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2026 College Football Rankings Recap: Week 5
Texas (4-0) takes over the top spot in The Davis Rankings, up from 2nd after week 5 of the 2026 season, with a score of 95.6 out of 100. The rest of the top five: #2 Alabama, #3 Notre Dame, #4 UCLA, #5 Miami.
Every score comes from the same published formula, explained on the methodology page.
Editor's note
It pays to win! Look at 
Western Michigan now 3-2 and shooting up to #53. Imagine if they were in a power conference, the talk would be everyone knows they are 4-1. But here at TDR it about the wins and even though Western Michigan lost their win over 
Michigan), they have to work their way out of the hole. A fun season to watch "Brown and Gold".
Until next week.
Just Win! Excuses and Polls are for Losers.
The top 25
The Real Big 10 - trying to keep the losers out... Rutgers (#132)
| Rank | Team | Record | TDR scoreTDR | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Texas | 4-0 | 95.6 | ▲ 1 |
| 2 |  Alabama | 5-0 | 95.2 | ▲ 3 |
| 3 |  Notre Dame | 5-0 | 94.8 | - |
| 4 |  UCLA | 4-0 | 94.5 | - |
| 5 |  Miami | 5-0 | 93.5 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 |  BYU | 4-0 | 92.9 | - |
| 7 |  Pittsburgh | 5-0 | 91.8 | ▲ 11 |
| 8 |  North Dakota State | 5-0 | 91.5 | ▲ 2 |
| 9 |  James Madison | 5-0 | 91.4 | ▲ 5 |
| T-10 |  Duke | 4-0 | 91.2 | ▲ 2 |
| T-10 |  Texas Tech | 5-0 | 91.2 | ▲ 6 |
| 12 |  Utah | 4-0 | 90.8 | ▲ 4 |
| 13 |  Georgia | 5-0 | 90.4 | ▲ 6 |
| 14 |  Indiana | 5-0 | 90.3 | ▲ 6 |
| 15 |  Nebraska | 5-0 | 90.1 | ▲ 5 |
| 16 |  USC | 5-1 | 82.2 | ▲ 37 |
| 17 |  Ohio State | 4-1 | 80.8 | ▲ 11 |
| 18 |  Wake Forest | 4-1 | 80.5 | ▲ 6 |
| 19 |  Fresno State | 4-1 | 80.2 | ▲ 8 |
| 20 |  Missouri | 4-1 | 78.5 | ▲ 39 |
| 21 |  Kentucky | 4-1 | 77.7 | ▲ 13 |
| 22 |  Houston | 4-1 | 77.2 | ▲ 15 |
| 23 |  Boise State | 4-1 | 77.0 | ▲ 8 |
| 24 |  LSU | 4-1 | 76.9 | ▲ 2 |
| T-25 |  Minnesota,  UTSA | 4-1, 4-1 | 76.8 | - |
Biggest movers
24 teams jumped two or more tiers (13 up, 11 down). 53 more moved a single tier.
Risers
| Team | From | Direction | To | Tiers | Rank | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Temple 2-3 | Oh Crap | → | Do We Need to Talk? | ▲ 2 | 129 → 82 | ▲ 47 |
| After a road win at T-12 South Florida (17-13) in a one-score game. An upset: Temple entered with 19.7 TDR points to South Florida's 91.4. Now 2-3, snapped a 3-game losing streak. TDR score +28.0: win/loss record +8.2, road-win bonus +2.9. | ||||||
 Texas A&M 3-2 | Do We Need to Talk? | → | Feeling Good | ▲ 2 | 89 → 44 | ▲ 45 |
| After a home win over #69 Arkansas (34-7) in a blowout. An upset: Texas A&M entered with 44.0 TDR points to Arkansas's 55.6. Now 3-2. TDR score +21.7: win/loss record +5.5, road-win bonus +0.9. | ||||||
 New Mexico State 2-3 | Oh Crap | → | Do We Need to Talk? | ▲ 2 | 132 → T-87 | ▲ 45 |
| After a home win over #108 Western Kentucky (34-13) in a blowout. An upset: New Mexico State entered with 19.1 TDR points to Western Kentucky's 37.0. Now 2-3. TDR score +26.6: win/loss record +8.2, road-win bonus +2.1. | ||||||
 Iowa State 3-2 | Sick of It | → | Character Building | ▲ 2 | 101 → T-57 | ▲ 44 |
| After a home win over #64 West Virginia (45-42) in a one-score game. An upset: Iowa State entered with 38.7 TDR points to West Virginia's 57.3. Now 3-2. TDR score +22.9: win/loss record +5.5, road-win bonus +1.5. | ||||||
 Georgia Southern 2-3 | Oh Crap | → | Do We Need to Talk? | ▲ 2 | 130 → 86 | ▲ 44 |
| After a road win at T-123 Coastal Carolina (31-24) in a one-score game. A coin flip: Georgia Southern entered with 19.5 TDR points to Coastal Carolina's 20.1. Now 2-3, snapped a 3-game losing streak. TDR score +27.0: win/loss record +8.2, road-win bonus +2.7. | ||||||
