Week 4 was just another instance that perfectly encapsulates how amazing college football is as a sport. A team like Kansas State can lose to Tulane one week before coming back to upset Oklahoma, sending the Sooners tumbling down my latest college football power rankings — and the latest College Football National Championship odds.
But the Sooners’ stumble wasn’t the only major shakeup this week. Thanks to an impressive performance from one of the top teams we have a new No. 1. Meanwhile, Washington continues its rise up the rankings behind strong play from quarterback Michael Penix.
Here are my Top 25 power rankings heading into Week 5 of the season and maybe some betting value in the college football futures market.
Andrew Caley's college football power rankings
| Rank (Last week) | Team | AP Rank | National Title Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (3, ↑ 2) | Ohio State | 3 | +240 |
| 2 (1, ↓ 1) | Georgia | 1 | +190 |
| 3 (2, ↓ 1) | Alabama | 2 | +200 |
| 4 (5, ↑ 1) | Michigan | 4 | +2,220 |
| 5 (6, ↑ 1) | USC | 6 | +1,600 |
| 6 (8, ↑ 2) | Clemson | 5 | +1,500 |
| 7 (7, -) | Mississippi | 14 | +10,000 |
| 8 (9, ↑ 1) | Penn State | 11 | +7,000 |
| 9 (11, ↑ 2) | Tennessee | 8 | +6,000 |
| 10 (10, -) | Kentucky | 7 | +15,000 |
| 11 (17, ↑ 6) | Washington | 15 | +10,000 |
| 12 (13, ↑ 1) | Utah | 12 | +5,000 |
| 13 (14, ↑ 1) | Baylor | 16 | +15,000 |
| 14 (15, ↑ 1) | Oklahoma State | 9 | +10,000 |
| 15 (16, ↑ 1) | NC State | 10 | +10,000 |
| 16 (19, ↑ 3) | Oregon | 13 | +12,000 |
| 17 (21, ↑ 4) | Texas A&M | 17 | +12,000 |
| 18 (4, ↓ 14) | Oklahoma | 18 | +10,000 |
| 19 (12, ↓ 7) | Arkansas | 20 | +20,000 |
| 20 (NR) | Minnesota | 21 | +10,000 |
| 21 (20, ↓ 1) | Wake Forest | 22 | +30,000 |
| 22 (25, ↑ 3) | Florida State | 23 | +12,000 |
| 23 (NR) | Syracuse | NR | +30,000 |
| 24 (25, ↑ 1) | Pittsburgh | 24 | +30,000 |
| 25 (NR) | Kansas State | 25 | +20,000 |
Dropped out: Florida, Miami, Michigan State
Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Compare updated national championship futures before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Huskies still hungry: Washington (11)
The Washington Huskies continue to climb up my power rankings after another solid victory. This time defeating Stanford 40-22, covering the 13.5-point chalk in a game that wasn’t as close as the score in what could have been a very easy letdown spot after Washington's big win over Michigan State the previous week. Jumping up six spots to No. 11 makes the Huskies my biggest riser of the week.
But first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer has his team playing very well and the team is now 4-0 both straight up and against the spread heading into this week’s big matchup against Pac-12 rival UCLA, which is also sporting a 4-0 SU record.
A big reason for Washington’s success has been its play at quarterback. Now that Michael Penix Jr. is healthy, he looks like a revelation for the Huskies. His 1,388 yards lead the nation and he's thrown 12 touchdowns compared to just one interception.
If Penix and the Huskies can get past the Bruins, the schedule isn’t too daunting prior to a Nov. 12 trip to Oregon and the Apple Cup against Wazzu in the regular-season finale, this year being played in Pullman.
The value is quickly fading for the Huskies to win the Pac-12, but they're still tempting at +550.
Sooner stumble: Oklahoma (18)
Things were looking great in Norman heading into last weekend’s matchup with visiting Kansas State. First-year head coach Brent Venables had led Oklahoma to a 3-0 record and was coming off an impressive showing against Nebraska in Lincoln.
Then a former Cornhusker burned everything to the ground. Wildcats’ quarterback Adrian Martinez showed why people were so high on him at times when he was at Nebraska, rushing for 148 yards and four scores while putting up another 234 yards and another TD through the air in a 41-34 upset over the Sooners as 13.5-point road dogs.
Now, Venables — who is known for his defense — will have to work on fixing a run defense that ranks 86th in the country in rushing yards per game if they have any hope of making the Big 12 title game. But they’ll need to turn it around quickly and find some help to boot now that they have a conference loss.
The Sooners have a very tough schedule ahead of them. Traveling to TCU will be no picnic, then it's the Red River Showdown against Texas before they take on defending conference-champion Baylor, and, of course, the latest edition of the Bedlam Series vs. Oklahoma State.
Row the boat: Minnesota (20)
Don’t look now but P.J. Fleck has the Minnesota Gold Gophers rowing the boat once again in 2022. Minnesota is an impressive 4-0 SU/ATS this season following a dominating 34-7 performance in East Lansing against Michigan State.
Fleck’s defense is outstanding, but it’s that combined with quarterback Tanner Morgan looking good again that makes Minnesota a true contender in the Big Ten West. A big part of that is the return of Kirk Ciarrocca as the team’s offensive coordinator.
When Ciarrocca was calling plays for the Golden Gophers back in 2019, Morgan was named All-Big Ten Second Team and was a finalist for The Manning Award, throwing for 3,253 yards with 30 touchdowns and just seven picks.
Now, no Big Ten schedule is easy, but Minnesota avoids both Ohio State and Michigan in the regular season. Closing dates vs. Iowa and at Wisconsin will go a long way to determine if the Golden Gophers can return to the Big Ten title game.
