A Week 7 Unlike Any Other
For the second consecutive week, the AP Top 25 will crown a different team at No. 1. Ranked matchups were always going to produce some movement, with six games pairing ranked opponents and four of those involving teams inside the top 16. What nobody could anticipate was how thoroughly the surprises compounded as the day wore on.[S1]
The early window claimed No. 5 and No. 7. The afternoon took down No. 1 and No. 6. Then came the nightcap in Provo, where No. 2 Notre Dame, a double-digit favorite that could have ascended to the top spot, fell to No. 8 BYU on the final play. Georgia, newly installed at No. 1, lost at home to unranked Auburn, and former No. 1 Texas surrendered a lead to unranked Florida.[S1][S2]
Against that backdrop, Tennessee's defensive stranglehold on Alabama and Ole Miss's lopsided handling of Missouri felt almost ordinary. Ohio State's dramatic road win at Indiana, which carried long-term weight because of Julian Sayin's injury, was pushed to the second page of the day's storylines.[S1]
Projecting the New Top Five
CBS Sports projects BYU at No. 1, an aggressive call justified by the Cougars' unbeaten record and their high-profile takedown of Notre Dame. Voters also appear to be rewarding BYU for its recent run of success. Miami, which had a clear path to the top after Georgia's loss, is projected second after needing double overtime to survive unranked Florida State.[S1]
Ohio State lands third, buoyed by a top-five road victory even as Sayin is expected to miss time. The Buckeyes cannot climb to No. 1 until teams above them lose, but they have staked a claim as the country's best one-loss team. Georgia, despite the home defeat as a heavy favorite, is projected fourth, retaining credit for its road win over Alabama and its 66 first-place votes from the previous week.[S1]
Notre Dame is projected fifth, a soft landing for a team that lost on the road on the final play to a top-10 opponent. The comparison offered is Alabama, which dropped only a few spots after falling to Georgia a week earlier. Indiana, sixth, should slide slightly after a narrow loss to an elite opponent but is unlikely to be punished severely.[S1]
The Rest of the Projected Rankings
Ole Miss is projected seventh after seizing control early against Missouri and cruising to a 31-3 win despite injury issues, improving to 5-1. Texas Tech, eighth, hung 53 points on Arizona State and moved to 6-0, with Houston the only opponent to seriously threaten an upset. Tennessee, ninth, held Alabama to season lows of 10 points and 101 total yards in a 26-10 win, with DeSean Bishop rushing for 159 yards and two scores.[S1]
Utah is projected 10th and was in action against Colorado. UCLA, 11th, is the last unbeaten team in the Big Ten after a 17-7 win over Wisconsin moved the Bruins to 6-0 under Bob Chesney, a result that should give voters confidence in their staying power.[S1]
