B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Week 5

If you like Top 25 shakeups, well, Week 5 of the 2022 college football season might've been your absolute dream.

Sure, we understood that five ranked teams were destined to lose because of their respective matchups. But five more Top 25 squads took an L over the weekend, and top-ranked Georgia barely survived a serious scare at Missouri.

In honor of the unique weekend, B/R's Weekly Awards are taking on a special form to recap the results.

This time around, we're highlighting the week's top party-crasher, survivalist, outlier and more. Let's kick off the superlatives with this week's buzzkill.

As the opening month came to a close, I tried to balance Minnesota's sheer dominance with its minimally competitive schedule to date. Still, the Gophers had crushed four opponents 183-24.

So much for that, right?

Minnesota star Mohamed Ibrahim didn't play because of an ankle injury, and his absence obviously stung. But the Gophers simply had no rushing attack without him, gaining just 48 yards on 20 carries between top replacements Bryce Williams and Trey Potts.

Purdue sealed the upset late in the fourth quarter.

First, the Boilermakers put together a 12-play, five-minute drive that broke a 10-10 tie. The defense forced a three-and-out, then Purdue back Devin Mockobee ripped off a 68-yard run and scored a two-yard touchdown on the next snap. Ultimately, the Boilers would protect that 20-10 lead.

Minnesota looked like the clear Big Ten West favorite. Thanks to Purdue, the division is now simply a mess.

Texas A&M's record-setting recruiting class brought a bunch of positive vibes to College Station. However, vibes don't mean anything—and can change quickly—if you're not playing well.

Although the Aggies entered the weekend at 3-1, their journey there was dissatisfying at best. Fans were already exasperated with Jimbo Fisher's trend of subpar QB play before the season, and 2022 hasn't changed the feeling.

Mississippi State only added to the frustration.

Texas A&M didn't score a touchdown until late in the third quarter, and 248 of the offense's 388 yards came after the Aggies fell behind 21-3. Mississippi State ultimately won 42-24.

Fisher will not be fired today or tomorrow or next week. If things don't improve, justifying a change should get easier. However, there's a nearly nine-figure obstacle in the way in the form of Fisher's absurd, fully guaranteed contract that the school would be stuck paying for the next decade if it let him go.

Thanks for the drama, Mississippi State. Glad you could pour gas on Fisher's fire and run away.

How's that for an emphatic win?

Prior to Saturday's action, TCU had simply handled its business. The Horned Frogs had smacked a terrible Colorado team, cruised past Tarleton State and edged SMU. Nice start, but nothing remarkable.

Week 5 altered that feeling in a massive way. TCU racked up 558 yards and utterly demolished 18th-ranked Oklahoma 55-24. Max Duggan accounted for 418 yards and five touchdowns in the victory, while Kendre Miller scampered for 136 yards and two scores.

Yes, the Sooners didn't have star quarterback Dillon Gabriel after a terrifying hit sidelined him early in the second quarter. However, the Horned Frogs had already built a 34-10 advantage at that point.

No team had a more impressive showing than TCU.

Step 1: Fire your head coach.

Step 2: Break a nine-game losing streak to FBS opponents.

You know, because that makes sense. College football is straight-up bizarre sometimes.

Georgia Tech moved on from Geoff Collins earlier in the week, yet the Yellow Jackets proceeded to stun No. 24 Pitt on the road as a three-touchdown underdog after losing to three FBS teams this season by a combined 110-20 score.

The wildest part is Georgia Tech basically controlled the entire game. Although the final score read 26-21, Pitt scored two of its touchdowns in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. Pitt made things interesting by trimming GT's lead to five points with just under two minutes remaining, but the Jackets answered three plays later.

I'm not saying Brent Key should be hired on a full-time basis immediately, but the GT grad undoubtedly made a compelling case for strong consideration during his debut as the interim coach.

It doesn't have to always be pretty.

Last weekend, Georgia topped Kent State in ugly fashion. Saturday night, the reigning champs went to Missouri as a prohibitive favorite and almost suffered the program's first loss to an unranked team since 2019.

