Power Rankings: How did the top 25 look in Week 7?
Credit to Author: ESPN| Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:13:07 EST
Paul Finebaum discusses Texas’ biggest title threat and whether Alabama-Tennessee is a playoff eliminator. (1:32)
Week 7 has wrapped up as this week’s matchups gave us some exciting endings along with Arizona State’s upset of No. 16 Utah on Friday. Four of the 17 games with top-25 teams went into overtime as the unranked looked to make it another chaotic weekend.
After a lopsided loss to No. 1 Texas, Oklahoma drops out of this week’s top 25 as the Sooners were held out of the end zone in this year’s Red River Rivalry matchup. Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers made his return after being out for 2½ games as Texas secured its second Red River Rivalry victory in six years.
It was an exciting Saturday evening in Eugene, Oregon, as No. 3 Oregon took down No. 2 Ohio State in a matchup you didn’t want to miss. Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks’ offense showed they’re contenders for the Big Ten title even in their first year in the league.
After a 6-0 start, Army jumps four spots in our top-25 power ratings and is joined in the rankings by Navy, which remains undefeated as well, at the No. 24 spot. This is the first time since 1960 that both Army and Navy have been in the AP poll.
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team’s Week 7 performance.
Previous ranking: 3
The Longhorns are 6-0 for the first time since 2009, and they’ve trailed for only 3½ minutes this year (after Oklahoma’s first-quarter field goal on Saturday). They’ve lost multiple running backs, including leading returning rusher from last year CJ Baxter, to season-ending injuries. And of course, starting quarterback Quinn Ewers missed 2½ games with an oblique injury only to see backup Arch Manning star in his place, yet there has been no hint of a quarterback controversy. ESPN’s FPI gives Texas a 61% chance of winning the SEC and a 32.8% chance to win the national championship, by far the best odds in the country.
The Longhorns have survived injuries, adversity, a road trip to Michigan and the annual test in Dallas against Oklahoma. At this point, their biggest obstacle is handling the expectations and the pressure, beginning with Saturday’s game against No. 5 Georgia, one of the most anticipated games of the season before a very manageable stretch at Vanderbilt, home against Florida, at Arkansas and home against Kentucky. If the Longhorns can walk the tightrope to get there, the Nov. 30 game at Texas A&M will be one of the most heated in the history of the rivalry, returning after 13 seasons with what would appear right now to be a lot on the line for both teams. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 2
The Ducks took a major step toward advancing to the playoff and, potentially, the Big Ten championship in their first year in the league. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon offense were spectacular in the 32-31 victory over second-ranked Ohio State. Wideouts Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson showed they can make plays downfield against anyone.
Jordan James ran tough between the tackles to keep the Oregon running game rolling. And Gabriel underscored why he should be on the short list of Heisman Trophy contenders. The Ducks still have to travel to Michigan on Nov. 2. But otherwise, Oregon should be heavy favorites to win its other five remaining games. With a talented offense finding its groove, the Ducks are looking like legitimate national title contenders. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 1
The controversial offensive pass interference penalty on receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Will Howard‘s inexplicable decision to slide on the final play consumed the oxygen in Ohio State’s postgame news conference.
Yet the biggest reason the Buckeyes ultimately lost 32-31 at Oregon? Their defense got torched. The Ducks could’ve easily scored 20 more points.
Oregon missed a 43-yard field goal, came up with only three points off two drives that reached the 2-yard line, missed a pair of point-after tries and then had a spitting penalty that caused it to settle for a field goal. The Buckeyes didn’t force a turnover, didn’t record a sack and couldn’t slow Oregon’s running game. All-America cornerback Denzel Burke had a particularly rough night in man coverage. Ohio State’s season is far from over. But the Buckeyes will have to be much better defensively moving forward after failing their first big test. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 6
The Canes were off in Week 7, and that was probably a good thing. After back-to-back nail-biters that came down to the final play, Miami had a chance to regroup, recoup and refocus. A road trip to Louisville in Week 8 is likely the biggest obstacle still standing between the Canes and the ACC title game — and possibly an undefeated regular season — so the extra prep time helps.
More than anything, though, there’s a feeling that Cam Ward has turned this into a team of destiny. After come-from-behind wins against Virginia Tech and Cal, the latter in utterly improbable fashion, it’s hard to argue with the premise. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 4
It hasn’t been pretty or particularly flashy, but Penn State just keeps winning. The Nittany Lions are one of only three undefeated teams in the Big Ten after coming back from a 20-6 halftime deficit to USC and pulling off an overtime win. Despite a slow start, Penn State’s offense woke up from its slumber in the second half and utilized its tight end, Tyler Warren, to reignite quarterback Drew Allar.
