A little at a time I guess.
The Ohio State football team seems to continue to be penalized by looking like a work in progress during Week 1 vs. Notre Dame. Since then, though, the Buckeyes have continued to look like what we thought they would on offense, with the defense continuing to be much more productive and aggressive than what we saw last season.
After the last impressive win over Rutgers, Ohio State still remained at No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sport AFCA Coaches Poll, but picked up some more first-place votes and has closed the gap on both Alabama (1) and Georgia (2), who have flipped spots this week.
Both SEC schools have also looked suspect in one or two games this year but seem to not be under the same scrutiny since it happened later in the season. But whatever, it really doesn’t matter anyway because the College Football Playoff rankings are all that mean anything and those don’t come out for a few weeks yet.
Here’s how the top ten of the latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll looks after Week 5, with the complete poll following.
Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 990
First Place Votes | 0
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 10/NR
Last Week | 12 (⇑ 2)
Ole Miss Rebels (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1082
First Place Votes | 0
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 9/24
Last Week | 11 (⇑ 2)
Tennessee Volunteers (4-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1142
First Place Votes | 0
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 8/NR
Last Week | 9 (⇑ 1)
Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1225
First Place Votes | 0
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 7/11
Last Week | 7 (no change)
USC Trojans (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1247
First Place Votes | 0
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 6/15
Last Week | 6 (no change)
Clemson Tigers (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1352
First Place Votes | 0
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 4/5
Last Week | 5 (no change)
Michigan Wolverines (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1374
First Place Votes | 0
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 4/6
Last Week | 4 (no change)
Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1492
First Place Votes | 7
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 2/3
Last Week | 3 (no change)
Georgia Bulldogs (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1545
First Place Votes | 23
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 1/3
Last Week | 1 (⇓ 1)
Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0)
Poll Stats This Week
Poll Points | 1568
First Place Votes | 34
Hi/Lo in 2022 | 1/2
Last Week | 2 (⇑ 1)
NEXT … Complete USA TODAY Coaches Poll after Week 5
USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after Week 5
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Alabama | 5-0 | 1,568 (34) | +1 |
| 2 | Georgia | 5-0 | 1,545 (23) | -1 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 5-0 | 1,492 (4) | – |
| 4 | Michigan | 5-0 | 1,374 | – |
| 5 | Clemson | 5-0 | 1,352 | – |
| 6 | Southern California | 5-0 | 1,247 | – |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 4-0 | 1,225 | – |
| 8 | Tennessee | 4-0 | 1,142 | +1 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 1,082 | +2 |
| 10 | Penn State | 5-0 | 990 | +2 |
| 11 | Utah | 4-1 | 919 | +2 |
| 12 | Oregon | 4-1 | 823 | +3 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4-1 | 811 | -5 |
| 14 | North Carolina State | 4-1 | 732 | -4 |
| 15 | Wake Forest | 4-1 | 668 | +6 |
| 16 | Brigham Young | 4-1 | 594 | +4 |
| 17 | Kansas | 5-0 | 433 | +10 |
| 18 | Texas Christian | 4-0 | 425 | +14 |
| 19 | UCLA | 5-0 | 421 | +19 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 4-1 | 324 | +10 |
| 21 | Syracuse | 5-0 | 306 | +4 |
| 22 | Baylor | 3-2 | 230 | -8 |
| 23 | Mississippi State | 4-1 | 194 | +12 |
| 24 | Washington | 4-1 | 161 | -6 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 3-2 | 141 | -6 |
Schools Dropped Out
Others Receiving Votes
Cincinnati 140; Louisiana State 89; Florida State 74; Florida 41; Washington State 38; Maryland 37; James Madison 30; Minnesota 23; Texas 22; Texas A&M 20; Air Force 20; Oklahoma 19; Coastal Carolina 11; Purdue 10; North Carolina 9; Tulane 6; Notre Dame 5; Illinois 3; Central Florida 2; Pittsburgh 1; Duke 1.
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