ZN's CFB Top 25 :: Week 5 2009

Four top-10 teams went down this week! Miami(FL), Ole Miss, Cal and Penn State all suffered losses of varying degrees. Like many pundits out there, I'm really stuck this week. So far this season, it's been Florida, Texas and Alabama. Who belongs next? Beats me. All that and more in this week's ZN's CFB Top 25 rankings.

Top 25 below the fold.

Rank. Team (LW), [Record, LW Result].

1. Florida (1), [4-0, W 41 - 7 Kentucky]
2. Texas (2), [4-0, W 64 - 7 Texas-El Paso]
3. Alabama (3), [4-0, W 35 - 7 Arkansas]
4. Cincinnati (11), [4-0, W 28 - 20 Fresno State]
5. Louisiana State (8), [4-0, W 30 - 26 Mississippi St]
6. Ohio State (9), [3-1, W 30 - 0 Illinois]
7. Boise State (7), [4-0, W 49 - 14 Bowling Green]
8. Iowa (16), [4-0, W 21 - 10 Penn State]
9. Houston (19), [3-0, W 29 - 28 Texas Tech]
10. Michigan (10), [4-0, W 36 - 33 Indiana]
11. Auburn (21), [4-0, W 54 - 30 Ball State]
12. Texas Christian (12), [3-0, W 14 - 10 Clemson]
13. Penn State (4), [3-1, L 21 - 10 Iowa]
14. Virginia Tech (NR), [3-1, W 31 - 7 Miami (Fla.)]
15. South Carolina (NR), [ 3-1, W 16 - 10 Mississippi]
16. South Florida (NR), [4-0, W 17 - 7 Florida St]
17. Oregon (NR), [3-1, W 42 - 3 California]
18. Miami(FL) (6), [2-1, L 31 - 7 Virginia Tech]
19. California (5), [3-1, L 42 - 3 Oregon]
20. Oklahoma (15), [2-1, DNP]
21. Southern Cal (17), [3-1, W 27 - 6 Washington St]
22. Brigham Young U. (22), [3-1, W 42 - 23 Colorado State]
23. UCLA (14), [3-0, DNP]
24. Georgia Tech (25), [2-1, W 24 - 7 North Carolina]
25. Nebraska (NR), [3-1, W 55 - 0 La.-Lafayette]

Dropped Out:
Mississippi (13), [2-1, L 16 - 10 South Carolina]
Pittsburgh (18), [3-1, L 38 - 31 NC State]
Florida State (20), [2-2, L 17 - 7 South Florida]

On the Cusp:
Notre Dame (24), [3-1, W 24 - 21 Purdue]
Oklahoma State (NR), [3-1, W 56 - 6 Grambling(FCS)]
Georgia (23), [3-1, W 20 - 17 Arizona State]
Wisconsin (NR), [4-0, W 38 - 30 Michigan State]
Missouri (NR), [4-0, W 31 - 21 Nevada]
Kansas (NR), [4-0, W 35 - 28 Southern Miss]
Arizona (NR), [3-1, W 37 - 32 Oregon State]
NC State (NR), [3-1, W 38 - 31 Pittsburgh]
North Carolina (NR), [3-1, L 24 - 7 Georgia Tech]

Notes: This was easily the toughest top-25 I've had to put together so far this season. The top three are still the same. Newcomers to the top-10 this week are Cincinnati, Iowa and Houston. The Bearcats have been quietly dominating every team they face, while Houston held down a good Texas Tech team. While Iowa isn't explosive by any means, they're probably the most dangerous team to face right now, along with Virginia Tech. Auburn is another team I'm very interested in this season, as the Tigers' new offense has clicked from day one. I didn't have Mississippi ranked nearly as high as the main stream media did; I did not buy into the hype after seeing their first two performances of the season. The Rebels will have to work their way back in. As for teams like Penn State, Cal and Miami(FL), they're skating on thin ice right now. Of course, the Lions' and Canes' losses were much more palatable than the Bears' implosion in Autzen Stadium. There's just not enough room in the rankings for all the teams, so don't take too much stock (as I said last week) in the teams I moved up or down. As the season goes on, things will work themselves out.

Past weeks:
WEEK ONE/PRESEASON
WEEK TWO
WEEK THREE
WEEK FOUR