The college football schedule never fails to deliver.
The Week 7 slate is highlighted by several highly anticipated showdowns, with the spotlight on No. 3 Oregon hosting No. 7 Indiana, as well as the Red River Shootout between No. 6 Oklahoma and Texas.
But those are just two of the games that will have reverberating ramifications on the national rankings.
Here’s a full rundown of the matchups most likely to shake up the AP top 25 poll by the end of the weekend.
(All times Eastern; all betting lines from ESPN BET.)
It seems the college football world at large remains skeptical of what Indiana continues to do under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti.
There were gripes last year that Indiana claimed one of the College Football Playoff spots while taking advantage of a favorable schedule and losing its only regular-season game against a ranked opponent (Ohio State). The Hoosiers then lost by 10 points in the first round of the playoffs to Notre Dame.
So in a way, there’s even more at stake for Indiana in the way of national perception (in case the 63-10 beatdown of a then-top-10 Illinois team didn’t move the needle enough).
As for the rankings, the outcome of this one could force some tough decisions for the voters. If Oregon claims a second top-10 win (even though the Penn State team it beat is no longer ranked), is that enough to overtake No. 2 Miami or No. 1 Ohio State? And if Indiana wins (as a 7.5-point underdog) and gets its second top-10 win, how high are the voters willing to put the Hoosiers?
Texas has gone from preseason No. 1 to unranked after its loss to a reeling Florida team last week in The Swamp, but the Longhorns would jump back into the top 25 if they win this rivalry clash.
Oklahoma has a strong resume so far, with wins over Michigan (currently No. 15) and an Auburn team that was ranked at the time. Given Texas’ struggles, a win probably wouldn’t force much of a move up the rankings for the Sooners. But it would be interesting to see how much impact a loss would have on their standing in the polls.
The Sooners upgraded quarterback John Mateer to probable as he looks to return from a broken bone in his throwing hand, and they’re a narrow 1.5-point favorite.
Alabama has reasserted itself with wins at Georgia and over Vanderbilt, but the schedule doesn’t relent as the Crimson Tide travels to Missouri this weekend.
The Tigers’ resume is highlighted by wins over Kansas and South Carolina, neither of which is ranked, but after going 11-2 and 10-3 the last two seasons, they deserve respect. So does Missouri’s running game, which ranks third nationally at 292 yards per game, led by Ahmad Hardy (730 rushing yards, 9 TDs, 7.1 yards per carry).
The outcome should make a big difference for the winner in the rankings.
Ohio State is off to a pretty dominant start to Big Ten play with a 24-6 win at Washington and a 42-3 victory over Minnesota, but the Buckeyes get their first test against a ranked opponent since the season-opening win over Texas.
Illinois’ spot in the rankings remains tenuous with that 63-10 eyesore loss to Indiana on its resume, but the Fighting Illini bounced back from that to beat USC at home and cruise past Purdue.
It’s an interesting matchup with Ohio State’s stout defense (third in yards allowed at 215.8 per game, first in scoring defense at 5.0 points per game allowed) going against an Illinois offense that has taken off the last two weeks with back-to-back 500-yard games and 77 combined points with veteran QB Luke Altmyer (1,573 passing yards, 12 TDs, 0 INT) playing the best football of his career.
Ohio State is a 14.5-point favorite.
The Trojans are actually 2.5-point favorites here despite being unranked as they come off a bye week to host the Wolverines.
USC’s lone loss was by two points on the road at Illinois on a last-second field goal after the Trojans had rallied in the fourth quarter to take a late lead. This is their chance to show they’re better than the last two seasons and are deserving of being in the national spotlight again.
USC ranks second nationally in total offense at 565 YPG and third in scoring at 48.4 PPG.
Michigan faces its toughest test since losing on the road at Oklahoma in Week 2 and is playing for its spot in the rankings as well.
Florida State is on upset watch with the potential for a third straight loss as Pittsburgh looked rejuvenated last week after benching quarterback Eli Holstein in favor of freshman Mason Heintschel, who passed for 323 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs in a 48-7 win over Boston College.
Florida State has looked vulnerable since beating Alabama in the opener, losing at Virginia and then getting dominated for three quarters by Miami before rallying in a 28-22 loss.
The Seminoles are 10.5-point favorites.
Make no mistake about it, Utah is one of the best unranked teams in the country, and that status could change this weekend.
The Utes are actually 8.5-point favorites at home over a ranked Sun Devils team, which is expected to be without star quarterback Sam Leavitt due to injury.
Utah, which took its only loss to No. 9 Texas Tech, would certainly move into the top 25 with a win, while Arizona State would likely fall out with a second loss, despite playing without its offensive leader. Or the Sun Devils make a major statement and weather that injury setback, earning a bump up the rankings themselves.
South Florida moved back into the top 25 this week and has notable wins over Boise State and Florida teams that were ranked at the time (but no longer) while taking its only loss to No. 2 Miami.
But North Texas is a great story in its own right, off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1959 as coach Eric Morris gains buzz as a potential hot name on the offseason coaching carousel.
North Texas is a 2.5-point favorite.
Georgia Tech’s lofty ranking seems a little inflated, if we’re being honest. The Yellow Jackets got a big boost from beating Clemson, but the Tigers aren’t even ranked anymore. Beyond that, Georgia Tech’s other Power Four wins are over a bad Colorado team and by a 30-29 margin over a worse Wake Forest team.
Virginia Tech isn’t a good team either, and it has already fired its coach, but the Hokies did win at NC State a couple of weeks ago and can’t be totally overlooked in this matchup. There’s some upset potential here as the Yellow Jackets are 14.5-point favorites.
If we thought Florida had a good shot at pulling off another upset, this game would be much higher on the list, but we don’t. If anything, Texas A&M being only a 7.5-point favorite seems low.
But if Gators QB DJ Lagway can play like he did last week against Texas (21 of 28 for 298 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT), then perhaps Florida can make it interesting.
The intrigue here is how Arkansas responds in its first game with interim head coach Bobby Petrino, who has had two weeks to prepare for Tennessee, made staff changes, and is trying to earn the full-time job beyond this season.
That’s enough to at least keep an eye on this game even with the Vols set as 11.5-point favorites.
It’s worth remembering that South Carolina opened the season ranked No. 13 and won nine games last year. No, this hasn’t been a great start for the Gamecocks, but they beat Kentucky 35-13 in their last game and then had a bye to prepare for LSU.
The Tigers are coming off a loss at Ole Miss and a bye week and haven’t really played up to expectations either, at least offensively. LSU is a 9.5-point favorite at home.
When a couple or a few teams inevitably fall out of the top 25 this week, Cincinnati will be a prime candidate to move into the rankings if it takes care of business against UCF as a 10.5-point favorite at home.
The Bearcats scored a big 38-30 win over a ranked Iowa State team last week and took their only loss to a solid Nebraska team by three points in Week 1.
Nebraska is another top candidate to move into the top 25 if it can score a road win over an improved Maryland team. The Cornhuskers’ lone loss came against a ranked Michigan team; they have that win over Cincinnati to their credit and beat Michigan State convincingly last week.
Maryland has probably played a bit over its head to this point and let a big lead slip away in the fourth quarter last week to Washington, taking its first loss.
Nebraska is a 6.5-point favorite, and if it’s going to break out in Matt Rhule’s third season (like his Temple and Baylor teams did), then this is a game the Huskers just have to win.
