2025 College Football: Week 5 Takeaways
The line between surviving an upset and being upset is often incredibly thin. One play here or there can be the difference in a week’s narrative. Now that we’re fully into conference schedules, expect chaos to reign. These teams are more familiar with each other, and in some cases you can throw win/loss records out the window. This week was completely defined by the teams that unexpectedly lost and those that nearly did so but found a way to sneak through. And the end of the long Mike Gundy era. There’s never a truly dull moment in college football. Let’s see what we can learn from all of these games in my week 5 takeaways.
Virginia Outlasts (8) Florida State on Friday Night in Stellar 2OT Finish
Was Florida State looking ahead to next week’s game against hated rival Miami? That’s what Seminoles fans may argue after the nightmarish start their team had here against Virginia. They turned the ball over twice in the first quarter (one INT, one FUM), gifting the Cavaliers a 14-0 lead. Someone woke them up at that point, as they intercepted UVA QB Chandler Morris (26/35, 229 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs; 8/37/3 rushing) on back-to-back second-quarter drives and scored TDs off both takeaways. FSU even took a 21-14 lead before surrendering a TD to enter the half tied 21-21. The FSU offense played much better from there, but UVA didn’t quit.
The Cavaliers forged ahead again to start the 3rd quarter, punishing the Seminoles with runs from RBs J’Mari Taylor (27/99) and Xavier Brown (8/60; 1/15/1 receiving) before Morris himself ran for a score. Florida State’s subsequent drive featured a trick play, where TE Randy Pittman Jr (2/16/1; 1/2/1 rushing) ended up tossing a 4-yard TD to star WR Duce Robinson (9/147/1). The teams traded touchdowns once more in the 4th quarter (with UVA’s drive featuring two 4th-down conversions and FSU’s including a great TD catch by Pittman on 4th and goal) before heading to OT. That’s where each team got its first FG of the game!
Moving on to 2OT, Virginia went first and scored a TD. HC Tony Elliott first sent the PAT unit out before remembering that you have to go for 2 during the second overtime. The Cavaliers converted anyway, and FSU seemed to respond. QB Tommy Castellanos (18/32, 254 yards, TD, 2 INTs; 14/78/1 rushing) fired a surefire TD pass to Robinson, but he bobbled the ball and didn’t regain possession until he was out of bounds. It was painful because Robinson had a great game otherwise. On 4th and goal, following a false start, a Castellanos prayer was picked off, and Virginia came away with a 46-38 victory.
We learned a lot about both teams during this classic of a game. Florida State is probably not the team that we thought was so elite when they beat Alabama in week 1, but their upside is at that level. The Seminoles can compete with anyone, but they have to handle their own business first. Virginia is the more intriguing analysis. At 4-1 with a big ACC win on their resume, the Cavaliers are probably feeling confident. Despite a quartet of turnovers, they still managed to beat a top-10 team. With a cleaner performance, maybe they can look even better, which would make them a real threat in their conference.
(6) Oregon Tops (3) Penn State After Nearly Blowing It
In our game of the week, two Big Ten powerhouses (and big spenders) faced off in Happy Valley. By all accounts (except mine apparently), this is Penn State’s year. They return most of the team that reached the CFP Semifinals last year, unlike much of their competition. However, Oregon brought in their newest transfer QB in Dante Moore and paid tons of Nike money to load up their roster. To me, neither of these offenses are as good as their 2024 editions. That proved true in the first half, when neither team scored in the first quarter and only managed to earn a 3-3 tie by halftime. The action picked up following the break.
Oregon nearly lost a fumble on their only 3rd-quarter possession, but they retained possession on the closest of replays. RB Dierre Hill Jr (10/82; 2/12/1 receiving) then caught a TD for the first end zone trip by either team. Penn State proceeded to go 3 and out, and the home fans started booing. The boos got louder when Oregon scored again to start the 4th quarter, staking a seemingly insurmountable lead. PSU responded though, with short passes and strong runs jump-starting their offense. QB Drew Allar threw a TD pass to WR Devonte Ross (4/48/2) to cut the deficit in half, and the Ducks handed them assist.
