Ralph Russo The Athletic (Brooklyn, NY) About: Ralph Russo is a Senior Writer for The Athletic, covering college football. Before joining The Athletic, he spent 20 years as the lead national college football writer for The Associated Press. He also previously worked as the AP's Mississippi-based sports writer and did a stint with The Denver Post. Ralph is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Fordham University.
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Oct 4, 2026 Week 5 Rankings for Ralph Russo1 Texas (61) 4-0 Actual: 1Highest: 1 - 61 Voters Lowest: 4 - Bob Ballou 1737
2 Notre Dame 5-0 Actual: 3Highest: 2 - 8 Voters Lowest: 7 - 5 Voters 1532
3 Georgia (6) 5-0 Actual: 2Highest: 1 - 6 Voters Lowest: 6 - 2 Voters 1647
4 Ohio State 4-1 Actual: 5Highest: 2 - 3 Voters Lowest: 7 - 5 Voters 1490
5 Miami (FL) (2) 5-0 Actual: 4Highest: 1 - 2 Voters Lowest: 7 - 4 Voters 1524
6 Alabama 5-0 Actual: 6Highest: 2 - 5 Voters Lowest: 8 - John Johnson 1460
7 Indiana (1) 5-0 Actual: 7Highest: 1 - Bob Ballou Lowest: 12 - Jon Wilner 1380
8 Texas Tech 5-0 Actual: 11Highest: 7 - 2 Voters Lowest: 20 - Dylan Sinn 1062
9 LSU 4-1 Actual: 10Highest: 7 - Mike Griffith Lowest: 19 - Stephen Means 1087
10 Utah 4-0 Actual: 12Highest: 8 - 2 Voters Lowest: NR - Javon Edmonds 996
11 Oklahoma State 3-1 Actual: 18Highest: 11 - Ralph Russo Lowest: NR - 11 Voters 477
12 Oregon 3-1 Actual: 13Highest: 9 - 2 Voters Lowest: 22 - 2 Voters 831
13 BYU 4-0 Actual: 8Highest: 7 - Kirk Bohls Lowest: 16 - Mike Griffith 1144
14 Mississippi State 4-1 Actual: 17Highest: 10 - Greg Luca Lowest: NR - 8 Voters 487
15 Missouri 4-1 Actual: 14Highest: 8 - David Briggs Lowest: 23 - Kate Rogerson 755
16 Florida 4-1 Actual: 16Highest: 9 - 2 Voters Lowest: 25 - Keara Bruno 691
17 Ole Miss 3-1 Actual: 9Highest: 7 - 2 Voters Lowest: 19 - Murray Evans 1095
18 Tennessee 4-1 Actual: 15Highest: 9 - Mike Griffith Lowest: NR - 1 Voters 746
19 Boise State 4-1 Actual: 23Highest: 14 - Kirk Bohls Lowest: NR - 17 Voters 271
20 UCLA 4-0 Actual: 21Highest: 9 - Dylan Sinn Lowest: NR - 7 Voters 287
21 Pittsburgh 5-0 Actual: 25Highest: 11 - Stephen Means Lowest: NR - 27 Voters 162
22 Wake Forest 4-1 Actual: 27Highest: 11 - Brian Fonseca Lowest: NR - 40 Voters 142
23 Northwestern 3-1 Actual: 30Highest: 17 - Brian Howell Lowest: NR - 48 Voters 59
24 Houston 4-1 Actual: 22Highest: 16 - 3 Voters Lowest: NR - 17 Voters 279
25 Duke 4-0 Actual: 29Highest: 14 - Tom Murphy Lowest: NR - 51 Voters 83
Ranked Teams Not on Ballot: 19-USC 20-Iowa 24-SMU
