2024 college football rankings: Alabama moves to No. 1 after defeating Georgia

RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

This sport loves a monarch. This sport loves a despot. This sport longs for a conqueror.

Georgia is 49-3 since November 7, 2020, with all three losses coming against each other Alabama. But since the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson Tide in the 2022 national title game, UGA has felt more and more like Zeus, defeating Cronus, capturing the crown and declaring himself king here in Olympia.

When it comes to Ohio State and Texas, this game – Alabama vs. Georgia – is about who carries the standard. There’s nothing hot about this shot, even though it’s about Kirby Smart.

If Smart had won that game, we would have concluded he had a problem with Nick Saban. But he lost. And now Georgia has an Alabama problem – like Zeus had with Prometheus. The path to the Pantheon begins with this fire, and Jalen Milroe was an Orangesmith.

Here’s a look at my top 25 rankings after Week 5 of the college football season:

1. Alabama (4-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Georgia 41-34

In an instant classic, Alabama QB Jalen Milroe passed for 374 yards, rushed for 117 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, while 17-year-old Ryan Williams caught six passes for 177 yards, including the game-winning 75-yard catch. and-run, that would prove to be the winning goal.

Alabama is the only program to have defeated Georgia since November 7, 2020. And Kalen DeBoer is 1-0 against Kirby Smart.

2. Texas (5-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Mississippi State, 35-13

McDonald’s has the Golden Arches. But just as McDowell’s has the Golden Arcs, Texas also has the Golden Arch.

Arch Manning completed 26 of 31 passes for 324 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in Texas’ win over Mississippi State, while DeAndre Moore Jr. had four catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

3. Ohio State (4-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Michigan State 38-7

The Buckeyes looked dominant in their Big Ten Conference opener, with true freshman Jeremiah Smith continuing to play at a Biletnikoff Award level. He caught five passes for 83 yards, including an incredible one-handed 17-yard touchdown catch.

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith makes an UNREAL one-handed touchdown catch against Michigan State

4. Tennessee (4-0)

Result week 5: idle

5. Georgia (3-1)

Result week 5: Lost to Alabama, 41-34

The Bulldogs have lost just three times since November 7, 2020 – all three to Alabama. It appears that Kirby Smart doesn’t have a Nick Saban problem. He has an Alabama problem, and for a few minutes late in the fourth quarter Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, it looked like Smart would win. But then Jalen Milroe and freshman phenom Ryan Williams struck. Carson Beck did his best in the second half, but in the end the Tide were too much for this Georgia team.

6. Penn State (4-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Illinois 21-7

The Nittany Lions entered Beaver Stadium with a top-10 offense thanks to a punishing offensive line and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. These two dominant defenders combined for 196 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in Penn State’s win over Illinois.

7. Oregon (4-0)

Result week 5: Defeated UCLA 34-13

The Ducks entered this game as 25.5-point favorites and left the game with a 21-point win over the struggling Bruins. Dillon Gabriel threw three touchdown passes – two of which went to Tez Johnson – and continued to climb the NCAA record books as the Ducks picked up their first Big Ten win.

#8 Oregon Ducks vs. UCLA Bruins Highlights

8. Miami (Florida) (5-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Virginia Tech 38-34

Look, Da’ Quran Felton got it. Then the ACC overturned the Hail Mary touchdown — which would have resulted in the Hokies upsetting the Canes — to an incomplete pass.

But before that mess, Cam Ward put the Canes on his back, just as Beatrix Kiddo hurled two buckets of water up the steps of Pai Mei and threw for 343 passing yards and four touchdowns while adding 57 yards and a rushing score in the win.

9. Missouri (4-0)

Result week 5: idle

10. Clemson (3-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Stanford 40-14

With their third straight win and at least 40 points each, the Tigers are looking like one of the best teams in the ACC again.

11. Michigan (4-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Minnesota 27-24

It was Michigan’s 27th straight win against a Big Ten opponent. The 27-24 win came despite another poor passing performance from quarterback Alex Orji, who went 10 of 18 for 86 yards.

Although the Wolverines played carefree football early on, they were unable to finish with confidence. Minnesota scored 21 points in the fourth quarter.

