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The projected college football rankings after Notre Dame tops Louisville, Texas, remain in place


The projected college football rankings after Notre Dame tops Louisville, Texas, remain in place

There was no shortage of exciting action in Week 5 of the college football season.

We can, of course, start with Kentucky's shocking loss to Ole Miss in Oxford. Suddenly the Rebels go from dark SEC champions to a fringe postseason team. The Wildcats came within inches of toppling UGA a few weeks ago, so Kentucky has established itself as a team to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, a tough 31-6 loss to South Carolina early in the campaign could keep UK out of the AP rankings for the time being.

Perhaps even more notable was Notre Dame's 31-24 victory over Lousiville in an ACC ranking game. This has a profound impact on the AP committee, as the Cardinals (No. 15) were tied with the Fighting Irish (No. 16) before the game. Notre Dame now has wins against two ranked opponents in Louisville and Texas A&M, which should make up for the disappointment against Northern Illinois a few weeks ago.

Several postseason contenders across the college football landscape were put on alert this week. Speaking of devils, Texas A&M picked up a four-point win over Arkansas to move to 4-1. Wisconsin played hard against USC in the first half, but failed to help the Trojans win as the game progressed. Oklahoma appeared to be on the verge of losing to Auburn in a true “welcome to the SEC” moment, but a late INT turned the tide in the Sooners' favor. Texas only led Mississippi State 14-6 at halftime, but was able to nearly triple that lead by the end of the game. Arch Manning lived up to the hype.

As the chaos unfolds before us, here's an updated look at how the AP Top 25 could unfold.

1. Texas Longhorns
2. Georgia Bulldogs
3. Ohio State Buckeyes
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
5. Tennessee Volunteers
6. Miami Hurricanes
7. Oregon Ducks
8. Penn State Nittany Lions
9. Utah Utes
10. Missouri Tigers
11. Michigan Wolverines
12. Ole Miss Rebels
13. USC Trojans
14. Notre Dame fights against Irish
15. LSU Tigers
16. Clemson Tigers
17. Cyclones in the state of Iowa
18. Illinois battles Illinois
19. Kansas State Wildcats
20. Oklahoma Sooners
21. BYU Cougars
22. Texas A&M Aggies
23. Boise State Broncos
24. Indiana Hoosiers
25. Louisville Cardinals

Obviously there are still a few important games on the schedule, especially Alabama vs. Georgia. The outcome of this game could reverberate throughout the SEC. The winner gets the inside track to the conference title game and a postseason berth. For the loser, the task becomes a little more difficult as time goes on. A team loses its margin for error tonight.

Washington State was right in the top 25 bubble last weekend and has a chance to topple Boise State tonight. The outcome of this game could determine which teams end up at the bottom of the final AP rankings next week.

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