Week 5 turned out to be pretty fun after looking like a poor slate of games. Florida State and Texas A&M almost lost while several other top teams had bye weeks, but the truly big games start this Saturday.
For now, here are this week’s top 10.
The Crimson Tide had a bye and it was probably for the best. It gave the team an extra week to prepare for Ole Miss and the hoopla surrounding Mississippi’s biggest college football weekend ever. Blake Sims is back healthy after a shoulder injury and the defense should be ready to go for the Rebels’ hurry-up, no-huddle offense.
The Sooners also had a bye week and escaped the upset scare some other teams faced. They play TCU this coming week, and shouldn’t have a problem staying unbeaten until their matchup with Baylor on Nov. 8.
Strictly based off of last week’s overtime victory against Arkansas, the Aggies probably shouldn’t be this high on the list. But their perseverance and the play of quarterback Kenny Hill speaks for itself. They might not last long, though, because, like every other team in the SEC West, the Aggies have a brutal slate of games coming up, starting with Miss. State this weekend.
Marcus Mariota took a week off from getting sacked and will suit back up behind a makeshift offensive line for the rest of the season. We’ll see what kind of toll it takes on the star quarterback, but as long as he’s healthy, the Ducks have a shot at beating anyone.
The Tigers looked sluggish in their win over La. Tech Saturday, but it was Homecoming and it didn’t matter. The team from Louisiana that really matters comes to Jordan-Hare Stadium this weekend and Auburn won’t have any trouble getting excited. The two Tiger teams will play in a rematch that was Auburn’s only loss during its national championship game run.
Baylor continues to handle its business against a schedule that doesn’t intimidate anyone. They’ve got their Nov. 8 date with Oklahoma circled on the calendar.
The Bulldogs got a well-earned bye week after defeating LSU in Baton Rouge on Sept. 20. But the rest comes to an abrupt end when Texas A&M rolls into Starkville this weekend.
The Bruins storm back into the Top 10 with their blowout of Arizona State on Thursday night. Quarterback Brett Hundley is back, and he’s mad.
With Miss. State-A&M and Ole Miss-Alabama on tap for this weekend, the Magnolia State will either have a great weekend or a terrible one.
The Rebels initially struggled last week with Memphis in what was a chippy game at first — complete with Ole Miss’ kicker being ejected for fighting — but turned out to be an easy win for them. College Gameday will be in town, Uncle Verne and CBS will be in town. Now it’s time for Ole Miss to not only win the party, but win the game.
They were very close to falling off the list entirely. The Seminoles showed signs of resiliency and resolve, coming back from a 24-7 deficit against North Carolina State, but it shouldn’t have gotten to that point in the first place. The championship win may have granted FSU more leeway than similar teams, but they look very beatable with solid teams — like Notre Dame Oct. 18 — on the horizon.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @Jonathan_Biles
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