Who Needs A Blogpoll: Week Five - Hello, Florida, it's been a while.

Yesterday was fun wasn't it? Scoring from practically every way imaginable and physically, soundly beating an elite team? Welcome back, Alabama; we've missed you.

From a coaching standpoint, that is absolutely the perfect game too: a decided thrashing of a good team with enough errors and execution issues to use as teachable moments (presnap penalties, turnovers, mistackles late, and Reggie Ragland taking just one play off - a play that released the previously handcuffed Nick Chubb.)

Where do we stand on Week Five?

Also Considered

West Virginia Mountaineers - Same ole' West Virginia - enough offense to be a threat at home, pitiful on the road. Rumors of a defense were greatly exaggerated.

Absolutely no one else; although I did kick around the idea of the Arizona State Sun Devils. But, that team runs so mercurial, I'd like to see them play that well two games in a row. Maybe the Missouri Tigers; they of the fantastic defense and an offense that couldn't score in a Parisian brothel? Possibly the Duke Blue Devils? One of the only teams in the ACC with both a functional offense and defense...in the same game?

Be Gone

Take your pick, really. A Mississippi State Bulldogs team who is who we thought they were? The Kentucky Wildcats who did have a nice win over Mizzou, and then decided to get taken to overtime by Eastern Kentucky? Sit in the corner and think about what you've done. The Wisconsin Badgers, who lost the most soporific B1G 10-6 game I've ever seen?

Oh, Hai!

Toledo Rockets - Undefeated. Hell, the Rockets may have done more resume-wise than also-undefeated Florida State.

Boise State Broncos - Road hiccup against BYU aside, this is still a good team. How can an Alabama blog not rank a team with a punishing ground game and a tenacious defensive line?

Sorted Out

Oklahoma has a more impressive CV and a better defense than the Frogs or the Bears. The Bears have a better defense than the Frogs. And, Oklahoma is going to win an 8-1 three-way tie over both of them.

Social Promotion

Utah Utes - You have a better answer? I'll listen.

Clemson - Got sloppy late in a very sloppy game, but otherwise controlled this one, beating a good Irish team. I don't want to live in a world with a competent Clemson.

Alabama - Wheeeee!

Florida - Wheeee!

Michigan - I'm not sure who's going to score on the Wolverines again: Two straight shutouts, don't mess around with cupcakes, and just get better every week. Literally the only team to give the Utes a tussle - in Harbaugh's first UM game...on the road.

Northwestern - Did what TCU could not; easily blank the Gophers. Did what USC would not; play defense and beat the Cardinals. Throw in a quality win over Duke, and we have to take the nerds seriously. A rematch with Stanford in the Rose Bowl is not implausible at all.

Oklahoma - Yup, the Sooners are who we thought they were: enough defense to somewhat contain potent offenses, and enough offense to inflict damage of their own. RTDB, Bob. The Sooners will hang a 50-spot on the 'Horns this week.

Held Back

Florida State - A disinterested defense, a pitiful series of efforts versus a weak schedule, and now an injured Dalvin Cook? Blech. Worst undefeated P5 team I've seen since last year's version of the Seminoles.

UCLA - You had to think if the Bruins stumbled, it would be because of the poor play of a freshman quarterback. Rosen was actually one of the better spots in a 15-point home loss that wasn't as close as the score suggested.

Ole Miss - Reading press clippings and living off of one win gets you that kind of effort. Gave up a lot of points by turning the ball over and catching an improbably hot quarterback (that's a fun game, isn't it?)

Georgia - Quarterbacks were abysmal against a competent secondary, and the running game was bottled up most of the night - pretty much what we guessed would happen. What we didn't see was the scale of the meltdown in Athens, though. Today is an early Christmas for the #FireRicht morons.

Notre Dame - What in the actual hell was that? The same problems that hindered ND against Alabama in 2012 look to be relevant again: Against teams that want to line up and own the line of scrimmage, you can run on the Irish, as the Jackets and Dabos did. I'm not calling for an upset versus Navy this weekend, but that's also an iffy game.

Michigan State Spartans - Scraping by MAC teams and Purdue isn't giving me much confidence this week, particularly when the marquee win is against an average Ducks squad.

Sorry for demotions

USC - That Stanford loss is looking more forgivable, and the ASU win looking even better. And, yes, the Trojans are probably a Top 12-15 team, but the PAC 12 needs to shakeout a little more before I give Sark the benefit of any doubts.

Okie Lite - Nice win over a decent K-State club; but, K-State isn't that good this year, and that game was a razor-thin win. Also, I think the B12 is mainly garbage. Show me, Cowboys. Show me.