College football risers and fallers: BYU is for real. Alabama, Texas in trouble
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Week 7 of the college football season saw a whopping five top-10 ranked teams go down in one of the wildest weeks the sport has seen in recent memory.
Miami vaulted to No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches Poll for Week 8 after then-No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame were upset by Auburn and BYU, respectively. The Cougars made a five-place jump up to No. 2 in the rankings after their 28-24 win over the Fighting Irish.
Week 7 could prove to be a pivotal week in the college football landscape, especially with the current power shift at the top. Georgia and Notre Dame can prove they're still elite teams going forward, of course, but their losses exposed some weakness — or even some unknown power in the argument of BYU.
The week of upsets prove media and fans alike will never quite know how good a team is each season, regardless of how they look on paper.
Here are the latest risers and fallers across college football after Week 7:
College football risers after Week 7
BYU
BYU's upset win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame at home might be the most-impressive win by a team this season, especially as the Cougars weren't being taken seriously as a real national championship contender.
The Cougars made quite the impression, looking like a team capable of a postseason run. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier scored four total touchdowns (one passing, two rushing and one receiving) in the win, garnering 269 total yards. BYU's defense also caused trouble for projected first-round pick CJ Carr, who completed only 55.1% of his passes.
BYU and the Big 12 are looking to put multiple teams in the CFP for the first time in conference history. Maybe one of BYU, Texas Tech or even Utah can make some noise if they get there.
Kentucky
Kentucky was a 7-point underdog against Oklahoma on the road in Week 7, but it proved its rise this season wasn't a fluke as it went into Norman and pulled off a 20-13 upset.
The Wildcats scored on their opening possession but trailed 13-7 heading into the fourth quarter, until a pair of interceptions resulted in their 21-13 win. Kentucky intercepted Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer three times in the win, one of which was returned for a 41-yard touchdown with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter.
First-year coach Will Stein is looking like one of the best hires in college football, as the Wildcats are ranked No. 12 with a 6-1 record and a potential shot at a CFP berth.
Wake Forest
Second-year coach Jake Dickert and offensive coordinator Rob Ezell deserve a lot of credit for what they've pulled off so far this season. Transfer quarterback Gio Lopez, an off-and-on starter at North Carolina last season, has been one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC so far, with 1,947 passing yards and 23 total touchdowns to one interception.
Wake Forest held its own in a 33-20 loss to No. 1 Miami earlier this season and have won each of their past three games against Stanford, NC State and Cal by at least 24 points. The Demon Deacons look like the second-best team in the ACC right now, despite having what's likely one of the lower-end roster budgets in the conference.
Dickert and Ezell are poised to be hot names in the coaching carousel this offseason.
College football fallers after Week 7
Alabama
Things can change fast in college football, especially in the SEC. Just over two weeks ago, third-year coach Kalen DeBoer looked like he had his best team since coming to Alabama. Now, the Crimson Tide are reeling after back-to-back losses to Georgia and Tennessee.
Alabama's offense had no answers for the Vols, as it was held to 10 points in the 26-10 loss. The loss to Tennessee leaves Alabama little-to-no wiggle room the rest of the season, although its 45-17 win over Kentucky is starting to look impressive.
Quarterback Keelon Russell is seeing his Heisman Trophy hopes slip away, and the Crimson Tide are going to need their first-year quarterback to bounce back if they can break this middle-of-the-season lull.
Texas
The vibes at the Forty Acres almost couldn't be worse right now. Texas' offense continues to sputter, resulting in back-to-back losses to unranked Oklahoma and Florida.
The Longhorns spent lots of money this offseason adding transfers like Cam Coleman and Hollywood Smothers to bolster their offense, but quarterback Arch Manning continues to have a hard time as a fourth-year player, with talk of the former five-star recruit even potentially being benched.
Texas' defense remains elite, but its national championship hopes are likely gone in 2026.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame's loss to BYU isn't ideal, especially for its CFP hopes. The Fighting Irish could silence those doubts with a win over No. 1 Miami in a few weeks, but does a 10-2 finish get Notre Dame in the field if its best win is against SMU?
Notre Dame was left out at 10-2 last season without a signature win in controversial fashion. The Fighting Irish don't want to finish with that same fate in 2026.
While the loss came in controversial fashion — the Big 12 acknowledged Notre Dame should've had time for one more play in regulation with officials also not calling a flag on a potential pass interference on the final play — the Fighting Irish didn't quite look as dominant as expected this season.
Notre Dame needs to get things figured out if it wants to control its own destiny going forward.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football risers and fallers: BYU is for real. Alabama, Texas in trouble
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