College Football Power Rankings: Movement Ahead of Week 6

This week's College Football Power Rankings saw significant changes, with Florida State dropping again. They weren't alone—Buffalo, Fresno State, Utah, and Oklahoma State also slid down the rankings after tough losses. Meanwhile, Colorado made a statement with a win over Central Florida and appears to be moving in the right direction alongside UNLV, James Madison, Navy, and UConn.

Claudia Bellofatto and I discussed these Power Rankings and much more on the Betting Life College Football Show, which airs live every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. For those who prefer reading over watching, we've transcribed key points from our discussion for a quick overview.

If you'd like to catch the whole show, it's embedded below. Also, check out my comprehensive College Football Power Rankings, featuring all 134 teams, remaining strength of schedule, and more!

Risers in the College Football Power Rankings

With an impressive 48-21 win over Central Florida, Colorado moves up 13 spots to 41st in a game the Buffaloes controlled from the start. They stopped the run better than expected and forced UCF quarterback KJ Jefferson to throw more, inevitably leading to an easy victory. Colorado's passing attack was unstoppable on offense, and Shadeur Sanders was doing whatever he wanted. Near the end of the game, with it so out of control, Sanders stopped throwing, so his numbers aren't even representative of how well he played. 

The biggest riser this week is UNLV moving up 18 spots to 45th with a 59-14 win over Fresno State. I moved the Rebels down in the rankings after Matthew Sluka left the team over NIL money issues. But Hajj-Malik Williams, a stud in the FCS, played very well in his FBS debut, throwing for 3 TDs and running for one, leading UNLV in this blowout win. Sluka is a running quarterback but lagged in passing, wasting Ricky White's talent. With Williams at QB, White finished with 127 receiving yards and 2 TDs. 

James Madison also moved up 18 spots, arriving at No. 47 after improving to 4-0 with an easy 63-7 win over Ball State. James Madison has a new coaching staff and a lot of roster turnover, and the Dukes are now a very viable team. UNLV is one of those G5 teams to watch because they may be undefeated and win their conference. 

Speaking of undefeated teams, Navy took out UAB 41-18 to move up 15 spots, landing at No. 67. The Midshipmen are playing very well, and QB Blake Horvath is high in the QBR and efficiency ratings as both a running and passing threat. Keep watching as this Navy team is putting together a great season. 

Connecticut is up 8 spots and ranked 90th now after handling Buffalo. After a tough loss to Maryland to begin the season, they have worked to figure out their issues. UConn lost Nick Evers in the second quarter and turned to backup Joe Fagnano, who finished with 217 passing yards and 3 TDs. Both Evers and Fagnano seem capable of running the offense, and UConn's defense came to play, helping the offense out. The Huskies' D was flying around and are not dealing with the injuries they did last year. 

Fallers in the College Football Power Rankings

As what comes as no surprise, Florida State drops 18 spots all the way down to No. 58 this week after a 42-16 loss to Southern Methodist University. What is wrong with this Seminoles team? Well, the defense is terrible, and the offense can't throw the ball more than 10 yards down the field. The running back room is bereft of talent, especially after Roydell Williams and Jaylin Lucas got injured. Everything is wrong. Florida State has tried slowing down its offense to protect the defense, but the offense isn't efficient enough to get first downs, so the clock keeps running and the games shorter. Saturday was a wild day in college football, so people may not have noticed that DJ Uigalelei was benched late in the game for Brock Glenn (who went 0 for 4). So, it looks like DJ will be under center again in what may be the opposite of a revenge game against Clemson.

Buffalo falls 16 spots this week to No. 122 after being annihilated by the University of Connecticut 47-3. Coming off an upset win over NIU (who had earlier upset Notre Dame), Buffalo climbed in the rankings just one week ago. But this week, the Bulls came back down to earth, as Buffalo was outgained by UConn 537 to 198 in an ugly game. 

Fresno State also falls 14 slots to No. 75 after being destroyed by UNLV, a team that transitioned quarterbacks mid-week. Fresno State simply could not handle UNLV's new offense. 

Utah falls 12 points to 25th after Arizona handled the Utes easily. Utah again started their young backup quarterback Isaac Wilson in this game because Cameron Rising could not go. If Rising is not healthy for the rest of the season, the Big 12 odds will change dramatically. If Utah has a healthy Rising, the Utes are the favorites to win. 

Oklahoma State is the last team on this list, down 11 spots to No. 36 after being destroyed by Kansas State 42-20. Oklahoma State is trying to pick up the pieces this season, but the Cowboys continue to struggle running the ball because of roster turnovers and injuries that have impacted the offensive line. Ollie Gordon II doesn't look like himself, and if the running game isn't working, Oklahoma State must depend on Alan Bowman, who was 26/50 with two interceptions and doesn't seem able to lead the team to wins. 

Thor Nystrom's College Football Top 25