College Football Rankings 2016: Overview of Week 7 Standings for NCAA's Top 25
Wet, weather and a tough Duke defense managed to slow Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson on Friday night, but it wasn't enough to keep the Heisman favorite from leading his No. 7-ranked Cardinals to a 24-14 win and ensure their place in the Top 25 for another week.
No. 25 Navy, fresh off a huge win over then-No. 6 Houston, was supposed to be the first ranked team to get a test in Week 7, but the Midshipmen's scheduled visit to East Carolina University on Thursday was called off several days prior due to potential flooding from Hurricane Matthew.
Saturday is a test for most of the rest of the ranked teams, with three matchups between Top 25 squads highlighting the action.
Here are the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls, with Week 7 matchup info for the AP table. All text references to rankings will use the AP standings.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Alabama (56) | 6-0 | 1,520 | at No. 9 Tennessee |
| 2 | Ohio State (2) | 5-0 | 1,444 | at No. 8 Wisconsin |
| 3 | Clemson (2) | 6-0 | 1,406 | vs. NC State |
| 4 | Michigan (1) | 6-0 | 1,339 | N/A |
| 5 | Washington | 6-0 | 1,286 | N/A |
| 6 | Texas A&M | 6-0 | 1,202 | N/A |
| 7 | Louisville | 4-1 | 1,193 | W, 24-14 Duke |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 4-1 | 1,020 | vs. No. 2 Ohio State |
| 9 | Tennessee | 5-1 | 962 | vs. No. 1 Alabama |
| 10 | Nebraska | 5-0 | 958 | at Indiana |
| 11 | Baylor | 5-0 | 934 | vs. Kansas |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 3-2 | 800 | at No. 22 Arkansas |
| 13 | Houston | 5-1 | 701 | vs. Tulsa |
| 14 | Florida State | 4-2 | 628 | vs. Wake Forest |
| 15 | Boise State | 5-0 | 590 | vs. Colorado State |
| 16 | Miami (FL) | 4-1 | 576 | vs. North Carolina |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | 4-1 | 546 | at Syracuse |
| 18 | Florida | 4-1 | 483 | vs. Missouri |
| 19 | Oklahoma | 3-2 | 476 | vs. Kansas State |
| 20 | West Virginia | 4-0 | 424 | at Texas Tech |
| 21 | Utah | 5-1 | 287 | at Oregon State |
| 22 | Arkansas | 4-2 | 203 | vs. No. 12 Ole Miss |
| 23 | Auburn | 4-2 | 166 | N/A |
| 24 | Western Michigan | 6-0 | 154 | at Akron |
| 25 | Navy | 4-1 | 122 | Postponed, at ECU |
No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ohio State Get Top 10 Tests
No. 1 Alabama gets its second of three-straight against ranked SEC opposition when it takes on the dangerous No. 9 Tennessee on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide are coming off a 49-30 win over No. 22 Arkansas. Alabama built up an 18-point lead on halftime thanks to a strong rushing display from quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Damien Harris, but Arkansas had its moments in the second half thanks to a gutsy display from quarterback Austin Allen.
Though he was under immense pressure at times, Allen was able to carve up Alabama's secondary in chunks, although he couldn't escape turning the ball over, three times on interceptions to cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Crimson Tide will need turnovers and laser-sharp focus in the second-half against Tennessee, who has made a habit out of pulling off miracles this season and was oh-so-close to completing a 21-point comeback against No. 6 Texas A&M in Week 6, only to lose in double overtime.
Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs has looked brilliant in stretches, but he already has eight interceptions on the year. He'll have to take care of the football, as few teams are better at making others pay for their mistakes than Alabama.
Tennessee has a choice to make when it comes to who they send into the teeth of the Alabama defense. Alvin Kamara carved up the Aggies for 288 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns spelling an injured Jalen Hurd. Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis had high praise for Kamara, per ESPN's Chris Low (via ABCNews.com):
"We couldn't tackle him. We had him hemmed up I don't know how many times for little or no gain, and he'd get away. That's how they got back into the game. You don't see many guys who can change direction the way he can, and he's a lot tougher than people think he is."
Hurd is back for Week 7, so the Volunteers could elect to restore him as a lead rusher, but they would be wise to give Kamara more touches early on to see if he can break this stout Crimson Tide defense.
As mentioned, no lead is safe against the Zombie Vols. Should Alabama get out to an early advantage, the last thing they want to do is start looking ahead to next week's matchup against the Aggies, the third game in a difficult, decisive October stretch. Head coach Butch Jones has kept Tennessee competitive in every game this season, often down to the last play.
No. 2 Ohio State also has a massive exam of its own on Saturday on the road against No. 8 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes feature one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, averaging 53.2 points per game, trailing only Texas Tech and Louisville. Wisconsin's defense is allowing just 12.2 points per game, so it's strength versus strength when the Buckeyes have the ball.
J.T. Barrett has thrown 15 touchdowns against three picks, showing incredible poise this season while also making plenty of plays with his leg. Running back Curtis Samuel is the real treat in this offense, however. He's averaging 8.2 yards per carry splitting time with Mike Weber, and he is also the team's top receiver with 23 catches for 345 yards and three scores.
Samuel didn't get the ball early in Ohio State's Week 6 win over Indiana, something Land-Grant Holy Land's Colton Denning says the team must remedy to beat Wisconsin:
"While he did finish the day with 82 yards rushing, his nine touches were far under the 15-per game mark Meyer has mentioned all season. Against an even better defense this week, Ohio State would be wise to trust its best playmaker to open up the offense.
There’s a lot of blame to go around in regards to the Buckeye passing game last week, but one of the more baffling decisions was not making Samuel a focal point. Weather may be an issue again on Saturday, and finding creative ways to get Samuel the ball on short passes seems like a much more viable strategy then trying to launch downfield all day (again).
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Even if the Badgers manage to stymie Samuel and the rest of the Buckeyes offense, scoring points of their own could be an issue. You see, Ohio State's robust defense is giving up just 10.8 points per contest, which happens to put it two spots ahead of Wisconsin in the national rankings and second only to the marauders over at Michigan.
Wisconsin's offense this year is once again predicated on the run, and that's putting it both mildly and generously.
In the Badgers' 14-7 loss to Michigan in Week 5, quarterback Alex Hornibrook got the nod and threw for 88 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Hornibrook has done little to impress, but then again neither did Bart Houston, who threw two touchdowns against two picks in three games before giving way to Hornibrook.
So, with the passing game uninspiring at best, Wisconsin will have to try to jam the ball down the Buckeyes' throats, despite averaging 3.8 yards per carry as a team. Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale will lead the charge, and they may get some help from Bradrick Shaw, who is questionable, per the Grand Rapids Herald-Review's Jason Galloway.
Though Wisconsin has had two weeks to try to crack Ohio State's cypher, it figures to be tough going for this one-dimensional offense to get traction against a team allowing 2.73 yards per rush, per NCAA.com.
Freshman defensive lineman Robert Landers has emerged as a fine run stuffer, and the Buckeyes routinely gum up the works at the line of scrimmage and suffocate opposing teams on the ground. Unless Hornibrook can somehow establish himself as a passing threat, Ohio State figures to play defense in essentially a downhill fashion, rushing to the point of attack.
Wisconsin is rested and at home, but Ohio State is the more balanced team overall and should pull off the win. Alabama has arguably the tougher task considering the makeup of Tennessee's team and its never-say-die attitude.
An upset in either game would go a long way toward jumbling the Top 10 rankings, especially with the sixth-ranked Aggies, No. 5 Washington and No. 4 Michigan off this week, preserving their undefeated status while the top two teams could fall.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
