Week 7 College Football Playoff predictions: UCLA rises to the top of the Big 10

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Week 6 was a chaotic one in college football, as a couple of College Football Playoff contenders fell by the wayside and now look a long way from the national title chase. On the other side, those teams were replaced by up-and-coming contenders who are now right in the middle of the CFP picture at the halfway point of the regular season.

First up on Saturday, it was UCLA going on the road at Oregon and getting a big upset win thanks to a terrible day from Dylan Raiola. The Bruins are now undefeated in their first season under Bob Chesney and have a pretty manageable schedule on the way in, so the CFP feels within reach after Chesney led James Madison to the final bracket last season.

At the same time, No. 1 Texas fell to Oklahoma in an epic Red River Rivalry game, dropping the Longhorns out of the top spot in the AP poll and raising questions about their legitimacy as a title contender. The offense continues to be inconsistent and Arch Manning continues to produce too many negative plays, and Texas has a gauntlet ahead of it in the SEC.

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At night, Georgia took down Alabama in one of the games of the year to this point and USC stayed alive in the playoff race with a win over Penn State on the road.

How does it all shake out in the latest CFP projections? Let’s get into the list.

1. Ohio State (12-1, Big Ten Champion)

Ohio State rolled on Saturday against Maryland thanks to a lot more highlights from Jeremiah Smith, and the Buckeyes continue to look like a near-unbeatable team for just about anybody in the Big Ten. Now, the first big test to that theory comes on Saturday when the Buckeyes head to Bloomington to play against Indiana. Ryan Day and company will surely have revenge on their minds after losing the Big Ten Championship Game to the Hoosiers.

2. Alabama (12-1, SEC Champion)

In a way, Alabama proved in Saturday night’s loss to Georgia that this is a better team than Kalen DeBoer had last year. The Tide, while they got bullied at the line of scrimmage at times on defense, played a strong second half on both sides of the ball and it took a number of big-time throws from Gunner Stockton for Georgia to get the win. But Alabama has one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Keelon Russell and an explosive passing game as a result.

The Tide have another very difficult test coming on Saturday against No. 14 Tennessee.

3. Georgia (11-2, SEC Runner-Up)

Georgia was extremely impressive on Saturday in a win over Alabama on the road. Gunner Stockton continues to make every play that is asked of him, and the Bulldogs’ running game was still unstoppable even with Nate Frazier on the sidelines.

In all likelihood, Georgia and Alabama will meet again in Atlanta with the SEC Championship on the line. The two of them look like the two best teams in the conference so far this season, and both will be in the CFP discussion until the very end. On Saturday, Georgia will host Auburn.

4. Notre Dame (12-0)

Notre Dame looked like a dominant force on Saturday, albeit against a Stanford team that is nothing more than a run-through for the Irish. Now, the first real big test of the season approaches for Marcus Freeman and the Irish on Saturday against BYU on the road. The Cougars are physical in the trenches and have proven they have multiple ways to win games, but this game will show if the Irish have the skill position talent to push all of that aside and contend for a national title.

5. Miami (FL) (12-1, ACC Champion)

Miami had the week off in Week 6, but now Darian Mensah and company are back at it in Week 7 against Florida State. The Seminoles have been struggling a lot in recent weeks, and they should be no match for the Hurricanes on the road.

6. Ole Miss (10-2)

Ole Miss got back on track on Saturday with a dominant 52-17 road win against Vanderbilt. Trinidad Chambliss and company have been operating in the shadows since getting crushed by Florida a few weeks ago, but the Rebels put together a rock-solid performance on both sides of the ball in this game.

Now, Ole Miss starts another SEC gauntlet that includes three top 15 teams in its next four games. On Saturday, the Rebels host Missouri in a battle of one-loss SEC teams that could be an elimination game in the conference title race.

7. Utah (12-1, Big 12 Champion)

Utah just continues to motor along, crushing team after team long after the east coast fans have gone to sleep. The Utes have one of the elite running games in college football, and Devon Dampier is quietly one of the most underrated quarterbacks in college football. The Utes will head to Boulder on Saturday for another late-night clash against a struggling Colorado team.

8. Indiana (11-2, Big Ten Runner-Up)

Indiana was less than impressive for much of Saturday’s game against Nebraska, but the classic championship mettle that the Hoosiers have so quickly developed under Curt Cignetti showed in the fourth quarter once again. Nick Marsh came up with two big touchdowns from Josh Hoover, and the Hoosiers’ defense came up with some big stops to get a 20-17 win in Lincoln and remain unbeaten.

There are still a lot of questions about this Indiana team’s viability as a national title contender, and the 2026 outfit clearly isn’t the dominant force that the 2025 one was. But that championship experience will continue to help the Hoosiers get through some of these games while they figure everything else out.

9. UCLA (11-1)

Bob Chesney and company lost Nico Iamaleava to an injury during Saturday’s upset of Oregon, but the Bruins are undefeated and have a shockingly manageable schedule throughout the rest of Big Ten play. UCLA doesn’t play another ranked team until the last week of the season when it takes on USC, and it could have a CFP spot all but locked up by then.

10. Texas (9-3)

Texas’ offense continues to be maddening and inconsistent. The highs are very high, such as Arch Manning’s touchdown drive to tie the game at 24 against Oklahoma on Saturday. But the lows, such as both of his turnovers and some of the drops by the Longhorns’ receiving corps, continue to make this a frustrating watch. Now, Texas hosts Florida before a string of four games in a row against top 25 competition.

11. BYU (10-3, Big 12 Runner-Up)

BYU had the week off in Week 6, and now Kalani Sitake and company will continue to ramp up for the biggest game on their schedule. Notre Dame, now ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, is headed to Provo next Saturday for a massive non-conference tilt that will shape the CFP resume of both teams. BYU is physical up front, but Saturday will be the test of whether it has the talent at the skill positions to be a CFP team.

12. Boise State (12-1, Pac-12 Champion)

Boise State had a tricky test against Fresno State on the road late on Saturday night, but the Broncos survived 38-31 to remain on course in the Pac-12. Maddux Madsen protected the ball and was very efficient in the passing game, while Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines combined for 270 yards rushing to help Boise State get the win. Spencer Danielson and company are off next week before a trip to Pullman to play Washington State.

Next Out: Texas Tech (10-2), Oklahoma State (10-2), Missouri (9-3), Kentucky (9-3), Oregon (9-3)

First Round Predictions

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 12 Boise State

No. 6 Ole Miss defeats No. 11 BYU

No. 10 Texas defeats No. 7 Utah

No. 8 Indiana defeats No. 9 UCLA

Quarterfinal Predictions

No. 1 Ohio State defeats No. 8 Indiana

No. 2 Alabama defeats No. 10 Texas

No. 3 Georgia defeats No. 6 Ole Miss

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 4 Notre Dame

Semifinal Predictions

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 1 Ohio State

No. 3 Georgia defeats No. 2 Alabama

National Championship

No. 5 Miami (FL) defeats No. 3 Georgia

Related: Texas coach Steve Sarkisian jumps to Arch Manning’s defense after throwing away Red River Rivalry

Related: UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava out for season with knee injury suffered in Oregon upset