The first full month of the 2025 college football season is officially in the books, and some of the nation’s biggest early-season surprises were once again on display across a thrilling Week 5 slate.
At Ole Miss, Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss eclipsed 300 passing yards for a third consecutive start to help the Rebels slay LSU. After dismantling Illinois in Week 4, Indiana and Georgia Tech, which gained a win in overtime over Wake Forest, escaped trap games to their respective surprise places in the College Football Playoff race. Fellow CFP contenders Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt continued their scorching starts and others — LSU, Florida State, TCU and USC among them — stumbled.
The weekend’s pair of highly anticipated prime-time matchups delivered too. Despite a leaky run defense, Alabama notched its latest win over Georgia on the road Saturday night. Meanwhile Oregon sealed perhaps the biggest win of any program this season in an overtime victory at Penn State behind the play of first-year starter Dante Moore, “the best quarterback in college football,” according to Ducks coach Dan Lanning.
Here’s our take on this week’s Top 25 with insight from ESPN’s college football experts on the biggest surprises across the sport so far this fall. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: 1
Is this year’s Ohio State defense even better than last year’s? Through four games, the Buckeyes have been absolutely dominant defensively, including in Saturday’s 24-6 victory at Washington. Ohio State has given up just 22 points total this year, for a ridiculous average of only 5.5 points per game. Last year, with a senior-laden unit, the Buckeyes boasted the No. 1 ranked defense statistically on the way to winning the national championship. Yet with eight new starters — and new coordinator Matt Patricia — this Ohio State defense, so far, is matching, if not exceeding, the play of last year’s unit. New starters, notably linebacker Arvell Reese, have emerged to flank star returners Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs. The Buckeyes are shutting down the run, getting pressure on the quarterback and blanketing receivers downfield. Even after losing so many key players to the NFL, this defense is already looking championship-caliber again. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 3
Ducks coach Dan Lanning proudly said Saturday night that he has the best quarterback in college football. It’s hard to blame him for thinking that way after watching Dante Moore play with unbelievable poise in front of more than 110,000 in Oregon’s thrilling 30-24 double-overtime victory at then No. 3 Penn State. The former No. 2 recruit only has 10 starts under his belt between his time at UCLA and Oregon, but he had all the right answers in high-pressure moments against an excellent Nittany Lion defense, leading two overtime touchdown drives and going 5-for-7 on fourth downs. Performances like these show he’s ready to be a serious contender in the Heisman Trophy race, and they generate a lot of belief that this Ducks team has the goods to chase a national championship. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 2
It is hard to call Rueben Bain Jr. a surprise considering he was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023. But his play opposite Akheem Mesidor has been a revelation for the undefeated Hurricanes. Bain and Mesidor have become one of the top pass-rushing duos in the country, and their play has had a direct impact on each game the Hurricanes have played this year. Both have 19 pressures, and their pass rush win rate ranks them both in the top six nationally. Miami also ranks No. 13 in the nation in rush defense. First-year coordinator Corey Hetherman has completely revamped a weakness into a strength — one Miami will continue to rely on as the season progresses. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 11
Nothing can derail your season faster than a quarterback injury, but since Austin Simmons got hurt for Ole Miss, Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss has stepped in and delivered three consecutive 300-yard passing games and three wins. He has thrown for 974 yards and four touchdowns in his starts while rushing for 245 yards and two more scores, and the Rebels have not only survived Simmons’ injury, but thrived. In Saturday’s 24-19 win over LSU, Chambliss completed passes to nine different receivers and finished with 314 passing yards and 71 rushing yards. Ole Miss nearly doubled the Tigers’ total yardage (480-254) but needed a late fourth-down conversion to ice the win and remain unbeaten. Chambliss threw a strike to Dae’Quan Wright, and that was that. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 9
Mike Elko challenged Aggies to get over the program’s past disappointments during their bye week after beating Notre Dame, telling fans to “Stop being scared and get excited about what this program is doing.” A&M looked different on Saturday in a rugged 16-10 win over Auburn in which the Aggies committed 13 penalties and didn’t throw a touchdown pass. But it didn’t matter: The A&M defense held Auburn to 1 yard in the fourth quarter, 176 total for the game, 0-for-13 on third down, sacked Jackson Arnold five times and put up 243 rushing yards (on 5.6 yards per carry) against the SEC’s top run defense. Elko and the Aggies aren’t worried about lofty expectations and they’ll start October with scrappy Mississippi State, one of those teams that has tripped A&M up in recent years, going 6-5 against it since 2014. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 8
