College football rankings: Projected AP Top 25 after Indiana wrecks Oregon; Texas downs Oklahoma; Bama, OSU shine

College Football Rankings: Projected Week 8 AP Top 25

1. No. 25-21
2. No. 20-16
3. No. 15-11
4. No. 10-9
5. No. 8-7
6. No. 6-5
7. No. 4-3
8. No. 2-1

The Indiana Hoosiers are for real, y'all. That's the big takeaway from the Week 7 slate of college football. Despite being a touchdown underdog on the road, the Hoosiers humbled the Oregon Ducks at Autzen. And when I say humbled, I mean humbled. It's not often a team controls a game against Oregon the way Indiana managed. The score doesn't show it, but Curt Cignetti made quite the statement.

Naturally, that result will shake up the top end of the college football rankings, but it wasn't the only outcome that'll force voters to rethink their Top 25s. Texas, USC, Utah, Colorado and Pitt all managed to have their say in this coming week's rankings. Some of those will be ranked because of it.

Here's our best guess of what the AP Top 25 will look like when it drops on Sunday.

Dropped out of Rankings: ASU, Iowa State, Florida State,

No. 25-21

25. Utah Utes

Arizona State and Iowa State have been flirting with the rankings all season, so I'm not saying Utah beating the Sun Devils was all that surprising. Beating the Sun Devils 42-10 though? Yeah, I wasn't expecting that. The Utes are always formidable in Salt Lake City, so ASU had an uphill battle coming into this one, especially with Sam Leavitt out injured. Even so, Utah steps up into the Top 25 for two reasons: 1) QB Devon Dampier is coming into his own as a dangerous playmaker whether scoring with his arm or his legs. 2) The Utes lone loss to Texas Tech looks better by the week.

24. Memphis Tigers

Memphis was on a bye this week, so there's not much to say. The Tigers are 6-0 with a win over an SEC opponent. I expect them to be 7-0 after facing UAB on the road next weekend, setting up a juicy matchup with South Florida on Oct. 25.

23. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan takes a tumble this week after losing to USC in Los Angeles. It's rough for the Wolverines, whose only other loss this season was to Oklahoma on the road as well. The trouble is, Michigan has yet to look impressive this season. Two red zone turnovers kept USC from blowing it open on the Wolverines' defense, who looked unusually outmatched. Bryce Underwood is very much a freshman whose rookie errors have put a ceiling on the offense. This isn't a bad Michigan team. They should stick in the Top 25 for awhile. They're just not a top 20 outfit at the moment.

22. Texas Longhorns

Speaking of teams who certainly deserve to be in the Top 25 but aren't forcing anyone to feel bad about keeping them outside the top 20...Texas is...well...Texas. That defense is really damn good. That offense is...um...it's an offense alright.

Credit is due to Arch Manning. Oklahoma's defense is also really damn good and the quarterback kept things efficient. He went 21-of-27 for 166 yards and a touchdown. It wasn't a world-beating performance but it was clean enough to get the W. That's all Texas really needs at this point with a defense capable of keeping most opposing offenses quiet.

21. South Florida Bulls

Wait, USF ahead of Texas? Really? Yup, and I stand by it for a simple reason: The Bulls went into The Swamp and did something the Longhorns couldn't, beating Florida on their home field. South Florida's lone loss of the season is to Miami. This week they faced a previously undefeated North Texas team and handed them their first loss.

No. 20-16

20. USC Trojans

I might be more bullish on USC than some AP voters, but here's the thing: The Trojans have arguably the best quarterback in the country right now and he, Jayden Maiava, is throwing passes to arguably the best wide receiver in the country, Makai Lemon. Oh, and USC's piecemeal offensive line just cleared the way for a 224-yard rushing performance against a Michigan defense that hadn't given up more than 140 in a game all yeah and hadn't allowed +200 since their shocking playoff loss to TCU in 2022.

USC took down Michigan in a 31-13 victory, successfully bouncing back from a loss to Illinois on a last-second field goal. The defense still leaves plenty to be desired but an opportunistic showing against Michigan should ease some concerns. The Trojans are 5-1. The advanced stats love them. And they're starting to pass the eye test too.

19. Virginia Cavaliers

Virginia was on a bye this week after a narrow win at Louisville. Their win over Florida State continues to lose its shine but I see no reason to punish them by moving them down in a week they didn't play. That might have been different if USC's defense or Texas' offense looked more reliable. Either way, the Cavaliers host Washington State next week and that's a game they shouldn't overlook considering the Cougars' tough showing against Ole Miss.

18. Vanderbilt Commodores

See Cavaliers, Virginia. It was a bye week for Vanderbilt who are licking their wounds after a loss to Alabama. The Crimson Tide only reinforced this week that the Commodores shouldn't be terribly ashamed of that L. They'll have another chance to prove themselves next week with LSU coming to town.

17. Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois stays still at No. 17 despite their loss to Ohio State. For one they acquitted themselves alright against the best team in college football. Despite falling behind 20-0 after an interception, a turnover on downs and a fumble, the Illini pulled it back to 20-10 and at least tried to keep it interesting.

Brett Bielema's team obviously isn't fit to compete at the top of the Big Ten, but their only losses are to two teams I expect to be in the top three of the rankings. Illinois is solid and their schedule opens up from here. A trip to Washington could be a challenge but a 10-2 regular season is very much on the table.

16. BYU Cougars

BYU was on the verge of suffering their first loss of the season against Arizona, trailing by 10 with under five minutes to play. They found a way to tie the game with 19 seconds remaining and then outlasted the Wildcats in double overtime.

The Cougars are 6-0 but we'll know much more about their true level over the next few weeks. They host Utah then travel to Iowa State and Texas Tech in their toughest stretch of the season.

No. 15-11

15. Missouri Tigers

Here's college football rankings hill I'll die on: Losing shouldn't automatically result in a tumble down the rankings. When you're the No. 14 team and you lose to the No. 8 team while covering the five-point spread, did you actually do anything wrong? We expected Alabama to beat Missouri because Alabama is a better football team than Missouri. But the Tigers kept it close and made it tough on the Crimson Tide in their 27-24 loss. Beau Pribula was good. Ty Simpson was better. Missouri is exactly where they belong.

14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Slowly but surely, Notre Dame is clawing back up the rankings, this week beating NC State 36-7. They were favored by 22 and won by 29. CJ Carr threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremiyah Love scored two himself. The Fighting Irish defense forced three interceptions. This was a routine win for Marcus Freeman's squad. If they want to keep moving up, they'll have to best USC in South Bend next weekend.

Helping the Irish case to move back into the top 15: Single-digit losses to Miami and Texas A&M continue to age very well.

13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech keeps chugging along, now 6-0 after a 35-20 win over Virginia Tech. How good are the Yellow Jackets? Hell if I know. They're the "taking care of business" kind of good. They're the "just keep winning" kind of good. Haynes King is a gamer. They've avoided slipping up. And if they keep playing like this, they'll keep winning until the final game of the regular season when they take on Georgia and show us how good they really are. Before then, a trip to face a surging Duke team will be an interesting hurdle to see them clear.

12. Tennessee Volunteers

A narrow win over a different 2-4 team might earn some side eye for Tennessee, but Arkansas is giving everyone most teams who face them a tough outing, so I won't hold it against the Volunteers. Tennessee was just the latest ranked team to take on Arkansas and escape with a narrow victory. Ole Miss beat the Razorbacks by six. Memphis beat them by one. The Volunteers did it by three.

This week was about avoiding the look-ahead upset. Now, Tennessee can focus on the big matchup: Alabama.

11. LSU Tigers

LSU was on upset alert this week taking on South Carolina. The Gamecocks have had a disappointing season thus far, but LaNorris Sellers and Nyck Harbor have plenty of talent to show up any week and make someone's life miserable. The Tigers avoided that face in a 20-10 victory. Garrett Nussmeier threw two interceptions and running back Ju'Juan Johnson lost a fumble as the LSU offense continued to look well short of their potential. But the LSU defense did what they've done most of this season and contained the opposition to just 10 points (literally, four of their six games have resulted in exactly 10 points allowed).

Vanderbilt comes next with an offense that could be more capable of challenging the Tigers, but also a defense that may be more fun for Nussmeier and company to face.

No. 10-9

10. Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma is a tough ranking this week. On the one hand, they lost to Texas by 17. Defensively, they managed just one sack and failed to fluster Arch Manning the way previous teams did. Offensively, they never found the endzone.

On the other hand, the defense only gave up one touchdown — special teams gave up the other. And the offense was helmed by John Mateer making a premature return from hand surgery. The quarterback gave an admirable effort but with three interceptions, it sure feels like his return was ultimately counterproductive. Maybe the Sooners still lose with Michael Hawkins Jr. behind center...maybe not.

We've got to give Oklahoma the slightest of passes here considering the quarterback situation. Right now, the loss to Texas should be the least of their concerns. After a road trip to South Carolina, they get a five-game stretch against teams all currently ranked in the top 15 — Ole Miss, at Tennessee, at Alabama, Missouri and LSU.

9. Oregon Ducks

It's crazy how quickly perception can change in college football. One moment, you've got the best win in college football. The next, your signature win has been utterly trashed and your 18-game home winning streak is snapped.

