Complete chaos. That's the only apt way to describe what college football gave us in Week 7. No. 1-ranked Georgia, No. 2-ranked Notre Dame, No. 5-ranked Indiana and No. 6-ranked Alabama all suffered losses on Saturday — and that's before you consider that Houston also beat Oklahoma State, Ole Miss blasted Missouri, Ohio State was the one who beat Indiana just as BYU was the one to take down Notre Dame, Miami needed double overtime (and the refs) to outlast a Florida State upset and so much more. Frankly, projecting the AP Top 25 college football rankings this week might be the most difficult single time we've ever had to do this.
But you know what, that's why we're here. To try and make sense of all of this, let's dive into what we project the AP Top 25 rankings will look like come Sunday afternoon. Buckle up, because things are about to get super weird after a week like that.
Dropped Out of Rankings: 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs
No. 25-21
25. Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Last Rank: 18
- Result: lost to 20 Houston, 35-32
- Record: 4-2
That’s definitely a tough loss for Oklahoma State to take in what is shaping up to be a wildly competitive Big 12 this season, and it was also a game in which we saw the biggest flaw of the Cowboys come back to bite them — namely, the defense. At the same time, Drew Mestemaker and the offense proved that they aren’t a fluke as they went on the road and put up big numbers again, and I’d be surprised if the Pokes didn’t hang onto a spot in the AP Top 25 after a tough road loss in conference play.
24. Northwestern Wildcats
- Last Rank: 25
- Result: def. Michigan State, 24-21
- Record: 5-1
Would everyone have liked for Northwestern to deliver a more definitive performance against Michigan State, even on the road in East Lansing? Of course. However, the Wildcats have continued their surprise start to this season behind Adian Chiles, who played well enough in a matchup against his former team, and Chip Kelly’s offense with another victory. If you’re skeptical of how high the ceiling is in Evanston, you’re not alone, but the team keeps winning for now.
23. Texas Longhorns
- Last Rank: 7
- Result: lost to Florida, 27-24
- Record: 4-2
Something’s got to change if you’re Texas. I don’t know if that’s benching Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian giving up play-calling, Sarkisian being fired, a coordinator being fired, or something else I’m just not thinking of in the moment. But man, that was ugly. After the loss to unranked Oklahoma, I and everyone else expected a spirited performance against the Gators. Instead, the passing offense couldn’t move the ball in an advantageous matchup and the defense wasn’t up to the challenge against a backup quarterback. Texas is disappointing again, and it has to feel like the worst kind of deja vu in Austin.
22. SMU Mustangs
- Last Rank: 24
- Result: def. Virginia, 23-13
- Record: 5-1
Make no mistake, SMU still has plenty of flaws. Moreover, I’m not entirely sure that we should take anything meaningful away from beating Virginia, a team that looks like it might be in a complete state of disarray right now. At the same time, the Mustangs keep clawing out wins in the wide-open ACC behind Miami, and Kevin Jennings played one of his better games of the season to this point. If that upward trend continues, they could still sneakily be one of the favorites to make it to Charlotte for the conference championship game.
21. Boise State Broncos
- Last Rank: 23
- Result: OFF
- Record: 5-1
No matter which box you look at that’s been checked to this point, Boise State has separated itself as the clear Group of SIx favorite in college football this season. Last week’s tight win coming into a bye week on the road at Fresno was more impressive than they might get credit for, and they’ve played a brutal G6 schedule to this point — not to mention the one loss is to Oregon. Nothing is a formality in the current era of college football, but the Broncos are surely in the driver’s seat as they head to Pullman next weekend.
No. 20-16
20. Florida Gators
- Last Rank: Unranked
- Result: def. 7 Tesas, 27-24
- Record: 5-2
So much of the conversation after that game in Austin is going to be about the issues with Texas. That’s fair, but let’s not discredit Florida entirely. Tramell Jones Jr. wasn’t out of this world, but he gave enough of a spark to the Gators offense to get Jadan Baugh and Buster Faulkner’s offense as a whole back in the right way, not to mention the defense stepping up in a big way. With wins over Texas and Ole Miss, I don’t know how the Gators aren’t ranked, even with two losses.
19. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Still playing at Cal)
- Last Rank: 21
- Result: TBD
- Record: 5-1
Wake Forest didn’t just debut in the AP Top 25 last week as they immediately leapt up to No. 21 in the country. Jake Dickert has been coaching his tail off this season and the results have been incredibly fun and fruitful to this point. The late-night, cross-country trip to Cal certainly is a wrench to throw into the equation after this hot start, but nothing we’ve seen from the Demon Deacs coming into this game leads you to believe that they have any intentions of slowing up.
