The top 25 college football teams were subject to upsets and close calls alike in Week 5.
Several top-25 teams barely avoided disaster against lower-ranked or unranked competition. It started early in the day with No. 2 Alabama, which overcame the loss of Bryce Young and a 23-point third quarter by No. 20 Arkansas to beat the Razorbacks 49-26 on the road with backup Jalen Milroe.
Top-ranked Georgia nearly lost to unranked Missouri, taking its first lead late in the fourth quarter in what would be a 26-22 victory over the Tigers. And No. 5 Clemson got everything it could handle from No. 10 N.C. State, ultimately upending the Wolfpack 30-20 in a game that featured gritty play by both sides.
No. 7 Kentucky suffered its first loss of the season, falling on the road to unbeaten, 14th-ranked Ole Miss (thanks, in part, to several Wildcats miscues). Rebels coach Lane Kiffin took no prisoners after the game; he trolled Kentucky and its quarterback, Will Levis, following Ole Miss' 22-19 win.
MORE: Week 6 College Football Playoff picture
Those weren't the only games involving top-25 teams that produced surprising results. No. 9 Oklahoma State avenged its Big 12 championship game loss to No. 16 Baylor with a 36-25 win; Mississippi State beat No. 17 Texas A&M 42-24; TCU beat No. 18 Oklahoma 55-24; and No. 22 Wake Forest gave No. 23 Florida State its first loss, 31-21.
With that, The Sporting News looks at the latest AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings for Week 6:
College football rankings for Week 6
Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Alabama | 5-0 | 1,568 (34) |
| 2 | Georgia | 5-0 | 1,545 (23) |
| 3 | Ohio State | 5-0 | 1,492 (7) |
| 4 | Michigan | 5-0 | 1,374 |
| 5 | Clemson | 5-0 | 1,352 |
| 6 | USC | 5-0 | 1,247 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 4-0 | 1,225 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 4-0 | 1,142 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 1,082 |
| 10 | Penn State | 5-0 | 990 |
| 11 | Utah | 4-1 | 919 |
| 12 | Oregon | 4-1 | 823 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4-1 | 811 |
| 14 | N.C. State | 4-1 | 732 |
| 15 | Wake Forest | 4-1 | 668 |
| 16 | BYU | 4-1 | 594 |
| 17 | Kansas | 5-0 | 433 |
| 18 | TCU | 4-0 | 425 |
| 19 | UCLA | 5-0 | 421 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 4-1 | 324 |
| 21 | Syracuse | 5-0 | 306 |
| 22 | Baylor | 3-2 | 230 |
| 23 | Mississippi State | 4-1 | 194 |
| 24 | Washington | 4-1 | 161 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 3-2 | 141 |
Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 140; LSU 89; Florida State 74; Florida 41; Washington State 38; Maryland 37; James Madison 30; Minnesota 23; Texas 22; Texas A&M 20; Air Force 20; Oklahoma 19; Coastal Carolina 11; Purdue 10; North Carolina 9; Tulane 6; Notre Dame 5; Illinois 3; UCF 2; Pitt 1; Duke 1
MORE: College Football Week 5 Overreactions
AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Alabama | 5-0 | 1,523 (25) |
| 2 | Georgia | 5-0 | 1,521 (28) |
| 3 | Ohio State | 5-0 | 1,488 (10) |
| 4 | Michigan | 5-0 | 1,348 |
| 5 | Clemson | 5-0 | 1,345 |
| 6 | USC | 5-0 | 1,233 |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | 4-0 | 1,182 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 4-0 | 1,129 |
| 9 | Ole Miss | 5-0 | 1,068 |
| 10 | Penn State | 5-0 | 959 |
| 11 | Utah | 4-1 | 884 |
| 12 | Oregon | 4-1 | 872 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4-1 | 832 |
| 14 | N.C. State | 4-1 | 691 |
| 15 | Wake Forest | 4-1 | 627 |
| 16 | BYU | 4-1 | 604 |
| 17 | TCU | 4-0 | 514 |
| 18 | UCLA | 5-0 | 510 |
| 19 | Kansas | 5-0 | 476 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 4-1 | 417 |
| 21 | Washington | 4-1 | 180 |
| 22 | Syracuse | 5-0 | 173 |
| 23 | Mississippi State | 4-1 | 164 |
| 24 | Cincinnati | 4-1 | 134 |
| 25 | LSU | 4-1 | 108 |
Others receiving votes: Washington State 91; Baylor 88; Florida State 78; Arkansas 76; James Madison 39; Florida 37; Maryland 25; Coastal Carolina 17; Minnesota 14; Tulane 9; Illinois 6; North Carolina 5; Texas A&M 4; Purdue 2; Oklahoma 2
