2026 College Football: Week 5 Takeaways
Most games this week were either blowouts or nail-biters, without much in between. Only one major upset took place (we’ll cover that), and perhaps we should’ve seen it coming. We’re now in the thick of conference play, so expect familiar foes to beat each other up. One result can change what we think of a team in the CFP era, but far more football remains to be played. Instead of taking everything at face value, we at Takeaways try to add context so we can discern what’s real and what’s a mirage. Believe me: that’s not an easy task at all! Let’s see what we can learn the great games that took place in my week 5 takeaways.
Friday Was a Bad Night for James Franklin-Related Teams
James Franklin, now the coach of Virginia Tech, was fired by Penn State last year. Both of those teams had agonizing games on Friday. We’ll start with the Nittany Lions, because this will be quick: they’re bad. Their Iowa State imports, including HC Matt Campbell and QB Rocco Becht, are not working out thus far. Against Northwestern (who debuted their new Ryan Field), PSU ceded 413 rushing yards (to a team that couldn’t run against Indiana) and got their first red zone stop of the SEASON in the third quarter. The 34-13 blowout was as ugly as it looked and came a week after a collapse against Iowa. What a mess.
Franklin’s current team had a fantastic start to the season, coming in at 4-0. They faced their toughest challenge though: fellow 4-0 Pittsburgh. Clearly ready, the Hokies shot out to a 14-0 lead before Pitt pulled back within 3 points at 17-14. Another TD by VT, and their momentum started to rebuild. However, QB Ethan Grunkemeyer threw an odd INT on the next drive. I thought that LB Cameron Lindsey had the majority of the ball, and so did the refs. ESPN’s Matt Austin thought that the receiver held it simultaneously, but the call stood. Pitt scored two plays later on a 22-yard TD to WR Cataurus “Blue” Hicks (3/63/2).
To start the 3rd quarter, disaster struck for the Panthers. QB Mason Heintschel (10/18, 113 yards, TD) ran toward the first-down marker but did not go out of bounds because he needed every yard. His knee bent awkwardly, and he remained down while in serious pain. We saw him later with crutches. QB2 Holden Geriner came in, and Pitt ran 6 consecutive runs with RBs Ja’Kyrian “Boosie” Turner (14/65/1; 6/35 receiving) and Damon Ferguson Jr (6/31/1), producing a TD for the latter and Pittsburgh’s first lead of the game. A strip sack of Grunkemeyer by DL Jaeden Moore gave the Panthers the ball right back, and they let Geriner throw.
Unfortunately for the 5th-year passer, WR Bryce Yates (2/47) failed him. On first down, he lost track of a perfectly thrown deep ball; on 4th down, he dropped a pass that would’ve moved the chains. A good return set the Panthers up with good field position on their next drive, but a bad snap led to a botched FG attempt (it was never kicked). Virginia Tech fumbled the ball right back though, and this time Geriner (8/12, 78 yards, TD) responded with a great deep-strike TD. Grunkemeyer turned the ball over again with an INT on a forced red zone throw, but the Hokies defense earned a safety, after which VT made their final charge.
Grunkemeyer (30/41, 434 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, rush TD, FUM) took advantage of a good free kick return and threw a TD after 2 plays. On the final drive, he converted a critical 4th-and-5 with his best throw of the day. He mostly played well in this game, and he provided a 36-yard FG opportunity for reliable K John Love. Alas, Love pulled it for his first miss of the year, and Pittsburgh escaped with a 35-33 win. It was a great win, but it was a Pyrrhic following Heintschel’s injury prognosis. His year is done. For Franklin, the stigma that he just can’t win the “big ones” will continue to stick until he proves that statement wrong.
