We saw some significant movement and surprises in week 7 of the college football season. Oklahoma flew up 7 spots, Texas dropped off 6 spots, Louisville rose 11 spots, and Notre Dame crashed down 11 spots. Let’s take a look at who I think can make a move this week and how my pick last week did.

Recap + Weekly Jump Pick

LSU came through in the 2nd half closing out the game against Missouri 49-39. Missouri was leading going into halftime but I didn’t think Missouri could keep up with this LSU offense led by Jayden Daniels who threw for 3 touchdowns and 259 yards. A 22-point 4th quarter by LSU won them this game. In last week’s article, I predicted LSU to win and the game to go OVER in the total points line which hit as well.

Looking at this week’s slate I immediately liked UCLA to beat Oregon State. I’m a big fan of the UCLA defense whose pass rush is ranked the 2nd best by (PFF) Pro Football Focus. Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei isn’t the best against pressure and this Bruins defense brings pressure and forces turnovers. I’d take the UNDER in this game and UCLA to win, which can see UCLA jump up a couple of spots and get some more attention to this lethal defense.

Week 7 Top 25

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Florida State
5. Oklahoma
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. Oregon
9. Texas
10. USC
11. Alabama
12. North Carolina
13. Ole Miss
14. Lousiville
15. Oregon State
16. Utah
17. Duke
18. UCLA
19. Washington State
20. Tennessee
21. Notre Dame
22. LSU
23. Kansas
24. Kentucky
25. Miami

Summary of Big Movements

Oklahoma came out to start the game forcing an interception on Texas’s first drive which led to a score. In that moment it felt like this was Oklahoma’s game. Texas hit a field goal late with 1:17 left in the game but I knew Oklahoma would go down and score, it has happened in nearly every big ranked game this year. It’s a big win for Oklahoma who jumps to 5 and has a staple win that I didn’t think they could pull off.

Notre Dame’s offense looked bad. 5 turnovers and 44 total rushing yards do not lead to success. The Cardinals were able to run for 185 total rushing yards on Notre Dame and explode for some big plays while their defense stepped up and performed. Lousiville jumps 11 spots while Notre Dame drops 11. Let’s see if the Fighting Irish can bounce back offensively against a poor USC defense this coming Saturday.

My Reaction to the Top 25

USC keeps dropping because of their defense and I wonder when it will stop. USC barely just beat unranked Arizona 43-41 which in my opinion just shows that this team needs to be ranked lower. Alabama, North Carolina, and Ole Miss all need to be ranked ahead of USC. USC needs to show improvement on defense, as I’ve been stating in previous articles, to stop dropping in the rankings.

Miami should be kicked out of the top 25 for that loss against Georgia Tech. The only reason they didn’t was because they play North Carolina this coming Saturday. The game is a primetime game on ABC, it’s about marketing two top 25 ranked teams in the ACC playing each other. Miami will be out of the top 25 after Saturday anyway.

I know many people were shocked Texas stayed in the top 10 but I agree with the placement. Texas should be ahead of USC, Alabama, etc. Texas beat Alabama and USC beat 2 unranked teams in close games allowing them to score 41 on them back-to-back weeks.

And lastly, I do think that Oklahoma over Penn State is bold. Penn State is solid on both sides of the ball and has taken care of 3 Big Ten opponents. It is a great win for Oklahoma but because Penn State doesn’t have that “big win” yet they will be stuck outside the top 5.