AP College Football Poll 2015: Updated Top 25, Projections for Week 8 Rankings
Michigan State-Michigan was the start and finish of every highlight reel from Week 7, but that wasn’t the only huge result on a weekend full of stiff tests for the top competitors.
Alabama embarrassed a Top-10 team in Texas A&M, spearheaded by its running game and pass defense, LSU used some Les Miles trickery and even more Leonard Fournette to take down the formerly undefeated Florida Gators, Iowa looked like a playoff team and Stanford proved its Week 1 loss to Northwestern was little more than a fluke.
The season still has plenty of time left for things to shift, but a top tier is beginning to form—even if no team is establishing itself as the clear No. 1—and Week 7 went a long way toward deciding which teams will make it to the playoff with a shot at the national championship.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Here’s a look at the most recent AP Top 25 Poll heading into Week 8 as the initial rankings for the College Football Playoff inch ever closer:
| 1 | Ohio State | 7-0 | at Rutgers | Win |
| 2 | Baylor | 6-0 | Iowa State | Win |
| 3 | Utah | 6-0 | at USC | Win |
| 4 | TCU | 7-0 | Bye | - |
| 5 | LSU | 6-0 | Western Kentucky | Win |
| 6 | Clemson | 6-0 | at Miami (Fl.) | Win |
| 7 | Michigan State | 7-0 | Indiana | Win |
| 8 | Alabama | 6-1 | Tennessee | Win |
| 9 | Florida State | 6-0 | at Georgia Tech | Win |
| 10 | Stanford | 5-1 | Washington | Win |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | Bye | - |
| 12 | Iowa | 7-0 | Bye | - |
| 13 | Florida | 6-1 | Bye | - |
| 14 | Oklahoma State | 6-0 | Kansas | Win |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 5-1 | Mississippi | Loss |
| 15 | Michigan | 5-2 | Bye | - |
| 17 | Oklahoma | 5-1 | Texas Tech | Win |
| 18 | Memphis | 6-0 | at Tulsa | Win |
| 19 | Toledo | 6-0 | at UMass | Win |
| 20 | California | 5-1 | at UCLA | Loss |
| 21 | Houston | 6-0 | at UCF | Win |
| 22 | Temple | 6-0 | at East Carolina | Win |
| 23 | Duke | 5-1 | at Virginia Tech | Loss |
| 24 | Mississippi | 5-2 | Texas A&M | Win |
| 25 | Pittsburgh | 5-1 | at Syracuse | Win |
Notable Week 7 Performances
LSU
Each and every week, the critics get louder and louder, claiming the LSU Tigers would be nothing without the unstoppable powerhouse that is Leonard Fournette at running back, and each and every week LSU keeps on winning, so it doesn’t matter.
Fournette has been far and away the best player in the country this season, averaging more than 200 yards per game and leading the country in yards, yards per game and touchdowns on the ground. Against Florida, he was supposed to face his stiffest test, but the running back barely took a hit in production.
The Gators have a stellar run defense, but Fournette ran over it with 31 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns. LSU also benefited from some Mad Hattery from Les Miles, with a fake-field-goal touchdown providing the difference in the win.
LSU is up to No. 5 in the country after the win and heads into a matchup with an underrated Western Kentucky side. With the annual war against Alabama looming in a few weeks, the Tigers could be tempted to look ahead, but for now, they are one of the hottest teams in the country and seem on course to get to the playoff.
The scoring defense hasn’t been the elite unit that usually defines LSU teams—the Tigers rank No. 43 in the country in points allowed per game but are No. 15 in total yards—and even though Brandon Harris has improved, the passing attack is suspect. Still, as long as Fournette is in the backfield, LSU is a force to be reckoned with and a playoff contender.
Baylor
Last season, the Baylor Bears did everything right when it came to earning a playoff appearance. They beat the teams they were supposed to beat convincingly, had wins against three ranked opponents including against another team vying for a spot in the playoff and finished at the top of the Big 12.
But the one mistake they made, the one week they didn’t show up to play against West Virginia, was enough to cost them a spot in the final four, which Ohio State would eventually turn into a national title.
Baylor wasn’t taking any chances this time around, as Seth Russell led the Bears to a 62-38 home win against the Mountaineers that wasn’t as close as the final score would suggest.
So far this year, the Bears have only looked mortal once (in the first half against SMU) and have put on one of the best offensive shows in the history of the sport. Art Briles has the team running perfectly, and the game against West Virginia was just another step toward the playoff and a shot at the title.
Things get tougher in November with back-to-back-to-back games against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and the headliner against TCU, and the defense has some pretty big holes, but as long as Russell continues slinging the ball all over the field and Corey Coleman keeps up his record-breaking pace—the junior receiver has 16 touchdown catches so far—it will be hard to stop Baylor from achieving its goals.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
