Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
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- Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
The 2026 college football season continues to deliver chaos. All eyes centered on the Georgia Bulldogs vs Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night, but Week 6 will be remembered for the unranked Oklahoma Sooners taking down the Texas Longhorns, the undefeated UCLA Bruins going into Eugene and neutralizing the Oregon Ducks and then capped off by the Kentucky Wildcats stunning the LSU Tigers.
Related: Winners, Losers from College Football Week 6
As Saturday’s action draws to a close, let’s dive into our Week 7 college football rankings.
We certainly feel even better about putting the Georgia Bulldogs atop our college football rankings a week later. On Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, without Nate Frazier, Dwight Phillips Jr. (120 yards on 17 carries) and Bo Walker (69 yards on 10 carries) carried the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, and Gunner Stockton hit just enough big plays downfield. Pair that with a stellar performance from Chris Cole, and you’ve got a Bulldogs victory. Georgia certainly caught some breaks in this game, but that should be a reminder that every top program is vulnerable this year and the path to the national championship is wide open.
Just too easy for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . Freshman running back Jonaz Walton delivered another big run for the second time in three weeks, and he’s now coming off consecutive 100-yard performances against Power 4 defenses. While the Fighting Irish didn’t showcase much of their vertical passing game on Saturday, it wasn’t necessary with Aneyas Williams taking a reception to the house for a 70-yard score, just part of utter first-half domination (320 total yards to 86) by Notre Dame. It’s a 6-0 start to the campaign, and next week the Fighting Irish can at least make a case for a top-two spot if they win at BYU.
On a windy afternoon in Lincoln, Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers trailed 17-6 early in the fourth quarter and desperately needed something to go right. Fittingly, the reigning national champions showed composure in a tight situation and it paid off. Josh Hoover hit Nick Marsh over the middle for a 75-yard touchdown, a play that felt like it flipped the game entirely. The Hoosiers’ defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive and Marsh came through once again, this time with the go-ahead touchdown. Indiana clearly isn’t quite on the same tier as the buzzsaw that won it all last season, but it’s getting better. Now we get the Ohio State vs. Indiana rematch in Week 7, what we’ve all been waiting for.
The Miami Hurricanes are going to keep on rolling coming out of the Week 6 bye. Florida State (Week 7) clearly doesn’t have the defensive personnel to cause any real problems for Darian Mensah and Mark Fletcher Jr. A week later, the Hurricanes host a Pittsburgh team that just lost its starting quarterback for the season. Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels are after that. Even if the Hurricanes only play to 85% of their ability, they should be 8-0 when Notre Dame comes to town on Nov. 7.
Kalen DeBoer and Keelon Russell should come out of this game feeling like they could beat Georgia in a rematch. The football bounced the Bulldogs’ way multiple times on fumbles Saturday night, and the Alabama Crimson Tide will also point to the DPI that wasn’t called on the final drive. Georgia still came out on top, but Alabama’s rushing attack showed up and Russell continues to show why he’s a future star. We can’t wait for the next Alabama against Georgia matchup, and it’s coming this year.
A strip-sack fumble of Julian Sayin in the first half and a pick-six in the third quarter really made this one look closer than it should have been. Not only did Maryland take advantage of the takeaway in a tight game, hitting a field goal two minutes later, but it represented the Terrapins’ lone defensive stop outside of the opening drive in the first half. All that matters to the Buckeyes right now is the 5-1 record, but there are plenty of things from these last few weeks that will need to be cleaned up in order for Ohio State to win at Indiana in Week 7. We don’t feel particularly confident if the game must be won by Sayin, though.
Without standout running back LJ Martin, who will be out for at least three more games due to a lower-body injury, Bear Bachmeier put the offense on his back Friday night. It was a one-man show in the 24-10 victory over Iowa State, with the BYU Cougars quarterback putting up a stellar 90.9 ESPN QBR thanks to outstanding efficiency through the air (329 passing yards, 2-0 TD-INT and 11.0 yards per attempt) with 109 rushing yards on top of it. Now, if only offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick could realize that feeding his do-it-all quarterback on fourth down would put BYU in real business. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Martin’s absence in Week 7 will likely prove costly against Notre Dame.
