Is Georgia, not Alabama, the best team in the country? Jonas Pope IV’s Top 25 ballot
Georgia looked good yesterday. Really, really good.
Or did Arkansas have us fooled?
The Razorbacks rolled into Athens the No. 8 team in the country, and the Bulldogs treated them like the scout team, rolling 37-0. Does that put Georgia in the conversation to be No. 1? Sure, a conversation can be had, but I’m not quite ready to dethrone Alabama yet.
The Tide also took care of business versus a top-15 team, thumping No. 12 Ole Miss, 42-21. The Rebels are just as good, or better, than Arkansas. Georgia has a world-class defense and the physical running game pushed Arkansas around like rag dolls, but Bama, once again, barely broke a sweat again in a game where the billing was more exciting than the actual contest.
For now, the Tide will stay atop of the polls, but I did give a brief thought to putting the Bulldogs No. 1. Elsewhere across the landscape, I was ready to bag on No. 9 Notre Dame for losing to Cincinnati at home, but the Bearcats were ranked No. 7 and are clearly a program that’s been knocking on the playoff door for a while now.
I’m embarrassed for voting Maryland into my Top 25 a week ago and wanted to wait and see if Wake Forest was real. After defeating Louisville and remaining undefeated, welcome to list, Demon Deacons.
Locally, I’m glad the sentiment around No. 23 N.C. State’s 34-27 win over Louisiana Tech is the Wolfpack beat a good Bulldogs’ team, and not that N.C. State barely survived. That was a quality win over a quality opponent in Raleigh.
Here’s my AP-Top 25 ballot after Week 5:
| Rk. | School |
1 | Alabama (5-0) |
2 | Georgia (5-0) |
3 | Penn State (5-0) |
4 | Iowa (5-0) |
5 | Cincinnati (4-0) |
6 | Oklahoma (5-0) |
7 | Michigan (5-0) |
8 | Ohio State (4-1) |
9 | Oregon (4-1) |
10 | BYU (5-0) |
11 | Michigan State (5-0) |
12 | Coastal Carolina (5-0) |
13 | Oklahoma State (5-0) |
14 | Arkansas (4-1) |
15 | Ole Miss (3-1) |
16 | Notre Dame (4-1) |
17 | Kentucky (5-0) |
18 | Wake Forest (5-0) |
19 | Auburn (4-1) |
20 | NC State (4-1) |
21 | Arizona State (4-1) |
22 | Texas (4-1) |
23 | Clemson (3-2) |
24 | Fresno State (4-2) |
25 | Florida (3-2) |
This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Is Georgia, not Alabama, the best team in the country? Jonas Pope IV’s Top 25 ballot."