(7) Alabama Finally Posts Complete Game vs (16) Mississippi State
We haven’t talked about Alabama much this year. That’s because they haven’t been very notable. They nearly blew a game against Kentucky, which would’ve gotten a mention, but for the most part, they’ve been inconsistent but winning comfortably. Facing an ascending team this week, they needed to be better. And they were. Defensively, Alabama came out scorching hot. Bulldogs QB Kamario Taylor (19/34, 258 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, FUM) committed a tuck rule-style fumble, and Alabama immediately scored a TD. Taylor threw an INT on the next drive to DB Dijon Lee Jr, who took it back for a 30-yard pick six. It was ugly early.
To their credit, the Bulldogs came back and score immediately after that. But the hits just kept coming. Star RB Fluff Bothwell aggravated an injury and left after 1 carry. Taylor spent much of the day throwing off-target passes, and he took 5 sacks. One sequence wasn’t ideal for Alabama either though. Lee muffed a punt (he’s not the regular returner), and MSST recovered. The Bama defense forced a fumble, but RB Daniel Hill (5/22) fumbled away possession. It was his second fumble in 5 carries, but his team recovered the first. Mississippi State scored a TD one play later, capping the series of poor events.
Aside from that though, Alabama played great. Freshman QB Keelon Russell (16/22, 285 yards, 3 TDs; 5/16/1 rushing) is getting better with each start. WR Ryan Coleman-Williams (3/43/1) is looking more like he did as a freshman phenom. The diverse attack scored three times through the air and four times on the ground. Alabama’s defense forced 4 turnovers against a potent offense. Everything together produced a 56-23 blowout. In theory, the Crimson Tide is rounding into form as they gain experience. They better be at their best for next week’s showdown against (2) Georgia, but they’re providing confidence that they will.
SEC Carousel Spins Again as (25) Missouri Trounces (8) Florida
One week ago, Florida shocked everyone by beating Ole Miss handily at home, and they experienced a meteoric rise in the rankings. That felt like an overreaction at the time, and I can now say that with certainty. Against Missouri, the Gators seemed like a different team. A 10-10 start did not foreshadow the dominance that awaited Florida. Missouri, fresh off their own close loss to Mississippi State, took the lessons they learned and turned the Gators into guinea pigs. It all started with magnificent defense. One stat tells the story: elite Florida RB Jadan Baugh had 12 carries…for a grand total of just 13 yards.
Without forcing any turnovers, the Tigers shut down Florida’s attack. They earned 3 sacks of QB Aaron Philo (21/34, 197 yards, TD), who actually didn’t play poorly. He simply had no time to throw and seldom saw an open receiver. Meanwhile, Missouri’s passing attack hummed. QB Austin Simmons (23/30, 340 yards, 2 TDs) looked like the QB we thought we’d see at the start of last year for Ole Miss before he got hurt and lost the job. His live arm was apparent, and he threw accurate passes throughout the game. WRs Cayden Lee (8/110) and Donovan Olugbode (6/94/1) joined Simmons in an aerial assault that left Florida helpless.
We can’t forget about the running game either. That facet of the offense has struggled thus far this season, and it wasn’t great in the first half either. In the second half though, RB Jamal Roberts (24/211/3; 3/29 receiving) took off. He broke off two carries of 70+ yards and shattered Florida’s morale in the process. In general, the Gators just made endless mistakes while the Tigers executed to perfection. A 94-yard KR TD would’ve made the score look a little better, but another Florida error (a holding penalty) ruined it. Garbage time made the final result 45-17, but even that appropriately looks like a lopsided outcome.
I’m going to say that the poll voters jumped the gun on Florida. It was probably same idiots who didn’t rank Miami in the top 25 on their ballots. This is just more proof that one week can’t define a season when we’re only 5 weeks in. Florida is still a good team. I’m not here to trash them. Top 10 was simply too aggressive. I’ll give the voters praise for the team on the other side: they kept Missouri in the top 25 despite their loss last week. Correctly, they considered them a quality team that barely lost to another quality team. Moving forward, expect plenty more shuffling among these SEC teams. Most of them are quite good.
