It might only be Week 7 of the college football season, but it feels like things are starting to get crazy. I mean, in the early slate alone, both Alabama and Ole Miss barely survived, and Florida State lost to an unranked Pitt team. The mid-afternoon slate included some drama as well.
Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns not only defeated No. 6 Oklahoma, but they won by three scores proving perhaps they should be taken more seriously than we thought. Additionally, No. 7 Indiana proved they're among the very best teams in the country by upsetting No. 3 Oregon on the road.
Given all that's transpired on this fine Saturday, the rankings are sure to look very different next time they come out. Here's our best crack at what they'll look like.
Projected college football rankings
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Miami Hurricanes
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Oregon Ducks
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Georgia Bulldogs
- LSU Tigers
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Missouri Tigers
- Michigan Wolverines
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Illinois Fighting Ilini
- BYU Cougars
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Texas Longhorns
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Memphis Tigers
- South Florida Bulls
John Mateer's career-worst performance dooms Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners fans were eager to see John Mateer return from his hand injury to participate in Saturday's Red River Rivalry game at Texas, but in hindsight, it's fair to wonder whether he was rushed back. Mateer's return left a lot to be desired.
The Junior completed just 20 of his 38 passes (52.6 percent) for 202 yards and he threw not one, not two, but three interceptions without leading Oklahoma to the end zone a single time. He was also sacked five times, a season-high. Obviously, Texas's defense deserves immense credit, but Mateer, clearly, was not at the top of his game, which is understandable considering he had surgery on his throwing hand just two weeks ago. The fact that he played, though, means he cannot be absolved of all blame.
The Sooners will still be ranked, but a loss of this magnitude should absolutely bump them from the top 10, and it's possible that I'm not even being harsh enough.
Longhorns squeak back into top 25 after Red River Rivalry win
Many were wondering whether the Texas Longhorns were back this season. While that hadn't been the case prior to Week 7, this kind of win made a statement. Beating an Oklahoma team with Mateer, who is less than 100 percent, might not have been seen as the biggest of deals, but this was a dominant win. They won by three scores, and honestly, the margin of victory felt wider than the final score indicates.
The Longhorns allowed a field goal to begin Saturday's game, but they allowed just three points the rest of the way, none of which came in the second half. On the flip side, their offense started slowly, but Arch Manning wound up completing 21 of his 27 pass attempts (77.7 percent) and played turnover-free football. He didn't exactly light the stat sheet on fire, but with Oklahoma making the mistakes on the other side, he didn't have to.
The Longhorns and Manning, in particular, have not had the start to the season many had envisioned, but a win like this could signal that a turnaround is taking place. One meaningful win can't put them higher than somewhere in the 20s on the next rankings, but getting back into the top 25 is a nice step in the right direction.
How good are the Ducks after loss vs. Indiana?
The other marquee game in this slate featured a couple of Big Ten Rivals in the Oregon Ducks and the Indiana Hoosiers. The result wasn't what many college football fans had expected, as the Hoosiers won this game 30-20 on the road.
The Ducks entered this game with a 5-0 record and as the No. 3 team in the country, but after losing on their home turf, they certainly won't be considered a top-three team anymore. I honestly think it's fair to question just how good this Ducks team is at this point. Their only quality win this season came in an overtime thriller at Penn State, but how quality is that win right now, given how Penn State's season has unfolded?
I think the Ducks are fair to question, but at the end of the day, they lost to one of the best teams in the country. The Hoosiers continue to prove they're no joke, and while a loss will cause Oregon to slip a bit, how far can they realistically fall knowing just how good Indiana is and that they were in this game until the latter stages of the fourth quarter? They should be out of the top five, but not much lower, based on where they were previously ranked.
Indiana proves they're as legit as can be after win vs. Oregon
The Indiana Hoosiers entered this college football season eager to prove that last year's team wasn't fraudulent, and they've done that and then some. The Hoosiers were the shock of the college football world last season, making it to the playoffs, but it felt like they fell short in just about every big game they played in. This game proves they're different, and completely legit.
The Hoosiers traveled across the country and won a game in a hostile environment by two scores. Fernando Mendoza wasn't quite at his best, but Elijah Sarratt certainly was, and the same can be said about Indiana's defense, particularly against the pass. They picked off Dante Moore twice and held the Ducks to just 20 points. For reference, they had scored 30+ points in each of their first five games and 40+ points in three of those contests. Mendoza certainly won the battle of two Heisman Trophy dark horses even when he wasn't firing on all cylinders.
The Hoosiers had dominated the early stages of their season, but the only very impressive win came in a home game against Illinois. Beating a ranked team is always impressive, but the jump from beating Illinois at home to Oregon on the road is massive, and Indiana pulled it off with no problems. They should be recognized as one of the three best teams in the country until proven otherwise.