NCAA Football Power Rankings – Week 5
Once again there was no change in my top five schools in the country with the exception of the actual order as Oregon moved up to No.3 with its impressive win over then-No. 9 Stanford. Alabama made a major statement that it is clearly the No.1 team in the country with a 31-6 beatdown of then-No. 7 Florida.
Here is a look at my top five after five weeks of action along with each team’s current odds to win this year’s BCS title.
If there were any doubts about Alabama being the best team in the country heading into its showdown with then-No. 7 Florida (4-1), they were completely erased after the Crimson Tide (5-0) buried the Gators 31-6 last Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. Alabama, a 7 ½ point favorite at home, built a 24-3 lead at the half behind two Mark Ingram rushing touchdowns and rode a dominating defense in the second half to the 21 point victory.
Ohio State opened play in the Big 10 with a closer-than-expected 24-13 win over Illinois (2-2). The Buckeyes were a 16 ½ point road favorite but the outcome of this game was not decided until RB Dan Herron scored on a six yard touchdown run with less than two minutes to play. QB Terrelle Prior left the game with a leg injury, but was able to return in the third quarter to lead Ohio State (5-0) to the eight point win.
The Pac 10 showdown between two top 10 teams turned into a one-sided affair when Oregon (5-0) outscored Stanford 28-0 in the second half on its way to a convincing 52-31 win. The Ducks came into this game as a 6 ½ point home favorite and easily covered the spread against the Cardinals (4-1). The total went way ‘over’ the 63 ½ point with a ton of help from Oregon QB Darren Thomas, who threw for 238 yards and three TD’s while adding another 117 yards and a score on the ground.
Boise State opened play in the WAC in convincing fashion with a 59-0 whitewash of New Mexico St. (0-4). This game was never close as the Broncos, a 43 ½ point favorite on the road, scored 24 points in the first quarter en route to the one-sided win. The total stayed ‘under’ the 60 point line by one point. Boise State (4-0) rolled up over 600 yards of total offense including 299 yards on the ground led by RB Doug Martin’s 94 yards on 10 carries.
Despite a 27-0 win over Colorado St. (1-4) in its MWC opener, TCU fell two spots in my rankings after a lackluster offensive performance kept the team from covering as a 32 ½ point road favorite. The Horned Frogs (5-0) relied on a swarming defense that forced a couple of turnovers and held the Rams to just 161 yards in total offense to secure this win after their offense only managed to put six points on the board in the first half. TCU QB Andy Dalton had a forgettable game as he only completed 11-of- 24 attempts for 109 yards and one TD. The Frogs ground game picked up the stack rushing for 346 yards on 49 attempts.
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