College Football Power Rankings: Ole Miss plummets, Notre Dame ticks up after dramatic Week 7 slate

Texas
Steve Sarkisian can eat all the corndogs he can stomach at the Texas State Fair after blowing out Oklahoma. The Longhorns moved to 6-0 for the first time since 2009 with the 34-3 shellacking in the Red River Rivalry. Quinn Ewers was solid, but not great, in his return with 199 yards and a passing touchdown to go along with an interception. The Longhorns held Oklahoma to only three points for the second time in the last three meetings, a damning mark on Brent Venables’ record with the Sooners. Oklahoma had mustered less than three points only twice in the previous 62 meetings. Up next for Texas is Georgia, which has struggled since exerting so much energy in its comeback attempt at Alabama. — 6-0
2

Oregon
What a story Oregon has written over the last several weeks. After struggling to put away Idaho in Week 1, the Ducks have responded and improved week to week, and it’s clear this week they’re ready to contend for a national title after successfully trading jabs and landing the final blow against Ohio State. The Ducks needed Dillon Gabriel to limit mistakes, and he did just that, throwing for 341 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a 27-yard rushing score. The key to this incredible improvement by the Ducks is the offensive line, which seems to be gelling after some early season injuries. They allowed seven sacks in the first two weeks but have since given up zero in the last four games. 1 6-0
3

Ohio State
Who knows what happens if the referees keep the penalty flags in their back pockets during Ohio State’s final drive? In a game that seemed destined to be won by the team with the ball last, the Buckeyes succumbed to the pressure and couldn’t dig out of an offensive pass interference call on freshman Jeremiah Smith. Questions linger about Ryan Day’s ability to win big games despite a 61-9 record, and those questions are valid, but should the Buckeyes and Ducks play again, doesn’t it feel like Ohio State will win if it simply can run the ball effectively as it did in the first half (122 yards)? The Buckeyes abandoned the run too often in the second half, finishing with only 19 yards in the final 30 minutes. 1 5-1
4

Miami (FL)
Miami got a much-needed break last week after its cross-country comeback at Cal. Next up is a road trip to Louisville for a date with the sneaky good Cardinals, who lost a back-and-forth affair to surging SMU a week ago and bounced back with a win against Virginia. Louisville has won four of the last six against the Hurricanes, who are 6-0 for the first time since 2017. We’ll see what Cam Ward has up his sleeve to keep his Heisman campaign rolling on the road. — 6-0
5

Georgia
Did Alabama break Georgia? Mississippi State somehow stuck around in the second half Saturday, pushing the Bulldogs’ buttons for a third straight week and leaving us with questions about whether Kirby Smart’s defense is capable of playing at a championship level when they return to the road this week at No. 1 Texas. Carson Beck broke the school record with 36 pass completions to go along with a career-high 459 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Georgia has been on a history-shaking tear through the sport, winning 50 straight games against teams not named Alabama. Texas will put that to the test Saturday. — 5-1
6

Penn State
Penn State’s comeback from a 14-point deficit at USC was impressive. More impressive? Tight end Tyler Warren, who tied the FBS record with 17 catches and also threw and ran the ball for a total of 237 yards. The Nittany Lions were on course to become yet another victim of the Big Ten travel bug but put up 314 yards in the second to rally despite Drew Allar throwing three picks. You gotta love the extra spice Andy Kotelnicki has provided the offense since his arrival as coordinator. He even had Warren line up at center for a trick play that started with the tight end snapping the ball and ended with him catching a 32-yard touchdown pass. Crazy stuff. The Nittany Lions have won 26 straight games against unranked teams, tying for the program’s longest streak since 1987. — 6-0
7

Clemson
Clemson hasn’t just bounced back with a vengeance since the season-opening loss to Georgia; the Tigers have rekindled the spark it lost midway through last season. They’ve won 10 of the last 11 dating back to the 4-4 start in 2023 when we all questioned whether Clemson had failed to adjust in the transfer portal era. Still, we’re waiting for the Tigers to beat a top-10 team in a must-win game, so we’ll hold off on calling them elite this week. Cade Klubnik has been impressive since Week 1 and hit 31 of 41 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns in the 49-14 win against Wake Forest on Saturday. Phil Mafah eclipsed 100 yards for the fourth time as well. — 5-1
8

Alabama
It’s official: Alabama’s defense has a problem. The Tide couldn’t slow South Carolina on third down, particularly in the second half, as the Gamecocks converted 7 of 10 attempts, including five on a go-ahead touchdown drive that melted nearly 9 minutes off the clock in the third quarter. The issues have long been apparent but more so the last two weeks in the loss to Vanderbilt and the close call against the Gamecocks. Is it possible that the Tide have one of the best wins of the season and also one of the worst as well? By default, the third Saturday in October will be a top-10 showdown, but it certainly has lost its luster. — 5-1
9

Texas A&M
Perhaps Texas A&M is a bit high in the power rankings, but the Aggies own two wins against teams ranked in the top 25 in the CBS Sports 134, including the blowout of Mizzou two weeks ago. The Aggies are disciplined, force turnovers and are much more dynamic offensively than they were last season. They exit the bye week with a trip to Mississippi State, which somehow pushed Georgia’s defensive buttons last week. — 5-1
10

Iowa State
Experience matters more than ever in college football, so perhaps it’s no surprise the nation’s top roster with returning production is also undefeated. The Cyclones are 6-0 for the first time since 1938 following a 28-16 win at West Virginia. The Cyclones turned two turnovers into two touchdowns to break open the game. They are now in a three-way tie for first place in the Big 12 alongside BYU and Texas Tech. 1 6-0
11

