AP Top 25: After Week 7

For all the hand-wringing about the present and future state of college football, the sport remains unparalleled in its ability to deliver truly epic days.

Five of the top seven teams in the AP Top 25 rankings lost on Saturday, the first time that’s happened in the poll’s 90-year history. The chaos is reflected in this week’s rankings, with all 25 teams in a different spot than last week. Let’s take a look.

AP Top 25

1. Miami (FL) (40 first place votes)
2. BYU (20)
3. Ohio State (9)
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Texas Tech (1)
9. UCLA
10. Utah
11. Tennessee
12. Kentucky
13. Alabama
14. Houston
15. Iowa
16. USC
17. Wake Forest
18. LSU
19. Texas
20. Florida
21. Boise State
22. Missouri
23. SMU
24. Northwestern
25. Arizona

Where is UNC?

The Tar Heels didn’t get any votes in the AP poll after reclaiming the Victory Bell, but they did get some in the Coaches Poll. Carolina checked in with five voting points, right behind…Duke, with seven. I guess that tells you how seriously the coaches (or their proxies) take the thing.

Biggest Winners

BYU and Houston tied for the biggest jump at six spots, moving from #8 to #2 and #20 to #14 respectively. Both won tight games at home, with BYU beating then-#2 Notre Dame 28-24 and Houston beating then-#18 Oklahoma State 35-32. It’s BYU’s highest ranking since 1984 and Houston’s highest since 2016.

Arizona entered the poll for the first time this season at #25 after improving to 5-1 with a 52-31 win at West Virginia, and Florida reentered the poll at #20 after rallying from a 17-3 deficit for a 27-24 win at then-#7 Texas.

Miami’s ascent to the top spot marks its first #1 ranking since 2002. The Hurricanes survived an upset bid from visiting Florida State, winning 43-25 in double overtime.

Biggest Losers

Texas had the biggest drop within the top 25, plummeting 12 spots to #19 following the aforementioned loss to Florida. Missouri and Alabama’s rankings also took a significant hit; the Tigers fell nine spots to #22 after a 31-3 loss at then-#9 Ole Miss, and the Crimson Tide slipped seven spots to #13 after a 26-10 loss at then-#14 Tennessee.

Mississippi State and Oklahoma State both dropped out of the rankings, with the Bulldogs going from #16 to unofficial #30 after a 31-0 loss at then-#22 LSU, and the Cowboys going from #18 to unofficial #26 following the previously mentioned loss at Houston.

Conference Breakdown

• SEC: 9
• Big Ten: 6
• Big 12: 5
• ACC: 3
• Pac-12: 1
• Independent: 1

Marquee Matchups This Week

• #7 Ole Miss (5-1) at #19 Texas (4-2) – Saturday at 7:30 PM ET on ABC
• #14 Houston (6-1) at #10 Utah (6-0) – Saturday at 10:15 PM ET on ESPN

Upset Watch?

• #11 Tennessee (6-1) at South Carolina (3-3) – Saturday at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN

Coaches Poll

1. Miami (50 first place votes)
2. Ohio State (13)
3. BYU (10)
4. Georgia
5. Texas Tech
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Notre Dame
9. Utah
10. UCLA
11. Tennessee
12. Kentucky
13. Alabama
14. Iowa
15. USC
16. Houston
17. LSU
18. Texas
19. Wake Forest
20. SMU
21. Missouri
22. Boise State
23. Northwestern
24. Florida
25. Oregon