18. Missouri Tigers
- Last Rank: 13
- Result: lost to 9 Ole Miss, 31-3
- Record: 5-2
As someone who was pounding the drum that this year’s Missouri team was different, I will not be submitting this game as evidence of that. Mizzou’s defense clearly has issues, especially when it comes to defending the run (and someone like Trinidad Chambliss) and Austin Simmons looked quite mortal in this game. In no way am I writing off the Tigers right now — especially given the chaos we witnessed in the SEC — but this was a sobering result.
17. USC Trojans
- Last Rank: 19
- Result: OFF
- Record: 6-1
If ever there’s time for USC and Lincoln Riley to find a gear that we haven’t seen from them in the head coach’s tenure, maybe since Caleb Williams (if ever), it’s now. They’ll be on the road at Wisconsin next week, but the Big Ten behind Ohio State appears to be as wide-open as it’s been in a long, long time. Jayden Maiava and the offense are bankable, but that was never the question. We need to see this team find a new level of grit and toughness, specifically when they’re on defense.
16. LSU Tigers
- Last Rank: 22
- Result: def. Mississippi State, 31-0
- Record: 5-2
Albeit against a Kamario Taylor-less Mississippi State team, LSU looked like what you’d envision for the Tigers on Saturday in Baton Rouge. Not only did the defense rebound from its awful showing against Kentucky in the loss last week to pitch a shutout, but Sam Leavitt had basically anything he wanted through the air in this game as well. They go on the road to Auburn next week before a bye — then it’s Alabama coming to town for what could be a CFP eliminator for the first Saturday matchup in November.
No. 15-11
15. Iowa Hawkeyes
- Last Rank: 17
- Result: OFF
- Record: 5-1
The sum of Iowa’s parts looks quite similar to what we’ve seen in the past — it’s just a different formula than we’re used to seeing from the Hawkeyes. Whether it’s Hank Brown or Jeremy Hecklinski, this offense actually has a little bit of juice, but the defensive side of the ball is squarely in the good-not-great category. Does that make Iowa a legitimately College Football Playoff contender? I’m not quite sure. But on the road at Minnesota next week should offer a stout test.
14. Houston Cougars
- Last Rank: 20
- Result: def. 18 Oklahoma State, 35-32
- Record: 6-1
Have yourself a day, Conner Weigman! The veteran passer was masterful in this game and went toe-to-toe with Drew Mestemaker as he set career highs in passing yards and in passing touchdowns as he accounted for all five Houston scores through the air. The defense certainly came up with some fortunate plays in this game, but the Cougars being able to win a proverbial shootout with over 1,000 yards of combined total offense is impressive and something that will bolster Houston moving forward.
13. Kentucky Wildcats
- Last Rank: 15
- Result: def. Oklahoma, 21-13
- Record: 6-1
Even the oddsmakers didn’t necessarily believe in Kentucky after knocking off LSU last week as they were road underdogs against Oklahoma this week. Will Stein’s team seemingly didn’t care at all. While I continue to be wary of the Wildcats defense to some degree, they were opportunistic in picking off John Mateer three times. Kenny Minchey operated the offense smoothly against a legitimately elite defense and they got the win. It’s time to take Kentucky seriously if you aren’t at this point.
12. Alabama Crimson Tide
- Last Rank: 6
- Result: lost to 14 Tennessee, 26-10
- Record: 5-2
Following up the loss to Georgia with a road loss in a rivalry game can’t be good for the vibes in Tuscaloosa. This was not only a team that was clearly still feeling last week’s heavyweight clash, but Tennessee’s defense made Keelon Russell and the Alabama offense look shockingly average in this matchup. Bama is going to drop out of the Top 10 after not moving from the rankings last week, without question, but the upside for this team remains tremendous — even if Saturday wasn’t the best evidence for that.
11. Utah Utes (Still playing at Colorado)
- Last Rank: 11
- Result: TBD
- Record: 5-0
Throughout the season, I’ve kept saying that Utah has looked the part, but we need to see them ultimately prove that by playing someone of consequence. To this point, they simply haven’t done that. Colorado doesn’t fit that bill and they won’t see a true test for at least one more week after. I believe this offense is going to be able to find its footing against anyone, but the real test will be how the defense holds up against better competition after some lackluster showings along the way thus far.
