After last-second thrills, ranked opponents loom for Florida, Iowa and Mississippi State
Week 5 arrives with a dose of suspense: Can No. 8 Florida, No. 14 Iowa and No. 16 Mississippi State avoid letdowns after stirring wins and keep their feel-good seasons rolling?
Each will face opponents also ranked in the AP Top 25.
The Gators, after a blowout of then-Nov. 4 Mississippi, visit No. 25 Missouri and will try to continue their resurgence under first-year coach Jon Sumrall. The last three Florida-Missouri games have been decided by a touchdown or less, and the Tigers have won the past two in Columbia by a combined three points.
The Hawkeyes, after beating Michigan on the final play at the Big House, are big underdogs at home against No. 5 Ohio State. The Bulldogs host No. 7 Alabama with a chance for their first 3-0 start in Southeastern Conference play since 2014 after rallying to beat Missouri.
There are also Heisman Trophy nuances to watch, with Florida running back Jadan Baugh, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor.
Mississippi State is the first ranked opponent of the year for Alabama and the cowbells will be out in Starkville for a showcase of sophomore quarterbacks: the Bulldogs' Taylor and Keelon Russell of the Crimson Tide, both in their first year as starters.
Russell has completed 71% of his passes for 1,129 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. Taylor has completed 69% for 1,192 yards with 14 TDs and two INTs. His passing touchdowns are tied for most in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Mississippi State leads the SEC in yards per game (533.3) and ranks fourth in points per game (43). It has lost 11 straight against top-10 opponents.
The Buckeyes enter the teeth of their schedule with three of their next four games on the road, starting with Iowa.
The Hawkeyes will be playing with confidence, but they gave up six pass plays of 20-plus yards to Michigan and will have their hands full, like every other defense, trying to cover Smith, who had four touchdown catches to match a program single-game record in a 42-19 victory over Illinois. He leads the FBS with 154.3 yards receiving per game.
Iowa’s last win over Ohio State was a 55-24 rout in 2017. They have met twice since, with Ohio State winning 54-10 in 2022 and 35-7 in 2024.
No. 4 Miami pays a visit to Clemson on Saturday night.
The Hurricanes are rolling as the league’s preseason favorite behind quarterback Darian Mensah — leading the country in completion percentage at 88.7% — and top receiver Malachi Toney (No. 3 in the Bowl Subdivision at 141 yards per game).
The Tigers have won three straight since their opening-night loss at LSU, rallying past North Carolina and then winning at California last week in the program’s first cross-country trip for a league game.
In the Big 12 Conference, Cincinnati will try to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2021 with a visit to Arizona, where Noah Fifita already has thrown for 11 touchdowns to increase his career total to 84, most among active FBS quarterbacks.
Since a 28-17 loss at BYU, the Wildcats have come back from early deficits of 10-0 to Northern Illinois and 14-0 at Washington State to win both games by double digits.
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