We’ve seen enough of Arch Manning and this Texas Longhorns offense to know that nothing is changing. He’s a second-year starter who still reacts to pressure and makes decisions when on the move that you’d expect from an 18-year-old getting his first taste of college football. It’s made even worse for Texas because its special teams remains an alarming issue with no signs of much-needed change being made anytime soon. The Longhorns defense is good enough to beat Florida next week, but the four-game stretch on the Longhorns schedule after that (Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU) almost certainly has another loss on it and maybe two.
Related: Winners, Losers from Texas Longhorns’ Red River Rivalry Loss
The Utah Utes allowed Kansas to hang around for a while, turning a 14-point lead into a 21-17 game at halftime and then a 27-24 game entering the fourth quarter. Devon Dampier provided some breathing room with his fourth touchdown of the game, but it was Wayshawn Parker’s 90-yard touchdown run that lit up the crowd and drove the dagger into Kansas. The Utes don’t look great by any means, but we remain high on the Dampier-Parker combo, and the wins aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. The real tests, of course, will come on Oct. 24 (against Houston) and Nov. 7 (against BYU).
This is the beauty of the 2026 Missouri Tigers, what they lacked just a year ago. Some weeks, it’s Austin Simmons (250-plus passing yards in four games) and others it’s Jamal Roberts. Simmons wasn’t efficient through the air (14 of 28, 147 yards and 1-1 TD-INT) on Saturday, but Roberts stepped up as a workhorse with 32 carries turned into 165 yards. Meanwhile, Mizzou’s defense generated a pair of takeaways and allowed Texas A&M to go just 4-for-14 on third down, leading to a lopsided time of possession ( 30:28-11:26 ). We’re all in on this year’s Tigers and feel this team can go into Oxford next Saturday and beat the Rebels.
What a difference it makes to have Kewan Lacy in that backfield with Trinidad Chambliss. Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was outstanding in the first half at Vanderbilt, completing 17 of 23 passes for 178 yards (7.7 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns, tacking on a rushing touchdown to begin Saturday’s scoring explosion. We still have concerns about Mississippi’s defense, at least when stacking this team up with the 10 best college football teams right now, but seeing Chambliss, Lacy and Deuce Alexander all back together is all Ole Miss needs at home next Saturday to come out on top of a likely shootout against Missouri.
Bob Chesney, ladies and gentlemen. The UCLA Bruins head coach inherited a program that had eight total wins in the last two seasons, and due to all kinds of issues in the athletic department, a multiyear rebuild felt necessary before the Bruins would be nationally relevant again. Here we are in early October, with running back Wayne Knight carrying this offense. Knight certainly did his thing on Saturday in Eugene, but it was UCLA’s defense ( 8.3% third-down conversion rate and seven takeaways) that stole the show. We have seen programs this season pull off a monumental win and then lose the very next week. If the Bruins can avoid that in Week 7 against Wisconsin, a top-10 spot is on the table in the Top 25 college football rankings.
The Texas Tech Red Raiders simply don’t look like a team good enough to be in the College Football Playoff. Will Hammond doesn’t look like a top-50 quarterback, and while this Red Raiders defense is very good, it’s not nearly on the same tier we witnessed in 2025. The good news? The Red Raiders’ schedule doesn’t really provide a legitimate challenge for them, with the first ranked opponent (Oklahoma State) not coming until Nov. 14. Texas Tech is going to keep adding to its undefeated season, but its schedule is heavily responsible for it.
The Drew Mestemaker show rolled on in Week 6. As the Oklahoma State Cowboys dealt with early defensive struggles and a costly fumble that UCF turned into a touchdown minutes later, Mestemaker put the entire program on his back. Saturday marked his fourth consecutive 300-yard game and his third in a row with at least three touchdowns. The Cowboys (4-1) keep proving that the school struck gold with head coach Eric Morris, and his early wins over Oregon and West Virginia prove this team’s success is no fluke. If Oklahoma State can go into Houston next Saturday night and win, it might be time to start asking if the Cowboys are the best team in the Big 12 Conference.
