Outside of the Top Two, the entire AP Top 25 took a massive shift when four of the top 10 teams lost. The biggest surprise this week was Alabama falling to Tennessee.
Others receiving votes: Purdue, LSU, UCF, South Carolina, Kansas, Oregon State, James Madison, Maryland, South Alabama, Liberty, Minnesota, Florida State, Arkansas
AP TOP 25
25. Tulane Greenwave (6-1)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 7 Result: @ South Florida W 45-31
What’s next: vs. Memphis (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET)
The Green Wave has cracked the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 1998. They are one tough loss away from being undefeated. Sitting at 6-1, however, the Green Wave plays tough defense and has an NFL-style offense that puts up points in bunches. This team is doing something special in New Orleans this season! Roll Wave!- Rowan Donaghey
24. Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-2)
Previous Ranking: 16
Week 7 Result: @Kentucky L 27-17
What’s next: @Alabama (Saturday, 7 PM ET)
The Mississippi State Bulldogs slip in this week’s poll after a tough loss on the road to Kentucky. The offense just wasn’t clicking for State as they failed to break the 20-point mark for the second time this season. The other time was a 31-16 loss to LSU. Both the offense and defense will need to be better as the Dawgs head to Tuscaloosa to face a Bama team that is looking to rebound after a last-second loss to Tennessee. I expect MSU to be unranked after Saturday. – Jeremy Brown
23. NC State Wolfpack
Previous Ranking: 15
Week 7 Result: 24-9 L to Syracuse
What’s next: vs. Virginia Tech (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET)
NC State has only two losses on the season. One to one of the best teams in the nation in Clemson. The other is against Syracuse on the road, which believes it or not, weird things always happen in that Carrier Dome. The Wolfpack have two big wins against Florida State and Texas Tech this season. Two games in which their grit and gut were on display. – Rowan Donaghey
22. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Week 7 Result: 38-35 W over Duke
What’s next: vs. Pittsburgh (Saturday, 8 PM ET)
The North Carolina Tar Heels have an explosive offense with a defense that frankly could not even take the field some games and the result would be the same. This team has won a number of old fashion shootouts where the total has reached the 120s. This team is not a threat to the playoff field, yet they might be the most entertaining team in the country. – Rowan Donaghey
21. Cincinnati Bearcats (5-1)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 7 Result: Bye
What’s next: @ SMU 10/22 12:00 PM ET
After a one-week bye, the Bearcats stay put at 21. They will travel to SMU this Saturday, QB Ben Bryant has the team in a good spot for the rest of the season. – Dacota Haynes
20. Texas Longhorns (5-2)
Previous Ranking: 22
Week 7 Result: 24-21 W over Iowa State
What’s next: @ Oklahoma State 10/22 03:30 PM ET
Texas has won a lot of close games, and have also lost a few close games. The Longhorns play close games, and are one or two plays away from being a .500 team. Long story short this team struggles to put points on the board, and rely heavily on their defense to hold opponents to under 20 points for a win. This trend is not reliable and it is only a matter of time before the ball bounces the wrong way. – Rowan Donaghey
19. Kentucky Wildcats (5-2)
Previous Ranking: 22 (moved up three)
Week 7 Result: 27-17 W over MS State
What’s next: vs Mississippi State 10/15 07:30 PM ET
The Kentucky Wildcats remain in the AP Top 25 after stopping a losing skid against Mississippi State. They head into the bye at 5-2 and get two weeks to prepare for Tennessee who just knocked off Alabama. I think this is a poorly timed bye for Kentucky. Tennessee is primed for an upset after that huge win, but they’ll likely be back down to Earth in two weeks. Kentucky looks like the third-best team in the SEC East right now, and I expect that trend to continue after the bye.
18. Illinois Fighting Illini
Previous Ranking: 24 (moved up six)
Week 7 Result: 26-14 W over Minnesota
What’s next: Bye
The Fighting Illini head into their bye week with an impressive win over the Golden Gophers who were ranked earlier in the season. RB Chase Brown led the way on offense with 41 carries for 180 yards. Coming out of their bye in two weeks they will play Michigan State. – Dacota Haynes
17. Kansas State Wildcats (5-1)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 7 Result: Bye
What’s next: @ TCU 10/22 08:00 PM ET
The Wildcats are coming off their bye, and will have a tall task in game one. They will face off against a juggernaut in TCU. They will look for Adrian Martinez to perform the way he did against Oklahoma. Nonetheless, the Senior QB will have his work cut out for him both in the run and pass game. – Dacota Haynes
16. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1)
Previous Ranking: 10 (dropped six)
Week 7 Result: 41-17 L to Michigan
What’s next: vs Minnesota 10/22 07:30 PM ET
The Nittany Lions couldn’t overcome home field advantage against the Wolverines. The Big Blue tide of Michigan swept the Nittany Lions off their feet, as they are likely no longer in contention for the top spot amongst the Big 10. James Franklin and company will surely rebound ahead, but not to the same level they were previously striving for. – Zach Espinoza
15. Utah Utes (5-2)
Previous Ranking: 20 (moved up five)
Week 7 Result: 43-42 W over USC
What’s next: @Washington State 10/27 10:00 PMET
The Utah Utes are one of the most high-powered offenses in the country. They are in shootouts weekly and are usually the first team to have 40 points. This team runs the ball with ferrous tenacity. If the defense can step it up down the stretch will be the key to their success. The schedule down the stretch is lighter than what they have played, so how far can the Utes go? – Rowan Donaghey
14. Syracuse Orange (6-0)
Previous Ranking: 18 (moved up four)
Week 7 Result: 24-9 W over NC State
What’s next: @Clemson 10/22 12:00 PM ET
The Orange are the real deal?! Well, what a pleasant surprise. However, when looking at their resume this season, it shouldn’t be one at all. The Orange have put the rest of the ACC on notice as they climb the rankings higher and higher with each passing week. Clemson, look out!
13. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-1)
Previous Ranking: 14 (moved up one)
Week 7 Result: Bye
What’s next: vs Boston College 10/22 03:30 PM ET
The Demon Deacons should have an easy slate in their first week out of the bye when they take on Boston College. They managed to move up one spot even with their bye week, so by thnext week Wake Forest may be a viable option for a Top 10 spot. – Dacota Haynes
12. USC Trojans (6-1)
Previous Ranking: 7 (dropped five)
Week 7 Result: 43-42 L to Utah
What’s next: @Arizona 10/29 10:30 PM ET
The rebuilt walls of Troy have finally shown their first cracks. USC suffered their first loss under head coach Lincoln Riley era at a packed Rice-Eccles Stadium this Saturday, losing a heartbreaker on the road to #15 Utah 43-42. Despite sophomore QB Caleb Williams’ heroics, throwing for 381 yards and five touchdowns, and rushing for 57 more, the Trojans simply could not stop Utah’s offense, especially in the second half. California native Cameron Rising threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 60 and three scores, including the game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion with 48 seconds left in the game. Utah TE Dalton Kincaid shredded Alex Grinch’s defense, with 16 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown. Penalties also played a big role in the Trojans’ loss, with the Trojans committing 12 penalties for 93 yards, including five critical penalties on the Utes’ game-tying drive. To add insult to injury, USC’s 2021 Biletnikoff winner and Pac-12 receiving touchdown leader WR Jordan Addison left the game late in the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return to the game. It is unclear how serious this injury is, but as the Trojans’ leading receiver, Lincoln Riley’s squad is surely hoping for a speedy recovery. Next week, the men of Troy will travel to Tucson, looking to right the ship against the 3-4 Arizona Wildcats. – Nico Zambuto
11. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1)
Previous Ranking: 8 (dropped 3)
Week 7 Result:
What’s next: vs Texas 10/22 03:30 PMET
The Cowboys dropped out of the Top 10 with their lss to TCU. The pick thrown by Spencer Sanders was costly to the flow of the game for OK State. They’ll have their work cut out, but should make it back into the Top 10 but the end of the year. – Dacota Haynes
AP Top 25
Top 10
10. Oregon Ducks (5-1)
Previous Ranking: 12
Week 7 Result: Bye
What’s next: vs UCLA 10/22 03:30 PM ET
After a bye week for both Oregon and UCLA, College GameDay will be headed out to Eugene for the game of the week. Coach Dan Lanning has found some early success in the rushing game. With Bo Nix leading the way for this offense, the Ducks struggled against Georgia in Game One so the this game will come down to the execution, and who executes on defense better.
9. UCLA Bruins (6-0)
Previous Ranking: 11
Week 7 Result: Bye
What’s next: at Oregon 10/22 03:30 PM ET
Alert the media, the Bruins are back! Not only did the Bruins win this weekend, but USC fell too. This shakeup has the PAC-12 looking at a potential new top dog in the conference moving forward. While Lincoln Riley might be sprinkling his magic to the Trojans, Chip Kelly has brought his to the Bruins.
