Week 7 College Football Top 10 Poll

 1. Michigan 

 

Michigan annihilated its toughest competition so far this season, beating Minnesota 52-10. As they were fueled in part by a pair of pick-sixes, the Wolverines went over 30 points for the ninth consecutive game, the longest streak in program history. While the Golden Gophers are the best team that the Wolverines have played so far that’ll have to do since Michigan doesn’t play a team higher than that until mid-November when it travels to Penn State. That certainly says very little about the Big 10. Week 7 Matchup: vs. Indiana Hoosiers

 

2. Georgia 

 

Many were doubting if Georgia was still one of the top teams in the country after struggling to beat South Carolina and Auburn, respectively. In a 51-13 victory versus Kentucky, the anticipated SEC East showdown was a one-sided affair from the beginning, as Georgia led 34-7 at halftime on the strength of quarterback Carson Beck and tight end Brock Bowers. The Bulldogs’ defense limited the Wildcats to only 183 yards. Carson Beck threw for career highs in passing yards (389) and touchdown passes (4) last Saturday as the Bulldogs won their 23rd consecutive SEC game. Week 7 Matchup: at Vanderbilt Commodores

 

 

Virginia Tech cut Florida State’s lead to just five in the third quarter before Trey Benson led the Seminoles to a 39-17 victory. Benson ran for 200 yards on only 11 carries, the fewest carries for any FSU running back to hit the 200-yard mark in program history. The redshirt junior had touchdown runs of 62 yards and 85 yards and finished with a career-best 200 yards on the ground on the day. Week 7 Matchup: vs. Syracuse Orange

 

4. Oklahoma 

 

It’s a far cry from their 6-7 record just a year ago for Oklahoma. The Red River Rivalry lived up to the hype in a back-and-forth affair with 1,013 total yards of offense. After going 0-5 in one-score games last season, the Sooners won their first such game this season thanks to QB Dillon Gabriel's 285 passing yards and 113 rushing yards. Dillon Gabriel led the Sooners on a game-winning 75-yard touchdown drive with only 1:17 left to give the Sooners the victory. Oklahoma doesn’t play a currently-ranked opponent the rest of the season, giving the Sooners every opportunity to run the table until the Big 12 championship game. Week 7 Matchup: Bye

 

 

Kyle McCord finished with a career-best 81.8 passing grade in last week’s win thanks mainly to his former high school teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State endured a scare from Maryland as the Terrapins held the lead in the third quarter. Because of QB McCord, the Buckeyes proceeded to score 27 unanswered to escape with a 37-17 victory. They had one glaring problem tho. Ohio State's 62 rushing yards were its fewest in a win since when it had 44 against NC State in 2003. Week 7 Matchup: at Purdue Boilermakers

 

 

Hopefully Washington practiced to improve their defense during last week’s bye. Washington enjoyed its bye week before its massive showdown with Oregon this weekend. That top-10 showdown features two of the nation’s three best offenses in EPA per play that are led by two Heisman candidate quarterbacks in Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix. Michael Penix Jr. is the first FBS player in the past 20 years with at least 300 passing yards and 70% completion percentage in each of his team's first 5 games. Obviously, Penix, in particular, leads all signal-callers in the nation with a 93.7 grade. Week 7 Matchup: vs. No. 10 Oregon Ducks

 

 

Penn State’s defense currently leads the nation in expected points allowed per play, but the offense has been concerning outside of quarterback Drew Allar. The Nittany Lions are outside the nation’s top-50 teams in rushing, receiving, pass-blocking and run-blocking grades. But stats may be deceiving about their offense. The Nittany Lions have scored 30 or more points in 12 straight games, their longest streak since 1993-95. In two weeks, Penn State faces one of the best defenses in the nation in Ohio State. Week 7 Matchup: vs. Massachusetts Minutemen

 

 

Oregon has been one of the most well-rounded teams in the country this season. The Ducks lead the nation in EPA per play on offense while placing 13th defensively in that same stat. The only other school to place inside the top 15 of both is Michigan. Last week, Bo Nix became just the seventh FBS player with 80 passing touchdowns and 30 rushing scores in his career. While this ranking may seem low, Oregon has every opportunity to vault up this list with a victory over Washington on Saturday. Week 7 Matchup: at No. 7 Washington Huskies 

 

 

While Texas was on the losing end of that classic, the Longhorns dropped in the rankings. After all, their wins over Alabama and Kansas are still better than most schools. After two early interceptions, QB Quinn Ewers had a streak of 19 consecutive completions, setting a Texas record but too little too late. Texas also doesn’t play a ranked opponent for the rest of the regular season, which could set up a rematch with Oklahoma in the conference title game. Week 7 Matchup: Bye

 

 

It wouldn’t be college football if Bama wasn’t ranked in the top 10. After losing at home to Texas and struggling to beat USF, many were writing off Alabama as a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. Since then, the Crimson Tide have proven that they’re still a threat to crack the final four with wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M most recently. WR Jermaine Burton had 197 receiving yards -- more than he had in the first five games combined -- and two scores, as Alabama improved to 115-1 against unranked teams since 2008. We’ll see how much of a threat they are over the next month as Alabama faces Tennessee, LSU and Kentucky following its tilt with Arkansas. Week 7 Matchup: vs. Arkansas Razorbacks