Most of these upsets or near upsets are based on faulty assumption about these teams. The preseason rankings are based purely on speculation and brand recognition. Even in the NFL, where team personnel is far more stable than in college, preseason predictions are garbage. Seattle was supposed to be unbeatable while New England was supposed to take a step back, etc. If you can't judge the NFL in the preseason, why judge college teams who lose nearly half their starters every year?

Last week's rankings were based on these preseason biases, plus their pre-conference schedule. No one really knows how tough those teams are based on 3-4 games against teams they rarely face. There are some many "upsets" in Week 5 because teams finally start conference play and face adversaries who know them and have played them for years. Notre Dame was just plain overrated, as usual. UVA nearly beat them, and UVA's only win so far is against William & Mary. Notre Dame beat then ranked Georgia Tech, who is a ramblin' wreck at 2-3. UCLA doesn't look like a Top 10 team now. How good is Michigan after losing at home to Utah?

If the rankings didn't matter, then who cares? But they do determine who is the playoffs and who isn't. Rankings kept TCU and Baylor out of the playoffs last year. It's ridiculous that college football is a judged sport like gymnastics and diving, but at least those sports wait until after you've performed to judge you.