There’s no doubt Allar is skilled — he finished with 391 yards on Saturday — but Penn State’s hopes in the second half of the season and beyond are banking on him being not just productive but consistent. The passing game is by far the part of PSU’s offense that needs the most work — it’s currently ranked 58th in the country in passing production. Yet after outlasting USC, the Nittany Lions should be favored in every game in the rest of their schedule but one: Ohio State at home on Nov. 2. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 5
The good news for Georgia is that quarterback Carson Beck has found his groove. He passed for 459 yards and three touchdowns Saturday in a 41-31 win at home over Mississippi State, but Georgia also gave up 306 passing yards and three touchdowns to true freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., who was making just his second collegiate start. Moreover, Georgia (5-1, 3-1 SEC) could never completely put away Mississippi State, which has now lost five straight games. Beck did throw two interceptions, but in his past 10 quarters, he has thrown for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns.
Georgia has bounced back (at least in the win column) from an abysmal first half against Alabama on Sept. 28, but the most important stretch of the season awaits, starting with a trip to No. 1 Texas this Saturday. After a bye week, Georgia then faces Florida on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville, travels to Ole Miss the following week and returns home to face Tennessee on Nov. 16. Getting through that gauntlet unscathed will be difficult unless the Dawgs clean it up across the board and play more consistently. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 7
It has been a shaky past two weeks for Alabama and dangerously close to being disastrous. Coming off a 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt, Alabama held off determined South Carolina in the final seconds Saturday at home to squeak out a 27-25 victory. The Crimson Tide again had trouble getting off the field on defense, as the Gamecocks were 7-of-15 on third down and 1-of-2 on fourth down. Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC) built an early 14-0 lead, but the Gamecocks scored 19 unanswered points to take a 19-14 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe made some big plays late to give the lead back to Alabama but also threw two interceptions. South Carolina had a chance in the final seconds to win it after recovering an onside kick, but Alabama’s Domani Jackson intercepted LaNorris Sellers in the end zone. There’s no taking away the win over Georgia last month, but Alabama hasn’t looked like a playoff team the past two weeks and has a trip to Tennessee next Saturday. — Low
Previous ranking: 8
The Tigers rolled through another opponent this past weekend, beating Wake Forest 49-14, the fourth time they scored 40 or more points this season. The offense has found a nice balance with Cade Klubnik (No. 5 in the nation in total QBR) and Phil Mafah (6.9 yards per rush), and the defense has held its past three opponents to two touchdowns or less.
Suddenly, Clemson looks like a favorite to make it back to the ACC championship game. There are some obstacles ahead — including Louisville and back-to-back road trips at Virginia Tech and Pitt. But if Clemson keeps playing consistently, the Tigers will control their destiny. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 10
The Cyclones quietly are 6-0 for the first time since 1938, following the 28-16 victory at West Virginia. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht continues to play efficiently, throwing for 265 yards and a touchdown. Becht has posted a QBR of 64 or above in every game this season, and now ranks 25th nationally in QBR (76.3).
With running back Carson Hansen adding three touchdowns, more than he had all of last season, and Jayden Higgins producing back-to-back 100-yard receiving games for the first time in his career, Iowa State’s offense is coming together. With Kansas State beginning to roll as well, Farmageddon in Ames on Nov. 30 could be for a berth in the Big 12 title game, and potentially a spot in the playoff, as well. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 12
With a 6-0 record at the halfway point of the regular season, BYU looks like a team destined for the playoff. The Cougars might not play a ranked team the rest of the regular season and, as things sit, would be favored against every team left on their schedule. Against Arizona on Saturday, BYU might have played its best game of the season.
It tied its season high with 41 points and forced four turnovers, running away with the game in the third quarter. The offense hasn’t exactly been explosive, but with the way BYU has played with control thanks to its stout defense, it has been necessarily effective. As quarterback Jake Retzlaff continues to improve, so should the Cougars. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 16
The Tigers’ growth on defense under first-year coordinator Blake Baker is obvious and remarkable, and showed up in huge ways during Saturday night’s come-from-behind overtime win against Ole Miss. Baker’s bunch bought a struggling Garrett Nussmeier and the offense enough time to rally and eventually win, but even if LSU had fallen short, the progress showed. Consider that LSU allowed 55 points and 706 yards — by far the highest total the Tigers had allowed — to Ole Miss in 2023, and already lost top defender Harold Perkins Jr. to a season-ending knee injury.
