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...
George MacIntyre Revealed What Meant Most In Tennessees Alabama Win
George MacIntyres second career start came in one of the biggest settings in college football, and Tennessee left Neyland Stadium with a win over Alabama to match it. The quarterback handled the workload well enough to keep the offense moving, finishing 21 of 31 for 197 yards while navigating a game that demanded patience, poise and a lot of help around him.
Afterward, MacIntyre talked through his own performance and kept coming back to the same theme: what mattered most was the way Tennessee responded when the game got tense. He also made a point to single out teammates, including freshman wide receiver TK Keys, as the Volunteers showed the kind of resilience that can define a season long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees Win Over Alabama Revealed A Few Vols Fans Need To Notice
Tennessees 26-10 win over Alabama brought plenty of obvious heroes, but the snap counts and grades from Pro Football Focus offered a closer look at how the Vols pieced together one of their biggest home victories in recent memory. The numbers pointed to a mix of burst, balance and opportunism, with freshman wide receiver TK Keys earning the top grade despite limited work, while DeSean Bishop handled the most snaps on offense and finished with two second-half touchdowns.
There was also encouraging detail on the defensive side, where Jeremiah Telander led Tennessee with a 73.0 grade in just 18 snaps. Edwin Spillman and S Dejuan Lane also stood out, and Lanes night included both an interception and a fumble recovery, the kind of disruptive production that can swing a game and give the Vols more to build on as they move deeper into the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Matthews Gave Tennessee Fans One Alabama Moment To Debate
Mike Matthews left Tennessee fans with one of the games more talked-about moments against Alabama, and it came on a play that cut both ways. His personal foul block wiped out a 34-yard run by DeSean Bishop, but the drive stayed alive and eventually turned into points, another reminder of how the Vols offense kept finding ways to keep pressure on the Crimson Tide all night.
The play also drew a response from Alabama defensive back Bray Hubbard, who acknowledged the hit was illegal but said he was fine and not worried about his status for the next game. For Tennessee, the bigger takeaway was Matthews overall impact, since he led the team in both catches and receiving yards with seven receptions for 85 yards in a 26-10 win that gave the Vols plenty to feel good about beyond a single controversial snap. [Read more 🡒]