Week 5 shook up the AP Top 25, but the bigger story is which unbeaten teams are starting to look a lot less convincing than their records suggest. Only 10 teams in the poll are still undefeated, and a few of them are hanging on more by reputation than performance.
BYU is the clearest case. The Cougars moved up two spots after a 17-10 win over a bad TCU team, and that simply doesn’t pass the smell test.
Their résumé still looks thin: a 28-17 win over Arizona and a 41-23 victory against Colorado State. The defense and the run game give them something to lean on, but quarterback Bear Bachmeier hasn’t held up his end lately.
He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last two games, and against TCU he went 11/24 for 62 yards. That came against a defense allowing 280 passing yards per game.
It feels like only a matter of time before BYU gets exposed, and Notre Dame might be the one to do it on October 17.
Tennessee also belongs in this conversation, even after surviving Auburn 24-14. The Vols came in off a close loss to Texas and didn’t exactly sharpen the picture against Auburn.
The quarterback situation is now a real issue after the program benched freshman Faizon Brandon for George MacIntyre, but the switch didn’t spark much. The two combined to go 11/18 for 86 yards and an interception.
Tennessee’s offense lived almost entirely through the ground game, where DeSean Bishop ran for 220 yards and all three touchdowns. A win is a win, but Auburn was also playing its first road game of the season and still hasn’t settled in under Alex Golesh.
Tennessee may have a manageable SEC slate compared with some others, but the quarterback problems will cap the ceiling unless Brandon or MacIntyre suddenly turns it around.
USC keeps showing up on these lists for a reason. The Trojans dropped a spot in the rankings, but they still don’t look like a top-25 team.
After failing to put away weaker opponents, they finally stumbled in a double-digit home loss to Oregon. They did bounce back with a 25-21 win over Washington, but that comeback came after they trailed 21-10 in the second half.
Outside of Jayden Maiava, nothing about this team has stood out. And even Maiava had his roughest outing yet against Washington, finishing 21/34 for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
He’s been picked off in three of the last four games. USC now heads back on the road for its next two, and its only road game so far was a 42-35 escape at Rutgers.
Houston slipped two spots after a 27-17 win over UCF, and the doubts are starting to stack up. The Cougars were down 17-0 into the third quarter and didn’t really get going until UCF backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins was injured.
That followed closer-than-expected wins over Oregon State and Georgia Southern, which only added to the sense that something is off. Houston will have a chance to settle things in October with a trip to Kansas State and ranked games against Oklahoma State and Utah.
SMU is back on the list for the second straight week, and the warning signs are flashing. The Mustangs are trending toward falling out of the top 25 after a road loss to Louisville and two shaky wins against Missouri State and Boston College.
Against the Eagles, SMU trailed 10-6 in the opening quarter, was outgained 322-218, and Kevin Jennings managed just 160 passing yards. That was his second game with fewer than 200 passing yards since last season.
Even so, the Mustangs could stay unbeaten until their second and final ranked matchup on November 21 against Notre Dame.
In Other News...
BYU-Notre Dame Just Became An Even Bigger Provo Event
The October 17 meeting between BYU and Notre Dame already had plenty of appeal, and now it has the kind of stage that turns a marquee game into a destination event. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time on ABC, with both teams unbeaten and both sitting in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll.
For Provo, the setting adds another layer to a matchup that now carries even more weight. It will be the first time LaVell Edwards Stadium has hosted a game with both teams ranked this highly, and the visit is part of a two-game series that sends BYU to Notre Dame in 2027. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Undefeated Run Suddenly Carries One More Concern Against Iowa State
BYUs unbeaten start has put the Cougars squarely in the national conversation, and a Week 6 trip to Iowa State now brings another layer of attention. Ranked No. 8, the Cougars have already shown enough through four games to look the part of a contender, with quarterback Bear Bachmeier accounting for 10 total scores and the offense finding ways to keep the pressure on opponents.
Iowa State, though, is hardly arriving as a simple tune-up. Jimmy Rogers is steering the Cyclones through a transition year, and their 3-2 start suggests a group that can still make life uncomfortable at home. With betting odds also framing this as a measured test rather than a runaway spot, BYUs biggest concern may not be protecting its ranking so much as making sure an undefeated run does not get dragged into a far messier afternoon than expected. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's TCU Win Came With A Concern Fans Can't Ignore
BYU kept its perfect start rolling with a 17-10 win over TCU, moving to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play. It was the kind of early-season result that reinforces the Cougars standing in the league, but it also came with the usual mix of good and bad that tends to follow a hard-fought conference game.
Kalani Sitake pointed to both the positives from the performance and the concerns that surfaced afterward, especially with injuries involving LJ Martin, Isaiah Glasker and Cannon DeVries. With Iowa State up next at home, BYU will spend the week trying to build on the win while hoping those health questions do not become the bigger story. [Read more 🡒]