Hats off to this Houston Cougars defense for what it did on the road Saturday in Manhattan. Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson couldn’t get anything going through the air, netting just 45 passing yards on his first 15 attempts, and that led to an ineffective Wildcats offense that couldn’t sustain drives. With the defense playing well, Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman just needed to protect the football and make a few big throws. He did that and Houston jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead, riding it out to a 5-1 record ahead of a great Week 7 draw against Oklahoma State.
DeSean Bishop saves the day again. The first start for George MacIntyre ( 18 of 29, one touchdown, two interceptions ) left plenty to be desired, and the Tennessee Volunteers offensive line, at least in pass protection, is a mess. We’re willing to recognize that the Vols’ last win at Arkansas came all the way back in 2001, so there’s always seemed to be something about this place that haunted the orange and white. However, these last two victories over Auburn and Arkansas have both been ugly. Tennessee looks like the caliber of team right now that might get wrecked at Neyland Stadium in Week 7 by Alabama.
The loss to Alabama certainly reset expectations for what Kamario Taylor and the Mississippi State Bulldogs can accomplish this season. Unfortunately for the rising program, two weeks to prepare for the LSU Tigers probably isn’t going to be enough to win at Tiger Stadium in Week 7. The Bulldogs certainly have the defense to beat Oklahoma at home after that, but that’s immediately followed by a trip to Austin against Texas. In short, Mississippi State is likely looking at a four-loss season when all is said and done.
The Kentucky Wildcats heard the noise about their victory weeks ago at Kyle Field against Texas A&M losing its meaning now that the Aggies have fallen off the face of the earth. So, Will Stein’s team decided to ruin LSU’s season. Kentucky’s first-year head coach was more aggressive than Lane Kiffin when it mattered, even trusting his kicker who previously missed two game-tying field goals in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats (5-1) should feel very good about their chances of beating Oklahoma next Saturday night, especially if the Sooners are riding a little too high after beating Texas.
The Iowa Hawkeyes needed someone to step up in Week 6 with quarterback Hank Brown out. Kamari Moulton delivered and then some and backup signal-caller Jeremy Hecklinski rose to the occasion. Moulton ran all over Washington’s defense Friday night, including a 56-yard house call. Hecklinski stole the show in the second quarter, effectively burying the Huskies early. Now Iowa (5-1) gets two weeks to prepare for Minnesota, a fantastic matchup for two programs with plenty to prove nationally.
We can’t wait to see what shots Lane Kiffin takes at the second team to beat him in less than a month. The LSU Tigers poured an absurd amount of money into the Kiffin-Sam Leavitt combo this season. What do they have to show for it? Two ugly losses on the road against Ole Miss and Kentucky, with the “signature” wins coming in blowouts against two teams in Clemson and Texas A&M that already have five combined losses. With Mississippi State (Week 7), Alabama (Nov. 7) and Texas (Nov. 14) remaining on the schedule, missing the College Football Playoff feels like a foregone conclusion for LSU, and a five-loss campaign is within the realm of possibility.
No one has played better against Miami this season than the Wake Forest Demon Deacons , and that remains their only loss on the season. Making the trip to face NC State in Week 6, the Demon Deacons again reaped the benefits from their investment in quarterback Gio Lopez. All he needed on Saturday was Jack Foley (8-156-1) and Carlos Hernandez (12-117-1), finishing the afternoon with 303 passing yards and four total touchdowns in a rout of the Wolfpack. Wake Forest (5-1) can keep this win streak going in Week 7 as long as it can handle the cross-country travel to Cal.