Behind rocket-legged kicker Harrison Mevis, Missouri led 22-12 early in the fourth quarter. Mevis drilled a quintet of field goals from 40-plus yards, including three from beyond 50.

However, the Dawgs staved off the upset with a couple of clutch drives. Kendall Milton scored on a fourth-down play at the goal line, and Daijun Edwards put UGA ahead with a one-yard touchdown as the clock neared four minutes left in regulation.

Georgia improved to 5-0, but the Dawgs certainly could use a more aesthetically pleasing win. If that happens opposite rival Auburn next week, they might officially end Bryan Harsin's ill-fated tenure, too.

(Screams into megaphone): What do we want? To win the turnover battle! When do we want it? Every Saturday!

Penn State laughed at that totally reasonable trope in Week 5.

During a rather disgusting 17-7 victory, the Nittany Lions committed five turnovers in a rain-soaked game. Good thing they were playing Northwestern, which has established itself as the nation's second-worst power-conference team behind only Colorado.

Following those takeaways, Northwestern managed a ghastly 13 yards on 15 plays. Two of those five ensuing possessions ended in turnovers, which Penn State not-so-coincidentally turned into 14 of its 17 points.

So far this season, 11 teams have committed five-plus turnovers in a game. Penn State boasts the lone victory of the group.

It's safe to suggest the Nittany Lions will need to play a cleaner game on the road at No. 4 Michigan on Oct. 15.

The Lurker: UCLA Bruins

Perhaps you missed the Pac-12 showdown of unbeaten teams on Friday night. UCLA toppled Washington, improving to 5-0 at the beginning of a very difficult three-game stretch. After hosting Utah next weekend, the Bruins have an idle Saturday before heading to Oregon. Utah and Oregon, along with USC, are prime Pac-12 contenders, so if UCLA beats either of them, Chip Kelly's Bruins are undeniably a legitimate threat.

The Front-Runner: Clemson Tigers

Saturday evening, Clemson earned the second of two vital victories. The longtime ACC power clipped Wake Forest in overtime last weekend and took out North Carolina State in Week 5. Florida State and Syracuse remain in the picture, but Wake and NC State were considered Clemson's top competition in 2022. After missing the College Football Playoff in 2021, a return to the championship tournament looks increasingly likely.

The Notables: Top 25 Wins

Alabama withstood Bryce Young's exit because of a shoulder injury, defeating Arkansas by 23 points. Ole Miss capitalized on Kentucky's late turnover to steal a 22-19 victory, and Oklahoma State beat Baylor 36-25 in a rematch of last season's Big 12 Championship Game. Rounding out the group, Wake Forest won 31-21 at Florida State. Add 'em to the bowl resume.

Golf Clap: The! Connecticut! Huskies!

For a half-decade, UConn football has been a laughingstock. Heading into the weekend, the program had five victories since 2018. Only one happened against FBS competition, yet it was opposite UMass, which has been a disaster of its own lately. But, hey! UConn clipped Fresno State 19-14. The visitors didn't have quarterback Jake Haener, yet Fresno wrecked the Huskies 45-0 last season. Neat result for UConn.

No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas (Noon ET, FS1)

Without question, Kansas is among the best stories of the 2022 season. Simultaneously, it remains fair to wonder if the upstart Jayhawks can truly stick in the conference title race. TCU is yet another rise in competition for Kansas, which previously beat West Virginia and Iowa State. Who would've thought TCU and Kansas would play a more meaningful game on the day of the Red River Rivalry?

No. 8 Tennessee at No. 25 LSU (Noon ET, ESPN)

Also during the early window, Tennessee takes on LSU in a battle of hopeful SEC contenders. This is the first matchup between the programs in five years, and only the second clash since 2011. Although the streak dates back to 2005, LSU has five straight wins in the series. Tennessee halted its inglorious trend against Florida last time out; will the Vols do the same at LSU?

No. 11 Utah at No. 18 UCLA (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)

Since its opening loss at Florida, Utah has quietly had a dominant stretch. UCLA, as mentioned earlier, is undefeated. This is a pivotal result for both teams as the Pac-12 race tightens, especially with both Utah (vs. USC) and UCLA (at Oregon) bracing for another marquee game in their next contests.