Although it featured only one matchup between top-10 teams, Week 5 delivered its fair share of surprises and helped clear the playoff picture a bit.
Houston stunned by Midshipmen
With a weak conference schedule ahead of them and a late-season, statement game against Louisville on the schedule, the Cougars were primed to become the first non-Power 5 program in contention for a playoff berth. But Houston fell victim to the classic trap game and saw its playoff hopes vanish in front of them in a 46-40 loss to Navy. The Midshipmen's triple-option attack finished with more than 300 yards on the ground, and quarterback Will Worth threw a pair of touchdown passes in the win. The loss dropped the Cougars to No. 13 in this week's rankings and may have hurt Louisville's chances to sneak into the playoff down the road based on strength of schedule. Navy climbed into the rankings at No. 25.
SEC front-runners emerge
A top-10 matchup between Tennessee and Texas A&M went down to the wire before the Aggies pulled out a 45-38 double-overtime victory. The Volunteers trailed by two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter but rallied to tie the game at the end of regulation. Running back Trayveon Williams proved to be the difference-maker for Texas A&M and finished with 217 yards on the ground. With the win, the undefeated Aggies find themselves at No. 6 in this week's poll, while Tennessee remained at No. 9.
Defending champions Alabama looked like Alabama once again this week. The Crimson Tide rolled Arkansas 49-30 on the road after leading 35-10 in the first half. Alabama remained atop the AP poll this weekend, while the Razorbacks fell to No. 22. The Crimson Tide will have a chance to earn another resume-boosting victory next week on the road against the Volunteers.
Pair of top-20 ACC teams fall at home
After climbing into the top 20 in last week's poll, both Miami and North Carolina dropped key games this weekend. The Hurricanes fell to in-state rival Florida State for the seventh consecutive season and once again failed to close the game after leading 13-0 in the first half. Despite a potential game-tying touchdown pass from quarterback Brad Kaaya late in the fourth quarter, Miami had its extra-point attempt—yes, its extra-point attempt—blocked in a 20-19 defeat.
The Tar Heels were not nearly as close to victory, as they came out flat in a rainy afternoon in Chapel Hill and struggled against an improving Virginia Tech squad. The Hokies held North Carolina to just 131 yards of total offense and capitalized on four turnovers in the 34-3 win.
Miami finds itself at No. 16, while North Carolina dropped out of the rankings. The Hokies climbed to No. 17 and Florida State sits at No. 14.
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