Updated after Boise State vs Fresno State (10:30 PM ET kickoff)
With the Florida Gators and Duke Blue Devils going down in Week 6 and the Wisconsin Badgers (4-1) on the bye, the Northwestern Wildcats earn a spot in our top 25 rankings. Aidan Chiles made it all look easy on Saturday against Ball State, scoring four total touchdowns with over 300 total yards of offense in a cruise-control 45-14 win. What really stands out for the Wildcats (4-1) is how well they played at Indiana just a few weeks ago. David Braun is really making it work this year, seemingly having the Wildcats on a trajectory to replicate their success from 2023 (8-5), and they could even better it. Let’s see if Northwestern can take out Michigan State (Week 7) and Rutgers (Week 8) in these next two weeks, which would put them at 6-1 with a chance to potentially beat Oregon.
The SMU Mustangs will return to the field in Week 7 needing to show more. Their loss at Louisville looks worse just a few weeks later, and the program followed that up with underwhelming showings at home against Missouri State and Boston College. Now Virginia comes to town desperate to recapture some momentum. The Cavaliers’ quarterback situation should give SMU a significant advantage, and it would be a genuine upset if the Mustangs drop it, but it’s hard to have a ton of confidence in this team right now.
The only thing that’s preventing the Oregon Ducks from dropping out of our latest college football rankings is the fact that their one-score losses have come against what we view as top-15 teams. With that said, putting aside Dylan Raiola’s abysmal performance on Saturday, what was supposed to be one of the deepest and most experienced rosters in college football instead looks like a team that is already done with this season. If Nebraska can self-correct after blowing it against Indiana, the Hoosiers very well might come into Eugene next week and hand the Ducks their third loss in seven games.
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
Week 7 College Football Rankings: UCLA, Kentucky Rise As Texas, LSU Plummet After Week 6
The 2026 college football season continues to deliver chaos. All eyes centered on the Georgia Bulldogs vs Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night, but Week 6 will be remembered for the unranked Oklahoma Sooners taking down the Texas Longhorns, the undefeated UCLA Bruins going into Eugene and neutralizing the Oregon Ducks and then capped off by the Kentucky Wildcats stunning the LSU Tigers.
Related: Winners, Losers from College Football Week 6
As Saturday’s action draws to a close, let’s dive into our Week 7 college football rankings.
1. Georgia Bulldogs (1)
We certainly feel even better about putting the Georgia Bulldogs atop our college football rankings a week later. On Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, without Nate Frazier, Dwight Phillips Jr. (120 yards on 17 carries) and Bo Walker (69 yards on 10 carries) carried the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, and Gunner Stockton hit just enough big plays downfield. Pair that with a stellar performance from Chris Cole, and you’ve got a Bulldogs victory. Georgia certainly caught some breaks in this game, but that should be a reminder that every top program is vulnerable this year and the path to the national championship is wide open.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3)
Just too easy for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . Freshman running back Jonaz Walton delivered another big run for the second time in three weeks, and he’s now coming off consecutive 100-yard performances against Power 4 defenses. While the Fighting Irish didn’t showcase much of their vertical passing game on Saturday, it wasn’t necessary with Aneyas Williams taking a reception to the house for a 70-yard score, just part of utter first-half domination (320 total yards to 86) by Notre Dame. It’s a 6-0 start to the campaign, and next week the Fighting Irish can at least make a case for a top-two spot if they win at BYU.
3. Indiana Hoosiers (6)
On a windy afternoon in Lincoln, Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers trailed 17-6 early in the fourth quarter and desperately needed something to go right. Fittingly, the reigning national champions showed composure in a tight situation and it paid off. Josh Hoover hit Nick Marsh over the middle for a 75-yard touchdown, a play that felt like it flipped the game entirely. The Hoosiers’ defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive and Marsh came through once again, this time with the go-ahead touchdown. Indiana clearly isn’t quite on the same tier as the buzzsaw that won it all last season, but it’s getting better. Now we get the Ohio State vs. Indiana rematch in Week 7, what we’ve all been waiting for.
