2025 SID Sports Week Five Top 25
Ranking the top programs after Week Four's action
It’s hard to believe, but the first quarter of the season is already down and we’re trudging to the last week of September. Where does the time go?
This year, it’s been heading into what shapes up to be the most chaotic college football season since the inception of the playoff. So many blue bloods are going through massive overhauls with the bulk of the COVID-era super-seniors finally losing eligibility (Diego Pavia is immortal). Coaching staffs have changed. Quarterbacks are seeing their first extended action. The portal is even more of a factor.
With each week, we’ve been hyper focusing on a team’s overreactions, or their X-factors, or any other module or statistic. Today, let’s return to our roots. As we break down the Top 25, let’s take an overarching look at the entire season thus far. What do resumes look like? What has impressed? What has concerned?
2025 Week Five Top 25
Ohio State (3-0) LW: 1
The Buckeyes’ win over Texas looks less and less promising each week, but this is Ohio State. They’ve torn through an FCS foe and overcame a slow start against a very good Ohio team. Coordinator changes were a cause for concern, but the Buckeyes seem to be stabilized into what you’d expect from this program under Ryan Day.LSU (4-0) LW: 2
Yeah, that win over Clemson just isn’t proving to be worth anything. A rough outing against what looks to be a bad Florida team isn’t great either. Still, the Bayou Bengals have one of the nation’s best defenses, ranking ninth in scoring defense and a veteran quarterback. Maybe it’s more projection than resume here.Miami (4-0) LW: 3
This is another situation where a season-opening win has lost its shine after Notre Dame has plunged from the Top 25. Despite that, Miami is clearly one of the nation’s best teams right now. The Hurricane offense is as potent as you’d expect with Carson Beck thriving in Shannon Dawson’s scheme. The defense even looks above average, which is a huge improvement.Georgia (3-0) LW: 4
It’s a bit of a double-edged sword for the Dawgs. For one, their offense with Gunner Stockton under center looks to be one of the best Kirby Smart’s deployed. On the other hand, the defense isn’t looking like that, especially after letting Tennessee torch them for 41 points in an uncharacteristic shootout. For me, the jury’s still out on Georgia, but they’re a team trending upwards.Penn State (3-0) LW: 5
Another year, another slow start for Penn State. They’ve put away what may be the weakest non-conference slate in the nation with ease, but slow starts have plagued the program. A huge test against Oregon lingers this upcoming weekend. It’s time for James Franklin, Drew Allar and company to definitively declare that they are contenders, not just a typical good yet under performing Penn State.Florida State (3-0) LW: 6
Their win over Alabama has lost it’s shine, but the Seminoles have won their past two body bag games by a combined margin of 143-13 against East Texas A&M and Kent State. That’s what elite teams do. I may go out on a limb and say that Mike Norvell has fully flipped the narrative about his program in one offseason.Oregon (4-0) LW: 7
Have they played anyone? No. But, just like Florida State, the Ducks are decimating their opposition with ease. And, like Penn State, Oregon’s first test comes this weekend at Happy Valley for the whiteout. Time to see if Dante Moore really is a budding star, or just a product of a good offense against outclassed defenses.Oklahoma (4-0) LW: 13
Close wins over Auburn and Michigan only appear to be close on the final lines. In reality, Oklahoma has a very, very good team. John Mateer is an early Heisman frontrunner. The defensive line mauled Auburn’s front for nine sacks, including a game-clinching safety. They just haven’t stuffed anyone in a locker yet, which is what I’m waiting to see before crowning the Sooners as legit contenders.Indiana (4-0) LW: 23
Speaking of stuffing people into lockers, that’s an understatement for what Indiana did to Illinois. The Fighting Illini were getting all the press as a dark horse heading into the season, while the Hoosiers were written off. Curt Cignetti took that personally. A 63-10 win over a top-15 team is enough to catapult to the top 10 any day. Especially when the final score somehow seems closer than it should’ve been.Texas Tech (4-0) LW: 17
