AP Top 25 Report- Post Week 7

A wild week in college football on and off the field saw major shakeups in the latest AP poll, with Indiana moving up to its highest ranking in program history at #3, while Texas and USC reentered the poll following

bounce-back wins. The Nittany Lions were not so lucky, as they shockingly fell to a 20-point underdog for the second straight week, with Northwestern being the victors in a decidedly unhappy atmosphere at Happy Valley.

Penn State proceeded to make the big decision to pull the plug on James Franklin’s tenure, with Nittany Lions fans having had enough and booing Franklin off the field this past Saturday. The fall from grace was nothing short of stunning, as PSU was an overtime interception away from breaking the long-time narrative and winning their “big game” over Oregon just over two weeks ago. To make matters worse, starting quarterback Drew Allar was injured for the season against the Wildcats, which could take a big hit on his NFL draft stock.

Although it happened in the worst possible way, my sincere hope is that this serves Penn State well in the long run. I have long been a proponent that every team should try to be the best, and not settle for the high-floor, low-ceiling model that plagues college football unless absolutely necessary, and in PSU’s case, they have long been the bridesmaids and never the bride.

To knock on that door forever but never quite get there has to be nothing short of painful. As much as Franklin rebuilt their program to contention status following the sanctions from the horrific Sandusky scandal, he could not get them over the hump and likely never truly would have, even if he somehow found a way to beat Ohio State for even a singular time like he did in 2016.

Nailing this next coaching hire will be paramount for the Lions as they look to establish themselves as a true contender, but first, Penn State will have to navigate the toughest three weeks of their schedule with interim head coach Terry Smith and backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. The Nittany Lions will be on the road at Iowa and then have their second bye week before massive tilts in Columbus against Ohio State and home against the Hoosiers, who will likely remain in the top five barring something unexpected.

Without further ado, here is my weekly breakdown of every team in the AP Top 25.