4. Miami Hurricanes (7)
The Miami Hurricanes are going to keep on rolling coming out of the Week 6 bye. Florida State (Week 7) clearly doesn’t have the defensive personnel to cause any real problems for Darian Mensah and Mark Fletcher Jr. A week later, the Hurricanes host a Pittsburgh team that just lost its starting quarterback for the season. Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels are after that. Even if the Hurricanes only play to 85% of their ability, they should be 8-0 when Notre Dame comes to town on Nov. 7.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide (4)
Kalen DeBoer and Keelon Russell should come out of this game feeling like they could beat Georgia in a rematch. The football bounced the Bulldogs’ way multiple times on fumbles Saturday night, and the Alabama Crimson Tide will also point to the DPI that wasn’t called on the final drive. Georgia still came out on top, but Alabama’s rushing attack showed up and Russell continues to show why he’s a future star. We can’t wait for the next Alabama against Georgia matchup, and it’s coming this year.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes (5)
A strip-sack fumble of Julian Sayin in the first half and a pick-six in the third quarter really made this one look closer than it should have been. Not only did Maryland take advantage of the takeaway in a tight game, hitting a field goal two minutes later, but it represented the Terrapins’ lone defensive stop outside of the opening drive in the first half. All that matters to the Buckeyes right now is the 5-1 record, but there are plenty of things from these last few weeks that will need to be cleaned up in order for Ohio State to win at Indiana in Week 7. We don’t feel particularly confident if the game must be won by Sayin, though.
7. BYU Cougars (8)
Without standout running back LJ Martin, who will be out for at least three more games due to a lower-body injury, Bear Bachmeier put the offense on his back Friday night. It was a one-man show in the 24-10 victory over Iowa State, with the BYU Cougars quarterback putting up a stellar 90.9 ESPN QBR thanks to outstanding efficiency through the air (329 passing yards, 2-0 TD-INT and 11.0 yards per attempt) with 109 rushing yards on top of it. Now, if only offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick could realize that feeding his do-it-all quarterback on fourth down would put BYU in real business. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Martin’s absence in Week 7 will likely prove costly against Notre Dame.
8. Texas Longhorns (2)
We’ve seen enough of Arch Manning and this Texas Longhorns offense to know that nothing is changing. He’s a second-year starter who still reacts to pressure and makes decisions when on the move that you’d expect from an 18-year-old getting his first taste of college football. It’s made even worse for Texas because its special teams remains an alarming issue with no signs of much-needed change being made anytime soon. The Longhorns defense is good enough to beat Florida next week, but the four-game stretch on the Longhorns schedule after that (Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and LSU) almost certainly has another loss on it and maybe two.
Related: Winners, Losers from Texas Longhorns’ Red River Rivalry Loss
9. Utah Utes (9)
The Utah Utes allowed Kansas to hang around for a while, turning a 14-point lead into a 21-17 game at halftime and then a 27-24 game entering the fourth quarter. Devon Dampier provided some breathing room with his fourth touchdown of the game, but it was Wayshawn Parker’s 90-yard touchdown run that lit up the crowd and drove the dagger into Kansas. The Utes don’t look great by any means, but we remain high on the Dampier-Parker combo, and the wins aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. The real tests, of course, will come on Oct. 24 (against Houston) and Nov. 7 (against BYU).
10. Missouri Tigers (10)
This is the beauty of the 2026 Missouri Tigers, what they lacked just a year ago. Some weeks, it’s Austin Simmons (250-plus passing yards in four games) and others it’s Jamal Roberts. Simmons wasn’t efficient through the air (14 of 28, 147 yards and 1-1 TD-INT) on Saturday, but Roberts stepped up as a workhorse with 32 carries turned into 165 yards. Meanwhile, Mizzou’s defense generated a pair of takeaways and allowed Texas A&M to go just 4-for-14 on third down, leading to a lopsided time of possession ( 30:28-11:26 ). We’re all in on this year’s Tigers and feel this team can go into Oxford next Saturday and beat the Rebels.
