2024 SID Sports Week 7 Rankings

Breaking down the Top 25 and players of the week after Week 7

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve published any rankings. Maybe that’s for the better as a lot has changed in the past two weeks. In fact, I’d venture a guess that everything has changed.

Just last week, five of my Top 25 teams were downed, most by unranked programs. After a bloody Week Six, we’re onto Quality Loss Season^TM. That’s right SEC fans, it’s time to debate how your losses are better than undefeated teams’ wins.

A couple of notes before we get fully into this. First, the Last Week rankings are going to be replaced with “W5” standing for where I had them ranked in Week 5. Second, I’m going to get more into the why I’m ranking teams where they are instead of just talking about interesting stats. Maybe that’s more interesting for you, maybe it’s not. Let’s find out.

SID Sports Week 7 Top 25

1. Texas 5-0 W5: 1
   Despite all the shakeups and all the madness, Texas somehow retains the top slot after a chaotic two weeks. I would’ve bumped them down to two after Alabama’s big win, but I didn’t do rankings so sorry Vandy fans. The Longhorns have been an absolute buzzsaw this year, tearing through everyone they’ve faced even with Quinn Ewers on the sidelines nursing an abdominal injury. But Red River looms in the Longhorns’ first SEC test.

2. Ohio State 5-0 W5: 3
   I feel like somehow, the Buckeyes are flying under the radar. An abysmal out-of-conference slate of Akron, Western Michigan and Marshall will do that, but they’ve barely broken a sweat all year. The offense is humming and opponents have only scored twice on the Buckeyes twice (Akron had two field goals and Marshall had two first-half touchdowns).

3. Oregon 5-0 W5: 6
   Oregon has been fluttering with the Top Three all season, but they finally return to the Number Three slot after trouncing Michigan State. The Ducks had some ugly affairs early this season, but they’ve kicked it into high gear following a ruthless Civil War beatdown of Oregon State. They aren’t as explosive as last season, but the Ducks are still very very good.

4. Penn State 5-0 W5: 9
   The running attack is dynamic. Drew Allar is top-five in QBR with a 88.8 mark on the season and the defense is just as good as we thought. Is this James Franklin’s breakthrough squad? The jury’s still out, but a massive win over ranked Illinois (that’s an interesting sentence) is a good start. USC is up next and while the Trojans have lost some luster, they’re still a tough out.

5. Miami 5-0 W5: 11
   I got called out on Facebook for not putting respect on Miami’s name. It’s time I did that, despite my best judgement. The Canes are unbeaten, but it took two wild finishes to top Virginia Tech and defeat the woke Calgorithm mob. Good teams always find ways to win and Mario Cristobal’s squad is certainly finding creative ways to win. That’s better than creative ways to lose like we saw last season.

6. Alabama 4-1 W5: 4
   Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way - Alabama lost on the road to unranked Vanderbilt. That’s a bad loss. But they also have the nation’s best win over Georgia. It’s a balancing act that makes the Tide the highest ranked one-loss team. They’re still a very good team, so I’m not too concerned about them slotting in at six, but it’s higher than I would’ve liked for a team losing to an unranked program.

7. Georgia 4-1 W5: 2
   Speaking of the Bulldogs, they slot in one spot below Alabama because of that head-to-head result. Their close win over Kentucky looks a little better after the Wildcats’ big win over Ole Miss and a bounce-back decmiation of Auburn certainly helps. Mississippi State isn’t much of a test, but we’ll get to see some fireworks when the Dawgs travel to DKR to take on Texas in two weeks.

8. Clemson 4-1 W5: 18
   Clemson may be the team that’s benefitted the most from the last two weeks’ chaos. I can write off a Week One loss, especially against Georgia, and the Tigers have looked like a whole new team since then. Their offense is explosive, the defense is strong and they’ve got a pretty weak schedule left to go. Miami’s the top dog in the ACC, but Clemson is starting to round into a scary form.