Poll Breakdown

1. Ohio State (6-0) strengthened its grip on the top spot in the rankings following its 34-16 win over Illinois this past Saturday. Once again, the defense stood tall, forcing three turnovers that resulted in 21 points for the Buckeyes. The offense played a conservative game, but got out to a 20-3 halftime lead that would not be relinquished. Ohio State allowed a season-high 16 points and a rare red zone touchdown to the Illini, but did not let Illinois get closer than the final eighteen-point margin with a defense-heavy finish to the contest. The Buckeyes earned 50 first-place votes, stealing some back from Miami during the Hurricanes’ bye week.
2. Miami (6-0) remained at #2, with 13 first-place votes, down from 21 last week. The Hurricanes have been consistent and have played up to their talent level (for once), but Ohio State has not shown anything that would warrant their removal from the top spot so far. Miami will have another chance to make a statement when it hosts the 4-1 Louisville Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium this Friday night.
3. Indiana (6-0) has positioned itself among the true national contenders and within the top tier of the Big Ten after defeating the formerly #3 Oregon Ducks 30-20 in Eugene on Saturday. This is the highest ranking in program history for Curt Cignetti’s team, and the meteoric rise in Bloomington should be studied and admired by college football teams around the country. Due to all of this, regardless of Andrew’s likely Big Ten selection, Indiana is also my National Team Of The Week.
4. Texas A&M (6-0) moved up one spot after handling business against the Florida Gators 34-17 last weekend. Marcel Reed threw for 234 yards and ran for another, as the Aggies scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to break open what had been a close game in the third quarter. Their small step up, however, may have to do more with Ole Miss’s lackluster performance against Washington State.
5. Ole Miss (6-0) might have taken the week off as they scraped by against a 3-3 Washington State team that was a more than 30-point underdog coming into Oxford. With the Rebels trailing 14-10 in the third quarter, Trinidad Chambliss threw for two touchdowns and ran for one more to prevent the massive upset. The Rebels are very lucky to sit at #5 following that performance and now head back into SEC play with a massive road date at Georgia, which will be one of the top games this week.
6. Alabama (5-1) jumped up another two spots to their season-high at #6 following their gutsy road win at Missouri. Ty Simpson threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, while Beau Pribula had a conservative outing with 167 yards and two touchdowns to two interceptions. Pribula overthrew one of his targets on a third down, and the pass was intercepted by the Crimson Tide’s Dijon Lee Jr. to seal the win for Bama. Next up is a rivalry game with Tennessee coming to Tuscaloosa for the Third Saturday in October. The Bama-Mizzou game went right down to the wire, making it my Game Of The Week.
7. Texas Tech (6-0) moved up two spots to their season-best of #7 following their 42-17 thumping of Kansas. They appear to be the best team in the Big 12, with only #15 BYU remaining undefeated in the conference. The two schools will square off on November 8th in what could be a conference championship preview.
8. Oregon (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season to a surprisingly good Indiana team and has looked a little bit vulnerable considering Penn State’s fall from grace, and now this home loss. Although they might not be quite as elite as the first few weeks may have indicated, they are still a very solid team. Fortunately for Oregon, they will be in Piscataway this Saturday to take on our beloved Scarlet Knights, who have lost three straight Big Ten games against the middle of the conference after a 3-0 start to the season.
9. Georgia (5-1) moved up one spot to ninth following its uninspiring 20-10 victory at Auburn. The Bulldogs forced a fumble at the goal line, as CJ Arnold knocked the ball out of Jackson Arnold’s hands late in the second quarter, with the Tigers threatening to take a 17-0 lead against UGA. The Dawgs drove down to score a field goal and cut the lead to 10-3 before rallying back in the second half to down Auburn, who started the season 3-0 before falling closely to three ranked SEC teams to open conference play.
10. LSU (5-1) also moved up one spot to round out the top ten, defeating South Carolina by the same scoreline of 20-10 in Baton Rouge. The Tigers’ defense limited Gamecocks’ QB LaNorris Sellers to just 124 yards passing, while Garrett Nussmeier overcame three offensive turnovers, two of which were at the goal line. Although less top-heavy, the SEC appears to be the nation’s deepest conference, with 10 different teams ranked inside the Top 25.
11. Tennessee (5-1) similarly moved up one spot as they (finally) defeated Arkansas 34-31, snapping a four-game losing skid against the Razorbacks. DeSean Bishop had a career-high 146 yards and a rushing touchdown, while Joey Aguilar had 221 passing yards and an aerial score for the Volunteers. UT has rebounded from its narrow loss to Georgia with three straight wins, two in conference play, but it next takes on the #6 Crimson Tide on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
12. Georgia Tech (6-0) may be the second-best team in the ACC, moving into the twelfth spot after knocking off Virginia Tech 35-20. Haynes King went 20/24 with 213 passing yards while scoring two rushing touchdowns, including one from 26 yards out. Running back Malachi Hosely had 129 yards and two rushing scores, while the defense sacked Kyron Drones four times.
