Week 5 of the 2025 College Football season has finally delivered its first real upsets and surprises. The College Football Playoff (CFP) landscape looks totally different now.
Big names like Florida State, LSU, Penn State, and Georgia all took tough losses. The rankings have been flipped on their heads.
Indiana and Ole Miss are suddenly in the mix. The race to the CFP just got a whole lot more interesting.
This blog post breaks down the latest projections, key games, and what’s worth keeping an eye on as the season keeps rolling.
Week 5 Upsets Shake Up the CFP Landscape
Week 5 was wild—just the kind of shakeup fans crave. Florida State fell to Virginia, LSU got knocked off by Ole Miss, Penn State lost to Oregon in double overtime, and Georgia came up just short against Alabama.
These results have blown the rankings wide open. Indiana and Ole Miss have crashed the CFP projections, which, honestly, nobody had on their bingo card.
Key Games and Their Impact
The action started with Virginia outlasting Florida State, 46-38, in double overtime. Chandler Morris was electric, putting up five touchdowns.
Florida State’s Duce Robinson did his best, but it just wasn’t enough. Now, Florida State faces a much tougher path in the ACC.
Illinois squeaked past USC, 34-32. Then Oregon edged Penn State, 30-24, also in double overtime.
These games have shaken up the rankings and made the rest of the season feel unpredictable. Which, honestly, is kind of the point, right?
Other Notable Matches
- Ole Miss 24, LSU 19: Ole Miss pulled off a huge upset, and now they’re in the CFP conversation.
- Alabama 24, Georgia 21: Alabama barely got by Georgia, echoing their tight matchup from last September.
Updated Rankings Post-Week 5
The B/R Top 25 looks completely different after this week. Here’s where things stand right now:
- 1. Ohio State
- 2. Oregon
- 3. Miami
- 4. Texas A&M
- 5. Oklahoma
- 6. Penn State
- 7. Alabama
- 8. Georgia
- 9. Ole Miss
- 10. Texas Tech
- 11. Indiana
- 12. Texas
- 13. Iowa State
- 14. Tennessee
- 15. LSU
- 16. Missouri
- 17. Florida State
- 18. Georgia Tech
- 19. Vanderbilt
- 20. Louisville
- 21. Michigan
- 22. Illinois
- 23. Utah
- 24. Arizona State
- 25. South Florida
Bracket Format and Automatic Bids
The CFP bracket gives automatic bids to the highest-ranked team in each of five conferences. The league champ gets the auto-bid in the end.
Here’s how the auto-bids look right now:
- Ohio State (No. 1, Big Ten)
- Miami (No. 3, ACC)
- Texas A&M (No. 4, SEC)
- Texas Tech (No. 10, Big 12)
- South Florida (No. 25, American)
The next seven highest-ranked teams get at-large spots:
- Oregon (No. 2)
- Oklahoma (No. 5)
- Penn State (No. 6)
- Alabama (No. 7)
- Georgia (No. 8)
- Ole Miss (No. 9)
- Indiana (No. 11)
Group of Five Contenders
South Florida is the top-ranked Group of Five (G5) team as October arrives. They’ve got wins over then-Top 25 teams Boise State and Florida, which helps their cause.
But they’re not alone. Memphis (5-0), North Texas (5-0), and Navy (4-0) are all still unbeaten in the American Athletic Conference.
Tulane’s only loss is to Ole Miss, and they’re sitting at 4-1. The G5 race could get messy in a hurry.
Mountain West and Sun Belt
Boise State, at 3-1, faces a big test against Notre Dame in Week 6. That’s their shot to bounce back after losing to USF.
UNLV is quietly 4-0, so the Mountain West is no cakewalk. The Sun Belt? No undefeated teams left, which might be a problem for their Playoff hopes unless chaos breaks out elsewhere.
Upcoming Games to Watch
The CFP race is wide open, and the next few weeks will only add more twists. Here’s what’s worth circling on your calendar.
ACC Showdown: Miami at Florida State
Florida State’s loss to Virginia took some shine off this rivalry, but it’s still a big deal in Tallahassee. Miami’s got a shot to prove they’re for real, while Florida State can’t really afford another ACC stumble.
Nonconference Clash: Boise State at Notre Dame
This is a huge opportunity for Boise State. If they can win here and take the Mountain West, their CFP argument gets a lot stronger.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, needs this one bad after dropping games to Miami and Texas A&M. It’s a crossroads game for both programs.
SEC Battle: Vanderbilt at Alabama
Vanderbilt rolls into Tuscaloosa with a spotless 5-0 record. Alabama just took down Georgia and probably isn’t in the mood to slow down now.
Last year, Vanderbilt pulled off a win over Alabama. They’d love to do it again—wouldn’t that be something?
If you’re into detailed projections and gut-checks, here’s the latest analysis on Bleacher Report.
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