Joel Klatt
Head college football analyst
When the football schedules for this season were being created and set, October 12th was one of the dates we all stood around. We had been expecting that day for months, and it certainly came true.
There were exciting finishes all weekend long. Penn State came back to win and remained undefeated after its trip to USC. LSU eliminated Ole Miss in overtime. Tennessee also needed overtime to beat Florida, which was a bit of a surprise.
The most important, of course, was Oregon's thrilling victory over Ohio State. The Ducks played their best game of the year in their biggest game of the year. Well done, Oregon. There was a great atmosphere and Ohio State traveled well. The game lived up to the hype and performed similarly to the Georgia-Alabama game from a few weeks ago.
It's hard to argue with super conferences after games like this, isn't it? With that said, let's get to my top 10.
1. Texas (Last week: 1)
File: 6-0
Result week 7: Defeated Oklahoma, 34-3
I considered putting Oregon at No. 1, but the way Texas played Saturday was enough to keep the top spot.
Texas' victory over Oklahoma wasn't close until the first quarter, when quarterback Quinn Ewers was working off some rust in his return. Texas beat Oklahoma by 170 yards. Texas has both the best scoring offense and defense in the country. The latter may be a bit inflated based on the timing of the game against Oklahoma and Michigan.
Simply put, the Longhorns look like the best team in the country.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers threw for 199 yards and had two total touchdowns in his return against Oklahoma.
2. Oregon (Last week: 4)
File: 6-0
Result week 7: Defeated Ohio State, 33-32
The Oregon team we saw on Saturday was the version we expected to see all season. Oregon got off to a bit of a slow start, winning a few games to open the year that were closer than they should have been.
Saturday was the kind of game that Oregon brought in QB Dillon Gabriel, and he delivered. Dan Lanning must be excited. I've seen Gabriel for a long time, and that was one of the best games he's played. He was sensational. His passing on the pitch and ability to break away on some of his runs were tremendous.
What impressed me most about Gabriel's elite performance (397 yards of offense and three total touchdowns) was that he played outside his strengths. I've been saying for a while that he's a card dealer or a point guard. Ohio State's plan was designed to stop that. So it was incredible to see Gabriel launch the ball down the field. As a result, Gabriel also launched his Heisman campaign. He was that good.
We also have to give credit to Oregon's offensive line. That unit struggled in the first few weeks of the season. Gabriel was pressured on about 40% of his dropbacks, but he wasn't sacked.
Gabriel and Oregon's offense really lit up the Ohio State defense. Ohio State gave up 7.5 yards per play in Saturday's game, the most it gave up in a game since late in the 2022 season. Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart really beat Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke in one of the bigger individual matchups from that match.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel threw for 341 yards and scored three total touchdowns against Ohio State.
3. State of Ohio (Last week: 2)
File: 5-1
Result week 7: Lost to Oregon, 33-32
Ohio State only dropped one spot in the rankings after that exciting battle, but something needs to change on defense. Watching the film, you didn't feel like Ohio State was giving up nearly 500 yards of offense, 7.5 yards per play and five yards per carry. It felt like Ohio State was playing great defense before allowing a big play on certain drives.
Why did these great plays take place? There were a few issues with Ohio State's defense. It wasn't a great tackling night. Good defenses always tackle well. That's amplified when you play men's coverage, as Ohio State largely did on Saturday. It's like throwing gasoline on the fire.
Another thing I saw in the film was that Ohio State often ran field defense, meaning the defensive lineman considered a three-technique was primarily on the wide side of the field. It didn't follow the tight end or the power of the offense so much as it was called to the wide side of the field. That means the defensive lineman is lined up with one technique above center, while there was a three-technique above the tackles. There was an opening in the B-Gap and Ohio State did not defend that gap well. Oregon hurt Ohio State with short runs and the Buckeyes didn't adjust in time.
Finally, Ohio State didn't put enough pressure on Gabriel. If you don't put enough pressure on the quarterback, your defensive backs will get beat. There isn't a defensive back in the country who can cover as long as Oregon instructed Gabriel to throw.
As for Will Howard, he played great for most of the game. In fact, Ohio State's offense was more efficient throughout the game. But there were a few moments where Howard didn't play well, and everyone will remember that. He had a drop snap on the fly late in the third quarter, and he missed WR Jeremiah Smith near the sticks on a third-down throw on Ohio State's penultimate drive. Of course, there was also the final play, where he didn't know how much time was left on the clock to go down and set his team up for a field goal.