Records for WR Jeremiah Smith in (5) Ohio State’s Crushing of (14) Iowa
Here’s the least insightful thing I may ever say in an article: Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is good. Since he burst onto the scene as a freshman, he has been a star. In his third (and almost assuredly final) college season, we’re seeing the mature, polished version of Smith, and he’s incredible. Fittingly, facing a very good Iowa defense, Smith broke a pair of legendary Buckeye records: most career receptions at 207 (Emeka Egbuka: 205) and most career TD catches at 36 (Chris Olave: 35).
The only time we really discussed Ohio State this year was their collapse against Texas, so we couldn’t really give Smith his due. These records are not marks set by random guys who had outlier years. We’re talking about one of the best WR factories in college football history. The names that have come through Columbus include Olave, Egbuka, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr, Garrett Wilson, and Carnell Tate…and that’s just since 2022! Smith has a strong case to go down as the best of that bunch in terms of their college careers, which is simply wild. Let’s just look at what he did this week for examples.
Smith caught 11 passes for 206 yards and 2 TDs, showing off every skill that makes him great. He can win with speed or come down with a contested catch. If needed, he’ll show off his body control on the sideline, or he’ll just truck defenders after the catch. His 6’4″, 222-lb frame tortured the Hawkeyes, who had no answer for the elite receiver in their 31-14 loss. Smith is a near-lock to be the first non-QB drafted next April. He’s that special. We’ll talk bout OSU much more soon given their brutal upcoming schedule. If they want to beat teams like Indiana, USC, and Oregon (who they play in succession), they’ll need Smith to carry them.
(17) Tennessee, Colorado Bench Young QBs to Different Effects
I haven’t heard much talk about the decisions made by Josh Heupel and Deion Sanders, the coaches at Tennessee and Colorado, respectively. That’s surprising considering they both concern young QBs heading to the bench. When Tennessee lost to Texas last week, true freshman Faizon Brandon took 10 sacks, and Heupel said afterward that his body suffered for it. This week against Auburn, Brandon (3/8, 0 yards, INT) had a rough start. He threw his first INT, and he didn’t have 1 passing yard. Late in the second quarter, Heupel pulled Brandon for George MacIntyre (8/10, 86 yards), who Faizon had beaten in a QB competition this spring.
MacIntyre didn’t have prolific stats, but he at least provided a passing threat, which opened running lanes for RB DeSean Bishop (34/220/3). Bishop turned a 7-3 halftime deficit into a 24-14 victory nearly on his own (that’s hyperbole; the defense definitely helped). Heupel told reporters that Brandon wasn’t operating well and clearly wasn’t 100% physically. To me though, he sounded like a guy realizing he made the wrong choice. Expecting an inexperienced freshman to be an instant star was foolish. MacIntyre is the better option right now, and Hepuel is lucky his team only lost one game before figuring that obvious fact out.
Colorado made their move before this week’s matchup against (12) Texas Tech. Sophomore Julian Lewis has struggled, and Coach Prime had enough. He announced that Isaac Wilson (the brother of former #2 pick Zach Wilson), a Utah transfer, would start. For one half, Sanders looked very wise. Wilson moved the ball well, made smart decisions, and managed his way to a 7-3 halftime lead despite 2 missed FGs by his kicker. After halftime though, everything fell apart. Wilson (26/44, 290 yards, TD, 3 INTs; 7/42 rushing) threw three picks in four drives and had two turnovers on downs as the Buffaloes lost 29-7.
Wilson had no running game (he was the team’s leading rusher), but he also pressed way too much. Similar to his older brother, Wilson tried to create passing lanes that weren’t there, and you could almost hear Sanders’ groans through the TV. He moved the ball much better than Lewis did but committed more turnovers. While Lewis struggled badly, it’s just like Brandon: what did Sanders expect from an inexperienced first-time starter? Most of this reflects poorly on the coaching. Fair or not, Sanders hasn’t succeeded on offense without his son Shedeur at QB. He’s running out of time to get things right, and I’m not sure he can.