Wow. I know we're taught to expect the unexpected in sports, but this past week in college football was just crazy. Upsets, blowouts and poor play led to major shakeups in ESPN's college football power rankings for Week 7. Let's take a look at some of the more interesting rankings.
For starters, we now have a new No. 1 team. Auburn takes over the top spot from Florida State after the Tigers have racked up impressive wins over Arkansas, LSU and Kansas State. Florida State is still undefeated at 5-0, but they haven't looked like the offensive juggernaut they were last season. FSU ranks just 57th in total yards after finishing in the top five last year. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston's off-field decision making is still a major question mark. The Seminoles are a good team, but they haven't looked elite.
Ole Miss jumps to No. 4 after being ranked 11th last week and, really, that's not surprising. The Rebels are coming off a historic 23-17 upset victory over Alabama. Exciting, surprising, breathtaking - this game had everything you could possibly want in a sporting event. Ole Miss is completely deserving of their top five ranking this week.
Alabama, on the other hand, fell five spots from No. 2 to No. 7. The Tide are still very much in the playoff hunt, but they need to get more production from the quarterback position. Blake Sims beat out Jake Coker for the starting job to start the season, but has only had one really impressive game so far. Alabama still has a top five defense to fall back on, but they'll need Sims to be more consistent going forward.
TCU made the biggest leap of 16 spots all the way to No. 8 after their upset win over Oklahoma. Knocking off a powerhouse seems to be a pretty effective way to improve your rankings spot. We'll see if TCU is a legitimate playoff threat when they take on No. 6 ranked Baylor this week. Two victories over higher ranked opponents will solidify the Horned Frogs as the real deal.
The Oregon Ducks took one of the biggest spills, falling from No. 3 all the way to No. 13. Heisman hopeful Marcus Mariota has had a pretty impressive season so far, but if the offensive line doesn't improve, then Oregon could be left out of the playoff picture. Two upset losses to an unranked Arizona team in two years is not what you want to see from a team with championship aspirations.
Texas A&M also took a fall down to No. 14 after Mississippi State forced three interceptions from Kenny Hill. Mississippi State had a 24-point lead at one point in the third quarter, and even with the Aggies scoring two touchdowns late in the fourth, it was never all that close. The SEC still boasts five of the top 10 spots in the rankings, but A&M is on the outside looking in at the moment. They'll try and rebound in a touch matchup against Ole Miss this week.
