Top 10 College Football Rankings After Week 7
By Ryan Flores
Now that we're through seven weeks of the 2019 season, the College Football Playoff hunt is starting to shape up. We had some fantastic games this week, including a huge surprise with unranked South Carolina stunning Georgia in two overtimes. With that said, let's take a look at the top 10 teams through Week 7.
10. Georgia
Heading into Saturday's tilt against South Carolina, the Georgia Bulldogs were ranked third in the nation. After an inexcusable loss to the Gamecocks at home, they've fallen out of grace, as they take a huge step back to No. 10 in the rankings. They'll need to string together a couple of strong performances these next few weeks to get back to where they were.
9. Florida
In a battle of undefeated teams, the Florida Gators simply could not stop the LSU Tigers, as they lost 42-28 in Baton Rouge. Quarterback Kyle Trask had a fantastic game, tossing for 310 yards with three scores, but the defense simply couldn't hold up. For that, Florida moves back two spots to No. 9 in the rankings.
8. Penn State
Penn State by no means played a great game against No. 17 Iowa this week. However, it was able to secure a tight 17-12 victory behind Noah Cain's 102 yards on the ground with a score. Regardless, Penn State remains undefeated and, as a result, will move up to No. 8 here.
7. Notre Dame
Notre Dame bullied USC on Saturday, as it racked up over 300 rushing yards on the night, including 176 yards from Tony Jones. Even quarterback Ian Book got involved, as he rushed for 49 yards and a score. This moves Notre Dame up two spots to No. 7, with a huge tilt against Michigan coming up after the bye week.
6. Wisconsin
Last season, the Wisconsin Badgers finished the season 8-5, including a 5-4 record against the rest of the Big Ten. Now they're 6-0 on the year, with a 3-0 record against the conference. Wisconsin destroyed Michigan State 38-0, allowing just 119 passing yards on the day. The Badgers continue to impress, and could stun the college football world if they can beat Ohio State in a huge upcoming showdown.
5. Oklahoma
Jalen Hurts was awesome against No. 11 Texas, throwing for three scores, and rushing for 131 yards and another touchdown. Wideout Ceedee Lamb was also big, catching all three of Hurts' touchdown passes and had 171 yards on the day. Because of LSU's leap into the top four, Oklahoma will have to settle for No. 5 for now.
4. Ohio State
Ohio State comes off the bye week dropping a spot in the college rankings due to LSU's huge game against Florida. However, with Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins at the forefront of Ohio State's offense, it should have no problem climbing the rankings once again. A game against Wisconsin at the end of October provides a great opportunity to do just that.
3. Clemson
Clemson takes one step back in the rankings this week, but it's only because of LSU's dominant performance against Florida. Clemson had an amazing game in its own right against Florida State, with Trevor Lawrence throwing for three touchdowns and Travis Etienne rushing for 127 yards. The Tigers defense was sensational as well, allowing just 150 yards through the air. Clemson came in well prepared and made it look like Florida State never had a chance to win from the start.
2. LSU
LSU played what could be one of the best football games we'll see this year against Florida. In a game of undefeated powerhouses, Heisman frontrunner Joe Burrow was phenomenal, putting up three touchdowns and 293 yards through the air. A jump from No. 5 to No. 2 is quite huge, but it's justifiable given the level of competition they were able to dismantle this week.
1. Alabama
Surprise surprise, Alabama once again tops the power rankings of college football. Tua Tagovailoa's four-touchdown performance to four different receivers helped lead the Crimson Tide past Texas A&M this week 47-28. As long as Alabama continues its dominance, it will always be atop the college football rankings.