College football is unpredictable and entertaining, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. And the fifth Saturday of the 2024 season did not disappoint, from Kentucky’s stunning upset of No. 6 Ole Miss to a tumultuous game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Every Sunday I post my biggest takeaways from college football weekend. I’ll highlight the most interesting storylines, keep an eye on the College Football Playoff contenders, and particularly highlight individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.

Here are my key takeaways from Week 5:

1. Jalen Milroe had his Heisman moment.

I’m sure every voter kept an eye on Saturday night’s events in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but just in case people missed it, I’m ready to personally get a copy of Alabama’s first-half performance against Georgia to deliver them (plus the final minutes). Milroe was sensational, repeatedly picking apart Kirby Smart’s defense. Alabama scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions, Nick Saban was a fist-pumping buddy, and by halftime Milroe had totaled 305 yards of offense and three touchdowns. Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter was also great in the first month of the season – and I loved him striking the Heisman pose after his interception against UCF on Saturday – but Milroe should be considered a leading candidate for the sport’s most prestigious individual award apply when the calendar changes from September to October.

2. Georgia is still one of the best teams in the SEC — and the country.

I admit that I wrote the Bulldogs off a bit after they lost 28-0 on the road. I don’t think I was alone. But what Georgia did defensively in the second half against Alabama was remarkable and a credit to both the players and coach Kirby Smart, who, as you know, initiated them at halftime. That gave Carson Beck and his offensive weapons (which admittedly aren’t nearly as strong as in years past) time to get back into this game. I know Georgia came up short, but I’m impressed with the team I saw in the second half. This is a Bulldog team that can compete with anyone in the country, no matter where the game is played. I might even feel better about Georgia versus Texas (or another elite team with a non-dual threat quarterback) than I did about the Dawgs facing a team like Alabama. However, I’m not writing this team off after the comeback we experienced on a Saturday night in enemy territory.

3. Ole Miss could be a contender. But Kentucky could also be legitimately good.

It’s still early in the season and a loss doesn’t disqualify anyone – let alone an SEC team expected to be in contention for an at-large CFP spot – but what we saw from the Rebels on Saturday was at least a little worrying. All of the points and explosive plays we had seen for weeks against overwhelming competition were no longer on display against Kentucky’s stout defense. The Wildcats played hard against then-No. 1 Georgia two weeks ago, but they fell short in the end (and we were all still sad about the decision to punt!). It was a similar situation but a different result against No. 6 Ole Miss on Saturday when Mark Stoops made a bold fourth-down call from deep in Kentucky’s own territory that, thanks to some luck, led to the game-winning touchdown.

Ultimately, this is the type of game Kentucky tends to lose, which makes it notable that the Cats won it. It’s also the kind of game a serious CFP contender shouldn’t give up on, and that’s what worries me about the Rebels. You have to be tougher.

4. Miami has flaws but is still somehow undefeated.

The ‘Canes are probably still the team to beat in the ACC, but they’re not such an overwhelming favorite after a shaky win over Virginia Tech on Friday night. They came close to defeat on a final play that took about 10 minutes of real time to review. For the record, while I think the statement about an incomplete pass was correct, the process up to this point was a mess. I wish we could give the refereeing teams the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, we didn’t get to see this game and we’re not going to make a decision on the field.’ We’ll just send it to replay!’ But unfortunately.

This weekend reminded me of the Cam Ward Experience from his Wazzu era. There were amazing highs, but also some brutal lows. And so it was against Virginia Tech, Heisman-caliber moments mixed in with bad turnovers. We’ll see how Miami responds to this close decision – especially on the defensive side of the ball, which has struggled greatly against a previously underpowered Hokie offense.

5. Jeremiah Smith is already one of, if not the best, receivers in college football.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day had effusive praise for his true freshman receiver in the spring when I visited Columbus. I was surprised because it’s rare for a head coach to actually see the hype surrounding a potential star before he’s played a single snap. But he knew what Smith was made of, and he knew how we would all react when we saw him in action. Smith is simply an incredible talent with incredible hand-eye coordination and body control. The one-handed grab he had against Michigan State was just the latest highlight in a long line that has been building since Week 1. As a Buckeye, he’s already in unprecedented territory; The Ohio State true freshman record is eight touchdowns. In four games, Smith has five touchdown catches.