Indiana
Indiana’s undefeated start has been an incredible story, but the schedule flips into a grinder following the bye week. Nebraska comes to town this week to face a surprising Hoosiers squad that hasn’t trailed at any point this season (only Army can also say that). Indiana ranks in the top six nationally in both offense and defense and has scored no less than 41 points in three Big Ten games so far this season. 2 6-0
12

Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s impressive turnaround since the shocking loss to Northern Illinois continued with a 49-7 win against Stanford. The Irish have won by an average of 33.3 points in the four games since that debacle. Riley Leonard matched his season total for passing touchdowns with three more against the Cardinal as Notre Dame scored 49 unanswered points. 3 5-1
13

LSU
LSU didn’t necessarily look like the better team Saturday night, but the Tigers got it done, taking advantage of 12 Ole Miss penalties and rallying to pull off the win in overtime. LSU never led until the game-winner in the extra period. Incredibly, LSU has won four straight games when it trails by 10-plus points. 1 5-1
14

Tennessee
Tennessee’s offense has fallen on hard times, but at least the Vols rallied Saturday after trailing Florida 10-0 to eventually win in overtime. The Vols’ once-explosive offense was No. 1 in the nation but has been shut out in the first half in back-to-back games, a remarkable reversal that must have Josh Heupel pulling his hair out with Alabama coming to Knoxville this week. Quarterback Nico Iamleava hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three weeks, but running back Dylan Sampson has carried the offense, rushing for 15 touchdowns to rank second in the country. 4 5-1
15

BYU
BYU might be the most opportunistic team in the country. After taking advantage of Kansas State mistakes in a gigantic blowout earlier this season, the Cougars again feasted on turnovers Saturday to pull away from Arizona in a 34-19 win, scoring 24 points off four turnovers. BYU is 6-0 for the first time since 2020. 1 6-0
16

Boise State
Time for our weekly Ashton Jeanty update. Boise State’s superstar rushed for 217 yards, his third 200-yard rushing game of the season, to push his totals to 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He’s averaging an unbelievable 9.9 yards per carry halfway through the season. Get this: Jeanty has nine runs of 50-plus yards this season. No team in the country has more than five. He’s a one-man show and perhaps the best story in the sport. Oh, yeah, the Broncos also beat Hawai’i 28-7. 2 5-1
17

Kansas State
Kansas State had to rally in a wild finish at Colorado to keep its national ranking. Avery Johnson threw a late interception that resulted in a go-ahead touchdown for the Buffaloes, but he responded with a 50-yard touchdown pass with 2:14 remaining to secure a 31-28 win. The Wildcats led by double digits in the second half on the road, but Colorado rallied and led late. K-State’s Dylan Edwards had 182 yards against his former team. — 5-1
18

Pittsburgh
Dan Marino isn’t walking through that door, and that’s just fine. PItt is 6-0 for the first time since Marino’s senior season in 1982. Pitt doesn’t win pretty, but the Panthers are entertaining as heck. They took advantage of 12 penalties and a missed field goal to beat Cal 17-15 last week. The bye week arrives at a good time after the Panthers lost their left tackle and right guard to injuries in the first half last week. 1 6-0
19

Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt never trailed at Kentucky despite entering the game as two-score underdogs. Who dares doubt Diego Pavia and the Commodores, especially fresh off the upset of No. 1 Alabama? The Commodores scored on four straight drives and held on for the 20-13 road win. 1 4-2
20

SMU
SMU can build on its impressive debut season in the ACC with a trip to Stanford this week. The Mustangs’ only loss is to BYU, which is a legitimate top-15 team. Can they handle the time zone change in California, which is directly affecting performances in the Big Ten? Stanford is reeling of late, so the task is not as difficult as perceived. 1 5-1
21

Arkansas
The Hogs rested after their thriller against Tennessee, which looks more mortal by the week after squeaking by Florida in Knoxville. Arkansas battles LSU for “The Boot” trophy in Fayetteville. It sets up as a huge midseason game in the SEC as the Tigers try to remain in the playoff hunt after sliding past Ole Miss. The Hogs could make a statement with back-to-back wins against ranked teams at home. 1 4-2
22

Michigan
Michigan sat at home last week after the loss to Washington on the road. The Wolverines’ variability as a threat in the Big Ten hinges on this week’s trip to Illinois. The Illini nearly blew it against lowly Purdue last week and remain outside the power rankings (again) as a result of the overtime win. 1 4-2
23

Ole Miss
This year was supposed to be different. It isn’t. Ole Miss squandered opportunities again and again last week at LSU. The Rebels couldn’t manage a point after gaining 139 yards in the first quarter, committed 12 penalties and the defense again failed them in the fourth quarter as LSU converted two fourth downs on a game-tying drive. The Rebels enter a bye week with two losses and likely need to win out to reach the playoff. 11 5-2
24

Missouri
Missouri can be so much better than what it has shown this season, and we’re not just talking about the blowout loss at Texas A&M last week. The Tigers are stacked at the skill positions and are equipped to win games by double digits but instead plays with their food at home (Boston College and Vanderbilt). The Tigers responded well in a 45-3 road win at UMass this week, but we need Luther Burden III and Co. to wake up this week against Auburn. 1 5-1
25

Army West Point
It’s time to rank Army. The Black Knights continued their march toward history, winning the first of three straight home games with a 44-10 blowout of UAB. The Black Knights are 6-0 for the first time since 1996 and have done it with an incredible rushing attack and explosive plays through the air led by quarterback Bryson Daily. He rushed for a career-high four touchdowns Saturday as Army piled up 413 rushing yards. Army hasn’t trailed all season, maintaining its track record with the nation’s longest winning streak at 10. NR 6-0