As we survey the damage from the latest games on Saturday, let's look ahead to the AP top 25 college football rankings heading into Week 8
Who's moving up? Who's moving down?
Note: this isn't our ranking of the best teams, but our prediction for how top 25 voters will slot them in the official poll on Sunday
Dropping out: Utah, Oklahoma
25. Navy. After getting 43 votes in last week's AP rankings, the Midshipmen could benefit from other ranked teams losing and move into the top 25 despite being off this week, sitting at 5-0, coming off a nice win over Air Force the week before, ranking 3rd nationally in rushing, and getting a shot at Notre Dame in two weeks' time in a big test for both schools.
24. Army. AP top 25 voters gave the Black Knights 33 votes last week, but should move into the rankings after routing UAB to extend college football's longest win streak to 10 games and emerging as 1 of 2 teams nationally to not trail at any point in a game so far this season.
23. SMU. Idle this week, the Mustangs head to Stanford next and Duke after that and only face one ranked team, Pittsburgh at home, going forward, sitting at 5-1 and playing the 14th best scoring offense in college football right now, posting 41 points per game.
22. Michigan. College football's defending champs sunk 14 spots in last week's rankings after the Washington loss, and return from their idle weekend on the road against Illinois next Saturday.
21. Illinois. Despite marching out to a 27-3 lead in the third quarter, the Illini let lowly Purdue back in the game late, surrendering 40 second-half points, but ultimately pulling out a 1-point win in overtime, with a 2-1 mark in Big Ten play and a home date against Michigan next and a trip to Oregon after that.
20. Missouri. Brady Cook had 2 TDs and the Tigers ran for 231 yards to rout UMass on the road after taking a bad loss at Texas A&M the week before.
19. Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 6-0 for the first time since 1982 after outlasting Cal as Desmond Reid ran for 2 touchdowns to carry the offense and the Pitt defense racked up 6 sacks. Two games against ranked teams await, at SMU and against Clemson over the next four weeks.
18. Kansas State. Avery Johnson won a back-and-forth at Colorado when he launched a 50-yard touchdown to Jayce Brown with just over 2 minutes left, right after Shedeur Sanders had given the Buffs a late lead, but the Wildcats move to 2-1 in Big 12 play with a date at West Virginia next.
17. Indiana. Idle this week, the Hoosiers are 6-0 for the second time ever and are the other team to never trail at any point in a game this season, thanks to an offense that has scored at least 41 points in 5 straight games and faces off against Nebraska next.
16. Boise State. Ashton Jeanty ran for over 200 yards and scored twice, his 17th and 18th touchdowns of the season, as the Broncos got past Hawai'i on the road, holding the Rainbow Warriors to 1 yard per carry and move to 2-0 in Mountain West play with a 3 point loss to Oregon on their resume and a date at league-leader UNLV up next after a bye.
15. Texas A&M. Off this week, the Aggies are riding high at 3-0 in SEC play after smacking Missouri the week before and are playing their best football at a time when quarterback Conner Weigman has returned to full health, and as the rushing attack ranks 9th nationally.
14. Ole Miss. This really felt like the year Lane Kiffin was about to take the next step and get in the playoff, but his Rebels fell to 1-2 in SEC play after being held out of the end zone in the second half on the road against LSU, and now games against Oklahoma and Georgia await over the next three weeks.
13. BYU. Jake Retzlaff played turnover-free football and scored twice while the defense had 3 takeaways to take down Arizona at home, and the Cougars move to 6-0 overall with a solid 3-0 mark in Big 12 play, taking another hugely important step towards conference title contention.
12. Iowa State. Carson Hansen ran for 3 touchdowns and Rocco Becht passed for a fourth as the Cyclones downed the Mountaineers, moving to 6-0 for the first time since 1938 and facing a Big 12 schedule clear of any likely ranked teams until the season finale against Kansas State.
11. Notre Dame. We could see the Irish move into the top-10 after taking care of Stanford the way a College Football Playoff team should, as Riley Leonard threw 3 touchdowns and ran for a fourth, and now ND looks ahead to Georgia Tech before taking on undefeated Navy after that.
10. Clemson. Cade Klubnik had 3 TDs and Phil Mafah scored 2 more to rout Wake Forest behind a 28-point second quarter, and Clemson has scored 243 combined points during its 5 game win streak, moving to 4-0 in ACC play and emerging as 1 of 2 favorites to make a run at the conference title.
9. LSU. Garrett Nussmeier threw for over 300 yards and the game-tying touchdown to Aaron Anderson to force overtime, when he connected with Kyren Lacy, rebounding from a 20-13 second-half deficit to upset Ole Miss and move to a 2-0 start in SEC play heading into road games against Arkansas and then Texas A&M.
8. Tennessee. Big Orange weathered a very slow start, 2 turnovers, and an early deficit against the Gators, but Dylan Sampson pushed through for the game-winning touchdown in overtime, although there is still concern as Nico Iamaleava didn't throw a TD pass with Alabama coming to Rocky Top next, and a trip to Georgia 2 weeks later.
7. Alabama. Coming out of the Vandy loss, the Tide nearly suffered another apocalyptic L against South Carolina, enduring costly turnovers, allowing a late touchdown, trailing in the fourth quarter, and nearly paying the price for a late special teams blunder, but did just enough to survive to win a 2-point game that leaves more questions than answers.
6. Miami. Idle this week, the Hurricanes are a perfect 6-0 and look forward to a pretty favorable schedule with no ranked opponents the rest of the way, ranking No. 1 in college football with 400 passing yards per game and 3rd with nearly 48 points per game on average.
5. Ohio State. There are some legitimate questions around the Buckeyes' ability to defend against elite skill players after letting through some big plays, even if their own offense has the tools to go the distance, but Ryan Day falls to 1-7 against top-5 ranked opponents after a 1-point loss at Oregon.
4. Georgia. While the Bulldogs offense put up over 600 total yards, there are some questions around a defensive unit that surrendered 385 yards to Mississippi State at home, especially with a date at Texas coming up next weekend, the second of three major road tests for Georgia.
3. Penn State. Drew Allar survived 3 interceptions, throwing 2 touchdowns to lead a 20-6 second-half scoring run, and Tyler Warren had a career day with 237 all-purpose yards as a receiver, rusher, and passer (and center) as the Nittany Lions stay perfect after a close overtime win at USC.
2. Oregon. Dillon Gabriel posted 370 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in a statement victory over the Buckeyes that heralds the Ducks as legit contenders in the Big Ten title race, and while AP top 25 voters have been willing to unseat Texas at No. 1 already — when Alabama beat a top-5 Georgia — the Ducks probably won't peel off enough of the Longhorns' 52 first-place votes for them to fall from the top spot again.
1. Texas. What will AP voters value more, Oregon's win against a top-5 team, or the Longhorns dominating the Sooners by 31 points in the Red River Shootout? While it's a given Texas will lose some number of first-place votes, Oregon didn't get any last week and it would be a tough call to predict they would take enough to dislodge Texas again.
More … When the Top 25 rankings come out
–
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks
James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.
© 2024 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Gambling content intended for 21+. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
