College football playoff pick after week 5

Alabama and Georgia once again fought for the top spot in our writers’ picks for college football playoffs – and the Bulldogs have come closer than usual – but the Crimson Tide simply refuses to abandon row n ° 1.

If Alabama is No.1 after a 42-21 march on an Ole Miss ranked team, then Georgia is No.1B this week after demolishing an Arkansas top 10 team 37-0. Alabama and Georgia are our writers’ unanimous picks, with the Tide getting seven votes for first place and the Dawgs finishing with six.

Iowa – following a close call against Colorado State last week – was selected on seven of the ballots this week following a 51-14 rout of the previously undefeated Maryland on Friday night. The Hawkeyes turned their opponent seven times in a decisive victory and cemented their place in the top five this season. The victory set up a crucial clash with the Big Ten next week, with Iowa hosting Penn State in Iowa City.

The Nittany Lions also proved themselves worthy of the CFP with a 24-0 victory over Indiana on Saturday night that earned them 11 picks. Penn State’s game against the Hawkeyes next week is sure to be a litmus test for both teams, but a loss doesn’t necessarily rule out their respective runs in the Big Ten Division or the CFP conversation.

In what was a huge win for the Group of 5, the Cincinnati Bearcats knocked out Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and firmly put their names in the race to become the first school in the Group of 5 to make the CFP. It was the first time that a Group 5 team beat a top 10 team on the road. The historic victory saw the Bearcats win eight polls, their most of the season.

Oregon fell among the picks after a 31-24 overtime loss to Stanford on Saturday. The loss drops the Pac-12 out of the playoff conversation – for now – and the westernmost team in our writers’ pick now is Iowa.

The five-team field this week is the smallest of the year so far.

Andrea Adelson: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Cincinnati
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Cincinnati
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Cincinnati, 4. Penn State
Heather Dinich: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
David M. Hale: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Cincinnati, 4. Penn State
Chris Low: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Iowa, 4. Cincinnati
Harry Lyles Jr .: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Cincinnati
Ryan McGee: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Cincinnati
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
Alex Scarborough: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Cincinnati
Marc Schlabach: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Alabama, 2. Georgia, 3. Penn State, 4. Iowa
Dave Wilson: 1. Georgia, 2. Alabama, 3. Iowa, 4. Penn State