Turns out, early returns say you can buy a championship contender roster. Texas Tech dominated the trenches against a very good Utah program that should’ve won in that facet. We’re still a long way from saying the Red Raiders are ready to take the Big 12 and playoff by storm, but the path is there.Iowa State (4-0) LW: 8
Another team, another opening week win that’s dramatically fallen. Iowa State’s Dublin win over Kansas State has been relegated to non-factor as the Wildcats continue to spiral, but a win over Iowa is solid. A scare on the road at Arkansas State is what drops the Cyclones below a few other surging programs.Texas A&M (3-0) LW: 9
They haven’t beaten the brakes off of anyone yet and the win over Notre Dame has the same issues we’ve discussed so far. I think we’ll learn a lot about the Aggies when they take on Auburn this weekend, but I’m still high on Mike Elko’s program. Just not top 10 high anymore.Ole Miss (4-0) LW: 16
Dominating Tulane and opening up a massive quarterback battle has been checked off Lane Kiffin’s bingo card for this year. I picked the Green Wave to pull the upset, but Trinidad Chambliss had other plans. The Ferris State transfer has been super efficient both in the air and on the ground. Even if Austin Simmons is healthy, I’m rolling with Chambliss if I’m Kiffin.Texas (3-1) LW: 10
The get-right win over Sam Houston was unironically huge for the Longhors, as Arch Manning finally looked the part. His struggles through the non-conference slate have been much talked about outside this newsletter, so I won’t bore you with the details. At least the defense still looks elite, even if I have serious questions about the offense’s potency.Georgia Tech (4-0) LW: 15
The Rambling Wreck hasn’t charted any top-tier wins, not with Clemson in a free fall, but have looked the part of a mid-tier ranked team. Haynes King is putting together another masterful underrated season, the rushing attack is lights out now that Malachi Hosley is rolling, but the defense has concerns. Still, that’s enough firepower for a potential ACC run.Auburn (3-1) LW: 12
I’ve been higher on the Tigers than the AP and Coaches’ Polls this season, and that doesn’t change with a close loss to Oklahoma. Granted, it wasn’t really that close, but Hugh Freeze has a squad this year. The first road test was an abject failure, especially with Jackson Arnold returning to Norman, Oklahoma. SEC play isn’t for the meek, though, so we’ll find out quickly if Auburn is legit or just an early-season mirage.USC (4-0) LW: 18
Last week’s advanced stats kings netted another win, albeit one over Michigan State in a game bordering on PAC-12 After Dark madness. Concerns about the defense are justified after Aidan Chiles was able to hit some deep bombs, but the offense has finally come around. It’s fair to say that my preseason disdain for Jayden Maiava and the Trojan offense was wrong.Vanderbilt (4-0) LW: 20
As I said earlier, Diego Pavia is immortal. He’s inevitable. And he annihilated Georgia State. Is that a big thing? Absolutely not. But it shows growth as the Commodores got tripped up by Georgia State last season. This year, they netted a huge win over South Carolina and then trounced the Panthers. Maybe Clark Lea has his team truly turning a corner?Louisville (3-0) LW: 21
They’re underrated, even flying under the radar. But Louisville is a solid program. A weaker non-conference slate provided no issues and they notched a solid win over a very good James Madison team. Even the backups were able to put the beatdown on Bowling Green, which should help Jeff Brohm get his team healthy and comfortable for the start of conference play.TCU (3-0) LW: 24
The Iron Skillet will remain in Fort Worth for the foreseeable future. We knew that TCU-SMU would be a shootout because, let’s be honest, what else would a meeting between those two programs be? Josh Hoover just proved he has the mettle to take this Horned Frog team farther than most anticipated. There’s serious speed all across the roster, which could repeat the model that pushed TCU to a surprise CFP Championship game in 2022.South Florida (3-1) LW: 22
Yes, the loss to Miami was bad. Yes, nobody cares they beat Florida anymore besides fans making fun of Billy Napier. But the Bulls are still showing out like a contender. They’ve cruised to wins against every non-Power Four opponent they’ve faced. The rebound after the Miami loss was a contender-like 63-14 decimation of poor FCS South Carolina State. The Bulls aren’t going away, even if nationwide attention may be slipping.Missouri (4-0) LW: Next Five Out