The Sooners, on a bye in Week 5, have been one of college football’s early-season surprises. From an offensive question mark with its coach (Brent Venables) on the hot seat in August, Oklahoma closes September as a bona fide playoff contender. But it would have been difficult to imagine that the Sooners would be here at this stage of the fall with hardly any on-field contribution from running back Jaydn Ott. The spring portal transfer from Cal was expected to bring an extra dimension to the program’s offense alongside transfer quarterback John Mateer. Instead, hampered by injury, an inability to break into the backfield rotation or both, Ott has been effectively dormant, with only nine carries for 17 yards through four games. Perhaps Ott will benefit from the week off and return to a familiar form over the next two months. Oklahoma’s 101st-ranked run game could certainly use the jolt, especially with rushing leader Mateer sidelined for at least a few weeks. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 10
The early surprise might be Indiana returning to the CFP race after a historic 2024 season, although coach Curt Cignetti and his players expected to be back here. IU got through a potential letdown game at Iowa, overcoming mistakes and several difficult moments to strike last with Fernando Mendoza‘s 49-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt with 1:28 to play. Mendoza and Sarratt aren’t necessarily surprises, and much of Indiana’s offensive production so far has come from familiar sources. The defense has seen some breakout performances, including safety Louis Moore, who returned to Indiana, won his eligibility lawsuit this week and then recorded his team-leading third interception as the Hoosiers turned away Iowa midway through the fourth quarter. Moore, who leads IU with 30 tackles, junior linebacker Isaiah Jones and senior defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt, a transfer from Maryland have headlined a defense that has allowed only 48 points through the first five games. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 5
With a veteran quarterback in Drew Allar and one of the best running back duos in the country in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen returning, Penn State was supposed to boast a potent offensive attack. Instead, the Nittany Lions have lagged offensively, most glaringly in the 30-24 double-overtime loss to Oregon. Allar and the offense finally came alive in the fourth quarter, rallying from a 17-3 deficit to send the game into overtime. But for much of the night, the offense was dreadful. Penn State’s 69 total yards in the first half were the fewest at home since James Franklin became coach in 2014. Penn State’s 3 first-half points were its least at home since 2016. And Allar’s 45 passing yards in the first half were the lowest total of his career. Allar now ranks 85th nationally in QBR (48.4) and the Nittany Lions rank just 52nd with 180 rushing yards per game. With so much experience, coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense was supposed to be among college football’s best. Instead, it has been an underwhelming disappointment. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 12
The Red Raiders had a bye week coming off a 34-10 win over then No. 16 Utah, their fourth straight by at least 24 points. They are outscoring opponents by an average of 52-to-11 per game. Now at their highest ranking since 2013, the Red Raiders will meet 4-0 Houston for the first time as conference foes since the Southwest Conference broke up. Quarterback Behren Morton, who was injured in the Utah game and replaced by Will Hammond, is expected to return. But the Red Raiders were comforted by the performance of the sophomore backup, as Hammond went 13-of-16 for 169 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 16
The Crimson Tide beat Georgia 24-21 to end the Bulldogs’ 33-game home winning streak, but they continued an alarming trend to start the season: Their run defense continues to struggle against elite competition. In their two Top 25 games so far this season, Alabama has allowed over 200 yards to both Florida State and Georgia for a combined 457 yards on the ground. Not having Tim Keenan III certainly had an impact on that in Week 1, and coach Kalen DeBoer said his presence helped Saturday against the Bulldogs. But the fact is Alabama has not been as good in this area as usual, and it is a spot where it will have to get better to compete for a championship. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 6
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the secondary has not played up to the Kirby Smart standard. Against Tennessee, that group gave up one big play after another, and the same happened Saturday in a 24-21 loss to Alabama — particularly in the first half. Ty Simpson found open receivers all night and made clutch third-down conversions. Nine of Alabama’s 13 third-down conversions came on passes. Georgia coach Kirby Smart lamented the poor performance on third-down defense after the game. While Georgia was better in the second half, Alabama raced to a big enough halftime lead to hold on and win. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 13
