The Ducks are for real.
Oregon invaded Happy Valley in Week 5 to take on a Penn State team with national championship aspirations and added to James Franklin’s abysmal record against AP top-10 teams, defeating the Nittany Lions 30-24 in double overtime to remain undefeated. The Ducks blew a 17-3 lead but managed to intercept Drew Allar in the second overtime period to secure the win. Allar, who finished 14-of-25 for 137 yards, two touchdowns and the crucial interception, is once again going to be pointed to as a weak spot in Penn State’s roster. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who threw for 248 yards and three scores, added a signature moment to his Heisman campaign. The Ducks now have a week off before taking on Indiana.
Most of the chaos in Week 5 happened on Friday night, with Florida State losing to Virginia in a high-scoring double overtime thriller and TCU collapsing against Arizona State. The Seminoles might’ve been caught looking ahead to Miami in Week 6, and they’ve got little room for error with Georgia Tech also in the ACC mix. The Sun Devils made TCU quarterback Josh Hoover look ordinary in a massive home win to get back in the Big 12 race.
We’re still over a month away from the first official College Football Playoff rankings dropping, so plenty can change before the committee gets together. Here’s where things stand after Week 5, along with a potential bracket based on future projections.
College Football Playoff odds (via FanDuel)
- Ohio State (-2000 to make, +920 to miss)
- Oregon (-1800 to make, +880 to miss)
- Indiana (+132 to make, -162 to miss)
- Penn State (-170 to make, +138 to miss)
- Ole Miss (-188 to make, +152 to miss)
- Georgia (-164 to make, +132 to miss)
- Alabama (-200 to make, +160 to miss)
- LSU (+198 to make, -250 to miss)
- Texas (-168 to make, +136 to miss)
- Oklahoma (+122 to make, -150 to miss)
- Vanderbilt (+520 to make, -800 to miss)
- Missouri (+245 to make, -325 to miss)
- Texas A&M (-114 to make, -106 to miss)
- Georgia Tech (+290 to make, -400 to miss)
- Miami (-430 to make, +320 to miss)
- Florida State (+490 to make, -750 to miss)
- Notre Dame (+152 to make, -188 to miss)
- Iowa State (+470 to make, -650 to miss)
- Arizona State (+390 to make, -550 to miss)
- Memphis (+320 to win American)
If you’re a fan of college football chaos, the SEC is the place for you. There are five undefeated teams in the conference, and four others have only one loss. And as you’ve probably guessed, all these teams will play each other. Things will get going in Week 6 when Vanderbilt star quarterback Diego Pavia hopes to lead the Commodores to another upset of Alabama. The Crimson Tide got right back into the CFP conversation with a win over Georgia on Saturday, their 10th win over the Bulldogs in the last 11 meetings between the two programs.
Penn State is likely rooting for Indiana in two weeks when the Hoosiers line up against the Ducks. If Oregon wins that game, it is likely to finish the season without a loss. The Nittany Lions still have to play Indiana and Ohio State, and they’d want the Hoosiers to carry the highest ranking possible to make that potential win stand out. The Buckeyes don’t exactly have a walk in the park either. They’ll have to avoid a letdown against Minnesota in Week 6 before facing a rejuvenated Illinois team in Champaign. And just ask Michigan fans how “The Game” has gone for Ohio State the last four times.
Miami is the big winner at the moment. If the Hurricanes can navigate past Florida State in Week 6, they’ll go into the bye week with a real chance to go undefeated. There are still some challenging matchups against Louisville and NC State, but Miami is clearly the class of the ACC. Georgia Tech had a scare against Wake Forest in Week 5, which was a nice wake-up call for the Yellow Jackets. They should be favored in every game outside of the final week of the season against Georgia.
Keep an eye out for Memphis as the Group of Five representative. The Tigers should easily navigate most of the AAC outside of the big showdown against South Florida on Oct. 25. The good news for Memphis is that game will be at home.
College Football Playoff projected bracket
- No. 1 Miami
- No. 2 Ohio State
- No. 3 Oregon
- No. 4 Texas A&M
- No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 12 Notre Dame
- No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech
- No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Memphis
- No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Missouri
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