CBS Sports ranked every FBS team from No. 1 to No. 131 ahead of Week 7. And while Ohio State remains firmly atop the rankings, there’s a new No. 2. Georgia overtook Alabama after a strong 42-10 victory over Auburn. Despite that, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart wasn’t in a celebratory mood.
“What does the score have to do with the way we played?” Smart said, via Dawgs247. “It really doesn’t mean anything to me. You look at the stat line and you say, ‘Oh, we ran the ball great,’ and I think a lot of times we didn’t block it well. We got beat up at the point of attack. There were other times we did it like should. That’s all in all.
“Defensively, all we talked about was containing the quarterback. Well, we didn’t do it all the time. He got out of there. There’s a tremendous amount of improvement that has to happen for our team to get to the level that we need to. I think everybody has that perception about what your rank is and what the experts say you should beat someone by. I keep saying, we’re not going to get involved in that.”
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Here’s a look at CBS Sports’ rankings of each FBS team ahead of the pivotal Week 7:
C.J. Stroud is starting to separate himself from the rest of the pack in the Heisman Trophy race. The Ohio State quarterback threw for six touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 49-20 rout of Michigan State.
“What about a kid throwing a ball in a 20-mile-an-hour wind, or it felt like it, the wind blew the ball a few times, for him to throw the ball accurately and make the trip,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said . “You could see he hit with his timing and a big part of that is protection and our offensive line did a great job of giving him a good pocket and when you do that he can do some damage. I thought he accepted the game plan. , he did that, he had a good thought process the whole game and he had a good look in his eyes. He was 21 of 26 for 361 yards and six touchdowns. That’s a heck of a road game, especially against a program as proud as Michigan State and our first game on the road. It was a big day for C.J.”
Georgia won its eighth straight game against Auburn in dominant fashion. Daijun Edwards (12 carries, 83 yards, three touchdowns), Branson Robinson (12 carries, 98 yards, one touchdown) and Stetson Bennett (three carries, 64 yards, one touchdown) were great on the ground.
“It was a lot better at the line of scrimmage,” Smart said. “We played more physical at the line of scrimmage, and I thought we wore the other team down. The environment was a little different, too. The heat wears on defensive lines. Some teams have more that they can take advantage of and some don’t.”
Alabama running back Terrion Arnold made the biggest play of the day on the final snap of the day, covering Texas A&M star Evan Stewart to help Alabama escape with a 24-20 victory.
“When they scored a touchdown earlier, we played them upside down, catching the flat, thinking they were going to run some kind of pick,” said Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “So as soon as they put four wides into the game, we thought they would be similar, so we changed the leverage to the guys and it worked for us. Terrion played well, and the guys were well covered on the other side as well.”
Indiana made Michigan sweat for three quarters, but the Wolverines pulled away in the fourth quarter behind QB J.J. McCarthy, RB Blake Corum, WR Ronnie Bell and a vicious defense that was outscored 31-10 in the second half. McCarthy threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Corum had 124 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Bell exploded for 11 catches for 121 yards.
“I mean, us as an offense, we’re multi-dimensional,” McCarthy said. “I mean, if they stop the run, we’ll hit him through the air. If they stop the aerial game, we’ll hit him on the run. And, I mean, that just adds to our offense. Even today, I feel like we haven’t even scratched the surface of our potential. I mean, when this offense comes together, and when we’re playing as a cohesive unit, and we’re in rhythm, of course, we’re going to be a very dangerous offense. But we haven’t even scratched the surface of that yet.”
Clemson’s defense made Boston College an absolute living hell for three hours on Saturday. Boston College managed just 34 yards. He averaged just 3.5 yards per play and went 5 for 18 on third down. Clemson held talented Boston College QB Phil Jurkovac to just 19-of-40 passing for 188 yards. Clemson wasn’t clicking offensively, but DJ Uiagalelei still finished with three touchdown passes.
“Our defense was the story of the game,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “They were outstanding. I thought the defense played its most complete and best game of the season for four quarters. They swarmed all night. I think we had 13 hurries.”
Tennessee is on the cusp of a truly special season. Tennessee rocked LSU and Vols fans infiltrated Death Valley and had a good time on Saturday. Tennessee hosts Alabama next week in what could be a real “we’re officially back” game for the program.