and 8 more tier jumpers
Northwestern 83→41, South Alabama 104→62, Louisiana Tech 111→69, Syracuse 113→72, Kansas 113→73, Missouri 59→20, USC 53→16, Ohio 76→T-48
Fallers
| Team | From | Direction | To | Tiers | Rank | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clemson 3-2 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 23 → 74 | ▼ 51 |
| After a home loss to T-6 Miami (13-41) in a blowout. As expected: Clemson entered with 77.7 TDR points to Miami's 93.3. Now 3-2, snapped a 3-game winning streak. TDR score -25.6: win/loss record -8.2, road-win bonus -1.8. | ||||||
 Auburn 3-2 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 25 → 75 | ▼ 50 |
| After a road loss at #67 Tennessee (14-24). An upset: Auburn entered with 77.4 TDR points to Tennessee's 56.8. Now 3-2. TDR score -25.4: win/loss record -8.2, road-win bonus -1.1. | ||||||
 South Florida 4-1 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 12 → 61 | ▼ 49 |
| After a home loss to #129 Temple (13-17) in a one-score game. An upset: South Florida entered with 91.4 TDR points to Temple's 19.7. Now 4-1, first loss of the season. TDR score -30.6: win/loss record -11.0, road-win bonus -2.9. | ||||||
 UCF 3-2 | Feeling Good | → | Do We Need to Talk? | ▼ 2 | 32 → 79 | ▼ 47 |
| After a road loss at T-37 Houston (17-27). A coin flip: UCF entered with 73.8 TDR points to Houston's 73.2. Now 3-2. TDR score -25.6: win/loss record -8.2, road-win bonus -1.3. | ||||||
 Iowa 4-1 | Winning | → | Character Building | ▼ 2 | 11 → 56 | ▼ 45 |
| After a home loss to #28 Ohio State (14-31). An upset: Iowa entered with 91.8 TDR points to Ohio State's 76.6. Now 4-1, first loss of the season. AP: #14 to #20. TDR score -30.1: win/loss record -11.0, road-win bonus -2.7. | ||||||
and 6 more tier jumpers
Massachusetts 22→66, Marshall 37→81, Cincinnati 15→T-57, Virginia 43→T-84, Arizona State 50→91, Miami (OH) 72→T-109
Weekly awards
Eight awards in four groups, each with one you want and one you don’t. The biggest poll gaps are in Polls vs the data, in detail under Mind the Gap. Season totals for every team are on the Awards page. The week’s game honors are in Games that mattered.
Kitchen
Who sits on top of the rankings, and who is stuck at the bottom.
Mountaineering
Two straight weeks of climbing, and two straight weeks of falling.
Biggest two-week rise, up both weeks
Biggest two-week fall, down both weeks
Mind the Gap
Where the polls and the data disagree most.
Data rank far better than any poll's
Poll rank far better than the data's
Polls vs the data, in detail
The biggest gaps between the TDR rank and the best rank in any poll. A team in no poll counts as just outside them, so its gap is a minimum (shown with a +). Gaps under 5 spots are not listed.
Wins don't matter
TDR counts every win.
| Team | TDR | AP | Coaches | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State 5-0 | 8 | NR | NR | ▲ 18+ |
| UCLA 4-0 | 4 | 21 | 22 | ▲ 17 |
| Pittsburgh 5-0 | 7 | 25 | 24 | ▲ 17 |
| James Madison 5-0 | 9 | NR | NR | ▲ 17+ |
Moving Company
The biggest single-week moves up and down the rankings.
Biggest rank rise of the week
Biggest rank fall of the week
Games that mattered
The week’s standout games, each shown once, in the first list it qualifies for. The one exception: a close loss by a top-25 team can be in both Upset of the Week and Winnin’ ain’t easy (one is about the size of the gap, the other about how close it was). Upset of the Week, Winnin’ ain’t easy and Coin Flips are recognitions: they are not trophy-case awards, so they never go on a helmet.
The lowest-entering team to beat a better-ranked one. Ranks are from the week before.
