College football rankings: Ohio State surges to No. 1, Clemson enters top five in CBS Sports 131

The Ohio State is on the move again in the CBS Sports 131, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS college football team. One week after jumping ahead of Alabama for No. 2, the Buckeyes have surged to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. Georgia may have avoided an upset at the hands of Missouri on Saturday but it was not able to hold on to No. 1 in the eyes of our CBS Sports and 247Sports experts. The Bulldogs fell to No. 3, opening the door for Ohio State to take over as the new top dog.
This is the fifth time in six different 2022 editions of the CBS Sports 131 that we have a different combination of Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia in the top three, but it’s the first time the Buckeyes have been at No. 1. This also positions the CBS Sports 131 in opposition to the AP Top 25 poll and the Coaches Poll; both of those rankings reacted to the Week 5 outcomes by putting the Crimson Tide at No. 1 and leaving Ohio State at No. 3.
Every voter has their own process, but it’s likely that Ohio State’s ascension to No. 1 is not a dramatic reaction to the specifics of a 49-10 home win against Rutgers. The Buckeyes have been engaged in this debate as one of the top teams in the country since the offseason, and they have showcased their balance and depth across a 5-0 start that saw multiple key players miss games yet the production has continued to be elite. While Georgia and Alabama have each narrowly avoided upsets, Ohio State has showcased consistent dominance throughout much of its season.
Other interesting notes from this week’s update of the CBS Sports 131 include a bump up for Clemson following its impressive win against NC State, jumping USC for the No. 5 spot behind Michigan, and some massive shakeup outside of the top 10. Week 5 was a “prove-it” week for a lot of undefeated and one-loss teams, and the ones who maintained their hot start to 2022 saw big rewards in the rankings. TCU, Kansas and UCLA all won as underdogs to maintain their unbeaten status and saw double-digit moves up in the CBS Sports 131, while some one-loss teams like Mississippi State also got a bump up following a quality win in conference play.
For more on the most notable adjustments up and down the entire CBS Sports 131, check out the Mover’s Report below the top 25 table.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-131 on our rankings page.
Rank Team Record Previous 1 Ohio State 5-0 2 2 Alabama 5-0 3
3 Georgia 5-0 1 4 Michigan 5-0 4 5 Clemson 5-0 6 6 USC 5-0 5 7 Oklahoma State 4-0 8 8 Tennessee 5-0 7 9 Ole Miss
5-0 13 10 Penn State 5-0 9 11 Utah 4-1 15 12 TCU 4-0 35 13 Kansas 5-0 23 14 UCLA 5-0 32 15 Oregon 4-1 16 16 Kentucky
4-1 10 17 Wake Forest
4-1 24 18 NC State 4-1 11 19 BYU
4-1 21 20 Kansas State 4-1 25 21 Mississippi State 4-1 37 22 Syracuse 5-0 28 23 LSU
4-1 34 24 Baylor 3-2 17 25 Florida State 4-1 19
Biggest movers
No. 12 TCU (+23): No longer a dark horse in the Big 12 after a thorough dismantling of Oklahoma, Sonny Dykes and TCU announced their presence in the conference title race on Saturday. TCU had an early off week, and its only Power Five foe prior to Oklahoma was Colorado, so it took a while for our voters to come around. It’s clear the Horned Frogs are legit.
No longer a dark horse in the Big 12 after a thorough dismantling of Oklahoma, Sonny Dykes and TCU announced their presence in the conference title race on Saturday. TCU had an early off week, and its only Power Five foe prior to Oklahoma was Colorado, so it took a while for our voters to come around. It’s clear the Horned Frogs are legit. No. 14 UCLA (+18) : Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson made note of the haters following Friday night’s win against Washington, indicating that he and his teammates had heard the doubters who did not believe UCLA’s undefeated start warranted top 25 consideration. After a 40-32 win against the Huskies that included a fantastic showing from DTR, the hype train has been loaded with passengers as we see UCLA surge into the top 15.
: Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson made note of the haters following Friday night’s win against Washington, indicating that he and his teammates had heard the doubters who did not believe UCLA’s undefeated start warranted top 25 consideration. After a 40-32 win against the Huskies that included a fantastic showing from DTR, the hype train has been loaded with passengers as we see UCLA surge into the top 15. No. 35 Illinois (+17): There is currently a six-way tie for first place in the Big Ten West, and I don’t know if there’s an argument against any one of those six teams winning the division, including Illinois. The Fighting Illini defense has been playing at a high level for a couple of weeks and will have a chance to make huge strides here in Year 2 of the Bret Bielema era with Iowa on deck this week.
There is currently a six-way tie for first place in the Big Ten West, and I don’t know if there’s an argument against any one of those six teams winning the division, including Illinois. The Fighting Illini defense has been playing at a high level for a couple of weeks and will have a chance to make huge strides here in Year 2 of the Bret Bielema era with Iowa on deck this week. No. 21 Mississippi State (+16): A win against Texas A&M has moved the Bulldogs to 4-1 overall with its only loss coming on the road to LSU, which was also a team that saw some upward movement in the rankings this week.
A win against Texas A&M has moved the Bulldogs to 4-1 overall with its only loss coming on the road to LSU, which was also a team that saw some upward movement in the rankings this week. No. 26 Washington (-14): The Huskies saw their ranking profile take a hit on two fronts this weekend, most notably after suffering their first loss of the season at UCLA. But the additional damage was having Michigan State — the team that appeared to be Washington’s best win — lose to Maryland and fall outside of the top 60.
The Huskies saw their ranking profile take a hit on two fronts this weekend, most notably after suffering their first loss of the season at UCLA. But the additional damage was having Michigan State — the team that appeared to be Washington’s best win — lose to Maryland and fall outside of the top 60. No. 30 Minnesota (-16): Injury issues certainly played a role in Minnesota’s ability to reach its peak performance, but ultimately the loss at Purdue will be filed away as a missed opportunity to grab hold of what is now a wide-open division race.
Injury issues certainly played a role in Minnesota’s ability to reach its peak performance, but ultimately the loss at Purdue will be filed away as a missed opportunity to grab hold of what is now a wide-open division race. No. 68 Michigan State (-17): This is now a 34-spot drop for the Spartans over a two-week window and arguably one of the most dramatic tumbles we’ve seen so far in 2022 following their CBS Sports 131 peak at No. 14. Michigan State is 2-3 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play with some of the toughest opponents on the schedule still to come in the weeks ahead.
This is now a 34-spot drop for the Spartans over a two-week window and arguably one of the most dramatic tumbles we’ve seen so far in 2022 following their CBS Sports 131 peak at No. 14. Michigan State is 2-3 overall and 0-2 in Big Ten play with some of the toughest opponents on the schedule still to come in the weeks ahead. No. 40 Oklahoma (-22): The injury to Dillon Gabriel is the most significant storyline moving forward, but even a full game of healthy Gabriel might not have been able to change the outcome of TCU’s win on Saturday. The Sooners are reeling after two straight losses and hoping to bounce back with a rivalry win against Texas on Saturday.
The injury to Dillon Gabriel is the most significant storyline moving forward, but even a full game of healthy Gabriel might not have been able to change the outcome of TCU’s win on Saturday. The Sooners are reeling after two straight losses and hoping to bounce back with a rivalry win against Texas on Saturday. No. 43 Texas A&M (-23): The Aggies are clinging to the one-score wins against Miami and Arkansas as their best argument for being a top-40 team, but the narrow margins in those wins and continued offensive struggles make it tough to win arguments when compared to other one-loss and two-loss teams. Texas A&M has yet to score more than 25 points against an FBS team and currently ranks last in the SEC averaging 335.6 yards per game.
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 131: Teams ranked 26-131