9. Tennessee 4-1 LW: 5
   The two ranked wins the Volunteers have keep them from dropping too far, even if NC State has disappeared from contention and Oklahoma may not be that great. Still, the resume comparison between them and everyone else puts Big Orange on top. I was really surprised that Nico Iamaleava couldn’t get it going against Arkansas of all team, but the Hogs played really good defense. It was the worst game of the freshman’s career so far, but let’s see how Nico and the Vols bounce back.

10. Ole Miss 5-1 W5: 10
    Somehow, despite the chaos, Ole Miss stayed stagnant. It helps that Kentucky seems like a solid team with their narrow loss to Georgia and win over Ole Miss, but the Rebs have to find ways to win those games. They’ve got a tough stretch at LSU and against Oklahoma coming up, so we’ll see what Lane Kiffin’s Rebels are made of.

11. Iowa State 5-0 W5: 16
    They’re not the flashiest team, but the Cyclones are rolling. Their only close game was against CyHawk rival Iowa. They’ve run through Big 12 competition with little to no effort. Despite this being a running team with three tailbacks topping 200 yards so far, the wideout combination of Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins is dangerous. This is an under-the-radar playoff contender.

12. Notre Dame 4-1 W5: 21
    Who knew you could survive a home loss to Northern Illinois and still be in reach of the playoff? The Irish have two impressive wins over Texas A&M in the opener and against Louisville two weeks ago, so they’ve got the resume to be here so far. This is an offense that keeps getting better with each week. Riley Leonard has posted a better quarterback rating each game after the NIU loss and Beaux Collins has emerged as a top receiving threat. Toss in one of the nation’s most dominant secondaries and Notre Dame might sniff the playoffs.

13. Texas A&M 5-1 W5: 23
    With the Notre Dame loss entering Quality Loss territory and a really good win over Missouri, the Aggies sit at 3-0 in the SEC and hold the top slot. Their remaining conference slate isn’t the most difficult - they’ve got LSU and Texas as their main remaining hard games. Could Texas A&M make a surprise run? Possibly. It helps that they’ve got two really solid quarterbacks in Conner Weigman and Marcel Reed. Oh, and the nation’s best secondary. And the SEC’s top rushing attack. And a Mike Elko defense.

14. Boise State 4-1 W5: Next Five Out
    I won’t stand for Ashton Jeanty erasure and I’ll stick the Broncos and their Heisman-leading tailback as high as I can to make my point. But seriously, you want to talk about quality losses? How’s a three-point loss to Oregon sound? They’ve dominated everyone since then and I’m not too worried about the rest of their schedule, save for UNLV. This is the Group of Five playoff team and they just might make a run. Just like the run Jeanty’s making for Barry Sanders’ previously thought to be untouchable records.

15. BYU 5-0 W5: 24
    So the Cougars are a good team. Who would’ve guessed that heading into the season? They’ve got a solid win over SMU and a dominating 38-9 win over Kansas State on their resume, proving that BYU is solidly in the Big 12 title conversation. The defense is the star here, allowing only 15.8 points per game, but the offense will live and die by Jake Retzlaff. That’s a dangerous game to play with an unheralded quarterback, but he’s got them here already. Why not ride him as far as he’ll take them?

16. Oklahoma 4-1 W5: 15
    One quarterback change later and the Sooners are looking much better. I’ll admit, I overranked them on the back of the Jackson Arnold hype, but Michael Hawkins is the true guy for Oklahoma. His 62.7 QBR is a big upgrade over Arnold’s 39.7 and the Sooners’ unsuccessful comeback bid coincided with Hawkins entering the game. With Red River up next, can Hawkins keep the magic going at the Texas State Fair?

17. SMU 5-1 W5: Unranked
    The only blemish on the otherwise-unbeaten Mustangs is a loss to BYU, which looks significantly better in hindsight. Quality losses, am I right? Either way, now that Rhett Lashlee has settled on Kevin Jennings under center, SMU is rolling. They’re rocking a top-25 passing offense and slot in at 14th in scoring offense at 40.8 points per game. The defense is playing better than I expected, but they’ve given up big ponits to TCU and Louisville. As long as the offense shows up, the Ponies are going to be a tough team to beat.