11. Ole Miss Rebels (12)
What a difference it makes to have Kewan Lacy in that backfield with Trinidad Chambliss. Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was outstanding in the first half at Vanderbilt, completing 17 of 23 passes for 178 yards (7.7 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns, tacking on a rushing touchdown to begin Saturday’s scoring explosion. We still have concerns about Mississippi’s defense, at least when stacking this team up with the 10 best college football teams right now, but seeing Chambliss, Lacy and Deuce Alexander all back together is all Ole Miss needs at home next Saturday to come out on top of a likely shootout against Missouri.
12. UCLA Bruins (20)
Bob Chesney, ladies and gentlemen. The UCLA Bruins head coach inherited a program that had eight total wins in the last two seasons, and due to all kinds of issues in the athletic department, a multiyear rebuild felt necessary before the Bruins would be nationally relevant again. Here we are in early October, with running back Wayne Knight carrying this offense. Knight certainly did his thing on Saturday in Eugene, but it was UCLA’s defense ( 8.3% third-down conversion rate and seven takeaways) that stole the show. We have seen programs this season pull off a monumental win and then lose the very next week. If the Bruins can avoid that in Week 7 against Wisconsin, a top-10 spot is on the table in the Top 25 college football rankings.
13. Texas Tech Red Raiders (14)
The Texas Tech Red Raiders simply don’t look like a team good enough to be in the College Football Playoff. Will Hammond doesn’t look like a top-50 quarterback, and while this Red Raiders defense is very good, it’s not nearly on the same tier we witnessed in 2025. The good news? The Red Raiders’ schedule doesn’t really provide a legitimate challenge for them, with the first ranked opponent (Oklahoma State) not coming until Nov. 14. Texas Tech is going to keep adding to its undefeated season, but its schedule is heavily responsible for it.
14. Oklahoma State Cowboys (15)
The Drew Mestemaker show rolled on in Week 6. As the Oklahoma State Cowboys dealt with early defensive struggles and a costly fumble that UCF turned into a touchdown minutes later, Mestemaker put the entire program on his back. Saturday marked his fourth consecutive 300-yard game and his third in a row with at least three touchdowns. The Cowboys (4-1) keep proving that the school struck gold with head coach Eric Morris, and his early wins over Oregon and West Virginia prove this team’s success is no fluke. If Oklahoma State can go into Houston next Saturday night and win, it might be time to start asking if the Cowboys are the best team in the Big 12 Conference.
15. Houston Cougars (18)
Hats off to this Houston Cougars defense for what it did on the road Saturday in Manhattan. Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson couldn’t get anything going through the air, netting just 45 passing yards on his first 15 attempts, and that led to an ineffective Wildcats offense that couldn’t sustain drives. With the defense playing well, Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman just needed to protect the football and make a few big throws. He did that and Houston jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead, riding it out to a 5-1 record ahead of a great Week 7 draw against Oklahoma State.
16. Tennessee Volunteers (16)
DeSean Bishop saves the day again. The first start for George MacIntyre ( 18 of 29, one touchdown, two interceptions ) left plenty to be desired, and the Tennessee Volunteers offensive line, at least in pass protection, is a mess. We’re willing to recognize that the Vols’ last win at Arkansas came all the way back in 2001, so there’s always seemed to be something about this place that haunted the orange and white. However, these last two victories over Auburn and Arkansas have both been ugly. Tennessee looks like the caliber of team right now that might get wrecked at Neyland Stadium in Week 7 by Alabama.
17. Mississippi State Bulldogs (19)
The loss to Alabama certainly reset expectations for what Kamario Taylor and the Mississippi State Bulldogs can accomplish this season. Unfortunately for the rising program, two weeks to prepare for the LSU Tigers probably isn’t going to be enough to win at Tiger Stadium in Week 7. The Bulldogs certainly have the defense to beat Oklahoma at home after that, but that’s immediately followed by a trip to Austin against Texas. In short, Mississippi State is likely looking at a four-loss season when all is said and done.