“It was a great environment on the road today,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “Love the energy from our fan base here. Love the energy from our fan base. You could feel it as soon as we drove anywhere near campus. There’s nothing like playing at Neyland. I can’t wait for the atmosphere next week (for the Alabama game). Expect be electric.”
USC improved to 6-0 under Lincoln Riley with a 30-14 win over Washington State, but the story was how the Trojans found a way again when their top options didn’t work all night. Caleb Williams was limited to just 188 passing yards, along with two touchdowns, so the running performance of Travis Dye kept the offense afloat. He had 145 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Not to mention USC’s defensive performance, which once again was stout in limiting talented Washington State running back Cameron Ward to just 172 passing yards. Defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu had a three-sack, four-tackle game. USC had a shutout in the second half.
Oklahoma State rallied from an eight-point hole in the third quarter to knock off Texas Tech 41-31. Bryson Green exploded for five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Spencer Sanders had 297 passing yards, 56 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
“This is a big win for us,” Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said. “I think there is tremendous parity in this league. I think you will see matches like this every week. That’s what I told the team a few weeks ago, weekly, every other day, and I told them again today. So conditioning will play a big factor in this. I thought we were in very good shape. At the end of the game we had gas in the tank, we could roll. And that gave us a chance to finish the game.”
Penn State had a really important bye week before a huge showdown with Michigan that will have huge implications in the Big Ten East. Penn State also got off to a hot start last year before faltering. Penn State has a chance to make a huge statement and jump up the rankings if it can knock off Jim Harbaugh in a matchup of undefeated teams.
“They’re able to run it, they’re able to throw it,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “Obviously, their offensive line was considered the best offensive line in all of college football last year. On top of that, they got maybe the most productive running back (Corum) in college football in years.”
Ole Miss needed a 21-point third quarter to give Vanderbilt some breathing room, but in the end the Rebels improved to 6-0 with a 52-28 win. Jaxson Dart had 448 yards passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jonathan Mingo had a huge day, hauling in nine catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Watkins had a seven-catch, 117-yard, one-touchdown performance. The Ole Miss offense averaged a whopping 9.9 yards per play. An 8-0 start is vital for Ole Miss if it can take care of business against Auburn and LSU over the next two weeks before a brutal four-game stretch to close out the regular season.
TCU edged Kansas 38-31 in a wild back-and-forth game thanks to Quentin Johnston’s 14 catches for 206 yards and one touchdown.
UCLA didn’t have a hangover after beating Washington. The Bruins came out and took down Utah 42-32. He held Utah star quarterback Cameron Rising without a touchdown pass for the first time this season. Dorian Thompson-Robinson went for four passes and one rushing touchdown. Zach Charbonnet totaled 198 yards and a touchdown while averaging a whopping 9.0 yards per carry. UCLA looks to be USC’s main challenger in the Pac-12.
Oregon had no business entertaining Arizona’s upset hopes. Bo Nix rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ducks’ 274-yard offense. Oregon averaged 8.3 yards per play in the 49-22 victory.
14. Mississippi State (5-1, LW 21)
Mississippi State’s Will Rogers is playing great football right now. He had 395 passing yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 40-17 win over Arkansas. Dillon Johnson passed for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Mississippi State won the possession battle by more than 10 minutes.
Wake Forest had no problem dispatching Army 45-10. Wake Forest played very clean football (one penalty) and the offense totaled 488 yards (7.6 yards per play). Wake Forest is a problem.
NC State climbed out of a 17-3 hole to stun Florida State 19-17. NC State finding a way to win on a day when its offense averaged just 4.4 yards per play and went 2 for 13 on third down is awfully impressive.
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Kansas State found a way to grind out a 10-9 road win over Iowa State to stay in the Big 12 race. Adrian Martinez had 246 passing yards and 77 rushing yards. He continues to be a great addition to the transfer portal.
Kansas’ perfect start is over, and they lost star quarterback Jalon Daniels to a serious shoulder injury, but all hope is not lost. Backup QB Jason Bean comes in and throws for 262 yards and four touchdowns.
Syracuse had the week off ahead of a key ACC showdown against NC State. The Orangemen have a chance for a signature win.
