Kirk Herbstreit ranks top seven teams of college football Week 5
It’s that time of week again where ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit reveals his top performing teams from the weekend. There were plenty of candidates to choose from after an exciting Week 5, but Herbstreit managed to narrow his list down to seven.
Alabama leads things off in the No. 1 spot after taking down rival Georgia. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a commanding lead in the first half before staving off a late comeback from the Bulldogs to improve to 4-0.
Alabama wasn’t the only SEC teams to make the list, as Kentucky came in right behind them at No. 2. The Wildcats pulled off an upset win against Ole Miss to hand the Rebels their first loss of the year.
You can view Kirk Herbstreit’s full list of the top performing teams from Week 5 below.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama looked well on its way to a dominant win as it led Georgia by a score of 28-0 with 12 minutes to go in the second quarter. The Bulldogs would storm back, but ultimately the Crimson Tide were able to hang on for the 41-34 victory.
Jalen Milroe continued to shine in the win as he recorded four total touchdowns, 374 yards passing and a team-high 117 yards rushing. He has scored at least two passing and two rushing touchdowns in every game this season and ranks No. 2 in the country with 18 touchdowns overall.
2. Kentucky Wildcats
Just two weeks after taking Georgia down to the wire, Kentucky made another statement with a 20-17 road win against No. 6 Ole Miss on Saturday. The Rebels were averaging 55 points per game entering the contest, but the Wildcats defense shut them down.
Ole Miss finished just 1-of-10 on third down as Kentucky also forced a fumble in the second half that stopped a potential touchdown. The Wildcats trailed late in the fourth quarter before marching 83 yards downfield to score the go-ahead touchdown with 2:25 remaining. It marked their first SEC win of the season, and they’ll have a bye next week before facing Vanderbilt on Oct. 12.
3. Arizona Wildcats
Arizona made a case for itself as a contender in the Big 12 after taking out Utah by a score of 23-10 on Saturday in its conference opener. The Wildcats were in control for most of the game as their defense forced a pair of interceptions and also held the Utes to 0-for-4 on their fourth down conversion attempts.
The passing attack was relatively quiet, but it didn’t need to do much with the way the defense played. Still, quarterback Noah Fifita and receiver Tetairoa McMillan have showed already this season how dangerous they can be, connecting 29 times for 503 yards and four touchdowns.
4. UNLV Rebels
In a week where UNLV was immersed in controversy with the Matthew Sluka story, the Rebels sure didn’t show any ill effects on Saturday. They cruised to a 59-14 victory in their Mountain West opener against Fresno State in a contest that was never close.
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Hajj-Malik Williams got the start at quarterback in place of Sluka and dazzled to the tune of four total touchdowns, 182 yards passing and 119 yards rushing. If he can continue to play like that, UNLV may have a shot to challenge Boise State for the conference championship.
5. Colorado Buffaloes
It’s been a dream start to Big 12 play for the Buffaloes, who rolled to a 48-21 win against UCF on Saturday. Colorado is now off to a 2-0 start in its conference games and has matched its win total from last season with four overall victories.
Two-way star Travis Hunter has started to garner some Heisman attention and finished with nine catches for 89 yards and a touchdown as well as coming away with an interception on defense. More importantly, the Buffaloes posted a season-high 128 yards rushing. They’ll be a dangerous offense doing forward if that continues.
6. Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State bounced back in a big way after falling to BYU in Week 4, as it rolled to a 42-20 win against Oklahoma State. Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson was big time, scoring five total touchdowns as he completed 19-of-31 passes for 259 yards.
Johnson wasn’t the only K-State player with a massive day, as running back DJ Giddens totaled 187 yards and one score on the ground. This is a team that had conference championship aspirations entering the year, and they’re not dead yet after what we saw this weekend.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame wraps up Herbstreit’s list of the top performing teams from Week 5. The Fighting Irish earned a 31-24 win against No. 15 Louisville on the back of Riley Leonard.
The dual-threat QB scored three total touchdowns, finishing 17-of-23 passing for 163 yards and also leading the team with 52 yards rushing. Notre Dame has now won three straight since suffering an embarrassing Week 2 upset against Northern Illinois and will get a bye this week before taking on Stanford on Oct. 12.