Football Weather
Penn State & Michigan Collapse, Alabama Rolls + AP Poll Confusion | Football Weather Week 5 Recap
Penn State got run over by Northwestern, Michigan lost the Little Brown Jug, Alabama dismantled undefeated Mississippi State—and Week 5 exposed just how many early-season college football narratives were wrong. Galen Clavio and Matt Blaszka break down a chaotic weekend, beginning with Pitt’s bizarre escape at Virginia Tech and Northwestern’s stunning 34-13 demolition of Penn State. The Wildcats ran for more than 400 yards, while Matt Campbell’s rebuild suddenly looks much more complicated than expected. Ohio State then delivered another convincing statement at Iowa, with Jeremiah Smith overwhelming one of the country’s better defenses. In the SEC, Alabama crushed Mississippi State, Missouri dismantled Florida and the supposed depth of the league suddenly looks much harder to evaluate. Are Georgia and Alabama separating from everybody else? The problems are even more dramatic at Michigan. Minnesota reclaimed the Little Brown Jug as the Wolverines fell to 3-2, their offense struggled again and major questions emerged about Bryce Underwood, Kyle Whittingham and whether Michigan has successfully adapted to the modern college football era. Galen and Matt also examine USC’s narrow win over Washington, Florida State’s blowout of Virginia, the increasingly confusing ACC and a Big 12 race that suddenly includes more contenders than expected. Then comes the AP Poll. Why is Ole Miss still ranked so highly despite poor underlying metrics? Why do head-to-head results matter for some teams but apparently not others? And how much should preseason expectations continue influencing rankings five weeks into the season? The show closes with the latest Football Weather Merit Poll and a look at Northwestern’s new Ryan Field for the Football Weather Game of the Week. Subscribe to Football Weather for smart, analytical and conversational coverage of college football from across the national landscape.
