#1. Florida Gators (5-0, No.10 in AP Poll)

Week 5 Result: Florida 38, Towson 0.

Next Game: Saturday 10/5, vs. Auburn, 3:30pm

Bovada Line: UF +3.5

Week 5 Positives: The Gators earned their second shutout of an FCS opponent this season. Gator quarterbacks only threw four incomplete passes on 28 attempts while passing for 262 yards. UF forced three turnovers and only had four penalties.

Week 5 Negatives: UF is still struggling to find itself in the running game. The Gators rushed for just 160 yards as a team against FCS Towson and still do not have a player averaging more than 40 yards rushing per game.

Where Things Stand: It is go time for the Gators. UF’s next four games are home against Auburn, on the road against LSU, on the road against South Carolina, and at a neutral site against Georgia. The next four games will make or break UF’s season and the trajectory of Dan Mullen’s career as UF’s head man.

#2. Central Florida Knights (4-1, No. 18 in AP Poll)

Week 5 Result: Central Florida 56, Connecticut 21.

Next Game: Friday 10/4, at Cincinnati, 8pm

Bovada Line: UCF -4.5

Week 5 Positives: UCF led 56-0 in this game before taking its foot off the gas. The Knights racked up 607 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers on defense. Great bounce back win from their first regular season loss since 2016.

Week 5 Negatives: Giving up 21 straight points to end the game wasn’t great. UCF was also penalized 11 times for 90 yards. Not much else went wrong for the Knights.

Where Things Stand: UCF will have to work harder in its next AAC game on the road on Friday against Cincinnati. Winning at Nippert Stadium would give the Knights control over the AAC East early on and the inside track to getting back to the AAC championship game.

#3. Florida State Seminoles (3-2)

Week 5 Result: Florida State 31, NC State 13.

Next Game: Saturday 10/12, at Clemson, TBD

Bovada Line: N/A

Week 5 Positives: Backup quarterback Alex Hornibrook passed for 316 yards and three touchdowns for Florida State. The Seminoles also put together their best second half of the season as they only allowed seven points.

Week 5 Negatives: Still plenty to correct for Florida State as Hornibrook was sacked eight times and the Seminoles were penalized 13 times for 99 yards. Florida State also failed to effectively run the ball against the Wolfpack as it only compiled 53 yards rushing as a team.

Where Things Stand: That arguably was Willie Taggart’s best game of his 17 as Florida State’s head coach. It came at a great time for the Seminoles as they head into the bye week to get ready for a road trip to Clemson on October 12. Back-to-back power five wins bumps Florida State over Miami, who has zero power five wins this season.

#4. Miami Hurricanes (2-2)

Week 5 Result: Off.

Next Game: Saturday 10/5, vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30pm

Bovada Line: Miami -14

Where Things Stand: The Hurricanes need a power five win badly. Not sure there could be a better ACC team to come to town for that than Virginia Tech. Miami must beat Virginia Tech soundly and the offensive line must look better in doing so.

#5. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-2)

Week 5 Result: Florida Atlantic 45, Charlotte 27.

Next Game: Saturday 10/12, vs. Middle Tennessee State, 4pm

Bovada Line: N/A

Week 5 Positives: The Owls compiled 557 yards of total offense while holding Charlotte to just 336. FAU forced three turnovers and quarterback Chris Robison passed for over 300 yards for the third consecutive game. The Owls scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to take complete control of this Conference USA game.

Week 5 Negatives: Kicker Vladimir Rivas missed a field goal and extra point for the Owls. Not much else went wrong for the Owls on this night.

Where Things Stand: Huge 3-game win streak for Lane Kiffin and FAU heading into the bye week. The Owls now have two weeks to get ready for two games in six days against conference rivals MTSU and Marshall that will likely decide if FAU will play for the Conference USA title or not this season.

#6. Florida International Panthers (1-3)

Week 5 Result: Off.

Next Game: Saturday 10/5, vs. Massachusetts, 7pm

Bovada Line: FIU -26.5

Where Things Stand: FIU is nearly a four touchdown favorite this week and must win at home this week to generate some positive momentum for the rest of the season. Winning Saturday would be a non-conference win but it would at least help the Panthers put the feelings of a 1-3 start behind them for the second half of the season.

#7. South Florida Bulls (1-3)

Week 5 Result: SMU 48, South Florida 21.

Next Game: Saturday 10/5, at Connecticut, Noon

Bovada Line: USF -11

Week 5 Positives: Not many. Blake Barnett replaced starting quarterback Jordan McCloud and passed for 222 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. The Bulls also forced two turnovers.

Week 5 Negatives: Plenty of negatives for USF from this game. The Bulls were sacked ten times, turned the ball over twice, and only rushed for 54 yards as a team. USF only converted 25 percent (4-for-16) of third-down conversions and was penalized 12 times for 134 yards. USF trailed 34-0 at halftime. All of those statistics came with two weeks to prepare for this game since the Bulls had an off week the previous Saturday.

Where Things Stand: Charlie Strong has got to be feeling some pressure at this point. His team’s effort with two weeks to prepare for SMU was definitely sub-par at best. USF has not won a game against an FBS team since October 20, 2018 against Connecticut at home. That needs to change this week against Connecticut on the road.