However, that was a phenomenal match. I can't wait to see these teams play again. But Ohio State might have to take the lead in the regular season to reach the Big Ten title game now.
Ohio State QB Will Howard threw for 326 yards and scored three total touchdowns in Saturday's loss to Oregon.
4. Georgia (Last week: 3)
File: 5-1
Result week 7: Defeated Mississippi State, 41-31
I still ride with Georgia, but he has some warts. Maybe we should be a little concerned about the Bulldogs, though. While QB Carson Beck threw for over 400 yards on Saturday, Georgia wasn't great on the ground. It had a great ground attack against Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs are a one-win team. Georgia has rushed for less than 4 yards per carry in half of its games thus far.
We'll know everything we need to know about Georgia after Saturday's game against Texas. I think Kirby Smart will have the Dawgs ready for that.
Georgia QB Carson Beck threw for more than 300 yards in the first half of the win over Mississippi State.
5. Penn State (Last week: 5)
File: 6-0
Result week 7: Defeated USC, 33-30 (OT)
This felt like a huge, monumental victory for James Franklin. USC was unranked going into this game, but I think it's much better than its 3-3 record suggests. We know that Penn State has fallen short in moments like this in recent years. If Penn State had lost that game, it would have gotten the “same old Penn State tag.”
PSU QB Drew Allar should get some credit for this win. He didn't have his best game, but he was great in big moments. He had two huge fourth-down conversions and threw for 391 yards, rebounding off the three interceptions he threw and providing some clutch moments late in that game. WR Julian Fleming and TE Tyler Warren stepped up in big moments, which I think was the biggest part of that win. If they become consistent threats, it would really round out an already well-rounded team. We know PSU's play and defense are good, so that would be a major development for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State comes back from a 14-point deficit to beat USC in overtime
6. Clemson (Last week: 7)
File: 5-1
Result week 7: Defeated Wake Forest, 49-14
I've been on the Clemson bandwagon for at least a few weeks. Some people may not want to hear it after this team was eliminated by Georgia in Week 1, but they have developed offensively and are much better now than they were at the start of the year. The Tigers had another game where they scored almost 50 points. With the way QB Cade Klubnik and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley are rolling, I believe Clemson will win the ACC.
Cade Klubnik led Clemson to another high-scoring victory, throwing for three touchdowns in the 49-14 victory over Wake Forest.
7. Alabama (Last week: 6)
File: 5-1
Result week 7: Defeated South Carolina, 27-25
What was that game on Saturday, Alabama? Are we panicking, Alabama fans? The defense didn't play great after going up 14-0 against South Carolina. If this team plays a good team, they will have to play perfect on offense and probably win in a shootout. If they play a team they have to beat, they will likely win by a significant margin unless QB Jalen Milroe and the offense don't play well.
That's what happened on Saturday. Alabama's defense has not improved this season. We'll see if head coach Kalen DeBoer can keep Alabama locked down week to week like Nick Saban has done for almost two decades.
Jalen Milroe was on the move often during Alabama's win over South Carolina, rushing for two touchdowns.
8. LSU (Last week: not ranked)
File: 5-1
Result week 7: Defeated Ole Miss, 29-26 (OT)
LSU is in a great position to move forward after Saturday's win. I view LSU's game against Texas A&M on October 26 as a game that looks like it could decide one of the spots in the SEC Championship Game. QB Garrett Nussmeier was great against Ole Miss.
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier completed less than 50% of his passes against Ole Miss, but he had 337 passing yards and three touchdowns in the win.
9. The state of Iowa (Last week: 10)
File: 6-0
Result week 7: Defeated West Virginia, 28-16
Is this an excess value? Maybe. But I trust Matt Campbell's team. That's a very healthy football team. It plays quality defense and I think the offense is better than people realize.
No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Highlights
10. Miami (Fla.) (Last week: 8)
File: 6-0
Result week 7: Inactive
I just don't trust the Hurricanes right now, at least not with how the wins over Virginia Tech and Cal turned out. Miami is in my top 10 because of QB Cam Ward, but only #10.
Joel Klatt is FOX Sports' chief football analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.'Follow him @joelklat And subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.
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