The Longhorns, who had a bye this week before heading to Florida to enter SEC play, are a bit of a mystery. Arch Manning ranks 76th nationally in passing with 888 yards, and the offense is still looking to find a groove. Maybe Sept. 20’s 55-0 romp over Sam Houston exorcised some of those struggles and the Longhorn offense has found some confidence. But while they figure that out, the defense is allowing just 7.8 points per game (second-best nationally) and 212 yards per game (4th) and will give them a shot in every game. Steve Sarkisian, who says Manning’s legs (he has five rushing TDs this year) might play a bigger part in the offense down the stretch, has prided himself on a balanced offense the past two seasons. With four new offensive linemen, that has taken time to sort out this year. What will these Horns look like next week? Stay tuned. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 14
After catching 29 passes for 333 yards in his first year with Tennessee, Chris Brazzell II has already topped that mark, catching 31 balls for 531 yards and seven touchdowns in the first five games of 2025. Brazzell taking a nice step forward wasn’t necessarily surprising, but he has enjoyed a total star turn. He had six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown against Mississippi State, and his fourth-down reception with five minutes left set up a late tying touchdown. The Vols eventually prevailed in overtime, 41-34. Brazzell’s heroics — and those of quarterback Joey Aguilar, of course — have been a necessity because the Tennessee defense has not clicked thus far in 2025. The Vols allowed 16.1 points per game in 2024, but after Saturday they’re allowing 29.0 points per game in 2025. That’s also quite a surprise. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 7
You would think after enduring the 2024 season, FSU wouldn’t care much about the outside noise, but QB Tommy Castellanos admitted after a double-overtime loss at Virginia that the Noles probably read a few too many headlines proclaiming how good they were. The result was a brutal first quarter in which FSU fell behind 14-0 and, ultimately, a stunning loss to the Hoos. Castellanos’ advice to his teammates after? “Eat it and move on.” For as much criticism as he received after a brutal 2024 at Boston College, Castellanos has blossomed into an elite leader for FSU, and the Week 5 loss certainly couldn’t be put on his shoulders. He delivered a dagger to Randy Pittman Jr. to send the game to OT, and he put a pass on the money to Duce Robinson in the end zone that the star receiver bobbled before stepping out of bounds. Castellanos and Mike Norvell both insist they won’t allow Florida State to go into a tailspin after the loss — and unlike last year, there’s reason to believe them. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 15
How’s this for surprising: Against Arizona on Saturday, Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht finished with minus-10 rushing yards on nine carries, didn’t throw a touchdown pass and threw an interception, but it was still his best performance of the season. That’s because he still ran for three scores, completed 14 of 20 passes for 243 yards (QBR 94.6) and led the Cyclones to their most comprehensive win of the season (adjusting for opponent difficulty). This was the type of game ISU fans had been waiting for all season. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 17
Maybe we didn’t expect the Tigers to be averaging 292 rushing yards per game, but this was certainly conceivable after Missouri — which rolled over UMass to improve to 5-0 Saturday night — added hard-running transfers Beau Pribula and Ahmad Hardy. Less foreseeable? An overwhelming Tigers front seven that began Week 5 ranked 12th nationally in run defense (73.3 yards per game) and 14th in pressure rate (34.7%). Key returners, like defensive end Zion Young and Chris McClellan, and transfers Damon Wilson II (Georgia) and Josiah Trotter (West Virginia) are a big part of the leap for a unit that finished in the bottom half of the SEC in rushing yards and sacks a year ago. A proper dive into league play with matchups against Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M up ahead will offer a full gauge of just how much of a difference-maker Missouri’s defensive front can be this fall. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 4
The biggest surprise of the early season for LSU might simply be that the passing game hasn’t been nearly as good as it was supposed to be. After finishing 10th in Total QBR last year, Garrett Nussmeier entered Saturday’s game against Ole Miss ranked 33rd, and he struggled mightily in Oxford. He finished the afternoon 21-for-34 for 197 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a sack, and the Tigers gained just 254 yards thanks in part to prolonged run game troubles. Nussmeier struggled with accuracy, and LSU went just 2-for-11 on third downs, but thanks to a couple late bursts — two field goals and a touchdown on its final three drives — the Tigers were able to hang in there. But a late fourth down conversion allowed Ole Miss to run out the clock and prevent Nussmeier from getting one last chance at a heroic comeback. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 20
Quarterback Diego Pavia is the show at Vanderbilt, and arguably the most valuable player in all of college football after accounting for six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) in Saturday’s 55-35 win over Utah State. But he’s not the only reason why the Commodores are 5-0 for the first time since 2008 and for just the second time in the past 80 seasons. Vanderbilt scored 50 points in consecutive games for the first time since 1915, getting nice boosts from wide receivers Junior Sherrill (6 receptions, 91 yards, 3 touchdowns — all in the first half) and Tre Richardson (six receptions, 74 yards), and running back Jamezell Lassiter, who had a 48-yard run and 63 yards on only four carries. Led by Pavia, Vanderbilt is playing with tremendous confidence, especially on offense, and now enters a season-defining stretch against Alabama (road), LSU (home), Missouri (home) and Texas (road). — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 18
