College Football Rankings 2016: Projected AP Top 25 after Week 5

Sep 30, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Myles Gaskin (9) tosses the ball to an official after scoring on a eight-yard run against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington won 44-6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Myles Gaskin (9) tosses the ball to an official after scoring on a eight-yard run against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington won 44-6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 1, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Justin Crawford (25) runs in for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Justin Crawford (25) runs in for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

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As one of just two undefeated teams remaining in the Big 12, West Virginia probably played its way into the AP Top 25 this week with a fourth-quarter comeback at home against Kansas State. The Mountaineers held the Wildcats under 300 total yards of offense and forced them to kick field goals most of the day, yet it still required two late touchdowns to move to 4-0 on the season. Skyler Howard threw for 298 yards in the win, while Justin Crawford rushed for 108 yards and a score.

Texas Tech, TCU, and Oklahoma State await the Mountaineers over the rest of October. Texas, Oklahoma, and Baylor loom on the horizon in November. But with a third of the season behind them, West Virginia has played well enough to get a long look from the AP pollsters this weekend, especially with all of the other attrition in the Big 12. Their wins over Missouri and BYU out of conference also help their case.