College Football: Ranking 6 unbeaten, unranked teams for Week 5

Defeated:
*Middle Tennessee 44-7
*Norfolk State 63-7
*@ Appalachian State 32-28
Strength of Schedule: 60
Road Victories: 1
Wins vs. Power 5 teams: 0
Next opponent: Texas State
Week 5 prediction: James Madison 35, Texas State 20

The reason why James Madison from the Sun Belt is ranked so high in these rankings should not be surprising. The Dukes defeated Middle Tennessee by 37 points giving the Blue Raiders their only loss of the season. Middle Tennessee not only went on the road and defeated Colorado State by 15 and last week went to Miami and beat the Hurricanes by two touchdowns.

James Madison also went on the road and defeated Appalachian State who earlier in the season went on the road and defeated Texas A&M and only lost to North Carolina by two points. The Dukes still have a lot to prove but if they keep on winning games and remain undefeated, they could be ranked in the top 25 by Week 7.

Defeated:
*Tennessee Tech 56-10
*@West Virginia 55-42 OT
*@Houston 48-30
*Duke 35-27
Strength of Schedule: 40
Road Victories: 2
Wins vs. Power 5 teams: 2
Next opponent: Iowa State
Week 5 prediction: Kansas 24, Iowa State 21

One of the biggest surprises of this season has been the consistency of Kansas football. After easily defeating Tennessee Tech at home, the Jayhawks went on the road and defeated West Virginia by 13. They followed up that victory with another road win against Houston who was predicted to have a good season, by defeating Cougars by 18 points. Kansas last week welcomed 3-0 Duke and the Jayhawks remained consistent and stopped a Blue Devils fourth quarter comeback to start the season 4-0.

Kansas has another winnable game as it faces off against Iowa State. The Jayhawks look to go 2-0 in Big 12 play if they are able to defeat the Cyclones. Kansas has been nothing but consistent and a victory over Iowa State is not only possible but also likely. The Jayhawks have fans believing in them this season and rightfully so as they have won every game that they have played this season.

Defeated:
* Louisville 31-7
*@UConn 48-14
* Purdue 32-29
* Virginia 22-20
Strength of Schedule: 41
Road Victories: 2
Wins vs. Power 5 teams: 3
Next opponent: Wagner
Week 5 prediction: Syracuse 41, Wagner 7

Syracuse ranks No. 1 in these ranking due to the fact that they have defeated three Power Five opponents. A reason to why they are not ranked in the AP Top 25 this week may be because the three Power Five teams that they defeated have a combined record of 6-6.

Their road victory against UConn was not surprising at all due to the Huskies  being considered part of the lowest tier of FBS football at this time. The Orange also only defeated the Boilermakers at home by three points and Virginia by only two. However, Syracuse, similar to Kansas, is undefeated and has been consistent.

The Orange did make a statement in their season opener and defeated Louisville by 24 points and beat UConn by 34 as well. They also found ways to win close games in beating both Purdue and Virginia and that will benefit them as the season progresses.

Syracuse should easily defeat Wagner this week and may possibly find their way in the AP Top 25 pool when the Week 6 poll is announced. The Orange like the Jayhawks have college football fans attention and if they keep winning, they will continue to gain more respect for how they have played on the field.