- Week 5 of the 2025 college football season was defined by major upsets, with six top-25 teams losing.
- Oregon defeated Penn State in double overtime, while Alabama held off Georgia in a key rivalry matchup.
- Florida State was upset Friday by Virginia, continuing a trend of losses for teams ranked No. 8 this season.
Through five weeks of the 2025 college football season, one theme is becoming apparent: survival.
The first several weeks of the season have featured major upsets, as the field for the 12-team College Football Playoff seems wide open. Action on Saturday, Sept. 27, was no different. Six of the top-25 US LBM Coaches Poll teams were upset. A handful also had troubles, but escaped with wins.
No. 9 Texas A&M escaped with a 16-10 win over Auburn, while No. 15 Tennessee needed overtime to beat Mississippi State 41-34 in Starkville, Mississippi. No. 17 Georgia Tech executed the fire drill field goal to beat Wake Forest 30-29 and No. 24 BYU escaped an upset from Deion Sanders and Colorado.
The wildness of Week 5 will ensure another shake-up in both polls and have major ramifications on the College Football Playoff. Here’s a recap of the major college football upsets in Week 5:
Oregon upends Penn State in Happy Valley
At one point, it looked like Oregon was going to earn a dominating win over Penn State when the Ducks took a two-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter. However, Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions made a furious comeback to force overtime.
In the second overtime, Dante Moore connected with Gary Bryant Jr. for a 25-yard touchdown and then Dillon Thieneman picked off an Allar pass in the the session for Oregon to outlast Penn State 30-24 to pick up the major win.
Alabama upsets Georgia
Kalen DeBoer may be on the hot seat for some Alabama fans, but the second-year coach has left off where Nick Saban did in dominating the series with rival Georgia. DeBoer and Alabama held off the Bulldogs’ comeback with a 24-21 victory in Athens, Georgia.
Alabama jumped out to 14-0 and 24-14 leads over the Bulldogs, but did not score in the second half. However, Kirby Smart is 1-7 vs. Alabama now as Georiga could not muster more than seven points in the second half. Smart and the Bulldogs even decided to forgo the game-tying field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss knock off LSU
Trinidad Chambliss continues to be the feel-good story of 2025 following a third straight 300-yard passing performance in a 24-19 Ole Miss upset win over Brian Kelly and LSU. On the other side, the Tigers’ offensive struggles continue, particularly in the run game.
LSU was outgained 484-256 by Ole Miss in total yardage, and finished with just 59 rushing yards on 21 attempts. The Tigers are averaging just 104.8 rushing yards per game.
Despite the offensive woes, LSU had a chance to win the game following a Harlem Berry touchdown run with 5:04 left in the game, but Ole Miss never allowed the Tigers another possession to close out the upset win.
Florida State upset by Virginia and curse of No. 8 ranking
Being ranked No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll during the 2025 college football season appears to be a curse.
Teams ranked No. 8 are 1-4 this season. The season opened with the No. 8 Crimson Tide losing 31-17 to Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida, on Aug. 31. The trend has continued with Notre Dame, Illinois and the Seminoles all losing as the No. 8 team.
Coming off a bye week, Florida State fell into an early 14-0 hole against Virginia due to turnovers on Friday, Sept. 26. The Seminoles, however, scored 21 straight points and looked to have righted the ship. But the Cavaliers battled and eventually won the game in overtime on a Tommy Castellanos interception. Virginia fans rushed the field.
Clemson is the only No. 8 team to win, but it narrowly escaped an upset bid from Troy. Here’s a look at how the No. 8 team in the US LBM Coaches Poll has fared this season:
- Week 1: Florida State 31, No. 8 Alabama 17
- Week 2: No. 8 Clemson 27, Troy 16
- Week 3: No. 16 Texas A&M 41, No. 8 Notre Dame 40
- Week 4: No. 17 Indiana 63, No. 8 Illinois 10
- Week 5: Virginia 46, No. 8 Florida State 38
Illinois outlasts USC in top 25 battle
Coming off an ugly 63-10 loss to Indiana in Week 4, Lincoln Riley and USC entered the Big Ten road matchup in Champaign, Illinois, as a near-touchdown favorite. However, the Fighting Illini battled and despite giving up a late lead, David Olano hit a game-winning 41-yard field goal to give Illinois the win.
Arizona State upsets TCU
No. 25 TCU joined Florida State as upset victims on Friday, Sept. 26. Arizona State overcame 17-0 and 24-17 deficits to upend the Horned Frogs 27-24 in Tempe, Arizona. Arizona State compiled 500 yards of offense in the win. The Sun Devils outscored TCU 10-0 in the fourth quarter to pull off the win.
College football Week 5 scores
Here’s the full scoreboard for each ranked team in Week 5:
- No. 1 Ohio State 24, Washington 6
- No. 5 Oregon 30, No. 2 Penn State 24, 2OT
- No. 16 Alabama 24, No. 3 Georgia 21
- No. 11 Ole Miss 24, No. 4 LSU 19
- Virginia 46, No. 8 Florida State 38, 2 OT
- No. 9 Texas A&M 16, Auburn 10
- No. 12 Indiana 20, Iowa 15
- No. 13 Iowa State 39, Arizona 14
- No. 15 Tennessee 41, Mississippi State 34, OT
- No. 17 Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 29
- No. 19 Missouri 42, UMass 6
- No. 21 Notre Dame 56, Arkansas 13
- No. 23 Illinois 34, No. 22 USC 32
- No. 24 BYU 24, Colorado 21
- Arizona State 27, No. 25 TCU 24