- Temple beat South Florida17-13#129 vs #12117 spots
Eastern Michigan beat 
Massachusetts38-14#86 vs #2264 spots
Bowling Green beat 
Miami (OH)24-20#135 vs #7263 spots
Louisiana Tech beat 
Army31-29#111 vs #5160 spots- Missouri beat
Florida45-17#59 vs #851 spots
A top-25 team in a one-score game against a team ranked far below it: it survived, or it fell. Ranks are from the week before.
- Temple beat South Florida17-13#129 vs #12top-25 team fell by 4
- BYU beat
TCU17-10#6 vs #101top-25 team survived by 7
Teams within 3 points of each other on paper going in, closest finish first. Scores are away, then home.
- Pittsburgh at
Virginia Tech35-332.2 points apartwon by 2 
Ohio at 
Kent State13-100.8 points apartwon by 3- Georgia Southern at
Coastal Carolina31-240.6 points apartwon by 7
One-score games involving a top-60 team that are not already above.
- Kentucky beat
South Carolina35-34#21 vs T-101won by 1 
North Texas beat 
Tulsa45-44#52 vs T-87won by 1- UTSA beat
Rice16-14T-25 vs #125won by 2 
Louisiana beat 
Arkansas State23-20T-31 vs #100won by 3- Iowa State beat
West Virginia45-42T-57 vs T-84won by 3
The biggest margins by a team in the current top 50, the two top tiers.
- Wake Forest beat
Stanford57-3#18 vs #96won by 54 
New Mexico beat 
UTEP61-7#36 vs #126won by 54
Memphis beat 
Charlotte59-8T-33 vs #137won by 51
Conference snapshot
Conferences by average team score, with how many of each conference's teams sit in each tier. This is a different measure from the non-conference record ranking (for this week) on the standings page.
| Conference | Avg score | Highest-ranked team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | 66.1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | #1Texas |
| Big 12 | 63.2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | - | #6BYU |
| Big Ten | 62.1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | #4UCLA |
| ACC | 56.7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | - | #5Miami |
| American Athletic | 49.2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | T-25UTSA |
| Sun Belt | 44.6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | #9James Madison |
| Pac-12 | 44.6 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | #19Fresno State |
| Mountain West | 44.0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | 2 | 3 | #8North Dakota State |
| Mid-American | 41.2 | - | 2 | 4 | - | 4 | 3 | #37 Toledo |
| Conference USA | 38.2 | - | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | - | #29 Liberty |
Winning | Feeling Good | Character Building | Do We Need to Talk? | Sick of It | Oh Crap
The most teams in the Winning tier: SEC and Big Ten (6 each). The most teams in the bottom two tiers (Sick of It and Oh Crap): Mid-American (7).
Not ranked as a conference: FBS Independents (not a conference: Notre Dame #3, UConn #114).
Conference race
Who leads each conference and what the title game picture looks like. Ties are shown as ties, never broken: each conference decides them with its own rules. See the full conference standings.
| Conference | Leaders | Title game |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | TiedAlabama, Georgia and Texas tied for the top two spots | |
| Big 12 | TiedBYU, Texas Tech, Baylor, Utah and Oklahoma State tied for the top two spots | |
| Big Ten | TiedUCLA, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Oregon tied for the top two spots | |
| ACC | TiedMiami, Pittsburgh and Duke tied for the top two spots | |
| American Athletic | TiedUTSA, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, North Texas and UAB tied for the top two spots | |
| Sun Belt | DivisionsEast and West leaders meet in the title game | |
| Pac-12 | TiedFresno State, Boise State, Oregon State and San Diego State tied for the top two spots | |
| Mountain West | TiedNorth Dakota State, New Mexico, UNLV and San José State tied for the top two spots | |
| Mid-American | TiedEastern Michigan, Toledo, Ohio, Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Bowling Green tied for the top two spots | |
| Conference USA | TiedLiberty, Jacksonville State and New Mexico State tied for the top two spots |
Looking ahead to week 6
The biggest games between current top-25 teams, best matchup first.
Show all 58 games between ranked teams
Every game next week between two ranked FBS teams, best matchup first. The matchup score is the two ranks added together plus how far apart they are (lower is better). A coin marks a toss-up by the numbers.
#65 
#73 
#78 
#83 
#27 
#72 
#84 
#70 
#89 
#90 
#92 
#64 
#97 
#35 
#98 
#101 
#101 
#54 
#104 
#111 
#95 
#114 
#115 
#117 
#91 
#118 
#119 
#120 
#122 
#94 
#123 
#121 
#124 
#70 
#127 
#67 
#129 
#41 
#130 
#130 
#81 
#134 
#127 
#135 
#42 See the full 2026 week 5 rankings, see every team by tier, the conference standings, or browse every weekly recap.
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