Week 5 brought an instructive slate of games. Teams that started the season flying high, such as Florida, Iowa and Mississippi State, came back down, while Ohio State reasserted itself and Alabama continued rolling.
Jeremiah Smith set even more records in the Buckeyes' win over Iowa. It's now time to ask if he is the best wide receiver ever to play college football.
And, looking forward, is it possible that 5-0 Nebraska is really a force? And which team will have the edge in next week's Alabama-Georgia matchup?
Our college football experts are here to break things down.
Who is the best 1-loss team not named Ohio State?
Heading into this week, the three highest-ranked one-loss teams below the Buckeyes were LSU, Ole Miss and Oregon. The latter two were on a bye while the Tigers handled McNeese with ease. Florida, now a one-loss team after getting dominated by Missouri, could belong in this conversation, but Saturday's performance in Columbia, Missouri, is, at the moment, disqualifying.
And yes, even though Ole Miss beat the Fighting Lane Kiffins in Oxford, LSU has appeared to be the more complete team through the first part of the season. It's hard not to pick the Tigers given that they'd likely be favored against the Rebels and Ducks on a neutral field. The case for Oregon is trickier. The Ducks are not lacking talent and, despite a slow start to the season, appeared to find something against USC. They were ranked No. 2 heading into the season for a reason, but have not yet shown signs that they are a title contender. The rest of their schedule should give us a real answer.
Results matter, so technically Ole Miss could be the answer to this question, but its 52-28 loss to the Gators is a blemish that can't be ignored.
As of now, there might not be a one-loss team that compares to Ohio State. In fact, SP+ rankings believe there might not be an undefeated team besides Texas that's close either. --Paolo Uggetti
Which first-year coach could be over his skis?
Cal coach Tosh Lupoi came to his alma mater with plenty of fanfare, as Bears fans believed his ties to the area, recruiting chops and passion for the school would help reinvigorate a program that had been mired in mediocrity under Justin Wilcox. But after a 39-31 loss to UNLV on Saturday, Cal is 2-3, its worst start through the first five games since opening 1-4 in 2021. Most galling is what has happened with quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Lupoi had what appeared to be a sure thing in Sagapolutele, who was coming off a Freshman All-America season with 3,454 yards passing and 18 touchdowns. Multiple ACC coaches raved about him, projecting that he could become a future No. 1 NFL draft pick. But Sagapolutele has struggled to adjust to the new offense implemented by first-time coordinator Jordan Somerville, who came over from the NFL.
On Saturday, Sagapolutele took a hard hit to the head late in the second quarter and left the game against UNLV, with the Bears trailing 24-7. His QBR at the time he left was 23.1. Beyond the offensive dysfunction, the Cal defense has not played well, either, and that has to rankle Lupoi given his background as a defensive coach. Cal will get no breaks with the schedule, either, as the Bears next play Virginia Tech (4-1), Wake Forest (4-1) and SMU (4-1). Cal fans grew disenchanted with Wilcox because they could never get more than six or seven wins in a year. Through five games, even six or seven wins seem out of reach this season. Indeed, the ESPN Football Power Index projects Cal to go 4-8. -- Andrea Adelson
Which is the most surprising 5-0 team?
Is Nebraska ... back? To be determined. But after Saturday's 48-23 win over Maryland -- which was the program's largest comeback win since 2022 -- the Huskers are 5-0 for the first time since 2016. The last time they were 2-0 in Big Ten play? 2017.
Now, early-season wins over Ohio, Bowling Green and North Dakota, followed by conference victories over a pair of bottom-half Big Ten foes, would have fit even the most tempered preseason expectations for Nebraska. Noteworthy, however, is how the Huskers have done it.
Through five games, the program ranks in the top five among Big Ten programs in scoring (43.6 PPG), points against (14.2 PPG), total offense (475.6 YPG) and total defense (265.8). Led by transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea (13 touchdowns and two interceptions) and the nation's 17th-ranked rushing attack (231 YPG), Nebraska has scored at least 30 points in each of its first five games for the first time since 2014. On defense, first-year coordinator Rob Aurich's unit has already produced eight takeaways, better than all but two other Big Ten defenses and nearly halfway to the 13 turnovers the Huskers totaled a year ago.
"The way we play, it's maybe not all the time the coolest thing, the visual, but we're going to try to be physical," Rhule said Saturday. "Sometimes, we might go three-and-out, but if we continue to be physical, we give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter." Indeed, Nebraska is showing promising signs of endurance. The Huskers rank fourth nationally in second-half scoring margin (75), trailing only 4-1 LSU (82) and unbeatens UCLA (77) and Alabama (76).
After next weekend's visit from Indiana and a trip to Oregon in Week 7, we'll have a much firmer grip on where Nebraska truly stands. But after back-to-back 7-6 finishes, Rhule and the Huskers are 5-0 and rolling in impressive fashion. -- Eli Lederman
Jeremiah Smith is the best receiver since...?
DeVonta Smith? Larry Fitzgerald? Randy Moss? Ever?
It's not hyperbolic anymore to suggest that Smith could be the best wide receiver in college football history. In just 2½ seasons, he has already broken every major all-time Ohio State receiving record. As a true freshman two years ago, he made the game-clinching grab against Notre Dame to lift the Buckeyes to the national championship. And he's the clear favorite to become just the fifth receiver in college football history to win the Heisman. Smith is a generational player. He could go down as the best to play the position. -- Jake Trotter
Alabama will beat Georgia if? Georgia will beat Alabama if?
Alabama will beat Georgia if it can control the line of scrimmage as it did against Mississippi State on Saturday. As much as Keelon Russell impressed in Starkville, and has the past few weeks, it's the resurgence of the running game and the development of the defensive line that have been equally important. The Tide have an interesting three-back rotation with a battering ram in Daniel Hill and two dynamic freshmen in Trae'shawn Brown and EJ Crowell. They'll need to provide balance vs. Georgia. And transfer defensive linemen Devan Thompkins and Terrance Green must stop Nate Frazier and the Bulldogs' running game.
Georgia will beat Alabama if it can play its game, taking care of the ball on offense and dominating on defense. The running game will always be a feature under Kirby Smart, but quarterback Gunner Stockton will need to make plays in Tuscaloosa. The good news for the Dawgs is that he's coming off his best performance of the season against Vanderbilt, going 25-of-32 for 295 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Creating explosive plays in the vertical passing game will be key, and that's an area Alabama has been susceptible this season. -- Alex Scarborough