18. Indiana 6-0 W5: Unranked
    Raise your hand if you thought Curt Cignetti was going to turn Indiana into an immediate contender. Hey, put your hand down, no you didn’t! Literally nobody envisioned this, but here it is. The Hoosiers are looking really good. Kurtis Rourke is one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, with his 91.9 QBR ranking second, a 14-2 touchdown to inteception ratio and 1,752 yards. Indiana’s offense is top-30 in scoring offense (47.5 - third), passing yards (315.3 - 11th) and rushing yards (200.3 - 28th). Toss in the nation’s 14th ranked scoring defense (14.8) and you get a surprise contender.

19. Kansas State 4-1 W5: Next Five Out
    Their loss to BYU, like SMU, is looking better each week, although it was debilitating. A bouce back win over Oklahoma State was crucial to keep the Wildcats season pointed in the right direction. Avery Johnson was a hyped up quarterback and he’s been solid so far in his first real action with a 74.3 QBR - ranking 31st - but that doesn’t count his 9:4 touchdown to interception ratio or the fact that he’s averaging only 175.8 passing yards per game. Kansas State has a strong running game behind D.J. Giddens, but they’ll need a constant passing game if they want to compete for the Big 12 Championship.

20. LSU 4-1 W5: 17
    It’s a little unfair to drop a team like LSU when all they’ve done since Week One was win, but their record is losing some of its shine. USC beat them in the season opener, but the Trojans aren’t looking great by their own right. It took an injury to LaNorris Sellers to get past South Carolina. Outside of that, the Tigers have beat down on tier-down teams like FCS Nicholls State, UCLA and South Alabama. I think Garrett Nussmeier is a quality quarterback, but he needs help that’s healthy. They’ve lost a ton to injury like top tailback John Emery Jr. and one of the nation’s best defenders Harold Perkins Jr. It’s a little harsh, but I’m not buying what LSU’s selling.

21. Missouri 4-1 W5: 7
    Speaking of harsh, this is a major drop, especially in a loss to a ranked opponent. But not all losses are created equal and 41-10 is downright embarrassing. As my partner

    Tyler Schuster
    said in his Week 6 preview, Missouri “hasn’t hit top speed through four games.” I’m starting to think the Tigers don’t have a top speed. The offense, despite returing mostly everyone except Cody Schrader, looks nothing like their high-flying offense of yesteryear. Brady Cook has been okay. Luther Burden exists in name alone. Nate Noel is the main bright spot. They have a ton of talent but that talent needs to wake up.

22. Vanderbilt 3-2 W5: Unranked
    Are they a two-loss team that got beat by Georgia State? Sure, I’ll cede that to you. But this is a Vanderbilt team that has beaten Virginia Tech and then-Number One Alabama and took then-Number Seven Missouri to overtime. Vandy has a wild resume, but I think that’s enough to get ranked. Diego Pavia is the heart and soul of this team and if you watched any New Mexico State football the past few years, you know this is the Pavia Way. He’s going to make some great plays and some seriously questionable ones. Just like Vanderbilt’s record. Will they compete in the SEC this year? Probably not. But they’ve earned their time in the sun and this Number 22 ranking.

23. Utah 4-1 W5: 8
    The Utes have the biggest drop this week because somehow, some way, they lost to unranked Arizona by two scores. At home. Arizona’s had some ups and downs this year, but they had no business beating Utah. The Wildcats dominated the showing as Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson had his first true freshman game with two interceptions and a 19.9 QBR. I’m not too worried about the Utes, especially if Cam Rising ever returns to the field. If Wilson is the guy going forward, we’ll need to temper our expectations.