6. Army and Navy are 4-0 for the first time since 1945.

Yes, you read that correctly. These two service academies haven’t had such a good start to the season since the end of World War II. For those of us who love the sport, watching Army and Navy play well is not only fun – even though it’s still more than two months before they face off in their traditional rivalry game – it’s also quite fascinating because it could actually have an impact on the CFP! Both teams are eligible for the Group 5 championship spot in the new 12-team bracket, although the Army-Navy game will take place a week after the American Athletic Conference championship game. And both teams currently lead the AAC standings. It’s a cool, if unlikely, scenario to look forward to.

7. The death of the Big Ten East was a blessing for Indiana and Rutgers.

No one was happier with the Big Ten’s new schedules without divisions than Rutgers and Indiana. After a decade in the East Division with annual games against some of college football’s biggest teams, these two schools finally no longer have schedules that require three or four losses from the start. Indiana is 5-0 for the third time in program history in Curt Cignetti’s first season as head coach, backing up all of his big words. Rutgers is 4-0 for the first time in over a decade, with its remaining schedule not including Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State or Oregon. Most years we talked about whether Rutgers and Indiana could reach the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility. Now we might be discussing how well they can make a bowl game. And that’s pretty cool.

8. UNLV seems perfectly fine without Matthew Sluka.

Sluka’s NIL dispute dominated the news cycle this week, but had no impact on the Rebels when they actually faced Fresno State on Saturday. UNLV defeated Fresno State 59-14 in its Mountain West opener, a margin that spoke volumes about how the Rebel team felt about their now-former starting quarterback leaving the team three games into the season because of money , which he believed he deserved was owed. Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 182 yards and ran for another 119, totaling four touchdowns in his first start. I think UNLV will be fine the rest of the way without Sluka.

9. Baylor’s Dave Aranda is running out of time. And Sam Pittman. And maybe Hugh Freeze at some point?

Hot Seat Watch 2024 is heating up as Baylor suffered its third loss in four games and Arkansas snatched a loss from the jaws of victory for the second time this season. These are terrible losses for these teams to endure! The Bears lost to a red-hot BYU team after completely collapsing against Colorado last weekend. Aranda had a fantastic season, finishing 12-2 as a sophomore, but things have gone downhill since then. It’s hard to justify keeping him after the September Baylor has had so far.

It may also be the end of the season for Pittman at Arkansas after losing to a beatable Texas A&M team that plays his backup quarterback. He started the season in one of the hottest spots ever, and the Razorbacks then fell short against a mediocre Oklahoma State team despite nearly doubling the total length of the Pokes. The easy (or difficult) thing about the Arkansas situation is that Pittman hired his likely successor – Bobby Petrino – this offseason. That could either lead to a quick change or give Arkansas leadership the wiggle room to make a decision later this season. We will see what happens in Fayetteville just as we watch what happens in Auburn, Alabama. This attitude from Freeze isn’t working, as evidenced by embarrassing losses to Cal, Arkansas and Oklahoma this season alone. (Let’s never forget New Mexico State either.) This is a supposed offensive guru overseeing quarterbacks who can’t stop turning the ball over and costing the Tigers victory. And that puts you in the hot seat.

10. The CFP hasn’t lowered the stakes on games like Alabama-Georgia.

There has been a strange narrative this season from national pundits who have argued that top-five showdowns like the one in Tuscaloosa are somehow meaningless in the era of the 12-team playoffs. They think it’s a bad thing that the loser of this Georgia-Alabama game could easily still make the College Football Playoff – and that’s why they think the expanded playoffs devalue the regular season. I can’t imagine anyone who watched Alabama-Georgia on Saturday felt like it was meaningless. Or that knowing that the loser of the game was still alive in the CFP race took something away from an incredibly entertaining game that will likely have a big impact on the SEC race.

Tell Kalen DeBoer this game didn’t matter. I’m sure he would tell you.