RADIO
The fourth week of the 2024 college football season saw plenty of dramatic finishes. Illinois took down Nebraska in a ranked matchup on Friday, Colorado won after converting a desperation Hail Mary, Missouri narrowly survived at home against Vanderbilt, and Michigan and Utah held on for wins against ranked opponents. Slates like last week are why we love college football.
The new season is still young and is getting ready to heat up. Week 5 is headlined by a top-five matchup between Alabama and Georgia, but other games such as Notre Dame vs. Louisville, Illinois vs. Penn State, and Washington State vs. Boise State warrant our attention. There is still a ton of football to be played, but for now, let's review the latest AP Poll rankings and pick them apart. Sure, rankings mean very little at this point in the season, but it's always a hot topic for debate.
It's time for the next article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams after the weekly Associated Press Poll release. All rankings listed are based on the AP Poll.
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Week 5 College Football AP Poll
BREAKING: Week 5 College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/DyYJiXSze3 pic.twitter.com/MMA9XWSCmx
— On3 (@On3sports) September 22, 2024
Overrated College Football Teams For Week 5
Ohio State Buckeyes: No. 3
Week 4 Result: Def. Marshall (49-14)
Ohio State was listed in this section last week, and although the Buckeyes handled business against Marshall, there are at least a few teams behind OSU in the ranks that are far more battle-tested.
Ryan Day's squad has beaten Akron, Western Michigan, and Marshall, while No. 4 Alabama has a blowout win over a Big Ten school (Wisconsin) on the road, and No. 5 Tennessee has a neutral site domination of N.C. State and a win over No. 15 Oklahoma in Norman on its early-season resume.
By what criteria is Ohio State deserving of the nod over those two SEC schools to this point? Quarterback Will Howard has played well thus far and he has a loaded group of running backs and wide receivers, but we won't actually know if Ohio State is a legitimate top-five team until at least October 12, when a matchup with Oregon arrives.
Many will point out that early-season rankings don't matter, but this one just feels wrong. Other teams have been penalized in the rankings even after winning, so it's reasonable to drop OSU to No. 5.
Texas A&M Aggies: No. 24
Week 4 Result: Def. Bowling Green (26-20)
Can someone explain why the Aggies are ranked, other than the fact that they were ranked in the preseason? Mike Elko is a good football coach and has a great chance to turn the Texas A&M program around, but the 2024 team isn't impressive to this point.
Aggies win 👍#GigEm | #BTHObowlinggreen | @BrookshireBros pic.twitter.com/8PgdwBhQJx
— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) September 22, 2024
A&M began the season with a double-digit home loss to Notre Dame and has since beaten McNeese, Florida, and Bowling Green (barely). A six-point victory over Bowling Green is nothing to rave about, especially since the Week 4 contest was competitive throughout.
Compared to other SEC teams, the Aggies have a manageable schedule, but when SEC play begins, we'll likely see them be exposed as a phony top-25 program this season. You can make an easy argument for unranked Washington State and unranked Indiana to be placed ahead of the Aggies in the Week 5 AP Poll.
Underrated College Football Teams For Week 5
Miami Hurricanes: No. 7
Week 4 Result: Def. South Florida (50-15)
Miami continues to look like a potential College Football Playoff National Championship contender. On the surface, whooping up on South Florida doesn't seem that impressive, but the Bulls came into the season as a contender for a CFP bid, and USF has given Alabama problems in each of the last two seasons.
The Canes are fifth in the country in average scoring margin (+40.3) and have a dominant road with over Florida of the SEC in Week 1. Quarterback Cam Ward appears to be making a real run toward Heisman Trophy candidacy with 16 total touchdowns to just two interceptions through his first four games. And he's completing over 72% of his passes.
WHAT DID CAM WARD JUST DO
WOW
FIRST DOWN CANES pic.twitter.com/QmiwOctGEJ
— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) September 22, 2024
Star transfer running back Damien Martinez hasn't even been needed much to this point in the year, but when he gets rolling, the Canes offense featuring Ward, Martinez, Jordan Lyle, and Xavier Restrepo could be nearly unstoppable. Miami isn't criminally underrated, but I'd have no issue with them jumping No. 6 Ole Miss.
Utah Utes: No. 10
Week 4 Result: Def. No. 14 Oklahoma State (22-19)
Despite seventh-year quarterback Cam Rising missing the Big 12 ranked matchup in Stillwater against Oklahoma State, the Utes emerged victorious behind a strong rushing attack and defensive effort.
Brant Kuithe said 🚶♂️#Big12FB | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/vi48itC50i
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 21, 2024
Head coach Kyle Whittingham models his teams like an SEC or Big Ten physical unit, which is likely to cause matchup problems for most of the Big 12 programs. This early in the season, Utah's top-15 road win should propel them in the rankings ahead of at least No. 9 Penn State, who isn't battle-tested yet.
When Rising gets back to health and gives Utah a legitimate chance to move the ball through the air, Utah's chances to win the conference and punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff will be enhanced.
BYU Cougars: No. 22
Week 4 Result: Def. No. 13 Kansas State (38-9)
It's early, but BYU now has one of the most impressive victories in the 2024 season. Kansas State was roughly a touchdown-favorite at home against BYU, but the Cougars blew the doors off the Wildcats with a 29-point win.
BYU's offense is nothing to write home about, but its defense has allowed just an average of 269 yards and 12.8 points per game through four contests. Like Utah, BYU can win in the Big 12 with a strong stop unit and a serviceable offense. It would be a lot of fun if both Utah schools were undefeated when they square off on November 9, but there is plenty of ball to be played before then.
For now, BYU should jump both Oklahoma schools that are ranked No. 20 and 21.
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