What we've learned in this week in college football: Week 5

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Miami is an elite team.
There are a lot of knocks you can make on the early-season schedule that the Hurricanes have played. Not the least of those is that they beat an Oklahoma team that was without its top offensive weapon. On top of that, Florida State proved they were overrated by playing three and a half horrid quarters of football in a loss to Boston College. Georgia Tech doesn't look to be as strong as advertised. But even if you look past the fact that the three teams they beat in their first four games haven't quite lived up to billing, you'd still be hard-pressed to find a team that has played a more difficult schedule in the early going. 3-1 against four teams that were ranked at the time you played them should be worth more than a No. 11 ranking. Apparently the pollsters are more impressed with beating up on FCS teams and weak FBS teams.

USC's defense is the real deal.
And just like that, USC ended any shot Jahvid Best had at the Heisman. The Trojans held the vaunted Cal offense to just three points on 286 yards of offense and kept them scoreless for the first three quarters. With that, the USC defense silenced quite a few doubters who thought the team was talented, but too young. Instead, people now have to realize the USC is a team that just reloads with NFL-caliber talent every year. The defense has allowed no more than 15 points in a game all season. But none of the teams the Trojans played have had the kind of clout the Golden Bears possess.

LSU will continue being overrated as long as it keeps winning.
LSU is still ranked No. 4 after their unimpressive 20-13 win over another overrated team in Georgia. The LSU offense still spends most of its time looking lost and without an identity, scoring a mere six points over the first three quarters before a frantic fourth quarter. Jordan Jefferson was sacked five times, bringing his total on the season to a ghastly 13. LSU's offense is ranked just behind Duke with 28.8 points per game and fans can't be feeling good heading into this week's matchup with Florida.

Some pollsters do care that Boise State plays a horribly weak schedule.
When you play in the WAC, you can't afford a weak out of conference schedule and get away with it. But Boise State still scheduled the Championship Subdivision's UC-Davis and beat them in not-so-impressive fashion and it cost them a spot in the polls, dropping them from fifth to sixth. As a whole, teams that the Broncos have played this year have gone 7-16 and four of those wins are owned by Oregon, whom they beat in the first week.

Notre Dame is still one of the most entertaining teams to watch on Saturday.
Still not impressing anyone who does any voting, the Fighting Irish are 4-1, thanks to three straight come-from-behind victories against Michigan State, Purdue and Washington. Certainly not the most impressive resume of wins, but you cannot dismiss the entertainment value. On top of the heroics, the Irish offense has been outstanding, even without Michael Floyd. Jimmy Clausen is the highest rated passer in the country and has one of the highest yard per attempt averages. As a team, the offense is 10th in the nation in total offense. Granted, the defense being 50th in scoring defense helps make games interesting, too. It will be interesting to see how the Irish handle their biggest test of the season in USC after this week's bye. Odds are stacked well against them, but it's surely going to be more fun to watch than the 38-3 affair last year.