No. 10-9
10. UCLA Bruins
- Last Rank: 12
- Result: def. Wisconsin, 17-7
- Record: 6-0
No Nico Iamleava, no problem. Admittedly, we knew that the UCLA Bruins amid their undefeated start were not led by their quarterback, but his season-ending injury undoubtedly did raise some concerns about what Bob Chesney’s team would look like with Ty Dieffenbach taking over. While he did throw a pick with no touchdowns, he performed quite well in relief — but it was really the true lifeblood of the UCLA defense that led them to another impressive victory.
Despite not forcing a turnover, UCLA held the Wisconsin offense to just 214 total yards of offense and completely dominated the action throughout this game. This isn’t a flash in the pan for the Bruins and, while the Iamaleava injury might lower their ceiling a bit, this is quite clearly the team that is going to occupy the power vacuum behind Ohio State and Indiana in the conference — if not in the same tier as those two favorites.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Last Rank: 10
- Result: def. Arizona State, 53-25
- Record: 6-0
For all of the talk that we’ve had about not knowing exactly how good Texas Tech is, they’ve still got a zero in the loss column and are now coming off of a monstrous victory over Arizona State that was over by halftime. The Red Raiders were up 43-10 going into the break and were able to just coast from that point forward. Granted, the Sun Devils look to have a world of problems right now and the Big 12 might not be the gauntlet other Power Four leagues are, but it’s worth something.
The biggest thing we saw from Texas Tech in this game, though, was the exact formula that they need to keep winning and make another trip to Arlington. Will Hammond was far from spectacular, but he did play mistake-free football, which then allowed the run game and Red Raiders defense to control the action. That’s the recipe for success that this team needs to follow, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can ostensibly perfect it as some huge Big 12 tests loom large.
No. 8-7
8. Tennessee Volunteers
- Last Rank: 14
- Result: def. 6 Alabama, 26-10
- Record: 6-1
Admittedly, I’ve been slow to believe in Tennessee this season. It felt as if the offense was limited enough that they wouldn’t be able to reach their ceiling. Moreover, it felt like the defense hadn’t faced a truly elite offense yet this season. Those doubts were answered on Saturday in Knoxville, though, as the Vols didn’t just end up smoking cigars against Alabama — they dominated the Crimson Tide in the rivalry win.
The move to George MacIntyre at quarterback has seemingly provided a much higher floor for this offense, especially with DeSean Bishop performing at the level he is right now, and the defense is unequivocally dominant. As long as the Tennessee offense limits turnovers, they’re going to be in virtually every game that they play this season. More importantly, it’s time that I and everyone else start recognizing this team’s CFP viability.
7. Indiana Hoosiers
- Last Rank: 5
- Result: lost to Ohio State, 19-15
- Record: 6-1
That’s going to be a tough pill to swallow for Curt Cignetti, the entire Indiana team and definitely Indiana fans. The Hoosiers outgained the Buckeyes while playing at home and forced two turnovers and still went on to lose. Granted, it was literally inches on a near Nick Marsh reception that the game was decided by, but considering that this is a team that hadn’t lost a game since the 2024-25 CFP, this is somewhat of uncharted territory that they’re entering now.
One thing that’s abundantly clear is that the offense doesn’t have the surety that Fernando Mendoza provided last year, but both offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines are two of the best in the country. I’m absolutely sure that people are going to use this game to discredit Indiana, and that they’ll take more of a hit in the AP Top 25 than they probably should after the loss. But this is still a good and quite dangerous football team.
No. 6-5
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Last Rank: 2
- Result: lost to 8 BYU, 28-24
- Record: 5-1
Notre Dame fans are surely going to be complaining for quite some time about the no-call for pass interference on the final play of the game with CJ Carr throwing into the end zone. They’re completely justified in doing so as that was questionable at best given the amount of contact. At the same time, it won’t change the result, and a team with a weak schedule that left them almost no margin for error now has a loss working against them.
This isn’t to say that the Fighting Irish will be penalized all too harshly for that game, though there will be somewhat of a slide, no question. They lost on the road in Provo, a notoriously tough place to play, against a team that is going to be a Top 5 team in college football after this game. However, the all-world defense showed some cracks, and the offense regressed against the best defense they’ve seen this season. That raises some doubts about the Irish, even if only slight doubts, moving forward.