Continued excellence from players like Bradyn Swinson, Greg Penn III and Whit Weeks has given the defense a new streak of confidence. Nussmeier admitted Saturday was one of his worst performances, and he will need to be more efficient during a second-half schedule that includes Alabama, Texas A&M and others. But coach Brian Kelly is finally seeing his team’s performance match its preparation, which keeps the College Football Playoff very much in play. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 13
The Irish have managed to get themselves back into playoff contention after a tough loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2. A 49-7 win over Stanford has given the Irish four wins in a row. Riley Leonard threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while the Irish racked up 229 yards rushing and four TDs on the ground. But the road ahead looks a lot more difficult now than it did when the season began.
Georgia Tech has proved to be resilient and excellent running the ball; meanwhile Army and Navy are both undefeated. Virginia is also a vastly improved team. Still, if Notre Dame can win out, the Irish would be in great position to earn an at-large playoff spot. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 14
After a historic first half, Indiana had a chance to exhale and reflect on a 6-0 start with so many statistical ties to 1967, the last time the Hoosiers shared a Big Ten title. But to actually end the streak without a championship, IU must navigate a second-half schedule that begins with Nebraska and also features Ohio State, Michigan and Washington.
Nebraska’s 3-3-5 defense will pose the biggest challenge to date for an Indiana offense that has eclipsed 40 points in five consecutive games for the first time in team history, and boasts nine scoring drives of 10 plays or more, which matches the team’s total from 2023. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the first IU player since 1967 to record three or more touchdown passes in three Big Ten games, faces a Huskers defense with seven interceptions. Mikail Kamara (five sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss) and the IU defense will try to fluster Dylan Raiola in the most anticipated Hoosiers home game in many years. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 9
Josh Heupel said it more than once Saturday night. It hasn’t been perfect for his Vols, especially on offense, but they managed to squeeze past Florida 23-17 in overtime after being held scoreless in the first half for the second straight week. They weren’t able to overcome that drought a week ago in a 19-14 loss to Arkansas, but survived at home thanks to a defense that stood its ground in key moments. Florida led 3-0 at the half, but it could have easily been 21-0.
The Gators managed just one field goal in four trips inside the 20-yard line in the first half, and Tennessee defensive end James Pearce Jr. forced a fumble inside the 1 when he stripped the ball away from quarterback Graham Mertz. The Vols (5-1, 2-1 SEC) still have some serious polishing to do in their passing game, but they are leaning on a defense right now that has yet to give up more than 19 points in all six games this season. — Low
Previous ranking: 15
The Aggies’ passing game faltered in their only loss, a 23-13 defeat to Notre Dame, with Conner Weigman going 12-of-30 for 100 yards and two interceptions. Weigman suffered an AC joint injury in the game and reaggravated it the following week against McNeese, with redshirt freshman Marcel Reed stepping in. Reed polished off that win, then started three games in place of Weigman and accounted for eight scores with no interceptions, including six TD passes. But he never topped 178 yards in the three games and completed 54.4% of his passes on the season.
The Aggies saw the potential of their offense when Weigman returned, going 18-of-22 for 276 yards in a 41-10 blowout of No. 9 Missouri, with Weigman delivering precision back-shoulder throws and fitting passes into tight windows. The Aggies rank 112th nationally in passing at 181 yards per game, but Weigman’s efficiency could be a game changer. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 17
The Heisman Trophy résumé for Ashton Jeanty gets better every week. This time, college football’s leading rusher put up 217 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards and two total touchdowns on 34 touches in the Broncos’ 28-7 road win at Hawai’i.
Jeanty has set the bar so impossibly high that a 217-yard rushing performance against the No. 1 scoring defense in the Mountain West actually dropped his season average down to 208 yards per game. Boise State’s defense pitched a shutout in the second half and sacked Hawai’i quarterback Brayden Schager eight times. The Broncos have an idle week up next before their much-anticipated showdown with UNLV in Las Vegas on Oct. 25. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 19
The Panthers are 6-0 for the first time since 1982 after a 17-15 win over Cal and had to rely on their defense to stay undefeated after an uncharacteristically off day from quarterback Eli Holstein. Pitt racked up a season-high six sacks and held Cal to under 100 yards rushing.
After an open date, Pitt faces six opponents that all have winning records — including SMU and Clemson (both undefeated in league play). Holstein threw two interceptions and Pitt had only 277 yards of offense, so that is one area that is sure to be emphasized on the open date this week. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 18
K-State proved its toughness late Saturday night in a thrilling 31-28 win at Colorado. The Wildcats could’ve fallen apart in a last-minute meltdown after the Buffaloes grabbed the lead with 3:12 left thanks to a fourth-down interception by Avery Johnson. The young QB rallied in the clutch, responding with a three-play touchdown drive capped by a 50-yard strike to Jayce Brown.