While driving to extend their advantage, Oregon OL Alex Harkey killed the possession with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Nittany Lions got the ball back and killed 6:37 of clock with RB Kaytron Allen (12/54/1) and his relentless effort. Penn State converted two 4th-and-1s on the drive with hard running With 30 seconds to go, Allar found Ross for a second TD and tied the game at 17. In OT, each team scored a TD after several plays. The second OT period lasted just two plays total. Moore (29/39, 248 yards, 3 TDs; 10/35 rushing) threw a TD to WR Gary Bryant Jr (6/55/1), but he was picked off on the subsequent 2-point try.
The stage was set for Allar to be a hero and prove me wrong (to a degree) about his abilities. He threw a pick on the very first play of Penn State’s possession. Oregon walked off with a 30-24 win in front of the stunned crowd. The Ducks look like the better team to me, but they aren’t flawless. They made several mistakes, including a 4th-down failure, a missed FG, and poor run defense. Still, they are better than Penn State. Allar (14/25, 137 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 9/42 rushing) and HC James Franklin continue to prove that they can’t win big games. Nothing changes with this team, and we all should’ve seen their choke job coming.
(11) Indiana, (15) Tennessee, (16) Georgia Tech Hold On for Dear Life
Three teams in the 11-20 tier found themselves in unexpectedly tough battles. Indiana, who stomped all over Illinois last week, did not have nearly as much offensive success against Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a really good defense, and they held IU to 10 points through 3 quarters. New Heisman favorite Fernando Mendoza (13/23, 233 yards, 2 TDs, INT; 8/26 rushing) had a solid but unspectacular day. His late INT nearly cost the Hoosiers, but Iowa missed their succeeding FG attempt. Iowa QB Mark Gronowski (19/25, 144 yards, INT) left late with an injury, preventing the team from keeping pace. IU escaped with a 20-15 win.
Tennessee knew by this point that this year’s Mississippi State is far better than last year’s version. They still struggled to put the Bulldogs away. This game was filled with turnovers (5 total) but plenty of points on each side. The Volunteers played through the passing game of QB Joey Aguilar (24/40, 335 yards, TD, 2 INTs; 7/21/1 rushing) and WRs Mike Matthews (6/118) and Chris Brazzell (6/105/1), while MSST rode RB Fluff Bothwell (23/134/2) and the running game. After battling to a 34-34 tie, only the Volunteers could score in OT, earning a 41-34 victory. The Bulldogs still look like they’re for real though.
Earlier in the day, Georgia Tech had surprisingly little early success at Wake Forest. They scored just 3 first-half points and fell in a 20-3 hole. At that point, QB Haynes King (28/42, 243 yards, TD; 21/106/2 rushing) refused to let his team lose. King took an absolute beating but willed his team to a 23-23 at the end of regulation. He had help though: Wake Forest should’ve iced the game, but a missed offside call by the officials let the Ga Tech drive continue. In OT, King scored again, but so did the Demon Deacons. Alas, instead of tying the game, they went for 2 and missed, losing by an agonizing score of 30-29.
I’m not going to read too much to Indiana’s close call. Iowa makes a lot of teams struggle offensively, and the Hoosiers pulled through in a tough environment. Tennessee seems vulnerable to me because of the mistakes they tend to make. While Mississippi State is an improved outfit, even better teams will make the Volunteers pay. Georgia Tech should thank their lucky stars to have won. The refs cost Wake Forest the win first, but they doomed themselves in OT. I hate going for 2 when a PAT can tie the game. Sure, you can win on the spot, but you can also look like the biggest idiot in the sport. That’s HC Jake Dickert this week.
(13) Ole Miss Bests (4) LSU with New and Improved Defense
LSU, with one of the most expensive rosters in the country, expects to compete for a National Championship this year. Their start was great, with a 4-0 record and a suffocating defense. While that unit has been as advertised, the offense has been rather underwhelming. Sooner or later, that was bound to catch up with them. Enter the Ole Miss Rebels. Playing without starting QB Austin Simmons for the past two weeks due to an ankle injury, Mississippi nevertheless scored 40+ points each of the past two weeks against Arkansas and Tulane behind backup Trinidad Chambliss, a former D-II National Champion with Ferris State.
