NCAA Football Rankings 2015: Predicting Week 7 College Top 25 Standings
In a college football season that has been defined by its upsets and shocking results, Week 6 was all about what could have been but what wasn’t meant to be. So many of the top teams in the country were pushed to the limit but somehow managed to come out on top.
Ohio State, TCU, Michigan State, Florida State and Alabama all came away from surprisingly close games against unranked opponents to maintain their status at the top of the polls.
The week wasn’t without its upsets; Texas beating Oklahoma and Tennessee coming back against Georgia were both surprising results, but the polls could have looked a lot different heading into Week 7 had a few plays broken differently.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
But for now, things are likely to look pretty similar to Week 6 at the top, with a few minor tweaks here and there. Here’s a look at what college football's Top 25 could look like heading into Week 7:
| 1 | Ohio State | 6-0 |
| 2 | Baylor | 5-0 |
| 3 | TCU | 6-0 |
| 4 | Utah | 5-0 |
| 5 | Clemson | 5-0 |
| 6 | Michigan State | 6-0 |
| 7 | LSU | 5-0 |
| 8 | Texas A&M | 5-0 |
| 9 | Alabama | 5-1 |
| 10 | Florida | 6-0 |
| 11 | Florida State | 5-0 |
| 12 | Michigan | 5-1 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | 5-1 |
| 14 | Notre Dame | 5-1 |
| 15 | Stanford | 4-1 |
| 16 | Oklahoma State | 6-0 |
| 17 | Iowa | 6-0 |
| 18 | Toledo | 5-0 |
| 19 | UCLA | 4-1 |
| 20 | Boise State | 5-1 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 4-1 |
| 22 | Houston | 5-0 |
| 23 | Northwestern | 5-1 |
| 24 | Temple | 5-0 |
| 25 | Penn State | 5-1 |
Notable Teams
The traditional Big Ten powers (Michigan and Penn State)
After Week 1, Michigan and Penn State were both 0-1 and in a state of disarray. The Wolverines looked like a mess offensively and were manhandled by Utah despite what the seven-point differential might imply, and it appeared as though the Nittany Lions decided to run with a high school offensive line in an upset defeat against Temple.
Since that time, though, the two traditional powerhouses have looked very much like the teams of yore, both piling up five consecutive victories with overwhelming defenses, while their Week 1 opponents have continued to impress. Utah is arguably the best team in the country right now, and Temple is undefeated with a strong shot at winning the American.
Week 6 was perhaps the best performance for both programs, with Michigan completing its third straight shutout in a 38-0 thrashing of Northwestern while Penn State shut down a high-flying Indiana offense in a 29-7 win that wasn’t even that close.
Sporting two of the top defenses in the country, both teams face a huge conference test next weekend that will do a great job of defining where the two programs stand nationally and in the Big Ten. Penn State heads to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the nation’s No. 1 team, Ohio State, and Michigan gets to prove its mettle with rival Michigan State heading to Michigan Stadium in one of the biggest games of the season.
Clemson
There might not be a less heralded top team in the country than the Clemson Tigers right now. For whatever reason—be it the perceived reputation of the ACC or the fact that everyone is waiting for them to Clemson—Dabo Swinney's team doesn’t get the credit it deserves.
After taking down Notre Dame in a waterlogged Death Valley last week, the Tigers look every bit a national title contender in Week 6, obliterating a Georgia Tech team that many considered a dark horse for the playoff before the season.
Deshaun Watson is better than advertised, and when the Tigers get rolling, they are capable of putting up big numbers while their defenses remains one of the stoutest in the country, allowing only 16.6 points per game.
But with a pair of close games under their belt as well, Clemson knows how to squeak out a victory when necessary. A huge matchup with Florida State is still a few weeks off, and the schedule looks light, but in what has been a crazy season so far, overlooking a team is a death sentence, so the Tigers need to be careful and take things one game at a time.
As of now, though, there don’t appear to be the same worries as in seasons past, and the Tigers have been arguably the most impressive team outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Waco, Texas, this season.
Oklahoma
Bob Stoops has had some pretty rough losses in his long and largely successful career with the Oklahoma Sooners, but there might not have been one worse than what occurred this past Saturday.
Against arguably their biggest rivals in the Texas Longhorns, the Sooners laid an egg in the worst possible way, never leading, falling behind early and looking largely like the underdog despite heading into the game ranked No. 10 in the country.
What makes it truly embarrassing, though, is the form Texas was in heading into the annual matchup. At 1-4 and on the heels of a 43-point defeat at the hands of TCU, the Longhorns and coach Charlie Strong were under fire, and the timing was perfect for Oklahoma to take down their bitter rivals.
But, very much against expectations, the Longhorns won in every aspect of the game and jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter that was too much to overcome. Stoops didn’t need to win this game, but the loss is one of the worst he has ever been subject to.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
