AP College Football Poll 2015: Latest Rankings, Projections for Key Week 7 Games
Unexpected outcomes have been the norm in college football in 2015, and if that keeps up, we're in for another weekend full of upsets and Top-25 shakeup in Week 7.
Just one look at the newest rankings show that so many preseason predictions were far off, including the surprise ascents of Florida and Utah, or the supreme drop-off of Oregon. Now in the dog days of October, the early-season surprises are soon to make way for lasting impressions that will shape the College Football Playoff.
There's little time to look back with another weekend full of Top-25 action that begins Thursday night, so take a look below for the latest rankings followed by a preview of Week 7.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Week 7 Top-25 Schedule, Predictions
| Thu., Oct. 15 | - | - | - |
| 10:30 p.m. | No. 18 UCLA at No. 15 Stanford | ESPN | Stanford |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | - | - | - |
| 9 p.m. | No. 24 Houston at Tulane | ESPNU | Houston |
| 9 p.m. | No. 21 Boise State at Utah State | CBSSN | Boise State |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | - | - | - |
| Noon | Eastern Michigan at No. 22 Toledo | ESPN3 | Toledo |
| Noon | No. 17 Iowa at No. 20 Northwestern | ABC/ESPN2 | Northwestern |
| Noon | West Virginia at No. 2 Baylor | FOX | Baylor |
| Noon | No. 13 Ole Miss at Memphis | ABC/ESPN2 | Ole Miss |
| Noon | Louisville at No. 11 Florida State | ESPN | FSU |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 10 Alabama at No. 9 Texas A&M | CBS | Alabama |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 19 Oklahoma at Kansas State | ABC | Oklahoma |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 7 Michigan State at No. 12 Michigan | ESPN | Michigan |
| 7 p.m. | Boston College at No. 5 Clemson | ESPNU | Clemson |
| 7 p.m. | No. 8 Florida at No. 6 LSU | ESPN | LSU |
| 7 p.m. | No. 3 TCU at Iowa State | ESPN2 | TCU |
| 7:30 p.m. | USC at No. 14 Notre Dame | NBC | Notre Dame |
| 8 p.m. | Penn State at No. 1 Ohio State | ABC | Ohio State |
| 10 p.m. | Arizona State at No. 4 Utah | ESPN | Arizona State |
No. 8 Florida at No. 6 LSU
Perhaps folks could have predicted the LSU Tigers making it this far unbeaten, especially considering Leonard Fournette has been even better than advertised in what looks like a Heisman Trophy season. But it's hard to say anyone saw this one as a matchup of unbeatens in Week 7.
Alas, the Florida Gators have shocked the SEC by starting out a solid 6-0. They have been dominant ever since trimming a two-touchdown deficit late against Tennessee, turning around to spank Ole Miss and decisively beat Missouri.
The Gators defense has been key to their ascent, as Ross Dellenger of the Advocate reported:
Florida's defense has been so nasty in recent weeks that it hasn't even allowed a touchdown on the road in two such games this season, holding Missouri and Kentucky to just four field goals combined. But they'll have their work cut out Saturday.
Fournette is dominating every defense he faces, already racking up 1,022 yards and 12 touchdowns so far in five games. As strong as the Gators defense has been, it did give up 254 yards rushing on an average of five yards per carry against Tennessee.
Not only is LSU's offensive line much better than the Volunteers', but Fournette is a class above any rusher in the nation. He'll have yet another Heisman moment in a convincing home win that knocks Florida down a peg.
Prediction: LSU 30, Florida 20
Arizona State at No. 4 Utah
Florida and Michigan can take a back seat to the blistering start of the Utah Utes, who have emerged from a team on the cusp of the Top 25 to one of the nation's elite. But they face a daunting Pac-12 test with Arizona State coming to town.
Utah proved itself early in the season with a convincing win over the Wolverines before throttling Oregon by 42 points in Autzen Stadium. After a victory over Cal this weekend, the Utes are piling up the impressive victories, as Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports noted:
"Utah beat Oregon by 42 points in Autzen Stadium and it’s the third-best win on its resume.
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) October 11, 2015"
The Utes got the win with College GameDay in town, and that's all that really matters, holding off Jared Goff and the blistering Golden Bears passing attack. But even with Goff throwing a whopping five interceptions, he still had a chance to win the game, in Utah territory down 30-24, before throwing a game-sealing pick.
Can Arizona State avoid those costly turnovers and get the Utes into a fourth-quarter deficit for the first time this year? Mike Bercovici could do just that, as the Sun Devils' quarterback has 1,604 yards with 14 touchdowns and a 14-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Arizona State has been up and down this season, but it's coming off a convincing win over previous Pac-12 darlings UCLA, as Arash Markazi of ESPN noted:
The Utes have been listening to the nation sing their praises for weeks now, but it's a long and treacherous road to an undefeated season in the Pac-12. It's a task that has eluded some great teams from Oregon in recent years, and this Utah team is bound to be brought back down to Earth.
This season in college football, shocking results have been the norm. Another one is added to the tally Saturday night as Utah's unbeaten season ends at home.
Prediction: Arizona State 31, Utah 28
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