12. Iowa State (4-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Houston 20-0

The Cyclones are tied atop the Big 12 with BYU and Colorado and are off to their first 4-0 start since 2000.

Quarterback Rocco Becht is awesome and Iowa State’s defense has been great, holding opponents to an average of 7.3 points per game.

13. USC (3-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Wisconsin 38-21

Despite being booed off the field at halftime, the Trojans scored 28 unanswered points in the second half at the Coliseum to improve to 3-1 as Miller Moss passed for 308 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

14. Oklahoma (4-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Auburn 27-21

With just over four minutes to play, linebacker Kip Lewis hit a pick-six that gave Oklahoma its first SEC win. True freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. became the first Oklahoma quarterback to win his first road start in school history.

15. BYU (5-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Byalor 34-28

After last weekend’s dominant performance against Kansas State, this could have been a blip for the Cougars. But instead, Kalani Sitake’s team took care of a Baylor team that fell to 2-3 after the loss.

No. 22 BYU Cougars vs. Baylor Bears Highlights

16. LSU (4-1)

Result week 5: Defeated South Alabama 42-10

Garrett Nussmier continues to look like a legitimate SEC quarterback, rushing for a career-high 409 yards in LSU’s 42-10 win over South Alabama. Caden Durham totaled 217 yards from scrimmage, while Brian Kelly’s team racked up 667 yards of total offense in the win.

17. Ole Miss (4-1)

Result week 5: Lost to Kentucky, 20-17

Lane Kiffin may have a good football team, but you can’t go 1-10 in third place with a loss to Kentucky and expect to stay in the top 15 of these rankings.

18. Notre Dame (4-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Louisville 31-24

Riley Leonard had just one passing touchdown before Notre Dame’s game against Louisville. The senior QB doubled that total on Saturday, throwing for 163 yards and two scores, as well as rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown in the win.

19. Boise State (3-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Washington State 45-24

Ashton Jeanty plays like the best running back in the country, and that’s not even close. The all-rounder carried the ball 26 times for 259 yards and four touchdowns in the win. This was Jeanty’s fourth 200-yard game, tying the school record.

Highlights: Washington State Cougars vs. No. 25 Boise State Broncos

20. UNLV (4-0)

Result week 5: Defeated Fresno State, 59-14

UNLV started conference play without using QB Matthew Sluka, who announced through his agent earlier this week that he would sit out the remainder of the season due to a NIL 100,000 payment that he was reportedly promised before joining UNLV but never received had been paid out.

Hajj-Malik Williams stepped in and the Rebels didn’t miss a beat. Williams threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns while adding 119 yards and a score on the ground in a dominant win over Fresno State.

21. Kansas State (4-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Oklahoma State 42-20

Taylen Green proved that a dual-threat QB can light up Oklahoma State as he racked up 416 passing yards and 61 rushing yards against this defense. Then Utah tailback Micah Benard ran through the Cowboys defense for 183 yards. On Saturday, DJ Giddens rushed for 187 yards on 15 carries.

22. Illinois (4-1)

Result week 5: Lost to Penn State, 21-7

Illinois and Tennessee were the only programs in the country with two top-25 wins heading into Week 5. Brett Bielema’s team hoped for another win on Saturday, but fell short with a 21-7 loss to Penn State. The Illini gave up 239 yards on the ground and produced just 219 yards of total offense in the loss.

23. Texas A&M (4-1)

Result week 5: Defeated Arkansas 21-17

Marcel Reed threw two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 5-yard score Tre Watson Nine minutes before the end of the game, the victory was secured for the Aggies.

24. Utah (4-1)

Result week 5: Lost to Arizona, 23-10

The Utes were able to get through last weekend without Cam Rising, but that wasn’t the case again Saturday night against Arizona. Kyle Whittingham’s team struggled on offense as QB Issac Wilson completed just 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions in the loss.

25. Indiana (5-0)

It’s time to give the Hoosiers, who are off to their first 5-0 start since 1967, some well-deserved respect. First-year head coach Curt Cignetti, coming from James Madison, promised Hoosier fans that he would put his stamp on the team’s program, and he has done just that through five games.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and host of the podcast “The number one college football show.“Follow him around @RJ_Young And Subscribe to The RJ Young Show on YouTube.

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