Week 7 turned the AP poll into a full-blown scramble, and the top of the rankings is headed for a shake-up. With No. 1 teams losing to unranked opponents in back-to-back weeks - and both of those losses coming on the final play - pollsters are now staring at a ballot unlike anything the AP era has seen before. For the first time ever, five of the top 10 teams lost in the same weekend.
That kind of chaos opens the door for a new No. 1, and BYU looks like the wild-card choice that could cash in. The Cougars are coming off a signature win over No.
2 Notre Dame, and in a week where so many contenders stumbled, that kind of statement may be enough to push them to the top. Miami is the more obvious candidate, but a narrow double-overtime win over Florida State may leave the Hurricanes just short of the top spot.
The biggest movers near the top are the teams that took losses but still have enough résumé strength to avoid a total free fall. Georgia’s loss at home to unranked Auburn will sting, yet its win at Alabama should soften the drop.
Notre Dame and Indiana both took close losses to elite opponents and should stay in the mix near the top after hard-fought defeats to BYU and Ohio State, respectively. Ohio State also survives, helped by a narrow road win at Indiana, though the Buckeyes now have a major concern: quarterback Julian Sayin is poised to miss several weeks with a shoulder injury.
Alabama is another team that should hang around despite a second straight loss. The Tide’s dominant head-to-head win at Kentucky still carries weight with voters, even after the latest setback. Texas, though, is staring at the roughest tumble of the week after falling at home to unranked Florida, one week after losing to unranked Oklahoma.
Florida should be back in the poll after upsetting Texas, and the Gators have a couple of things working in their favor over LSU: one more SEC win and a head-to-head edge via Ole Miss, which beat LSU. LSU, meanwhile, helped itself with a 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State and moved back to .500 in SEC play.
A few teams on the rise should gain ground from both results and timing. Houston took down ranked Oklahoma State, and with Iowa and USC idle, the Cougars should climb several spots.
Kentucky is now 6-1 after a solid win at Oklahoma and looks like a real College Football Playoff contender. Tennessee also has a strong case to move up after its win over Alabama, one that showcased what may be one of the SEC’s best defenses.
Further down the poll, Utah keeps rolling. The Utes are undefeated through six games for the first time since 2015 and tied for first place in the Big 12 heading into a serious clash with Houston next.
UCLA also remains unbeaten, and the Bruins are now the last undefeated team in the Big Ten. Texas Tech stays perfect as well after putting up 53 points on Arizona State, while Ole Miss strengthened its standing with a dominant 31-3 win over ranked Missouri.
The middle and lower end of the projected poll is crowded with survivors and newcomers. Wake Forest improved to 6-1 with a dominant showing at Cal, Northwestern should hold on after its win over Penn State, and SMU’s close win over Virginia likely won’t move the Mustangs much either way. Boise State was idle but remains the favorite in the Pac-12.
At the bottom, Oregon could sneak back in at No. 25 after Dylan Raiola returned against his old team in Nebraska and led the Ducks to a late touchdown drive that lifted them to 4-2. Oklahoma State, despite its loss to Houston, may still hold on thanks to a strong second half and the lack of obvious replacement candidates just outside the rankings. Northwesterns’ place, SMU’s steady spot, and Boise State’s standing all reflect the same thing: in a week this chaotic, even a messy ballot has to leave somewhere for teams that didn’t completely blow up.
In Other News...
LSU Defense Just Took Another Hit It Couldnt Afford
LSUs defense was already working through plenty of strain, and it took another scare early against Mississippi State when edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen left in the first quarter after making his second tackle. He was evaluated by LSU trainers on the field before spending the rest of the first half on the sideline, a development that immediately raised more concern for a unit that has been hit hard already this season.
The Tigers have already lost two other starting defenders to injuries, so any health issue on that side of the ball carries extra weight. Umanmielens status loomed as the kind of update LSU could ill afford to wait on, especially with the defense trying to hold together depth and production at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Dominant Win Also Exposed One Offensive Concern
LSUs 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State was about as complete a Saturday as the Tigers could have hoped for. Sam Leavitt carved up the Bulldogs with four touchdown passes and no interceptions, and the defense and special teams did their part in a game that never really gave Mississippi State a chance to settle in, especially with the Bulldogs already short-handed at quarterback and running back.
Even so, the win didnt fully paper over one lingering offensive concern. LSU still had trouble getting much going on the ground, and that part of the attack remains worth watching as the schedule stiffens. The Tigers were efficient enough to overwhelm Mississippi State anyway, but if they want this kind of control against better opposition, the run game will need to become more than a background piece. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Got The Bounce-Back Win Fans Wanted At A Cost
LSU got the kind of clean, confidence-building win it badly needed Saturday, blanking Mississippi State 31-0 behind a defense that set the tone from the start. The Tigers made life miserable for the Bulldogs all afternoon, stuffing key drives and repeatedly ending possessions on failed fourth-down attempts while the offense did enough to keep the pressure on the other sideline.
The broader concern, though, is what came with the victory. LSU added injuries to key players, including wide receiver Jackson Harris and edge rusher Lamar Brown, even as Sam Leavitt and Dilin Jones helped steady the offense and Leavitt looked more comfortable with his timing and confidence. For a team trying to build momentum, the result was exactly what it wanted, but the health of a few important pieces leaves the next stretch of the season a lot less comfortable. [Read more 🡒]