Georgia is the new overwhelming choice for the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, and after a chaotic Saturday of action, who’s really surprised? College football always finds a way to flip the script, and Week 7 absolutely delivered.
Texas Crumbles, Georgia Rises in Wild Poll Shake-Up
That top spot shuffle happened because Georgia straight-up handled their business, grabbing a tough 20-17 road win against SEC rival Alabama. That’s a huge statement, especially with the Tide still sitting at a solid sixth overall. But the real story at the top? Texas. The Longhorns’ 27-24 loss to Oklahoma opened the door for Kirby Smart’s squad, and man, did the AP voters respond. Texas went from the undisputed number one to all the way down at seventh! Talk about a brutal fall in just one week. The rest of the top ten looks like this after the dust settled: Notre Dame (2nd, 6-0), Miami (3rd, 5-0), Ohio State (4th, 5-1), Indiana (5th, 6-0), BYU (8th, 5-0), Ole Miss (9th, 4-1), and Texas Tech (10th, 5-0). It’s a crowded, undefeated mess up there for most of the top five!
Playoff Dreams On The Brink For LSU and Oregon
If you’re talking about teams facing a “margin for error” crisis, look no further than LSU and Oregon. LSU, now 22nd, got absolutely stunned 35-34 in overtime by Kentucky. You heard that right, OVERTIME! Kentucky coach Will Stein went for the win after CJ Baxter’s touchdown run, skipping the extra point, and quarterback Kenny Minchey found a wide-open lane to the end zone. That’s gutsy playcalling, and it handed Lane Kiffin his second defeat since taking over in Baton Rouge. Giving up 401 yards? That’s just not going to cut it when you’ve got Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee still on the schedule. LSU’s path to a top-12 spot is razor-thin from here.
And then there’s Oregon. Unranked after this week, and it wasn’t pretty. Dylan Raiola, starting for an injured Dante Moore, got benched for Brock Thomas after going a dismal 6-of-19 for 43 yards and two interceptions. Their defense, supposedly stacked with talent, let UCLA hold the ball for over 39 minutes! UCLA running back Wayne Knight gashed them for 103 yards on 22 carries. Coach Dan Lanning was supposed to have everything come together this year after making the CFP semifinals last season and investing heavily in the roster. Now, he’s preaching patience to a fanbase that was expecting a championship run. That’s got to sting.
Florida’s not doing much better. The honeymoon for coach Jon Sumrall in Gainesville is definitely over. They dropped to 4-2 after a 38-19 home loss to South Carolina, and their defense was the problem *again*. Just two weeks ago, they were eighth in the AP poll, their highest since 2020. Sumrall might be the guy to turn them into a title contender, but he clearly needs more than one season.
What a weekend of college football. The top of the rankings look completely different, and some major programs are staring down the barrel of disappointment. Every game from here on out feels like a playoff battle. And hey, speaking of tough Saturdays, our own Washington Huskies had a rough one at home against Iowa, falling 41-24. Rough, but you know they’ll be back.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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