live heading into an active Week 5 slate. | Ron Chenoy | Imagn

A look at the updated Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings coming out of an active Saturday and looking ahead to the Week 5 action next weekend.

Predictably, there was no change in the top seven of the rankings coming out of Saturday, with those teams either idle or cruising to easy victories, but the middle and bottom of the latest poll reflected some of the notable changes resulting from key matchups in the SEC and Big Ten.

Indiana clobbered Illinois, which plummeted in the latest rankings, while USC held on in the late game to see a modest improvement, a Big 12 contender fell out entirely, and two SEC hopefuls slipped out of the top 25 after costly losses on the road.

Where does that leave things in the updated Coaches Poll top 25 college football rankings as we come out of Saturday and look ahead to the Week 5 action?

Let’s take a look at what teams moved up, moved down, and didn’t budge in the rankings for this weekend, according to the coaches’ vote.

Coaches Poll top 25 rankings for Week 5

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Ohio State (61)
2. Penn State (3)
3. Georgia (1)
4. LSU
5. Oregon (1)
6. Miami (1)
7. Texas
8. Florida State
9. Texas A&M
10. Oklahoma
11. Ole Miss
12. Indiana
13. Iowa State
14. Texas Tech
15. Tennessee
16. Alabama
17. Georgia Tech
18. Michigan
19. Missouri
20. Vanderbilt
21. Notre Dame
22. USC
23. Illinois
24. BYU
25. TCU

Where we left off: Last week’s Coaches Poll rankings

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Teams that dropped out

Better luck next time to these teams that tumbled out of the Coaches Poll rankings this week after taking another costly loss on Saturday

No. 18 Utah. On the tail end of a disappointing offensive effort in which Devon Dampier failed to throw a touchdown and instead had 2 interceptions, the Utes fumbled the Big 12 opener against Texas Tech in a bad way and have to regroup fast.

No. 24 South Carolina. A second-straight loss, this one on the road against Missouri, has the Gamecocks sitting at a costly 0-2 mark in SEC play already.

No. 25 Auburn. While this defense played well in a slugfest at Oklahoma, the Tigers could not protect their quarterback at all, a development worth watching as SEC play opens up going forward.

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Other teams receiving votes

These teams earned some votes from the coaches this week, but not enough of them to qualify for the official rankings, leaving them on the outside looking in

Arizona State 104; Utah 99; Louisville 67; Mississippi State 57; Memphis 55; Auburn 48; USF 32; Washington 19; Navy 17; Maryland 10; Kansas 6; Syracuse 4; Houston 4; UNLV 3; Tulane 3; Nebraska 3; North Texas 2; Iowa 1.

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Coaches Poll biggest movers

Illinois (-15). There was some skepticism from onlookers apart from those who vote in rankings about the Illini, and now those voters feel betrayed about giving so much confidence in a team that just lost a 63-10 humiliation on the road against Indiana.

Indiana (+5). On the other side of that rout, the Hoosiers went a considerable distance in silencing those doubters who thought they were a one-year wonder. There’s a lot more football to play, but early on this team staked its claim as one worth watching in how the Big Ten title picture shapes up.

Oklahoma (+2). John Mateer led the Sooners over 75 yards in 6 plays in just over 2 minutes to retake and hold a lead against Auburn in a physical SEC opener, staying undefeated on the back of a school-record defensive effort that included 10 sacks against Jackson Arnold.

Texas Tech (+2). Conversely, the Red Raiders’ offseason investments have clearly paid off so far, as this new-look defensive alignment showed off in a 24-point victory at Utah to definitively move into pole position in the very early Big 12 championship picture.

Michigan (+2). Justice Haynes ran for 141 yards and a touchdown as the Wolverines pulled out an important, and physical, victory on the road against undefeated Nebraska, restating their place as a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten going forward.

USC (+6). Apart from a six minute stretch where they allowed 14 straight points and one late touchdown the other way, the Trojans did what they were supposed to do in a 45-31 win over Michigan State to improve to 2-0 in Big Ten play in the very late game.

TCU (+7). A strong performance from quarterback Josh Hoover, throwing 5 touchdowns in an emotional victory against rival SMU has the Horned Frogs undefeated and in the rankings.

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