5. Ole Miss Rebels
- Last Rank: 9
- Result: def. 13 Missouri, 31-3
- Record: 5-1
There are two ways to look at this result for Ole Miss. On one hand, there is a lot to be said for a team taking a Top 15 matchup in the SEC, even at home, and coming out with an emphatic result in their favor. Multiple other contenders in the conference failed to do exactly that, so we shouldn’t overlook that when it comes to the Rebels. Yet, even with a 31-point win, some of the same concerns about the Rebels still exist.
Those concerns have nothing to do with Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy or Makhi Frazier. This offense can score on almost any team in the country, which they’ve proven time and again. But the defense is still susceptible, or at least more so than you’d like a CFP contender’s defense to be. The fact that Austin Simmons didn’t play particularly well and still tossed it for 339 yards feels relevant, but that still isn’t to discredit Ole Miss. They survived a chaotic week with another resumé win, which is the end goal when you get down to it.
No. 4-3
4. Georgia Bulldogs
- Last Rank: 1
- Result: lost to Auburn, 27-24
- Record: 6-1
That was disappointing at the very least from Georgia. Precisely one week after a huge win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the Dawgs came back home and lost to Auburn in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry for the first time since 2005. Woof. Obviously, it’s pretty easy to see this as a hangover game for Kirby Smart’s team, and it definitely looked that way for much of this game, especially as Gunner Stockton uncharacteristically coughed up the ball three times.
Ultimately, I’m not terribly worried about Georgia after this game. The run defense would be the one part to cause concern, but that could just be wear and tear after seeing the Crimson Tide. On the whole, they outgained Auburn by 74 yards on the day and just committed some brutally costly errors. If anything, this likely shows something we saw throughout Saturday, which is that there isn’t anything close to a perfect team in college football this season.
3. Miami Hurricanes
- Last Rank: 3
- Result: def. Florida State, 43-35 (2OT)
- Record: 6-0
If Miami had gone out and dominated Florida State in the manner that they should have on paper, the Hurricanes would’ve had a case to be the No. 1-ranked team in college football. Instead, they played with their food and found themselves in a dogfight. Not to mention, the game ended with a Miami win after two controversial calls in double overtime for a holding call that called back an FSU touchdown and then the game-ending interception that looked like it could’ve been a catch for the Seminoles.
The Hurricanes offense continues to be a forceful unit that’s going to be hard for almost any team in college football to stop this season. But this was a worrisome performance for the defense against a Florida State group that was legitimately on quit watch. It is of note that Mario Cristobal and his team survived a game he would’ve lost in years past, but this is definitely a game that will have a lot of people questioning the Canes moving forward.
No. 2-1
2. BYU Cougars
- Last Rank: 8
- Result: def. 2 Notre Dame, 28-24
- Record: 6-0
BYU deserves a world of credit for what they were able to do on Saturday night, and it shouldn’t have to do with the lack of a pass interference call on the final play of the game. The Cougars jumped on Notre Dame, the No. 2 team in college football coming into the week, early and got out to a two-possession lead. Then, after some self-inflicted wounds saw them ultimately cough up that lead, they put together a fourth-quarter drive for the ages to take it back and then held on for dear life to get the win.
Even without LJ Martin in the run game, which severely diminishes what the Cougars are capable of on the ground, Bear Bachmeier played one heck of a game, Kalani Sitake pressed most of the right buttons (though his fake punt call wasn’t one of them) and this defense held strong against one of the better teams in the country. BYU’s win not only affirms them as Big 12 favorites, but also makes the Cougars a real candidate as an at-large berth even if they don’t win the conference if they can keep playing at this level.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
- Last Rank: 4
- Result: def. 5 Indiana, 19-15
- Record: 6-1
Just in the purest way of looking at it, Ohio State going on the road and beating a still-quite-good Indiana team gives Ryan Day’s team one of the best wins in the country. It’s something that the Buckeyes are going to be able to hang their hats on for some time, especially because I don’t see the Hoosiers really dipping out anytime soon. Moreover, with all of the calamity that Week 7 held throughout the sport, Ohio State getting that road win can’t be overlooked.
At the same time, there are still questions with the Ohio State offense when it’s not Jeremiah Smith at the forefront. Julian Sayin struggled with pressure against Indiana and is now set to miss “several weeks”, according to Day after the game. Moreover, the run game had no teeth in this matchup as well. The defense is good enough to keep them in most games, but the Sayin injury and the inconsistencies of the offense make you wonder what at USC in two weeks after a bye could look like for the Buckeyes.
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