Even with Illinois starting quarterback Tommy DeVito suffering a nasty ankle injury early in the game, the Illini defense stepped up and put on a show in a 9-6 victory over Iowa. Illinois has now beaten Iowa and Wisconsin, which hasn’t happened in the same season since 1989. It’s the first time Illinois has cracked the top 25 since 2011.
Welcome back, Quinn Ewers. Texas’ star quarterback scored four touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 49-0 rout of rival Oklahoma.
Baylor needed an open week before brutal Big 12 play. Dave Aranda has a chance to go on a winning streak against West Virginia, Kansas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma, but anything can happen on any given night in the Big 12.
James Madison remained perfect with a 42-20 romp over Arkansas State. Todd Centeio had 394 passing yards and four touchdowns. Percy Agyei-Obese and Kris Thornton had big days.
Utah’s defense allowed 8.2 yards per play against UCLA. Improvement must happen in a hurry. Expect a big comeback attempt when the Utes host Lincoln Riley and USC.
25. North Carolina (5-1, LW 44)
North Carolina found a way to get the job done with a 27-24 win over Miami. Drake Maye continues to show tremendous arm talent, but it was the Tar Heels defense that stepped up with huge stops in the red zone.
THE BEST OF THE REST26. Florida (4-2) 27. Cincinnati (5-1) 28. Notre Dame (3-2)29. Coastal Carolina (6-0)30. Florida State (4-2)31. Purdue (4-2)32. BYU (4-2) 33. Minnesota (4-1)34. Washington State (4-2)35. Tulane (5-1)36. Kentucky (4-2)37. LSU (4-2)38. UCF (4-1)39. Maryland (4-2) 40. Washington (4-2)41. Oregon State (4-2)42. Texas A&M (3-3)43. Freedom (5-1)44. Arkansas (3-3)45. Texas Tech (3-3)46. UTSA (4-2)47. Pittsburgh (4-2)48. South Carolina (4-2)49. South Alabama (4-1)50. San Jose State (4-1)51. Iowa State (3-3)52. Duke (4-2)53. Boise State (4-2)54. SMU (2-3)55. Troy (4-2)56. Oklahoma (3-3)57. Air Force (4-2)58. Iowa (3-3)59. Marshall (3-2)60. Houston (3-3)61. Memphis (4-2)62. UAB (3-2)63. Appalachian State (3-3)64. West Virginia (2-3)65. Louisville (3-3)66. Wisconsin (3-3)67. Auburn (3-3)68. Miami (2-3)69. California (3-2)70. East Carolina (3-3)71. Toledo (4-2)72. Missouri (2-4)73. Nebraska (3-3)74. Rice (3-2)75. Georgia Tech (3-3)
76. Western Kentucky (3-3)77. Michigan State (2-4)78. Rutgers (3-3)79. UNLV (1-2)80. Arizona (3-3)81. Old Dominion (2-3)82. Indiana (3-3)83. Arizona State (2-4)84. Wyoming (4-3)85. Vanderbilt (3-3)86. Georgia Southern (3-3)87. Boston College (2-4)88. Fresno State (1-4)89. Eastern Michigan (4-2)90. Middle Tennessee (3-3)91. Buffalo (3-3)92. Tulsa (2-4)93. Stanford (1-4)94. Virginia (2-4)95. San Diego State (3-3)96. North Texas (3-3)97. Ball State (3-3)98. Miss South (2-3)99. Virginia Tech (2-4)100. Miami (Ohio) (3-3)101. Georgia State (2-4)102. Louisiana (2-3)103. Texas State (3-3)104. Arkansas State (2-4)105. Navy (2-3)106. Kent State (2-4)107. ULM (2-4)108. Utah State (2-4)109. FAU (2-4)110. Army (1-4)111. Louisiana Tech (2-3)112. Ohio (3-3)113. Central Michigan (1-5)114. Temple (2-3)115. UConn (3-4)116. Western Michigan (2-4)117. UTEP (3-4)118. Northern Illinois (1-5)119. New Mexico (2-4)120. Northwestern (1-5)121. Bowling Green (2-4)122. South Florida (1-5)123. Colorado (0-5)124. Nevada (2-4) 125. FIU (2-3)126. Charlotte (1-5)127. Colorado State (1-4)128. Akron (1-5)129. Hawaii (1-5)130. State of New Mexico (1-5)131. UMass (1-5)