Speaking of attention, stop ignoring Missouri! Beau Pribula has out-dueled both Jalon Daniels and LaNorris Sellers and is putting up insane numbers. He ranks 12th in QBR and averages 4.4 yards per carry. Ahmad Hardy is lights out at tailback. And the Tiger defense is even playing well. Don’t you dare write off Missouri - the Tigers have the talent to make serious noise this year.Michigan (3-1) LW: 25
Is Bryce Underwood transcendent? Not from the jump, but nobody expected him to be. Instead, he’s given a moribund Michigan offense a pulse. Well, Underwood and tailback Justice Haynes who continues to be one of the hardest backs to tackle in the nation. Wink Martindale has another good defense cooked up, so Underwood limiting mistakes and maybe making a few dazzling plays here and there is enough to make Michigan a threat to anyone.Tulane (3-1) LW: 19
The resume takes a hit when you get decimated by Ole Miss, but two Power Four wins speak for themselves (please don’t check who they’re against). Jake Retzlaff and the Green Wave offense have only been slowed down by the Rebs, but remember that this offense has been put together on the fly this year. As the year goes on, I think Tulane gets tougher and tougher. But this slip up may show they’re not good good.
Utah (3-1) LW: 11
Did Texas Tech just reveal the script to beat Utah? The simple idea of pressuring Devon Dampier and making him win with his arm shut down the Ute offense. And, as we’ve already discussed, the usual Utah win in the trenches was missing against the Red Raiders. They’ve beat up plenty of bad competition, so was this loss just a bad week and learning experience? Or a sign that Utah may not be able to hang with the big boys?
While we focus on the top teams, some of the bottom are turning their eyes to the coaching season. Click below for breakdowns and top candidates to watch for the UCLA and Virginia Tech jobs:
Next Five Out: Tennessee, Illinois, Arizona State, Memphis, Notre Dame
Tennessee is perpetually on the fringes here, but the stable stardom of Joey Aguilar is keeping the Volunteers hot and in the fray. Illinois has work to do after being embarrassed by Indiana and that’s universal after a team-wide poor showing. Arizona State is creeping back up after sneaking past Baylor, but I’m not too enthused by the Sun Devils’ lackluster strength of record. Memphis’s win over Arkansas - one where the Tigers erased a 28-10 lead from their SEC foes - asserted that this iteration of the Tigers is here to play in what should be a very fun American race. Finally, Notre Dame is still hanging out on the fringes after notching their first win of the season, albeit one where they allowed Purdue to score 30 points. Welcome to the Chris Ash show.
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It's funny to think of USC as the 'advanced stat kings,' but if it's any consolation, they're not the kings anymore. They've been replaced by a much more sensible team. Here is the post-week five Net EPA/Play rankings, for whom it may concern:
25) Houston
24) Cincinnati
23) LSU, creeping in with some weak competition of their own finally, although still only 23rd.
22) North Texas
21) Arkansas
20) Utah
19) Oklahoma
18) Alabama
17) UCF. I refuse to believe It's not a joke on me that Bama and UCF are right beside each other in this ranking
16) Navy
15) Mississippi State
14) Miami
13) Texas Tech
12) Ohio State
11) Minnesota (their competition will even out eventually, just not yet)
10) Vanderbilt
9) Missouri
8) Penn State
7) Arizona
6) Washington, we will see against Ohio State how much challenge they provide.
5) BYU
4) Oregon
3) USC
2) Indiana
1) Florida State
It's interesting how your rankings (building in what we thought before the season) and net EPA/Play rankings (which are basically an effort to build a ranking based strictly on 2025 play) are closer together in week five than they were in week four. That will probably continue, until who knows how close they will get at season's end?
Other than teams carried by having no FBS opponents (Minnesota), the only thing that shocks me is that you haven't ranked BYU yet. They've got a power five win and two FBS wins already, which is more than many teams (like Texas) can say, and they've done it all in fairly dominant fashion. I wonder how they will do in their big 12 opener against Colorado. If it goes well, perhaps they can be this year what everybody thought they could be last year.