College football teams after week 5

Alabama and Georgia once again battled for first place in our writers' picks at the College Football Playoff – and the Bulldogs came closer than usual – but Crimson Tide simply refuses to give up first place.

How will Saturday's top games affect the college football playoff pursuit? What are the current chances for the top four? The Allstate Playoff Predictor has the answers. Check again every week as odds are updated after games that week.

Most popular picks for playoffs

Team (record)	Wishes
Alabama (5-0)	13/13
Georgia (5-0)	13/13
Penn State (5-0)	11/13
Cincinnati (4-0)	8/13
Iowa (5-0)	13/07

If Alabama is No. 1 after a 42-21 walk over a ranked Ole Miss team, then Georgia is No. 1B this week after demolishing one of Arkansas' top 10 teams 37-0. Alabama and Georgia are the unanimous choices of our writers, with the Tide receiving seven votes for first place and the Dawgs finishing with six.


Iowa — coming out of a tough contest against Colorado state last week — was picked at seven of the polls this week after a 51-14 loss to Maryland, previously unbeaten, on Friday night. The Hawkeyes have defeated their opponents more than seven times in a declaration victory and solidified their position in the top five this season. The win set up a crucial Big Ten showdown next week, with Iowa hosting Penn State in Iowa City.

The Nittany Lions also proved themselves worthy of the CFP with a 24-0 victory over Indiana Saturday night that earned them 11 picks. Penn State's game against the Hawkeyes next week will certainly be a litmus test for both teams, but a loss doesn't necessarily eliminate their respective Big Ten division runs or the CFP talk.

In what was a huge victory for the Group of 5, the Cincinnati Bearcats took down Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and put their names in the race to become the first Group of 5 school to make the CFP. It was the first time a Group of 5 team had defeated one of the top 10 on the road. The historic victory put the Bearcats in eight votes, most of the season.



Oregon fell out of choice after a 31-24 loss in overtime at Stanford on Saturday. The defeat takes Pac-12 out of the playoffs conversation – for now – and the most western team in our writers' picks is now Iowa.

The five-team field this week is the smallest of the year so far.Andrea Adelson: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Cincinnati
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Cincinnati
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Cincinnati, 4. Penn State
Heather Dinich: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
David M. Hale: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Cincinnati, 4. Penn State
Chris Low: 1 Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Cincinnati
Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Cincinnati
Ryan McGee: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State , 4. Cincinnati
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
Alex Scarborough:1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Cincinnati
Mark Schlabach: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State , 4. Iowa
Dave Wilson: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State