AP College Football Poll 2014: Official Top 25 Rankings and Week 7 Projections
Rarely has The Associated Press Top 25 poll been as victimized as it was this week.
The job of the poll is never cut and dry, but after a historic week in which half of the Top 10 suffered upsets, the clockwork-like manner of the poll release could have used an extension on its deadline to fully digest the happenings.
ESPN Stats & Info noted that the pollsters have not had to deal with such a week in a decade and change:
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That note came before then-ranked No. 8 UCLA took a late-night dive at the hands of Utah.
Below, let's review the latest offering from the AP and look ahead to the next week of action, which, on paper, promises to be just as wild.
2014 Week 7 Associated Press Top 25
| 1 | Florida State Seminoles |
| 2 | Auburn Tigers |
| 3 | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
| 4 | Ole Miss Rebels |
| 5 | Baylor Bears |
| 6 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
| 7 | Alabama Crimson Tide |
| 8 | Michigan State Spartans |
| 9 | TCU Horned Frogs |
| 10 | Arizona Wildcats |
| 11 | Oklahoma Sooners |
| 12 | Oregon Ducks |
| 13 | Georgia Bulldogs |
| 14 | Texas A&M Aggies |
| 15 | Ohio State Buckeyes |
| 16 | Oklahoma State Cowboys |
| 17 | Kansas State Wildcats |
| 18 | UCLA Bruins |
| 19 | East Carolina Pirates |
| 20 | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| 21 | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| 22 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets |
| 23 | Missouri Tigers |
| 24 | Utah Utes |
| 25 | Stanford Cardinal |
Week 7 Top 25 Projections
| No. 1 Florida State | Syracuse | No. 1 Florida State |
| No. 2 Auburn | No. 3 Mississippi State | No. 2 Auburn |
| No. 3 Ole Miss | No. 14 Texas A&M | No. 3 Ole Miss |
| No. 9 TCU | No. 5 Baylor | No. 5 Baylor |
| North Carolina | No. 6 Notre Dame | No. 6 Notre Dame |
| No. 7 Alabama | Arkansas | No. 7 Alabama |
| No. 8 Michigan State | Purdue | No. 8 Michigan State |
| USC | No. 10 Arizona | USC |
| Texas | No. 11 Oklahoma | No. 11 Oklahoma |
| No. 12 Oregon | No. 18 UCLA | No. 12 Oregon |
| No. 13 Georgia | No. 23 Missouri | No. 13 Georgia |
| No. 16 Oklahoma State | Kansas | No. 16 Oklahoma State |
| No. 19 East Carolina | South Florida | South Florida |
| Duke | No. 22 Georgia Tech | Duke |
| Washington State | No. 25 Stanford | No. 25 Stanford |
Week 7 Outlook
The Hunt for a Rebound
It is hard to understand just how incredible the Week 7 slate is and difficult to explain just how important the outcomes are to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Start with Alabama, the perennially dominant dynasty led by Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide missed two field goals and committed a number of costly errors to lose to then-ranked No. 11 Ole Miss, 23-17.
Now the Crimson Tide must run the table against a schedule that includes Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn, but first they must overcome Arkansas on the road. The Razorbacks are a team that almost upset Texas A&M a few weeks back and touts a top-10 rushing attack.
The story is much the same for Oregon and UCLA—two teams that encounter one another in Week 7.
Oregon was on the wrong side of a 31-24 outcome against unranked Arizona last Thursday, as former Heisman favorite Marcus Mariota lost a late fumble to ruin what had been otherwise a rather solid night.
UCLA's loss to Utah was even more gut-wrenching, as signal-caller Brett Hundley was sacked a ridiculous 10 times, per Josh Norris of Rotoworld.com. A late field goal decided the cone contest, and well, John Breech of CBSSports.com does the affair justice:
Texas A&M was another major loser on the weekend that gets another trial by fire that may outright decide its CFP aspirations right away.
After a 48-31 loss to Mississippi State in which Kenny Hill finally played like a first-year starter with 365 yards and a 4-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, the Aggies must find a way overcome the same Rebels team that just took down the Crimson Tide.
The only team that gets a breather after a major upset is formerly ranked No. 4 Oklahoma. Bob Stoops and the Sooners dropped a four-point game to TCU over the weekend on the road, which seems like more of a testament to how good the Horned Frogs are than to a suggestion that Oklahoma was overrated.
A high-profile, albeit seemingly easy date with Texas lies ahead for the Sooners. The Longhorns sit at 2-3 and most recently got blown up by Baylor, 28-7. Austin Chadwick of Sports Animal Tulsa puts it best:
Unlike some of the SEC teams, the Sooners still have a great shot at the CFP should they run the table over the course of what is a rather favorable schedule. The biggest test comes on Nov. 8 against Baylor, but it is at home and far enough into the future that the Sooners should be over last Saturday's debacle.
Matchup of the Week: No. 2 Auburn at No. 3 Mississippi State
CFP implications could not be higher in what has the look of one of the most important contests of the season. Hence why College GameDay is on the way to Starkville:
As two of the teams able to remain unscathed last weekend, Auburn and Mississippi State have an opportunity in this matchup to get a serious leg up on the SEC when it comes to the conference title and a playoff berth.
Even without the implications, this one would have been loads of fun. The Bulldogs are led by Dak Prescott, who some would lead fans to believe is Tim Tebow reincarnated on a collegiate field. His weekly numbers—especially those against Texas A&M last week—signify the validity that he is one of the lone leaders for the Heisman Trophy:
| Southern Miss | 18 | 26 | 284 | 69.2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 23 | 2.9 | 0 |
| UAB | 12 | 25 | 211 | 48.0 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 111 | 6.2 | 1 |
| @South Alabama | 13 | 21 | 201 | 61.9 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 139 | 9.9 | 1 |
| @LSU | 15 | 24 | 268 | 62.5 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 105 | 4.8 | 1 |
| Texas A&M | 19 | 25 | 259 | 76.0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 77 | 3.3 | 3 |
That dual-threat attack will be countered by a Tigers team that uses a very similar approach with quarterback Nick Marshall. The senior has 755 yards and eight touchdowns to one interception and another 392 yards and four scores on the ground.
Thanks to 326 total yards and four touchdowns on Saturday alone, Auburn was able to move past LSU, 41-7. For Tigers coach Gus Malzahn, it was a reaffirmation on a grand stage that he has one of the better quarterbacks in the country on his side.
"Nick played like one of the better quarterbacks in the entire country," Malzahn said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com.
Saturday, two experienced quarterbacks get to take their best shot at the Heisman and elevate their programs to surefire CFP favorite status. Something has to give in one of the year's biggest showdowns, just like we all predicted before the season.
Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. AP poll via The Associated Press.
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