The Minnesota Top 20, the Star Tribune’s statewide, class-crossing football ranking: Week 5

I suppose this is a good thing.

We’ve reached the halfway point of the regular season and it’s clear that there are no sure things in high school football this season. At least, not among the big schools.

Competitive balance is the buzzword. Teams at the top of Classes 6A and 5A — classes that deservedly make up the majority of the Minnesota Top 20 — are not asserting themselves in the manner at which we’ve become accustomed. Teams you used to count on consistently, week to week, are no longer the lock they once were (I’m looking at you, Eden Prairie).

Others who looked poised to run the table unexpectedly stumbled (Elk River) while another, Eagan, trumpeted its arrival to the party loudly with by beating perennial power Lakeville South.

Sure, having an any-given-Friday scenario can add flavor to a game. There is a comforting sense of order in having a well-defined strata to a season. Teams that are supposed to win do, and the unexpected upset becomes all the more memorable, burning itself into the collective brains of witnesses.

There is still excellence — undefeated teams at the top of the rankings -- just not as many you might expect. The number of undefeated will dwindle this Friday when Shakopee travels to Minnetonka. And metro powers Maple Grove and Lakeville North, and six teams each in Classes 5A and 4A, have yet to taste defeat.

1. Maple Grove (4-0)

Previous: 1. Last: def. Anoka 55-14. Next: Friday, home vs. Blaine, 7 p.m.

2. Lakeville North (4-0)

Previous: 2. Last: def. Farmington 27-20. Next: Friday, home vs. Eagan, 7 p.m.

3. Shakopee (4-0)

Previous: 3. Last: def. Eden Prairie 28-7. Next: Friday, at Minnetonka, 7 p.m.

4. Minnetonka (4-0)

Previous: 4. Last: def. Prior Lake 28-7. Next: Friday, home vs. Shakopee, 7 p.m.

5. Edina (3-1)

Previous: 6. Last: def. Wayzata 48-21. Next: Friday, home vs. Prior Lake, 7 p.m.

6. Stillwater (3-1)

Previous: 11. Last: def. Mounds View 33-14. Next: Friday, at Forest Lake, 7 p.m.

7. Alexandria (5A, 4-0)

Previous: 8. Last: def. Sartell 42-13. Next: Friday, home vs. Brainerd, 7 p.m.

8. Moorhead (5A, 4-0)

Previous: 9. Last: def. Brainerd 50-15. Next: Friday, at St. Cloud Tech, 7 p.m.

9. Eagan (3-1)

Previous: 14. Last: def. Lakeville South 35-33. Next: Friday, at Lakeville North, 7 p.m.

10. Andover (5A, 3-1)

Previous: NR. Last: def. Elk River 47-31. Next: Friday, at Spring Lake Park, 7 p.m.

11. Owatonna (5A, 4-0)

Previous: 18. Last: def. Northfield 39-6. Next: Friday, at Rochester Century, 7 p.m.

12. Elk River (5A, 3-1)

Previous: 5. Last: lost to Andover 47-31. Next: Friday, at Sauk Rapids-Rice (at the middle school), 7 p.m.

13. Blaine (3-1)

Previous: 13. Last: def. Osseo 48-21. Next: Friday, at Maple Grove, 7 p.m.

14. Eden Prairie (2-2)

Previous: 7. Last: lost to Shakopee 28-7. Next: Friday, home vs. Wayzata, 7p.m.

15. Becker (4A, 4-0)

Previous: 17. Last: def. Willmar 42-7. Next: Friday, at Hutchinson, 7 p.m.

16. Mankato West (5A, 3-1)

Previous: 16. Last: def. Chaska 17-14. Next: Friday. home vs. Chanhassen, 7 p.m.

17. Centennial (2-2)

Previous: NR. Last: def. St. Michael-Albertville 24-9. Next: Friday, at Osseo, 6 p.m.

18. Totino-Grace (4A, 4-0)

Previous: 20. Last: def. Benilde-St. Margaret’s 42-7. Next: Friday, at Holy Angels, 7 p.m.

19. Armstrong (5A, 4-0)

Previous: NR. Last: def. Cretin-Derham Hall 28-22. Next: Friday, home vs. St. Thomas Academy, 7 p.m.

20. Farmington (2-2)

Previous: NR. Last: lost to Lakeville North 27-20. Next: Friday, at Rosemount, 7 p.m.

Also worth a mention: Anoka, Champlin Park, Mankato East (5A), St. Thomas Academy (5A), Stewartville (3A), Orono (4A).