Clemson Football: Ranking College Football resumes after Week 5

This is this week’s Resume Top 25:

1. Clemson: 20.25

2. Georgia: 20

T3. Penn State: 19 – The Nittany Lions have one slight advantage over their Big Ten peers Ohio State & Michigan: Penn State was willing to play a non-conference Power Five opponent on the road. Yes, it was Auburn, but still P5, on the Plains and a victory.

T3. USC: 19 – If your eyes tell you the Trojans aren’t living up to expectations, consider if those expectations were set too high. The reality is that USC has the same resume as Alabama or Penn State: two road wins over the Power Five, one home win against the P5 and two home wins against the Group of Five. Eye test tells us the Crimson Tide is better, but that doesn’t mean the Trojans aren’t winning the most important stat: scoreboard.

T3. Alabama: 19

6. Kansas: 17 – The Jayhawks are finally ranked, and they deserve it. Now comes the hard part: a backloaded schedule with Norman and Waco. They host TCU this weekend.

T7. Michigan: 15

T7. UCLA: 15 – The Bruins were the quietest undefeated P5 team until this past Friday when they beat Washington. They are no longer in the shadows on the West Coast, and now have defending conference champion Utah coming to the Rose Bowl this weekend. Chip Kelly will have to earn his paycheck from this point forward.

T7. Ole Miss: 15 – The Rebels probably should have won by more against Kentucky, but that’s eye test stuff. Ole Miss appears nicely positioned to continue building their resume up to their November 12th clash with Alabama in Oxford.

T7. Florida State: 15 – The Seminoles hit a speed bump in Tallahassee against Wake Forest, who is starting to prove themselves as a very good team. That doesn’t mean Florida State isn’t improved over the past four seasons. They are still in a good position to work their way back into the Top 25.

11. TCU: 14 – I liked TCU in the Big 12 this season because of Sonny Dykes. Maybe I should have kept my eye on Max Duggan.

T12. Wake Forest: 13 – If you have to lose at home, at least lose at home to a Top 25 opponent. Teams often have a “Clemson hangover” but the Deacons wanted nothing to do with that. I think Wake is the 2nd best team in the ACC Atlantic, pending our chance to see Syracuse play a good team.

T12. Ohio State: 13

T12. Tennessee: 13 – Vols fans right now: “How do we drop on our bye week?” Two reasons. First, bye weeks don’t help your resume score because the other teams are out there winning and adding to their score while you are sitting at home. Second, Pitt lost to Georgia Tech and dropped out of the Top 25. That road win in Pittsburgh is still good, just not quite as good as it once was.

15. Oregon: 12.75 – Oregon has won four straight since their opening loss to Georgia on a ‘neutral’ field. Credit to head coach Dan Lanning for keeping the Ducks focused.

T16. Syracuse: 12 – Good news: The Orange is 5-0, Sean Tucker is rolling and quarterback Garrett Shrader is playing well. Bad news: their schedule is backloaded. They have a bye week, then host NC State, followed by at Clemson, Notre Dame, at Pitt, Florida State and at Wake Forest.

T16. Oklahoma State: 12 – I had to double check this score because it seemed low, but the Cowboys have only played four games and this past weekend’s win over Baylor was their first road game.

T16. Mississippi State: 12 – I like the Pirate. I just don’t trust the Pirate or his team. They host Arkansas this weekend? Nothing says ‘more cowbell’ like the Bulldogs losing a game to a squad on a two-game losing streak right after MSU gets ranked.

T16. Tulane: 12 – The Cincinnati Bearcats just entered the AP Top 25 and are the only Group of Five team ranked this week but keep an eye on the Green Wave. They sport a Top 25 road win against Kansas State.

T20. Duke: 11 – Mike Elko is doing some work. I mean, they appear to be on a collision course with the Tar Heels for the Coastal championship.

T20. Coastal Carolina: 11 – Hello there, my old friend. The Chants are still a good squad.

T22. Illinois: 10 – Hello there….Bret Bielema? Yeah, I didn’t see this coming either. I bet it felt good for him to win in Madison. He should have busted out a cigar and a red solo cup (too soon, State fans?).

T22. Maryland: 10 – Fear the Turtle….a little bit.

T22. BYU: 10 – Baylor dropped out of the AP Top 25, so that hurt the Cougars’ score, but the real problem is that they don’t play a P5 schedule. That will change in a couple years, but right now, BYU can’t put together a great resume if they play seven G5 teams.

T22. Utah: 10 – Outside the opening game against Florida, Utah’s opening schedule hasn’t been very difficult, so it has been a challenge for them to make up ground after the loss in The Swamp. They have UCLA on deck, so their chance has arrived.

T22. Washington State: 10 – Just being on this list is impressive for Wazzu.

T22. Kentucky: 10 – Tough loss on the road, but look who’s next. South Carolina. A get-right game. Just don’t wet the bed. A loss to the Gamecocks will put your fans into basketball mode.