Running back DJ Giddens (220 total yards) was impressive all night long and now leads the Big 12 in rushing yards, and the Wildcats succeeded in applying consistent pressure to Shedeur Sanders and getting stops when they needed them. Up next is another tough road test at 3-3 West Virginia. — Olson
Previous ranking: 22
The Mustangs took the week off, but with BYU chugging along to 6-0, SMU’s lone loss looks better and better. It was a game in which the Mustangs probably outplayed BYU, too, and it’s impossible to argue the notion that the Mustangs have taken a big step forward since turning the offense over to Kevin Jennings.
The rest of the slate is manageable, too — though a Week 10 date with Pitt looms large — and the once long-shot odds for an ACC title game appearance now seem entirely reasonable. — Hale
Previous ranking: 11
Lane Kiffin has a CFP-caliber roster but likely will not get the Rebels their first CFP appearance. The team’s margin for error is gone after its second loss in three games. Undoubtedly most frustrating for Kiffin is that his offense, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart and a host of dynamic wide receivers and backs, looked shockingly ordinary in both setbacks. Ole Miss could have put away LSU with one touchdown drive in the second half but could not reach the end zone despite four consecutive possessions that went inside the LSU 30-yard line.
Sacks allowed and penalties really hurt the Rebels. Dart, Tre Harris and others continue to put up numbers, but they feel empty without the touchdowns and wins in the biggest games. Ole Miss still can gain CFP consideration by winning out, which would include a Nov. 9 home clash against Georgia. But the Rebels could easily be undefeated with a team that made clear upgrades on defense and retained most of its top pieces. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 25
Army just keeps rolling. The Black Knights moved to 6-0 for the season with a 44-10 romp over UAB on Saturday in West Point. They rolled to 515 total yards, with quarterback Bryson Daily throwing for 102 yards and one touchdown (on just three completions, naturally) and rushing for 136 yards and four scores.
Against an admittedly weak (to date) schedule, they’ve won by an average score of 40-10, and they’re one of just two teams (along with Indiana) who have yet to trail in 2024. They will be solid favorites in each game between now and Week 13, when they face Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium. Then they could look to either one or two games against Navy late in the year. What a story this is becoming. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 23
Mizzou made an odd, mid-October trip to Amherst, Massachusetts, in search of confidence after a blowout loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers certainly didn’t find much resistance from host UMass: Brady Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two scores, and Mizzou rolled to a 45-3 win. The Tigers’ offense, disappointing thus far, gained 461 yards while mostly taking the fourth quarter off.
Star Luther Burden III caught five balls for 59 yards and rushed for a 61-yard touchdown; he left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury that coach Eliah Drinkwitz downplayed after the game. The Tigers were preseason CFP contenders because of that offense, and it must now show up against a pair of opponents far more stout than UMass: Auburn in Week 8 and Alabama in Week 9. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 24
The Illini improved to 5-1, but their defense, which had risen to No. 12 in points allowed, cratered for the first time against a new-look Purdue offense. Illinois saw a 27-3 third-quarter lead disappear as the Boilers piled up 40 points in the final 22:43 of regulation and scored on their lone overtime possession before linebacker Dylan Rosiek stifled the decisive 2-point conversion attempt. Coordinator Aaron Henry must figure out how such a strong defense surrendered 382 yards and 14 first downs to a left-for-dead Purdue team after halftime.
Illinois can still contend in the Big Ten and for a CFP spot, but the next two weeks will be pivotal as it hosts Michigan and then travels to Oregon. The good news is the Illini continue to get strong play from quarterback Luke Altmyer (379 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions against Purdue), and they sparked their run game with 177 yards and three touchdowns Saturday. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: NR
Navy had a bye week to bask in the glow of an unbeaten start. The Midshipmen have won five games by an average score of 44-20, and that includes a potentially vital conference win over Memphis in Week 4. Quarterback Blake Horvath leads the nation in Total QBR, with 771 passing yards and 565 rushing yards.
The Midshipmen won their past two games on the road, and any hopes of an unbeaten finish will require continuing the road warrior mentality: They’ve got only two games left in Annapolis. They’ll face Notre Dame in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in Week 9, and they have only one home game between now and a potentially huge visit from Tulane in Week 12. So far, so good. — Connelly
Previous ranking: NR
After an idle week, Nebraska hits the road to face No. 16 Indiana in a showdown that will validate whichever team wins as a legitimate factor in the Big Ten race. Just as important, the 5-1 Huskers have a chance to finally break an ignominious streak. A sixth win would mean bowl eligibility in Year 2 under Matt Rhule, ending the longest active bowl game drought among all Power 4 programs. How long has it been? Nebraska’s last holiday road trip was the 2016 TransPerfect Music City Bowl, a 38-24 loss to a Tennessee squad led by Butch Davis that featured Josh Dobbs and Alvin Kamara. — Olson