College football rankings 2021: Projected Week 7 AP Top 25 after Alabama, Penn State fall & Oklahoma, Michigan survive

Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Week 6: No. 6-5

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

For the second time this season, the Alabama Crimson Tide found themselves with the game in doubt in the final moments. But unlike the matchup against Florida, it was Nick Saban’s team playing from behind for most of the game. And also unlike that previous scare, this time, the Crimson Tide were unable to hold fast and get the victory as they succumbed tot he pressure of Kyle Field in a stunning loss.

Look, this is still Alabama and, if Clemson’s losses have taught us anything, it’s that a team with the type of history that the Tide have isn’t going to fall all that far in the rankings. With that said, this was a stunning performance in the worst way for Bama as they looked rattled against a team that just lost to Mississippi State last week and looked awful doing so.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes

In what could’ve been a tough game for the Buckeyes, Ohio State played arguably their best game of the season on Saturday in Columbus as they welcomed Maryland to town.

Yes, the offense remained impressive as C.J. Stroud (24-of-33, 406 yards, 5 TDs), Chris Olave (7 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TDs) and TreVeyon Henderson (16 carries, 102 yards, 2 TDs) all went off in the 66-17 victory. However, it was the OSU defense that showed the most for me.

Especially over the first few weeks and in the wake of the Oregon loss, the big question was whether the Buckeyes would figure out the defense. They showed on Saturday that they can handle a good-enough attack, which is promising for their long-term outlook.