24. Pittsburgh 5-0 W5: Next Five Out
    Pat Narduzzi’s Panthers are undefeated behind the golden arm of Eli Holstein and do-it-all tailback Desmond Reid as yinzers everywhere rejoyce. But seriously, who would’ve pegged that Pittsburgh, a team coached by Pat Narduzzi of all people, would have the sixth ranked passing offense (339.8 yards per game) and scoring offense (45.6 points per game)? They’ve escaped narrow wins against West Virginia and North Carolina, but with Cal, Syracuse, SMU, Clemson and Louisville still on the schedule, ACC Coastal Madness is nowhere to be found to save the Panthers. Instead, they’ll need to put up or shut up.

25. Arkansas 4-2 W5: Unranked
    We’ve touched on the Razorbacks when talking about Tennessee, but that was an impressive win. Sure, they have losses to Texas A&M (trending better) and Oklahoma State (trending worse), but this defense has really showed out in flashes. Which is good, especially when coupled with an offense resurrected by the portal and Arkansas legend Bobby Petrino. Arkansas is a balanced program this year despite having possibly the best rushing quarterback and tailback pairing in Taylen Green and Ja’Quinden Jackson. Like Vandy, I don’t expect Arkansas to compete in the SEC but they’ve earned a spot at the table.

Next Five Out: Illinois, Navy, Michigan, USC, Nebraska,

It’s a matter of circumstance that led to Illinois taking a tumble, but a lackluster showing against Penn State contributed to that. Still, the Illini are 2-1 against then-Top 25 teams and have the makings of a solid squad as long as Luke Altmyer can stay consistent. Navy is one of the biggest surprises to me this season and has me looking through the news to find some major war I missed that’s pulling all the talent to the service academies. Brian Newberry’s Midshipmen are the most impressive because they’re scoring 43.6 points per game as a service academy. That’s unheard of and really, truly scary. Michigan got surprised out west by Washington and that has me worried about Big Blue. The Iowa formula can only work so long, but third-string Jack Tuttle was forced into action. Is this a harsh ranking? Yes, but it’s where I’m at with Michigan. USC is suffering a rough three-game streak featuring losses to Michigan and Minnesota and a confusing win over a hapless Wisconsin team. The defense, to the credit of D’Anton Lynn and Lincoln Riley, has looked better, but the offense has concerningly sputtered as of late. I trust Riley to right the ship, but I want to see results before tossing USC back into the contender pile. Finally, the Huskers notched a quality win over Rutgers in the Big 10 race (that’s not something I ever thought I’d write) and look like a solid team. They’ve shaken off the loss to Illinois with two straight wins and have a well-timed bye week before hitting the road for Indiana and Ohio State in two very tough games.

Players of the Week

Finally, let’s get into some of the best individual performances of this week.

1. Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt
   The little engine that could ran its way over Alabama. This week’s discourse is all about how Pavia took down the Crimson Tide, and deservedly so. The senior that played his first two seasons at JUCO New Mexico Military Institute was 16-20 for 252 yards and two scores, notching a 95.9 QBR. He also carried the ball for 56 yards on 20 carries, single-handedly keeping the Commodores in the game.

2. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
   Another week, another gaudy Jeanty statline. This time it’s 13 carries for 186 yards and three scores. Oh, that’s all in the first half too, as Boise State sat my Heisman front-runner in the second half. We’re officially on Barry Sanders watch as Jeanty’s on pace for 2,474 yards and 38 touchdowns.

3. Jayden Royals, WR, Utah State
   On the other side of the Ashton Jeanty show, Utah State wideout Jayden Royals had a great game of his own. The senior hauled in nine passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. It was his second game crossing the century mark in as many games. Utah State may not be great, but Royals is a legitimate receiving threat.

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What I’m Reading:

Three-Point Stance by Tyler Schuster: Three-Point Stance is your favorite independent college football newsletter. Come for in-depth analysis and bold commentary, stay for the jokes and memes. An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.

An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.

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Colin Cerniglia

: It’s time for October baseball and Colin’s the one I’m trusting to keep me covered! If you don’t know, I love baseball too, and Colin’s been putting out some great work about players around the league. He writes for Yardbarker a lot, but the content is easy to find on CERNIG and super engaging.

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