ESPN College GameDay Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New SP+ rankings pit No. 1 vs. No. 2 in Week 5 college football showdown

Originally posted on CFB-HQ on SI | By Alex Weber | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 9:32 AM ET

ESPN college football analyst and longtime peddler of the SP+ college football rankings, Bill Connelly, has posted his updated ratings of every single team in college football, all 700+ of them at however many different levels of the sport exist at this point.

Among the hundreds and hundreds of teams all set to square off in another round of action this weekend, somehow, we're lucky enough to get a head-to-head between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the SP+ ratings. That game is the focus of ESPN's College GameDay and the obvious Game of the Week: Oregon at Penn State.

After a strong start to their season and absolutely smashing some lesser competition, Oregon nabbed the very top spot and scores a 79.7 in Connelly's system, a full three points ahead of the Nittany Lions, who currently score a 76.7, which barely clears Ohio State and Alabama for that second overall spot this week. Here's the bigger picture:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SP+ TOP 766, WEEK 5

* No. 1 vs. No. 2 this week!
* Arkansas -114 Arkansas Baptist
* UTRGV -87 Rio Grande
* Oberlin lost 63-0 to No. 381, while Maine Maritime lost 63-0 to No. 671, therefore MARITIME HOLDS ONTO NO. 766 GO MARINERShttps://t.co/Jeq1s2TKJF pic.twitter.com/UjVQWMCta2
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) September 23, 2025

With that ranking, Oregon may even be the SP+ favorite heading into State College Saturday evening. However, with a new starting QB in their system, Dante Moore, against such a veteran PSU group, and on the road in the first consequential test of the season... a win feels like a lofty expectation for these Ducks. But we know Dan Lanning's group won't curdle when the floodlights flip on.

Penn State, James Franklin NEED the win

As for Penn State, head coach James Franklin is dragging the weight of expectation around like the chains of Jacob Marley's ghost. Here's another chance at a top-ten victory and it's time for pressure to burst his bubble or spit out a diamond. There's no avoiding the spotlight or national discussion points for Franklin, he and his squad just have to face the music head-on and ears wide open.

Given that Penn State is at home with a veteran quarterback and, as Franklin notes himself, the most loaded roster of his time with the Nittany Lions, this early-season battle of two Big Ten titans really has to go their way. The sky won't meet the ground if Penn State loses, but the narratives surrounding Franklin will grow pretty overbearing.