With a strong offense facing a great defense, something had to give. While the Rebels scored 24 points, 14 more than the Tigers had given up in any prior game this year, something shocking happened: a Lane Kiffin-coached team played defense. They only earned one sack (courtesy of rising star DT Will Echoles), but they shut down the run (57 yards total on 2.6 YPC). The Ole Miss secondary also limited an elite WR group, and they pressured projected first-round QB Garrett Nussmeier (21/34, 197 yards, TD, INT). I’m still not sure what the media sees in him. He’s a slightly-above-average guy with a merely decent arm.
Ole Miss got more offensive production, even if the 24-19 final score suggests they didn’t. Chambliss (23/39, 314 yards, TD, INT; 14/71 rushing) continued to show a live arm and swift feet, and RB Kewan Lacy (23/87/1; 3/21 receiving) was a workhorse. Not everything was perfect though. Chambliss threw a pick six, but it was overturned via penalty. In the third quarter, he threw an INT that stood, making his first turnover with the Rebels. He also went out of bounds while trying to ice the game, though he did convert a 4th down to do just that. Finally, penalties were killers, with Ole Miss committing 14 accepted fouls for 109 yards.
What matters here is that Ole Miss looked like the better team from top to bottom. This wasn’t technically an upset, as the Rebels were actually favored. Still, #13 beat #4, which is noteworthy. In year 4 of the Brian Kelly era, LSU is definitely the best version of itself during his tenure. Alarmingly though, they still seem a cut below the very best teams. One of those is Ole Miss. The Rebels have a QB controversy on their hands, even if Kiffin denies it. Both Simmons and Chambliss appear to be viable starting options. I consider this a good problem. Kiffin has his best team yet, and they’ll be in the top 10 when the new rankings come out.
(17) Alabama Wins at (5) Georgia to Complete Season Turnaround
When Alabama lost to FSU in week 1, it felt like the sky was falling in Tuscaloosa. They’ve looked good since, but their competition has been lackluster. If they truly turned over a new leaf, we’d get to see it in Athens, where the Bulldogs came in with a 33-game home winning streak. Their start was absolutely impeccable. Alabama forced two straight Georgia punts and scored two TDs on the team’s first two respective drives. The Crimson Tide oddly burnt two timeouts on their opening possession, but it worked out. Where they failed in resource management, they succeeded on third downs, converting 8 of their first 10.
Georgia finally stopped Bama on their third possession, but RB Nate Frazier (4/30) fumbled the ball right back to them two plays later. The defense then allowed a field goal and a TD on Alabama’s final two possessions of the half (even LT Kadyn Proctor had an awesome 11-yard run). UGA did make some offensive progress in the second quarter, scoring two TDs. However, I’m not seeing much progress from QB Gunner Stockton (13/20, 135 yards, TD; 5/22 rushing) as a passer. Only WR Colbie Young (4/59/1) got going, and most of the offense ran through RB Chauncey Bowens (12/119/1). Being down 24-14 at the half felt fortunate.
Alabama’s offense had their way with the Bulldogs in the first half. QB Ty Simpson (24/38, 276 yards, 2 TDS; 4/12/1 rushing) showed great command and diced up UGA’s secondary. Things changed in the second half though. They started the 3rd quarter with one of the worst FG shanks I’ve ever seen and never threatened to score again. Georgia scored after the FG miss, and the Crimson Tide failed a 4th and 1 attempt to spark the Bulldogs. However, UGA got too cute and tried to play with tempo on 4th and 1 inside the 10. Their attempt was stuffed, and that was it for the scoring. Nobody earned a single point in the 4th quarter.
I credit Georgia’s defense for pitching a second-half shutout, and Alabama’s defense had a good game as well. This was one of the most physical games I’ve seen this year, and that physicality allowed Alabama to close out their 24-21 win late. It was an emphatic statement that suggests a new Alabama team. They don’t resemble the unprepared, underpowered team that FSU crushed. Once again, the Crimson Tide are SEC heavyweights. I’m sorry to say it, but Georgia probably isn’t a title threat this year. Stockton isn’t continuing their QB tradition, and the defense is surprisingly vulnerable. These Bulldogs are good, not great.