College Football

College Football Rankings: Alabama, Georgia and Iowa lead RJ Young's Top 25

Updated Oct. 3, 2021 8:45 p.m. ET

By RJ Young
FOX Sports College Football Writer

Editor’s note: Every Sunday morning during the college football season, RJ Young will release his updated Top 25 rankings.

Earlier this week, I pondered the odds of Cincinnati beating Notre Dame, Maryland beating Iowa, Ole Miss beating Alabama and Arkansas beating Georgia. In each of those games, the favorite won.

Still, there was some moving and shaking among the top 10 and at the back of the top 25, with undefeated and ranked teams matched up all over the country in Week 5.

Three Group of 5 teams are still in the mix to make the College Football Playoff, but Alabama and Georgia clearly separated themselves with dominant performances against AP No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 8 Arkansas, respectively.

Let's get to the rankings.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0)
Defeated Ole Miss 42-21

When Lane Kiffin said to get our popcorn ready, I don’t think he meant Alabama rolling up 451 yards of offense and Tide tailback Brian Robinson Jr. rushing for 171 yards and four TDs on 36 carries.

Maybe he did. Either way, this popcorn tastes great.

2. Georgia Bulldogs (5-0)
Defeated Arkansas 37-0

The Dawgs have allowed just one offensive TD this season, allowed just 4.6 points per game, outscored SEC opponents 133-13 and outscored their past two SEC opponents 99-0.

3. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0)
Defeated Maryland 51-14

The Hawkeyes rolled into Maryland Stadium and took out the previously undefeated Terrapins like Omar and Brother Mouzone did Stringer Bell.

Iowa hasn't allowed more than 24 points in a game since Nov. 23, 2018. That’s 27 straight games of holding opponents under 25 points. If you score four TDs on the Hawkeyes, keep the ball.

Iowa had six interceptions in this game.

4. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0)
Defeated Indiana 24-0

Penn State is the first team to shut out Indiana since Michigan accomplished the feat in 2000 with a 58-0 win. That’s a span of 246 games. The Nittany Lions’ game at Iowa next Saturday (4 p.m. ET on FOX) is the most anticipated meeting between the two in years.

5. BYU Cougars (5-0)
Defeated Utah State 34-20

BYU has twice as many top-25 wins as Cincinnati, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Michigan combined.

6. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0)
Defeated Notre Dame 24-13

The win over No. 9 Notre Dame marks Cincinnati’s first-ever road win against a top-10 team and first win against a top-10 anywhere since the Bearcats beat No. 7 Rutgers 30-11 on Nov. 18, 2006, at Nippert Stadium.

7. Kentucky Wildcats (5-0)
Defeated Florida 20-13

The Wildcats knocked off Florida in Lexington after losing 16 straight at home to the Gators dating to 1986. It was UK’s first win against an AP Top 10 team since 2010.

Mark Stoops needs just seven wins to overtake Paul "Bear" Bryant for the most by a Kentucky head coach all time.

Florida’s best win is still a two-point loss to No. 1 Alabama.

8. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0)
Defeated Kansas State 37-31

The win was Oklahoma’s 13th in a row. That’s the second-longest active streak in the country. But the Sooners still lack a win against a ranked opponent.

It was win No. 50 for coach Lincoln Riley. Only Barry Switzer (56) and Bud Wilkinson (57) got to 50 wins faster. That means Riley got there quicker than even Bob Stoops.

But all is good for Bob. His alma mater (Iowa) is 5-0. His brother's team (Kentucky) is 5-0. His son's team (Oklahoma) is 5-0. Coach Stoops is 15-0 in 2021.

9. Michigan Wolverines (5-0)
Defeated Wisconsin 38-17

The Wolverines are 5-0 for the first time since 2016.

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10. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (5-0)
Defeated Louisiana-Monroe 59-6

The Chanticleers have scored 49 points or more in four of their first five games and have allowed just nine points in their past two.

11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0)
Defeated Baylor 24-14

The Cowboys held Baylor to 14 points and 280 yards of total offense. At kickoff, the Bears averaged 42.8 points and 490.8 yards a game.

It’s the first time since 2015 that OSU has started the season 5-0, and its past two wins have come against AP Top-25 programs.

12. Michigan State Spartans (5-0)
Defeated Western Kentucky 48-31

13. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-0)
Defeated Louisville 37-34

Wake Forest is 5-0 for the third time since 2006 and the first time since 2019. The Demon Deacons are 3-0 in the ACC for the first time since 2011.

14. Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1)
Lost to Georgia 37-0

The Hogs are a good football team, with two top-15 wins. They lost to one of the two best teams in the sport.

15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1)
Lost to Cincinnati 24-13

The Irish have a top-25 win in their pocket, and their loss came to a top-10 program.

16. Oregon Ducks (4-1)
Lost to Stanford 31-24 (OT)

While losing to an unranked opponent hurts, remember that the Ducks went on the road and knocked off a Buckeyes team that has just one loss and has put up 43.3 points per game.

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17. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-1)
Defeated Rutgers 52-13

Oregon, the team that beat Ohio State, took a loss to a 2-2 Stanford. The team that beat Notre Dame is undefeated Cincinnati, and the team that beat Arkansas is one of the two best teams in the sport.

I hate it when we get to where we have to rank the best loss, but that’s why I’ve continued to cape for a 16-team playoff.

18. SMU Mustangs 5-0
Defeated South Florida 41-17

SMU has started each of the past three seasons 5-0, the first time that has happened since a stretch from 1981 to 1983.

19. UTSA Roadrunners (5-0)
Defeated UNLV 24-17

The Roadrunners are off to their best start since 2012.

20. San Diego State Aztecs (4-0)

21. Wyoming Cowboys (4-0)

22. Ole Miss Rebels (3-1)
Lost to Alabama 42-21

23. Texas Longhorns (4-1)
Defeated TCU 32-27

It’s time to start talking about Bijan Robinson joining Reggie and Matt’s Club Heisman. Robinson had 37 touches for 238 yards against Gary Patterson’s defense, and 216 of those were rush yards.

The Longhorns’ only loss is to a previously top-10 Arkansas on the road.

24. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1)
Defeated UCLA 42-23

ASU’s only loss came against a top-10 BYU.

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Arizona State beat UCLA 42-23 behind the defense's second-half shutout. QB Jayden Daniels threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns, and WR Ricky Pearsall caught four passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

25. North Carolina State Wolfpack (4-1)
Defeated Louisiana Tech 34-27

NC State’s only loss is to a Mississippi State team with a top-25 win against Texas A&M, and the Wolfpack have a top-25 win against Clemson in their pocket with an eye toward the ACC title game.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The No. 1 Ranked Show with RJ Young." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young, and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube. He is not on a StepMill.