NCAA Football Rankings 2017: Analyzing Week 7 Polls and Top 25 College Standings
The college football season continues to provide some surprising results, and that led to a bit of a shakeup in the latest Top 25.
Oklahoma and Michigan took expected drops in the Associated Press poll after disappointing home losses, while four new teams entered the rankings after consistent performances throughout the season.
There is still a long time before the committee has to finalize the College Football Playoff bracket, but the Week 6 results could create significant shifts in thinking. Here is a look at the Week 7 rankings and what they mean going forward.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Associated Press Poll
1. Alabama (6-0)
2. Clemson (6-0)
3. Penn State (6-0)
4. Georgia (6-0)
5. Washington (6-0)
6. TCU (5-0)
7. Wisconsin (5-0)
8. Washington State (6-0)
9. Ohio State (5-1)
10. Auburn (5-1)
11. Miami (4-0)
12. Oklahoma (4-1)
13. USC (5-1)
14. Oklahoma State (4-1)
15. Virginia Tech (5-1)
16. Notre Dame (5-1)
17. Michigan (4-1)
18. South Florida (5-0)
19. San Diego State (6-0)
20. North Carolina State (5-1)
21. Michigan State (4-1)
22. UCF (4-0)
23. Stanford (4-2)
24. Texas Tech (4-1)
25. Navy (5-0)
Huge Fall for Oklahoma
You knew Oklahoma was going to drop after a disappointing loss to Iowa State at home. ESPN Stats and Info noted just how surprising the 38-31 result was for the Sooners:
The Cyclones had just lost at home to Texas, scoring seven points in the process, but they came back to score 38 points on a tough Oklahoma defense. Quarterback Kyle Kempt threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns while leading his team back from an 11-point halftime deficit.
While this was a big moment for Iowa State, the upset also has national implications.
Oklahoma still has one of the best wins in the country with its 31-16 road win over Ohio State. Of course, the Buckeyes are now three spots above them in the latest poll, highest among one-loss teams. Considering how the committee puts weight on good wins instead of bad losses, this could change in time.
The Sooners still have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Baker Mayfield and playmakers all over the field, making them a top contender at their best. They also have a tough schedule featuring matchups against Oklahoma State and TCU, providing plenty of opportunities to prove themselves in the coming months.
This loss was a setback, but Oklahoma can still be playoff bound if things go well.
Florida Schools Making Moves
Florida State is one of the biggest disappointments in the country to this point, but the rest of the Sunshine State has been pretty impressive.
Miami moved to 4-0 with its dramatic win over the Seminoles, featuring a go-ahead touchdown by Darrell Langham with six seconds remaining. The team is now No. 11 in the AP poll, although head coach Mark Richt knows this win was even bigger for the program.
"It's great for morale, it's great for momentum, it's great for recruiting," the Miami coach said, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com. "We want to get back to where when we hook up with anybody, people know that we've got a chance to be one of the better teams in the country. We're working toward that. We're not there yet, but we're getting there."
The upcoming Georgia Tech battle will show whether the Hurricanes are really a top contender in the ACC division.
Meanwhile, both South Florida and UCF are also undefeated heading into Week 7, navigating around the mayhem of Hurricane Irma to put together excellent starts to the season.
The two teams are both in the top five in college football in scoring with averages of over 44 points per game. The schedule will get tougher, but one of these teams should be able to win the Atlantic.
Big Ten Still in Good Shape
No conference has more teams ranked in the latest poll than the Big Ten, which has five squads. Even as Michigan took a tumble, Michigan State got enough respect from its win to earn a spot at No. 21.
At the very least, the Spartans would now represent another "quality win" for opponents it faces for the rest of the year. Michigan also likely isn't going away, especially with matchups against the top three teams still on the schedule.
Of course, the story is the three teams in the Top 10, all of which should remain in contention for the playoffs as the year continues.
As previously noted, Ohio State is the top one-loss team in the AP poll, which might be thanks to the way they have been dominating inferior opponents. Even including the blowout loss to Oklahoma, the Buckeyes are outscoring their opponents by more than 30 points per game.
A more intriguing discussion could be Penn State, which has climbed all the way to No. 3. However, Kevin McGuire of NBC Sports noted why the resume isn't all that impressive:
The Nittany Lions will host Michigan in their next game, followed by road trips to Ohio State and Michigan State. We will know a lot more about this team within the next month.
Finally, Wisconsin has not earned a lot of attention this year but shouldn't be counted out in this conference race. The Badgers once again have a top-10 scoring defense with an elite rushing attack led by Jonathan Taylor.
A weak schedule could keep the Badgers undefeated through the regular season.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