13. Notre Dame (4-2) continues to shake off their sluggish 0-2 start against Miami and Texas A&M, earning their 23rd consecutive home win over an ACC program with a 36-7 romp of NC State in South Bend. CJ Carr threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, as the Fighting Irish pulled away from the Wolfpack in the second half, extending their 10-7 halftime lead by scoring 26 straight points. A huge rivalry game against Big Ten opponent USC is up next, which will be in the primetime NBC window this Saturday.
14. Oklahoma (5-1) had this week’s biggest drop, as the Sooners were shocked 23-6 by the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. John Mateer returned for OU at quarterback after having surgery on his throwing hand just 17 days ago, but threw three interceptions and went 20-38 through the air. The Sooners will get their bounce-back opportunity on the road at South Carolina this Saturday.
15. BYU (6-0) remained undefeated by knocking off Arizona 33-27 in a double-overtime game. They are 6-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history, with freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier overcoming a two-interception performance by running for the game-winning 7-yard touchdown, while the Cougars’ defense stopped Arizona on their chance to punch back, with Noah Fifita’s fourth-down pass falling incomplete after bouncing off of Javin Wheatley’s hands.
16. Missouri (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season as Alabama took down the Tigers 27-24 in Columbia. With the Crimson Tide pulling ahead 27-17, Pribula found Donovan Olugbode for a touchdown with 1:39 left in the game, and Mizzou even got the ball back by forcing a punt with 1:17 left, but it was all for naught as Pribula’s pass was intercepted to seal the game for Alabama. The Tigers have a chance to rebound against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium next Saturday.
17. Vanderbilt (5-1) moved up three spots as it sat idle following its own loss to the Crimson Tide to snap its season-opening five-game win streak. The Commodores will find out exactly where they stand in the SEC as it enters a stretch of games against #10 LSU, #16 Missouri, and at #21 Texas over the next three weeks.
18. Virginia (5-1) enjoyed its bye week after defeating Florida State and Louisville in back-to-back games. The Cavaliers will next host the Washington State Cougars, who came close to pulling the massive upset over the top-five Ole Miss Rebels, so they should be careful despite being favored by 17.5 points on Saturday.
19. South Florida (5-1) made a statement in Friday night’s other major college football game, as the Bulls defeated North Texas 63-36 on the road. Their College Football Playoff chances have jumped to 19.2% according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, with a massive game at 6-0 Memphis likely deciding a lot in terms of the American Conference race.
20. USC (5-1) re-entered the AP poll following its dominant 31-13 win over then-fifteenth-ranked Michigan. Jordan Maiava passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman walk-on running back King Miller exploded for 158 yards and a touchdown on the ground. USC was down two starting offensive linemen, but pounded the usually physically sound Wolverines, while Bishop Fitzgerald intercepted Bryce Underwood twice. The Trojans return to the Midwest to face their annual rivals in Notre Dame.
21. Texas (5-1) bounced back from its shocking loss at Florida with possibly an even more stunning win over then #6 Oklahoma. Arch Manning had a quality performance against a quality defense, going 21-27 for 166 yards and the go-ahead touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. on the opening drive of the second half. Ryan Nibblett’s 75-yard punt return touchdown was decisive, as it pushed the Longhorns’ lead to an insurmountable seventeen-point margin in the fourth quarter.
22. Memphis (6-0) cruised to a 45-7 rout of Tulsa, which is 0-3 in the American but has a Power Four win over Oklahoma State. Brendon Lewis had three passing touchdowns and rushed for one more, while the Tigers’ defense came up with four turnovers in the home victory. Memphis will have home-field advantage against both South Florida and Tulane in pivotal games that could decide both the conference race and which team ends up securing the Group of Five playoff spot.
23. Utah (5-1) moved back into the poll after dismantling the former #21 Arizona State Sun Devils 42-10. Dual-threat QB Devon Dampier returned to the lineup after battling through lower leg injuries, rushing for a game-high 120 yards and three rushing touchdowns while passing for another 104 yards. The Utes will head to Provo as slight favorites against the BYU Cougars for a massive Big 12 game on Saturday night.
24. Cincinnati (5-1) enters the AP poll for the first time this season following five straight wins and a defining win over then-fourteenth Iowa State. The Bearcats rebounded from an opening narrow loss to Nebraska at Arrowhead Stadium and will almost certainly clinch bowl eligibility at lowly Oklahoma State on Saturday.
25. Nebraska (5-1) also makes its season debut in the AP poll as the Cornhuskers rebounded from a narrow loss to Michigan with consecutive wins over Michigan State and a resurgent Maryland team. It appears that Matt Rhule’s team has finally figured out how to win close games, as they have two three-point wins this season to one three-point loss. The Huskers will take on the Golden Gophers on Friday night as they look to clinch bowl eligibility on the road in Minnesota.

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