Three teams ranked way too high at the start of week six and three teams ranked way too low

The latest AP Top 25 poll is here! As week six begins, we are now fully in conference play. Cupcakes will no longer be prevalent in these teams’ schedules. The good news is that conference wins mean more. The bad news is that anyone can beat anyone in league play. We saw that last weekend when unranked Kentucky handed previously unbeaten Ole Miss its first loss of the season.

While the Associated Press gets more and more right every week, even as the same handful of people keep giving multiple first-place votes to an undeserving Ohio State team, we have to make do with what those 60 or so voters decide each week. Over time, we will conduct a more detailed survey once the College Football Playoff Selection Committee meets for the first time in about a month.

Here’s what the Associated Press has identified as the 25 best teams in college football for Week 6.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) (1,549 points, 40 first-place finishes)
2. Texas Longhorns (5-0) (1,525 points, 19 first place finishes)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) (1,445 points, 4 first-place finishes)
4. Tennessee Volunteers (4-0) (1,356 points)
5. Georgia Bulldogs (3-1) (1,329 points)
6. Oregon Ducks (4-0) (1,216 points)
7. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) (1,208 points)
8. Miami Hurricanes (5-0) (1,170 points)
9. Missouri Tigers (4-0) (1,085 points)
10. Michigan Wolverines (4-1) (913 points)
11. USC Trojans (3-1) (854 points)
12. Ole Miss Rebels (4-1) (799 points)
13. LSU Tigers (4-1) (757 points)
14. Notre Dame fights against Irish (4-1) (748 points)
15. Clemson Tigers (3-1) (694 points)
16. Cyclones in the state of Iowa (4-0) (656 points)
17. BYU Cougars (5-0) (549 points)
18. Utah Utes (4-1) (467 points)
19. Oklahoma Sooners (4-1) (428 points)
20. Kansas State Wildcats (4-1) (398 points)
21. Boise State Broncos (3-1) (253 points)
22. Louisville Cardinals (3-1) (223 points)
23. Indiana Hoosiers (5-0) (172 points)
24. Illinois battles Illinois (4-1) (169 points)
25. UNLV Rebels (4-0) (122 points)

And here’s every other team that received at least one vote from the Associated Press this week.

Let’s unpack three teams that were over-ranked this week, as well as three that were under-ranked.

Given time, the Oregon Ducks could prove to me that they are one of the best teams in college football. Admittedly, I have them firmly in the playoff mix this week. I would see them as the No. 9 seed in the playoff picture if the season ended today. Even though the Ducks are undefeated, they need to show me more than what they need to get closer to a top-five finish. However, I respect Boise State’s win.

The good news for the Ducks is that they were still able to win games even though they haven’t played what we think is their best brand of football. The bad news is that I don’t know if they will be given the benefit of the doubt if they suffer a serious loss. If this team goes at least 10-2, the Ducks will make the playoffs. Right now, I would leave at least two teams behind in the current AP Top 25.

Oregon is definitely a top 10 team in the country, but I’m not sure it’s a top 5 team yet.

I called here earlier in the off season. Indiana is more than sneaky good; The Hoosiers just might be good. The signing of Curt Cignetti from James Madison has breathed new life into the Indiana offense the likes of which we haven’t seen since Kalen DeBoer or even Nick Sheridan in Bloomington. This team played hard for years under Cignetti’s predecessor, Tom Allen, but became so weak offensively.

There will be at least three Big Ten teams making the playoffs, possibly four and maybe even five if the SEC cannibalizes itself. Who will emerge at No. 4 after Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State? It could be Michigan, it could be USC, it could be Illinois, possibly Nebraska, but what about Indiana? This is a team that many have picked to win just a few games. Now they’re just one win away from a bowl.

We were late to the Indiana party, but I think it’s worth sticking around.

Missouri benefited from not playing this week to move up in the rankings. I reluctantly put the Tigers in the College Football Playoff every week. Just like Oregon in the Big Ten, we’re still waiting for the Tigers to really show us what they’re worth. We know they are well coached under Eliah Drinkwitz. The problem lies outside of Luther Burden III, I don’t trust their offense at all.

Texas A&M could be a big test for them this week, but aside from the Alabama game later in the season, Missouri doesn’t have the schedule to handle a bad loss. Like every SEC team, they will come into the game with a record of 12-0 or 11-1. I worry that they may not have the runway to really take off with a 10-2 mark. On the other hand, Mizzou thrives on being overlooked. They should elaborate on this further.

I have no problem with Missouri getting into the playoffs, but a loss would eliminate them very quickly.

After Utah lost to Arizona in Week 5, I have a new favorite to win the Big 12. Hey, Rocco! I have your Iowa State Cyclones coming! Not only is this team well-coached under Matt Campbell, it also has a quarterback who is cause for celebration every week. He gets better with every start. This team plays calmly and confidently, but you can’t discount the Cyclones.

At some point we will find out who the best team in the Big 12 is. It could be Iowa State, it could be BYU, it could be Kansas State, it could be anyone! For the first five weeks, I didn’t feel confident about who I put at No. 4 as the Big 12’s de facto winner. In time, it may no longer be Iowa State, but for now I have no problem placing them at No. 4 for this week.

The winner of the Big 12 will likely lose in the national quarterfinals, but they will get there.

Maybe my personal bias is coming through here, but I don’t care. I was honestly shocked that Georgia fell just three spots after their seven-point road loss at Alabama. Although the Dawgs orchestrated the comeback admirably and briefly held the lead, I watched the first film and know what I saw. This is a good team, but not a great one. I think Georgia deserves to be docked a little more.

I had the Dawgs ranked No. 7 this week, which would actually be No. 5 if not for the projected ACC and Big 12 winners. Georgia is undeniably better than Iowa State, but are they definitely better than Miami? Probably, but there are a handful of undefeated teams that I think are absolutely livid that Georgia is still looking up in the rankings after experiencing the crash for the first time.

This is one of those weeks where I’m glad I don’t have to finish in the top 25 in the AP poll.

For whatever reason, the close matchup against Bowling Green is still against Penn State. I don’t care about the Falcons’ record; These guys play hard for Scot Loeffler. As for James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions, they’re pretty much a playoff team at this point. Like clockwork, they’ll probably go 10-2. However, I think there is a chance they are the second best team in the Big Ten after Ohio State.

At some point we will have to ask ourselves who is better between Oregon and Penn State. I’d lean on the latter based on what I’ve seen so far. While they may not compete against each other this season, I would love to see what they do against each other. Both teams will likely make the playoffs, but I would pick the Nittany Lions over the Ducks in early October.

I love what this Penn State team is definitely capable of as they finally start to figure it out