September is turning into one of those months that scrambles the AP poll every week, and the Week 5 ballot did not exactly nail it. A few teams got punished for winning in style, while others were left out altogether despite building resumes that should have forced more respect.
LSU is the clearest head-scratcher. The Tigers were a 3-point home favorite against a ranked opponent, rolled to a 35-6 win, and still slid a spot.
They outgained A&M 506-197, which is the kind of number that speaks for itself no matter who’s on the other sideline. Even with A&M looking rough, LSU’s performance was the one that settled that debate.
The Tigers look like they’re only one bad drive away from being back in the top 5, and with the way the SEC is shaping up, a climb back there feels likely. Dropping them anyway makes little sense.
Texas Tech got treated similarly. The Red Raiders won 49-14 and also fell one spot, despite turning the game into a runaway.
DB Austin Romaine was a one-man wrecking crew, scoring two pick-sixes and effectively matching Sam Houston State by himself on the scoreboard. In a week when the Big 12 kept showing it belongs in the conversation, there wasn’t much reason to ding the league’s top team.
Wisconsin also has a case that’s hard to ignore. The Badgers improved to 3-1 by knocking off then-No.
13 Penn State 24-20 after staring at a 17-0 deficit. That win wasn’t enough to get them into the top 25, though Missouri stayed at No. 25 after losing to Mississippi State.
Both teams are 3-1. Both have lost to ranked opponents.
Wisconsin beat the No. 13 team on the road, while Missouri’s best win is probably Week over Kansas.
Then there’s Duke, which is still waiting for a spot in the rankings after a 62-7 demolition of William & Mary. The Blue Devils are 4-0, and while that record isn’t a surprise, the resume is starting to look stronger than the voters are giving it credit for.
They beat Illinois on the road and handled Tulane in Week 1. Nate Sheppard is one of the best backs in college football, and in a weak ACC, Duke could be the conference’s second-best team.
That still wasn’t enough to crack the top 25.
North Dakota State deserves a longer look, too. The Bison didn’t play in Week 4, but their 4-0 start should not be brushed aside.
They weren’t expected to make an easy jump from FCS dominance to FBS football, yet here they are, unbeaten and tied atop the Mountain West with UNLV. They could be the CFP buster this season.
Six AP votes barely scratches the surface of what they’ve done.
In Other News...
LSUs Poll Position After That Win Says Plenty About The Tigers
LSUs latest surge still came with a familiar caveat in the polls, even after a convincing 35-6 win over Texas A&M. The Tigers held at No. 11 in the Coaches Poll and slipped one spot to No. 11 in the AP Top 25, a ranking that says as much about the national crowdedness around them as it does about their own performance. Floridas climb to No. 8 after beating Ole Miss was one of the bigger shifts near the top, but LSUs place remained a reminder that one big win does not always bring a corresponding leap.
For LSU, the more interesting part may be how little room there is left for error if the Tigers want the respect that usually comes with a late-season push. The AP list and the coaches version both showed movement elsewhere, with teams dropping out and others collecting votes, but LSU stayed planted just outside the top tier. In a week when some programs rose sharply and others faded from view, the Tigers were left in the middle, good enough to stay in the conversation but still waiting for the kind of change in perception that only comes with another statement win. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs SEC Push Suddenly Depends On How Far These Backups Can Go
After bouncing back with a win over Texas A&M in Week 4, LSU enters the heart of SEC play with a very different kind of test ahead of it. The Tigers are trying to keep momentum going after the loss to Ole Miss, but the bigger issue now is survival depth, with injuries thinning out key spots across the roster and forcing the next wave of players into the spotlight.
That has pushed backups like Landen Clark, Jackson Harris, Davhon Keys and Tamarcus Cooley into more important roles than LSU likely planned this early in the season. With linebacker Whit Weeks, quarterback Sam Leavitt, wide receiver Phillip Wright III, tight end TreyDez Green, linebacker Charles Ross II and safety Dashawn Spears all on the injury list, the Tigers push through the SEC may come down to how steady those reserve pieces can be while the staff waits for help to return. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Texas A&M Grades Revealed One Breakout And One Lingering Concern
Pro Football Focus latest grading from LSUs game against Texas A&M offered a tidy snapshot of where the Tigers found traction and where they still have work to do. Jackson Harris came out as the highest-graded offensive player with a 92.0 mark, while Tamarcus Cooley paced the defense at 87.7, giving LSU a couple of bright spots to point to after a matchup that demanded consistency on both sides of the ball.
The same report also flagged the Tigers rougher edges, with Jayce Brown drawing the lowest offensive grade and Dylan Carpenter landing at the bottom on defense. For LSU, that kind of split matters because it reinforces the difference between isolated standouts and full-game reliability, leaving the staff with clear evidence of who is elevating the group and where the lingering concern still sits. [Read more 🡒]