Top 25 Predictions: What the AP Poll Will Look Like After a Historic Week 7
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Fields were stormed. Streaks were broken. History was made.
It might have looked like just another Saturday in a long and winding college football season, but this one stood out for the sheer caliber of chaos that will go down in the record books. Five of the top-seven teams lost on Saturday; that has never happened before.
No. 1 Georgia lost 27-24 at home to unranked Auburn. Not only are losses like that rare under coach Kirby Smart, it’s the first time since 1990 that the top-ranked team has lost to an unranked opponent in back-to-back weeks after Texas was upset by Oklahoma a week ago. (If you want to go even further back, that was the Bulldogs’ first loss as a No. 1 team to an unranked foe since 1942. Their opponent? Auburn.)
No. 2 Notre Dame had won 16 consecutive games heading into its game against No. 8 BYU, but the Cougars scored a 28-24 upset in their first-ever top-10 game at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Don’t worry, there is plenty more where that came from. No. 5 Indiana thought it had No. 4 Ohio State beat, but Nick Marsh’s foot was just out of bounds on what would have been the go-ahead touchdown. The Buckeyes got their revenge from last year’s Big Ten title game with a 19-15 victory on the road, but quarterback Julian Sayin is set to miss “several weeks.”
No. 6 Alabama dropped its third consecutive trip to Neyland Stadium against No. 14 Tennessee. The Volunteers scored a 26-10 win over their rival and celebrated, as is tradition, with cigars.
The fifth and final top-10 team to go down was No. 7 Texas. The Longhorns lost to an unranked team for the second week in a row, while Florida picked up its first road win over a top-10 team since 2012 — led by its backup quarterback. The Gators remain one of the toughest teams in the country to pin down. They now have two top-10 wins and two blowout losses.
No. 3 Miami narrowly avoided joining the aforementioned top-10 losers. The Hurricanes escaped double overtime against rival Florida State with a controversial victory to stay undefeated.
There will be a new No. 1 team in the nation for the third week in a row. Will Ohio State take back the top spot? Or will Miami make its first appearance? Or perhaps BYU gets a look from the voters?
Depending on how voters react to No. 18 Oklahoma State’s 35-32 loss to No. 20 Houston, there could be only one new team in the top 25 this week. (No. 16 Mississippi State figures to fall out after a 31-0 loss to No. 22 LSU). After falling out of the poll entirely, Florida is set to make its return. But speaking of the Gators, what about the team led by former coach Billy Napier? James Madison is the only team in the country that is 7-0. Perhaps the Dukes, who received votes in last week’s poll, get some love.
The next set of rankings will be released on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Here’s how Athlon Sports projects the AP Top 25 will look after Week 7.
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This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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