STS Writers College Football Poll: Week 5

T1. Alabama

Last Week STS Poll: 3
Current AP Poll: 1

STS writers agree that Alabama should be ranked above Georgia, but have the Crimson Tide tied with Ohio State. Alabama earned their first win over a ranked opponent and third SEC win this week by beating Arkansas 49-26.

T1. Ohio State

Last Week STS Poll: 2
Current AP Poll: 3

Ohio State pounded Rutgers and now has four straight wins by 30+ point. Who would have thought that their win over Notre Dame would be their least impressive performance to date. STS writers have rewarded their resume by ranking them over Georgia.

3. Georgia

Last Week STS Poll: 2
Current AP Poll: 2

A week after struggling with Kent State, Georgia trailed Missouri in the fourth quarter. They eventually won 26-22. They know they can sleep walk until their schedule picks up at the end of the month when they face Florida. That’ll be the start of what could be four straight decent challenges as they follow the Gators with Tennessee, at Mississippi State, and at Kentucky.

4. Clemson

Last Week STS Poll: 4
Current AP Poll: 5

The Tigers have two top 15 wins giving them the best resume in the country. AP voters still have them behind Michigan though. STS writer got it right by putting them at No. 4. If Georgia struggles with a putrid Auburn team it may be time for more movement.

5. Michigan

Last Week STS Poll: 5
Current AP Poll: 4

Michigan beat Iowa 27-14. They travel to Indiana this week and then get a real test with Penn State coming to Ann Arbor on October 15th.

6. Oklahoma State

Last Week STS Poll: Not Top 10
Current AP Poll: 7

The Cowboys went on the road and beat Baylor. In a wide open Big 12, they have as good a chance to win it as anyone, but they still have road games at TCU, Kansas State, and Oklahoma. I was the most negative on Oklahoma State ranking them at No. 9. If they get through Texas Tech this week and TCU next week, I’ll start to buy in.

7. Tennessee

Last Week STS Poll: T6
Current AP Poll: 8

I continue to be the highest on Tennessee as I ranked them No. 5 while the overall STS poll has them only at No. 7. AP voters have them negligently low at No. 8. The Vols had an open date last weekend and now will face a ranked LSU team in Baton Rouge. Why LSU is ranked over FSU, who beat them, nobody knows, but it is a third ranked opponent (at the time of the game) for Tennessee nonetheless.

8. USC

Last Week STS Poll: 8
Current AP Poll: 6

Southern Cal handled Arizona State a week after nearly losing at Oregon State. They were my pick to win the Pac-12 and they’re looking good to accomplish that, but that may be more of a commentary about the conference than the Trojans.

9. Ole Miss

Last Week STS Poll: Not Top 10
Current AP Poll: 9

Ole Miss is the big winner this week. They hosted No. 7 Kentucky and came away with a 22-19 win. With Vanderbilt and Auburn the next two weeks, they could inch their way even further up. If they win those, they’ll have some epic matchups in the weeks that follow with back-to-back road trips to LSU and Texas A&M and then Alabama after an open week.

10. Penn State

Last week STS Poll: T6
Current AP Poll: 10

Penn State escaped with a 17-7 win over a not so good Northwestern team. As that Auburn win continues to degrade in value, it looks like their only good win was Purdue and thus STS voters corrected themselves and moved Penn State down and back in line with the AP Poll.

What do you think? Did the STS writers do a better job than the AP voters? Let us know in the comments and vote on our survey question below.