Week 7 flipped the college football landscape on its head as several top-10 teams stumbled, forcing a major shake-up in the latest AP Poll. Yet, not everyone is buying what the rankings are selling. One Power Four head coach believes the Oregon Beavers have once again been dealt a raw deal, keeping the debate over the voters’ decisions alive.
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After the latest AP rankings dropped, ON3’s Pete Nakos spoke with one of the Power Four head coaches, whose response echoed what many fans have been thinking.
“Text I just got from a Power 4 head coach: ‘Ridiculous, Oregon State isn’t in the top 25.’ Agreed,” wrote Nakos on his X handle.
After stumbling to back-to-back defeats in Weeks 1 and 2, the Oregon Beavers have fought their way back to the top of the Pac-12. However, their impressive turnaround has done little to impress the AP voters, who have kept them out of the Top 25 while other teams continue to hold their ground despite suffering losses.
Week 7 turned into a nightmare for college football’s biggest contenders. The Georgia Bulldogs were stunned by the Auburn Tigers, Notre Dame fell to BYU, and Indiana watched its 22-game winning streak come crashing down against Ohio State.
Alabama suffered its second loss of the season at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers, while the Texas Longhorns were left reeling after Florida pulled off a stunning upset.
The latest AP Top 25 rankings have the Miami Hurricanes sitting at the summit, followed by the BYU Cougars, who made a massive leap from No. 8 to No. 2. Ohio State occupies third place, while Notre Dame holds on to the No. 4 spot despite its defeat. The Georgia Bulldogs have tumbled to fifth, with the defending national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, rounding out the top six.
The Texas Longhorns, who held the No. 1 spot for weeks, have now tumbled to No. 19 following their latest defeat to the Florida Gators. Meanwhile, Alabama has managed to remain in the top 15 at No. 13, despite suffering another setback.
However, the SEC’s overall strength has kept both programs higher in the rankings than some might have expected. Tennessee, meanwhile, has climbed to No. 11, while Florida has fought its way back into the AP Top 25 at No. 20.
On the other hand, the Oregon Ducks continue to wait for their breakthrough. Despite their efforts, Oregon remains unranked for the second consecutive week, receiving the 27th-most votes and falling just short of cracking the top 25.
The argument over the Beavers being left unranked has some merit, but there’s another side to the story: strength of schedule. Oregon State may be riding high on a five-game winning streak, but none of those victories came against a ranked opponent.
Meanwhile, most teams in the current rankings have already faced at least one ranked team, giving them a stronger case for a spot in the Top 25.
However, the debate surrounding the rankings gets even more interesting when we consider No. 21 Boise State. The Broncos have faced nothing but unranked teams so far, so what justifies their place in the Top 25?
Well, their 5-1 record might have something to do with it, even though their lone loss also came against an unranked opponent.
Whatever the case may be, the AP Poll rankings have come under intense scrutiny from fans and analysts alike this season.
That said, the Oregon State Beavers have a golden opportunity to break into the Top 25 as they prepare to face two unranked opponents over the next two weeks before clashing with Boise State.