8. TCU Horned Frogs (6-0)
Previous Ranking: 13 (moved up 5)
Week 7 Result: 43-40 W over Oklahoma State
What’s next: vs Kansas State 10/22 08:00 PM ET
At the end of my wrap-up on TCU last week I said “Watch out for TCU to reach the Top 10 soon.” One week later they accomplished just that and with that became the last remaining undefeated Big 12 team. This is their highest ranking in the AP Poll since week 11 of the 2017 season when they were No. 8. The Horned Frogs continued their extremely tough stretch of Big 12 opponents with Oklahoma State. It certainly was not the prettiest of starts for this explosive offense as they fell down 24-7. They did a good job of moving slightly closer with several field goals. By the start of the fourth quarter, they were down 30-16. Their offense and defense stepped it up and outscored the Cowboys 14-0 to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the second overtime, the TCU defense forced a field goal and then their offense got the game-winning field goal. Despite the early struggles their star QB Max Duggan empowered this team with 286 pass yards, 57 rush yards and three total TDs. This is the true sign of an incredible team, being able to battle back and come away with a signature win. – Zack Cherney
7. Ole Miss Rebels (7-0)
Previous Ranking: 9 (Moved up 2)
Week 7 Result: 48-34 W over Auburn
What’s next: @LSU 10/22 03:30 PM ET
Ole miss continued their winning streaks with a hard conference win against Auburn. They are still undefeated and ranked seventh in the AP poll. This coming week they play LSU, which will be a test before their big game against Alabama. With the Tide losing Saturday Ole Miss controls their own destiny as they are leading the SEC west right now. – Jeff Scoggins
6. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1)
Previous Ranking: 3 (dropped 3)
Week 7 Result: 52-49 L to Tennessee
What’s next: vs. Mississippi State 10/22 7PM ET
In the game of the week, the Crimson Tide lost to the Tennessee Volunteers. The loss has dropped Nick Saban and the Alabama crew to their lowest ranking in three years. The offense by Bryce Young was quite impressive as he passed for 455 yards, however, the Vols’ defense was able to keep him out of the endzone for the most part as he only had 2 Passing Tds. After losing this matchup, the Crimson Tide will have to win out and hope that two teams in front lose a game or two if they want to end up back in the CFP. – Dacota Haynes
5. Clemson Tigers (7-0)
Previous Ranking: 4 (dropped one)
Week 7 Result: 34-28 W over Florida St.
What’s next: vs Syracuse 10/22 12:00 PM ET
Clemson started off very well Saturday night, taking a 34-14 lead against Florida State halfway through the third quarter. They took this lead despite the Seminoles running the ball very well against them. Then the Tigers let their foot off the gas and it almost cost them. The Tigers were able to drain enough of the clock, thanks to Will Shipley‘s best game of the season, but they cannot let up like that against a very feisty Syracuse team. Clemson will have a chance to make a statement versus another top-15 opponent and must do a much better job stopping the run than they did Saturday to come away with the win. – Lee McManus
4. Michigan Wolverines (7-0)
Previous Ranking: 5 (moved up one)
Week 7 Result: 41-17 W over Penn State
What’s next: Bye
Big Blue came into Saturday’s matchup against Penn State with a vengeance. The traditional contenders of the Big 10 squared off at Beaver Stadium, but the home-field advantage was not in favor of the Nittany Lions. The Wolverines trampled the Nittany Lions in dominating fashion. This victory over another Big 10 major player only furthers their chances to topple the Buckeyes. – Zach Espinoza
3. Tennessee Volunteers (6-0)
Previous Ranking: 6 (moved up 3)
Week 7 Result: 52-49 W over Alabama
What’s next: vs Tennessee-Martin 10/22 12:00 PM ET
The game of the week and subsequently the team of the week belongs to the Tennessee Volunteers. The No. 6 team in the country welcomed the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide into town and by the end of it was able to swap rankings. The Volunteers have reached the Top-3 of the AP Poll for the first time since their 2005 preseason ranking. The last time it happened during a season was week 12 of 1999. It was also their first time beating Alabama since 2006. It has been a long time coming for Tennessee, but it was well worth the wait. This incredible victory was the product of this incredibly explosive offensive which put up 52 points. QB Hendon Hooker may have sent his name to the top of the Heisman consideration with 385 pass yards and five pass TDs. Then there was receiver Jalin Hyatt who had six receptions for 207 yards and five TDs. On one of the biggest stages, the Tennessee offense made a massive statement. The biggest improvement they need to make is in their defense. If they are going to stay near the very top they need to step it up on defense. – Zack Cherney
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 7 Result: Bye
What’s next: vs Iowa 10/22 12:00 PM ET
The Buckeyes got a much-deserved and much-needed rest this week to prepare for the onslaught ahead. Now, they will probably be giving the onslaught to teams with the misfortune of facing them. The bye week had no effect on their rankings, as they are still the second-best team, in the eyes of the Associated Press. In conclusion, it’s theirs to lose. – Zach Espinoza
1. Georgia Bulldogs (7-0)
Previous Ranking: –
Week 7 Result: 55-0 W over Vanderbilt
What’s next: Bye
The Bulldogs trampled Vanderbilt on Saturday in dominating fashion. Thus proving they can beat teams in close contests or trance them when they can. In hindsight, this triumphant return to the number one spot was only a matter of time for Kirby Smart and company. – Zach Espinoza
TL//DR: These AP Top 25 rankings are based on the official website. The summaries are brought to you by our staff.
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