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NCAA College Football 2006 Week 5 Top 25
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DTMagazine Home NCAA Top 25 Pre-season Rankings
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NCAA College Football Top 25 - Week 5
Rick Gagliano | 10/2/06
Through games of Sept. 30
--- Week 5 Notes below ---
Most impressive
The most impressive wins of the week had to be by Florida, Georgia Tech and Ohio State. The Gators rallied against a superb Alabama defense from a 10-0 deficit to score four TDs and hold the Crimson Tide to just one field goal in the last 2 1/2 quarters. Gators' QB Chris Leak was exceptional, throwing for 174 yards and 2 TDs completing 14 of 20 passes. The Florida defense was also top notch when it mattered, picking off Alabama's John Parker Wilson three times, the last of which sealed the victory when Reggie Nelson rambled 70 yards to close out the scoring at 28-10.
Playing on the road for the second straight year, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets avenged a 51-7 thumping by the Hokies a year ago with a masterful 38-27 drubbing of their own. Reggie Ball hooked up with Calvin Johnson and RB Tashard Choice scored from five yards out to make it 21-0 in the first quarter. While the Hokies fought back valiantly, they were never able to get closer than 21-13 and when the Yellow Jackets scored twice in the third quarter to increase their lead to 38-13, the game was essentially over. In a statistical anomaly, the Hokies recorded 25 first downs to Georgia Tech's 11, though the final score favored the visitors, 38-27.
The win was huge for Georgia Tech, giving them a leg up in the ACC Coastal division. Their only loss was on opening day to Notre Dame (non-conference) and their next major concern would seem to be Clemson on October 21. The Yellow Jackets could conceivably run the table and capture the ACC title with no conference losses and just one loss overall. The ACC has been completely upended with perennial favorites Miami and Florida State already with losses. Believe it or not, Wake Forest leads the Atlantic Division with 1 win against 0 losses, but it is early. Stay tuned...
The much ballyhooed tilt between Iowa and Ohio State turned into a 38-17 laugher when Iowa QB Drew Tate imploded and tossed three interceptions to the grateful Buckeye defense. When Aaron Pettrey kicked a 36-yard field goal at the beginning of the 4th quarter, Ohio State had a 31-10 lead and probably began thinking about the end of the conference schedule and their date with the Michigan Wolverines. With Michigan winning 28-14 at Minnesota, the two traditional Big 10 powerhouses now seem headed for a cataclysmic conclusion on November 18 in Columbus.
Both the Buckeyes and Wolverines have the bulk of their conference schedules still ahead, but thus far these two teams seem to be heads and shoulders above the competition.
Mizzou come through
The Missouri Tigers improved to 5-0 with a home win over the Colorado Buffaloes this past weekend and are tied with arch-rival Nebraska at 1-0 in the Big 12 North. The Tigers entered Saturday's game with the top-ranked defense in the nation, but didn't inspire much confidence in allowing the Buffs to roll up over 500 yards of offense.
Despite being outgained by more than 100 yards, the Tigers rode the arm of QB Chase Daniel to a 28-13 victory. Daniel accounted for all the scoring, tossing TD strikes of 1, 2, 9 and 9 yards, and amassing 253 yards through the air on 23 of 35 efficiency. Daniel was picked twice, but the Missouri defense held their own, limiting the Colorado offense to two first half field goals and a third quarter touchdown.
The Mizzou will be tested severely with games against Texas Tech, A&M, Kansas St., Oklahoma and Nebraska in the next five weeks of conference play. These games will prove to Missouri fans whether their team is a contender or pretender.
Best in the West?
USC improved to 4-0 with an unconvincing 28-22 win at Washington State. John David Booty threw a pair of scoring strikes to Steve Smith, but was also intercepted once and sacked three times by the Cougars. The running game continues to be a concern for the Trojans. Chauncey Washington led 3 different backs with 71 yards on 18 carries and a TD, but the ground game is a mere shadow of what it was with Reggie Bush in the backfield.
The Oregon Ducks solidified their claim with a 48-13 hammering of Arizona State and the Cal Bears continued their quest for the PAC-10 crown with a 41-13 pasting of Oregon State. UCLA blew out winless Stanford, 31-0, but have an uphill battle after unexpectedly losing to Washington on September 23rd. The Bruins are 1-1 in the conference, while Oregon, USC and Cal share the lead with identical 2-0 records.
The PAC-10 looks to be one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. The Trojans, after dominating for 3 years, seem to have fallen back to a level which can be approached by the other top teams.
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