The rep for the Yellow Jackets under Brent Key has been pretty simple — they win games they have no business winning and they lose games against teams they’re far more talented than. So, what happened in Week 5 when undefeated Tech traveled to Wake Forest? Of course it tried its darnedest to blow it. The Jackets fell behind 20-3 but rallied back and, thanks to a blown call by the ACC officials, escaped Wake Forest in double overtime. Is it a performance to be proud of? Certainly not. But in years past, Georgia Tech loses those games, so it’s still progress. Saturday’s win was sparked, in part, by another strong day from receiver Isiah Canion, who has blossomed this season with 15 catches and a team-high 237 yards, 70 of which came against the Deacons. — Hale
Previous ranking: 19
The Wolverines’ first bye week hit at an ideal time with Sherrone Moore returning from his two-game suspension and a five-game stretch of Big Ten battles ahead. One pleasant surprise early on has been Alabama transfer Justice Haynes performing at an All-America level with four consecutive 100-yard performances to start the year. The Wolverines have a clear identity on offense around rising freshman QB Bryce Underwood with a top-10 rushing offense in yards per game and yards per rush after finishing outside the top 70 nationally in both categories in 2024. — Olson
Previous ranking: 23
Yes, the defense has been iffy so far. But who needs defense when your offense is putting up 56 points and 643 yards? And it’s not as if Irish fans weren’t excited about their new QB, CJ Carr, but there were obvious question marks about him entering the season. How would a guy with no prior experience handle the spotlight that comes with being QB1 in South Bend? The answer has been emphatic. Carr threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Arkansas on Saturday, and his 88.4 Total QBR ranks fifth among Power 4 passers so far. After an 0-2 start, things are looking brighter for the Irish now, and Carr is a big reason for optimism that this season is still salvageable. — Hale
Previous ranking: NR
When BYU found itself down 14-0 to Colorado on Saturday, it was asking a lot for a true freshman quarterback to guide the Cougars back. But that’s what Bear Bachmeier did as BYU came back to win 24-21. After a relatively easy schedule to start the season, the difficulty level is about to get turned up. BYU has Utah, Iowa State, Texas Tech and TCU all on the back half of the schedule. To this point, the offense has been good enough to win, but it will need to improve significantly for the Cougars to make a serious run at the Big 12 title game. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 24
The Illini knew what they had in senior quarterback Luke Altmyer, who threw two touchdown passes, rushed for one and even caught one in Saturday’s crucial 34-32 home win over USC. But Illinois wanted to surround Altmyer with greater explosiveness at wide receiver and running back. Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. sought a better downfield game, and he got it in the USC win as Kaden Feagin and Collin Dixon both had receptions of 60 yards or longer, and Altmyer averaged 15.8 yards per completion in the win. Sophomore running back Ca’Lil Valentine averaged 7.4 rushing yards on eight carries. Wide receiver Hank Beatty already had established himself as a big-play threat, entering Saturday averaging 14.4 yards per catch, but Dixon and others give Illinois an element it lacked during a 10-win season in 2024. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: NR
Coach Ryan Silverfield brandished a reputation for high-flying offenses across his first six seasons at Memphis. But seldom, if ever, have his teams run the football like the Tigers are in 2025, highlighted by Memphis’ 291-yard, five-touchdown rushing performance in a 55-26 conference-opening win over Florida Atlantic Saturday night. Fifth-year running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. led the charge in Week 5, tearing off a 90-yard score in a career-high 19-carry, 204-yard breakout showing. Former Colorado and Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis (six rushing scores in 2025) has injected energy into the unbeaten Tigers’ running game, too. Memphis has eclipsed 200 rushing yards in each of its five games this campaign — the Tigers’ fifth 200-yard ground effort came in Week 10 last year — and Memphis’ 41 attempts per game thus far would easily mark the highest run rate in any of Silverfield’s seven seasons in charge. Could this fresh, ground-based attack be the element that helps lift Silverfield and the Tigers into the playoff later this year? — Lederman
Previous ranking: NR
The Cardinals pulled off quite a surprise on Saturday, rallying back from a 17-0 deficit on the road to beat Pitt 34-27. Miller Moss threw for 339 yards and three TDs and got plenty of help from a defense that nabbed five takeaways, got nine third-down stops and pitched a second-half shutout. Considering Pitt hadn’t blown a 17-point lead in a conference game since 2009, that’s quite a feat. The Cardinals are 4-0 for the second time in three years under coach Jeff Brohm and have a big opportunity, with Virginia and Miami up next, to prove they’re a contender in the ACC title race. — Olson
