Rant Sports Top 25: Week 7
As the college football season progresses, teams are starting to align themselves in the race for a national title. The season has become more interesting as the weeks have worn on. Conference favorites are starting to become more evident, national title contenders are popping up all over the place and Heisman contenders are stepping up on the big stage.
Week six of the college football season didn't disappoint as we almost saw a huge upset with the Tennessee Volunteers almost taking down the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs at home. Tennessee was the strong underdog in the game, but some key injuries ensured a close contest until the very end -- Georgia won in overtime.
A couple top-25 teams lost while playing other opponents ranked in the top-10. The ESPN Gameday crew traveled to Evanston, Ill., to witness a primetime matchup between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Northwestern was considered the underdog, but being the home team, many people believed that Pat Fitzgerald's squad could upset the Buckeyes. That wasn't the case as Ohio State won its 18th straight regular season game, pushing Urban Meyer's record to a perfect 18-0 as the head coach of the Buckeyes.
The other top game of the week featured the Stanford Cardinal hosting the surprising Washington Huskies in a Pac-12 showdown. Stanford reigned supreme as most people expected, but the game wasn't as lopsided as many experts predicted. The Huskies took the Cardinal down to the wire, but a late interception in the fourth quarter doomed Washington.
Week six was surely a great one as the conference play is hitting its strides for many teams. Check out our board of experts' top 25 college football rankings for week seven.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
25. Missouri Tigers (5-0)
Taking down an SEC opponent like Vanderbilt on the road in blowout fashion and improving to 5-0 is no joke. These Tigers could make a serious push for conference relevance in 2013.
Last week: NR
24. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1)
Hosting a tough Illinois team was not going to be an easy task for the Cornhuskers, but Bo Pelini's squad made it look simple. They took down the Illini by the score of 39-19 behind the strong rushing attack of Ameer Abdullah.
Last week: NR
23. Fresno State Bulldogs (5-0)
Although the Bulldogs won by 47 points behind over 400 yards and five touchdown passes from Derek Carr, they did it all against a lowly Idaho squad. No chance to move up with such a simple victory.
Last week: 23
22. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-1)
Beating a struggling Kansas State squad at home by just four points won't get the once-potent, now seemingly-average Cowboys' higher up in the rankings.
Last week: 21
21. Northern Illinois Huskies (5-0)
A week after destroying a Big Ten opponent on the road, the Huskies took the road once again and beat down Kent State behind the strong arm, and legs, of quarterback Jordan Lynch.
Last week: 25
20. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0)
Some may argue that Texas Tech hasn't faced a true test yet this season. Even the win against TCU is looking worse by the week because of the underperformance of the Horned Frogs this season. We will find out if Baker Mayfield and the Red Raiders are real in a couple of weeks when they begin their torrid end-of-season schedule.
Last week: 20
19. Northwestern Wildcats (4-1)
Northwestern was predicted to give Ohio State a run for its money in week six -- and it did. However, the Wildcats lost at home, but barely dropped in the rankings for week seven.
Last week: 14
18. Washington Huskies (4-1)
Washington put up a good fight against the talented Stanford Cardinal, but fell a bit short because of an improbable fourth quarter interception that ultimately led to a three-point defeat.
Last week: 16
17. Michigan Wolverines (5-0)
Michigan needed a huge win in order to get back on track and it got just that wit a 42-13 thrashing of Minnesota at home.
Last week: 19
16. Florida Gators (4-1)
Quarterback Tyler Murphy has proven to be solid for the Gators for the second straight week. Throwing half as many touchdowns as he had incompletions, this Gators squad might even be better with him behind center than they were with Driskel.
Last week: 18
15. Baylor Bears (4-0)
It remains to be seen if anyone can slow down the Baylor Bears. Scoring at least 70 points for the third time this season against West Virginia, Baylor has the most explosive offense in the nation.
Last week: 17
14. Miami Hurricanes (5-0)
Georgia Tech gave Miami a run for its money -- literally. The Yellow Jackets rushed for over 300 yards, but Miami shut down the passing attack, leading to a 45-30 victory.
Last week: 15
13. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-1)
South Carolina hasn't blown anyone out of the water so far this year. Facing a lowly Kentucky team was the perfect opportunity to do so in week six, but the Gamecocks won by just seven. Time for Steve Spurrier's squad to wake up.
Last week: 11
12. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0)
Oklahoma narrowly defeated a struggling TCU squad at home, but a win's a win. Although he didn't throw a touchdown pass, Blake Bell continues to be the best option for the Sooners at quarterback.
Last week: 12
11. UCLA Bruins (4-0)
UCLA took down a testy Utah squad on Thursday night on the road. The Bruins continue to build Pac-12 title hype while Brett Hundley has kept himself in the race for a Heisman Trophy.
Last week: 13
10. LSU Tigers (5-1)
LSU bounced back from a Georgia loss in week five with a slaughter of Mississippi State in week six. Zach Mettenberger continues to raise his NFL Draft stock as he passed for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the 5-1 Tigers.
Last week: 10
9. Texas A&M Aggies (4-1)
A bye week came at a good time as the Aggies have two weeks to prepare for a solid Ole Miss squad in week seven. Also, that gives the Aggies to focus more time on defense.
Last week: 9
8. Louisville Cardinals (5-0)
The Louisville cupcake tour continued as the Cardinals defeated the winless Temple Owls by a score of 30-7. Teddy Bridgewater was fantastic once again, but an average win against a winless team isn't good for ranking purposes.
Last week: 7
7. Florida State Seminoles (5-0)
There's only one way to describe the Seminoles victory over Maryland: shocking. Everyone expected the Seminoles to win a close won against the unbeaten Terrapins, but no one saw the 63-0 stoping that Florida State put on Maryland. Jameis Winston for Heisman? Mark Oct. 19 on your calendars as it will be the showdown of the year in the ACC as Florida State travel to No. 3 Clemson.
Last week: 8
6. Georgia Bulldogs (4-1)
It took a valiant effort from Aaron Murray to lead the Bulldogs past the Volunteers in comeback fashion. Murray broke the SEC record for most passing yards in a career while doing so without three of his top offensive weapons.
Last week: 6
5. Stanford Cardinal (5-0)
Taking down the Washington Huskies at home was no easy task, but Kevin Hogan and the Cardinal proved to be the better team on Saturday night. Only on month until Stanford faces off against Oregon is a showdown for the ages.
Last week: 5
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)
The Wildcats held the Buckeyes in check for most of the game, but a late-game surge lifted Ohio State over Northwestern on the road. Carlos Hyde rushed for nearly 170 yards and proved to be the hero with three second-half touchdowns in a 40-30 victory.
Last week: 3
3. Clemson Tigers (5-0)
Clemson hit the road to take on Syracuse in an ACC contest, but the game was just a speed bump for the Tigers with Florida State on their mind in two weeks. Tajh Boyd continued his Heisman campaign with 455 yards and five scores in a blowout win.
Last week: 4
2. Oregon Ducks (5-0)
Oregon blew out yet another team -- what a surprise. The Ducks hit the road to take on the Colorado Buffaloes and won, 57-16. The Ducks racked up over 750 yards of total offense and Marcus Mariota continued his torrid sophomore season, throwing a touchdown on a third of his completions.
Last week: 2
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
No surprise here as Alabama is at the top spot once again. It might be a while before the Crimson Tide lose their No. 1 ranking as they keep beating up on lesser opponents.
Last week: 1