18. Kentucky Wildcats (Unranked)
The Kentucky Wildcats heard the noise about their victory weeks ago at Kyle Field against Texas A&M losing its meaning now that the Aggies have fallen off the face of the earth. So, Will Stein’s team decided to ruin LSU’s season. Kentucky’s first-year head coach was more aggressive than Lane Kiffin when it mattered, even trusting his kicker who previously missed two game-tying field goals in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats (5-1) should feel very good about their chances of beating Oklahoma next Saturday night, especially if the Sooners are riding a little too high after beating Texas.
19. Iowa Hawkeyes (21)
The Iowa Hawkeyes needed someone to step up in Week 6 with quarterback Hank Brown out. Kamari Moulton delivered and then some and backup signal-caller Jeremy Hecklinski rose to the occasion. Moulton ran all over Washington’s defense Friday night, including a 56-yard house call. Hecklinski stole the show in the second quarter, effectively burying the Huskies early. Now Iowa (5-1) gets two weeks to prepare for Minnesota, a fantastic matchup for two programs with plenty to prove nationally.
20. LSU Tigers (13)
We can’t wait to see what shots Lane Kiffin takes at the second team to beat him in less than a month. The LSU Tigers poured an absurd amount of money into the Kiffin-Sam Leavitt combo this season. What do they have to show for it? Two ugly losses on the road against Ole Miss and Kentucky, with the “signature” wins coming in blowouts against two teams in Clemson and Texas A&M that already have five combined losses. With Mississippi State (Week 7), Alabama (Nov. 7) and Texas (Nov. 14) remaining on the schedule, missing the College Football Playoff feels like a foregone conclusion for LSU, and a five-loss campaign is within the realm of possibility.
21. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Unranked)
No one has played better against Miami this season than the Wake Forest Demon Deacons , and that remains their only loss on the season. Making the trip to face NC State in Week 6, the Demon Deacons again reaped the benefits from their investment in quarterback Gio Lopez. All he needed on Saturday was Jack Foley (8-156-1) and Carlos Hernandez (12-117-1), finishing the afternoon with 303 passing yards and four total touchdowns in a rout of the Wolfpack. Wake Forest (5-1) can keep this win streak going in Week 7 as long as it can handle the cross-country travel to Cal.
22. Boise State Broncos (Unranked)
Updated after Boise State vs Fresno State (10:30 PM ET kickoff)
23. Northwestern Wildcats (Unranked)
With the Florida Gators and Duke Blue Devils going down in Week 6 and the Wisconsin Badgers (4-1) on the bye, the Northwestern Wildcats earn a spot in our top 25 rankings. Aidan Chiles made it all look easy on Saturday against Ball State, scoring four total touchdowns with over 300 total yards of offense in a cruise-control 45-14 win. What really stands out for the Wildcats (4-1) is how well they played at Indiana just a few weeks ago. David Braun is really making it work this year, seemingly having the Wildcats on a trajectory to replicate their success from 2023 (8-5), and they could even better it. Let’s see if Northwestern can take out Michigan State (Week 7) and Rutgers (Week 8) in these next two weeks, which would put them at 6-1 with a chance to potentially beat Oregon.
24. SMU Mustangs (25)
The SMU Mustangs will return to the field in Week 7 needing to show more. Their loss at Louisville looks worse just a few weeks later, and the program followed that up with underwhelming showings at home against Missouri State and Boston College. Now Virginia comes to town desperate to recapture some momentum. The Cavaliers’ quarterback situation should give SMU a significant advantage, and it would be a genuine upset if the Mustangs drop it, but it’s hard to have a ton of confidence in this team right now.
25. Oregon Ducks (16)
The only thing that’s preventing the Oregon Ducks from dropping out of our latest college football rankings is the fact that their one-score losses have come against what we view as top-15 teams. With that said, putting aside Dylan Raiola’s abysmal performance on Saturday, what was supposed to be one of the deepest and most experienced rosters in college football instead looks like a team that is already done with this season. If Nebraska can self-correct after blowing it against Indiana, the Hoosiers very well might come into Eugene next week and hand the Ducks their third loss in seven games.
