Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams - Reviewing 2024 NCAA CFB Rankings For Week 6

September 30, 2024

Jackson's list of overrated and underrated CFB power rankings from AP, for 2024 NCAA college football teams for Week 6. Who are the most overvalued and undervalued college football teams after Week 5?

In what feels like a blink of an eye, we're already over a month into the 2024 college football season. Last week's action saw Miami survive on a controversial reversed Hail Mary, an all-time SEC classic between Alabama and Georgia, a massive upset in Mississippi, and some Big 12 conference beatdowns.

The new season is still young and is getting ready to heat up. There is still a ton of football to be played, but for now, let's review the latest AP Poll rankings and pick them apart. Sure, rankings mean very little at this point in the season, but it's always a hot topic for debate.

It's time for the next article of a year-long series: Overrated and Underrated College Football Teams, after the weekly Associated Press Poll release. All rankings listed are based on the AP Poll.

Week 6 College Football AP Poll

BREAKING: Week 6 College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/0NY37DqVfJ pic.twitter.com/7ojgiDjnNl

— On3 (@On3sports) September 29, 2024

Overrated College Football Teams For Week 6

Ole Miss Rebels: No. 12
Week 5 Result: L vs. Kentucky (17-20)

Through the first four weeks of the season, Ole Miss looked unstoppable on offense under head coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback Jaxson Dart. However, Kiffin admitted the Rebels had not been tested against Furman, Middle Tennessee, Wake Forest, or Georgia Southern. Many believed the Kentucky Wildcats would not present that much more of a challenge, but clearly, that was wrong.

After throwing for at least 370 yards in each of Dart's first four games, he was held to just 261 yards and one touchdown on Saturday, and Ole Miss did not reach the 100-yard rushing mark.

This early in the season, you should be penalized more for losing to an unranked foe, especially at home. I'm not calling for Ole Miss to fall into the 20s, but its lone loss is far worse than No. 13 LSU (USC) or No. 15 Clemson (Georgia).

Final from Oxford. pic.twitter.com/BSMNAs50Ya

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) September 28, 2024

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: No. 14
Week 5 Result: W vs. Louisville (31-24)

Notre Dame seems to show up for bigger games, but the loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 looks even worse now that NIU has not won a game since. The Irish offense behind quarterback Riley Leonard came alive against Louisville on Saturday, but its defense was underwhelming and surrendered 395 yards.

Marcus Freeman's squad can't seem to put together a strong offensive and defensive outing on a week-to-week basis, and again, the Northern Illinois loss should keep the Irish out of the top 15, at least for now. No. 15 Clemson, No. 16 Iowa State and No. 17 BYU should all be firmly ahead of Notre Dame.

Notre Dame will likely be favored in all of its matchups until the final week of the season against USC, but as we've seen, a surprising loss can come at any point.

Underrated College Football Teams For Week 6

BYU Cougars: No. 17
Week 5 Result: W at Baylor (34-28)

After getting out to a 31-14 halftime lead, the Cougars nearly allowed Baylor to climb out of a hole and take the lead late in the fourth quarter. However, BYU held on for a Big 12 road victory and again flexed its muscles on offense.

The week before the win over Baylor, BYU slaughtered a Kansas State team that just defeated Oklahoma State by 22 points and is still the betting odds favorite to win the Big 12. The Cougars still aren't being taken very seriously in the Big 12 race, which could be a mistake. BYU is 5-0 and has an impressive resume that should at least place them ahead of some of the one-loss teams ahead of them.

FIVE AND ZERO. pic.twitter.com/Ifwhmp2MRQ

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 28, 2024

Boise State: No. 21
Week 5 Result: W vs. Washington State (45-24)

Led by running back Ashton Jeanty, Boise State has a great shot to be the Group-of-Five representative in the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Jeanty is averaging over 210.0 rushing yards per game and is on pace for well over 35 rushing touchdowns.

Sure, a running back's stats alone don't suggest the Broncos are underrated, but when you consider the team's only defeat is on the road against the current No. 6 team in the country (Oregon) by a margin of three points, Boise State deserves a little bit more love in the polls, especially after a beatdown of a previously undefeated team (Washington State).

Indiana Hoosiers: No. 23
Week 5 Result: W vs. Maryland (42-28)

Indiana is ninth nationally in total offense per game (513.0 YPG) and eighth nationally in total offense allowed per game (239.6 YPG). The Hoosiers are just one of four teams who rank inside the top 10 in total defense and total offense. The others are No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 4 Tennessee. Yes, that's how good Indiana has been at the start of the season.

Three plays. 32 seconds. TOUCHDOWN. 👏@Kurtis_rourke7 ➡️ @TheOmarCooper#IUFB | 📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/5PafvnAn15

— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) September 28, 2024

Former James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti looks like the real deal, and Indiana is not scheduled to face a ranked team until November 9 against Michigan. That fact means we don't know exactly how good Indiana is, but based on early-season results, the Hoosiers have a clear argument to be ranked ahead of at least No. 22 Lousiville.

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