Oregon picked up their first loss of the season to Indiana, 30-20. Losing in the trenches so thoroughly to the Hoosiers would have resulted in a fall but Penn State kept the rain pouring by losing a second-straight game to a 20-point underdog. Now, the Ducks' best win of the season is against a 3-3 team in freefall. In fact, it might not even be their best win anymore. Northwestern is the only FBS team they've beaten with a winning record.

The Ducks are still a good team. I don't doubt that. But their résumé is suddenly wanting.

No. 8-7

8. Georgia Bulldogs

I'm honestly not sure what to make of Georgia's 20-10 win over Auburn. They did score the final 20 points of the game, but didn't put it away until under two minutes remaining with a touchdown to go up by two scores. And, well, the refs didn't help anyone feel that great about how it all went down.

A win is a win? A win is a win, especially when you're 5-1 and get to host Ole Miss next.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech looks like they're going to run through the Big 12 and I don't see who is going to stop them. They plastered Kansas this weekend, 42-17, as Cameron Dickey went off with 263 yards and two touchdowns. They've already beaten Utah at Rice-Eccles and their trip to Arizona State next week looks more than manageable. BYU is the only team left on their schedule with serious firepower.

Who is going to stop the Red Raiders? My best guess it's not anyone in their own conference.

No. 6-5

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

Tip your cap to Kalen DeBoer because Alabama took their licks against Florida State in the season opener and have responded exactly the way they needed to. It hasn't been an emphatic turnaround. Instead, the Crimson Tide have figured out how to keep their noses in front and come out on top, regardless of the opponent.

Ty Simpson looks more and more confident by the week, this time tossing for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 win over Missouri. The Tigers had won 15-straight at home until the Crimson Tide made them their second quality road win in the SEC.

Next up, Alabama hosts Josh Heupel's Volunteers, the second of three revenge games following 2024 losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

5. Ole Miss Rebels

The generous read of Ole Miss' 24-21 upset scare against Washington State is they were caught in a let-down-look-ahead spot. Still riding high on a win over LSU and too focused on their big matchup with Georgia coming up next week. I'll even hear an argument that the Cougars are better than their record. Their only losses before Ole Miss were against a solid Washington squad and a North Texas team that was undefeated before falling to South Florida on Saturday. Either way, there's no good reason for the Rebels to have cut it so close against a 32-point underdog.

The gap between Ole Miss and Texas A&M was already tight. I'm giving the Aggies the nod on the strength of their increasingly impressive résumé.

No. 4-3

4. Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M welcomed a Florida team fresh off their win over Texas and did to them what they've been doing to every team they've faced this year: Handed them a loss in relatively straight-forward fashion. Marcel Reed and company keep taking care of business by dispatching teams others have had trouble with. And Notre Dame keeps winning, adding to the strength of that September road win.

I fully expect Arkansas to give them a game next week. That's par for the course. And I fully expect Texas A&M to emerge with a clean 7-0 record ahead of road games against LSU and Missouri. Then we'll know for sure whether they're a top five squad.

3. Indiana Hoosiers

Google Curt Cignetti. He wins. Sometimes it's by 53 over a top 10 Illinois squad. Sometimes it's by five over Iowa. And sometimes it's in one of the most hostile environments in college football against one of the hottest teams in the sport. The Indiana Hoosiers went into Eugene and took down Oregon 30-20.

Make no mistake, that was better than a 10-point win. Indiana deserved to win that game. They were the better team, the tougher team, the more well-prepared team. It was a Cignetti masterclass and well worth a boost into the top three.

With Michigan State, UCLA, Maryland, Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue remaining, it'll be a surprise if the Hoosiers aren't undefeated come December.

No. 2-1

2. Miami Hurricanes

The good news for Miami: Wins over Notre Dame, South Florida and Florida are looking more solid than ever. The bad news for Miami: During the bye week, their win at Florida State lost a whole lot of luster. That doesn't matter so much for the Hurricanes as other teams though. Their résumé is already looking plenty strong and their path to the ACC title couldn't be more clear. They host Louisville next and the only way they lose that game or any of the remaining six games after is via a significant upset. No. 2 is theirs for the long run if they want it.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

I considered the possibility that Ohio State's record coming into the Illinois wasn't all that impressive. The Texas win isn't special anymore. Grambling and Ohio are cupcakes. Washington and Minnesota are decent but not world beaters. Had the Buckeyes really been tested yet? Could Illinois be the team to trip them up?

Yeah, no. Illinois kept the game from blowing wide open, but Ohio State was in control from start to finish. Once again they went on the road and didn't falter. They have an absurdly talented defense. The offense hasn't hit juggernaut level but Julian Sayin is keeping it simple and clean.

Some of these rankings are difficult. Some spots are difficult to separate and compare. No. 1 isn't. It's Ohio State and it's not particularly close. I don't expect that to change next week with Wisconsin.