By Pat Luhta, @PLuhta
Week 6 provided us with some serious shake-ups to the top 10, I'll go straight to my top 10 ballot here.
WEEK 7 TOP TEN
10.Wisconsin (last week: NR)
9. Miami ( last week: NR)
8. Washington State (last week: 10)
7. Ohio State (last week: 8)
6. Washington (last week: 6)
5. TCU (last week: 8)
4. Georgia (last week: 4)
3. Penn State (last week: 3)
2. Alabama (last week: 2)
1. Clemson (last week: 1)
The top 4 remained the same from last week, but the rest all got jumbled around as we have 2 new teams to the top 10. I've been severely reluctant to rank Wisconsin in the top 10 because they have an incredibly soft schedule until November, but they come in at 10 which is where they'll top out at until they get themselves a big win on the resume. The Miami Hurricanes kept their undefeated season alive with a last second win against Florida State, and make their debut in my top 10 by coming in at #9. They are currently 5-0 and have a few big games coming up in November that will truly show if this team is a playoff contending team.
With 2 debuts in the top 10 means that 2 teams are out of the top 10. First, the Michigan Wolverines dropped a tough game to in-state rival Michigan State, 14-10. The defense did what they could but the offense turned the ball over 5 times and it's practically impossible to win under those circumstances. The Oklahoma Sooners lost a game at home to an Iowa State team that was just 2-2 on the season. The Sooners were 31 point favorites in this game and had a 24-10 lead before squandering the lead and eventually losing 38-31. They nearly coughed up a game the week before to a winless Baylor team and now this loss, Oklahoma needs to get it together soon with Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and TCU looming.
HEISMAN WATCH
5. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
4. Luke Falk, QB, Washington State
3. Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
2. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
1. Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
A little movement in the Heisman watch this week, Baker Mayfield slides down to 5 after an Oklahoma loss in which he did not perform very well. Stanford RB Bryce Love continues to climb up the watch list, he has 1240 yards and 9 TD's in 6 games this season putting him on an incredible pace to be well over 2,000 yards.
Saquon Barkley holds down the #1 spot, as he accounts for nearly 40% of Penn State's offense. A bye week this week then back to back tests against Michigan and Ohio State will be a huge proving ground for his Heisman campaign.
WEEK 7 PREVIEW
#12 Oklahoma vs Texas - 3:30 PM
The Red River Rivalry kicks off at 3:30 in the Cotton Bowl, one of the biggest rivalries in the entire country. Oklahoma has not looked very good these past 2 games, a narrow win against Baylor followed by a home loss to unranked Iowa State. They will need QB Baker Mayfield to be the true leader of the team and right this ship, they still can make the playoffs if they win out so this is the beginning of "must win" games for the Sooners. Texas' new Head Coach, Tom Herman, started out last season with a win over the Oklahoma Sonners when he was coaching the Houston Cougars. He'll need more of that success here as this would be a signature win for him and also keep Texas in the Big 12 title game picture. As it goes for any rivalry, this one has proven to be wildly unpredictable and with the way both teams have been playing, do not be surprised at any outcome.
PREDICTION: Oklahoma 37-27
#10 Auburn at LSU - 3:30 PM
SEC West foes collide right here. Auburn is starting to climb their way back up the polls and are making people believe that they are a contender still. They lost a lopsided game in week 2 at Clemson and have been on a roll ever since, winning 4 straight which includes a 49-10 drubbing of then #24 Mississippi State. QB Jarrett Stidham has been leading this team on offense as they've put up at least 44 points in each of the last 3 games. LSU has been their kryptonite though as they've lost their last 8 trips to Baton Rouge, and LSU is looking to make it 9 here. LSU had high expectations this season, but a conference loss to Mississippi State and then an upset loss against Troy 2 weeks later really derailed those expectations. They had a bounce back game last week though against Florida, defeating the #21 ranked Gators 17-16. They have a tough defensive front that will look to shut down Stidham, much like Clemson did. They'll ride their running attack on offense, led by Darrius Guice, in order to move the ball and pull off the upset.
PREDICTION: LSU 19-17
Utah at #13 USC - 8:00 PM
This game lost a bit of it's luster after Utah, ranked #20 at the time, lost a close game to Stanford which dropped them out of the top 25. Physicality will be the name of the game for Utah, they'll look to control the trenches on both sides of the ball in order to dictate the flow of the game. Their defense was gashed by Stanford RB Bryce Love last week, but their run defense still is #1 in the Pac-12 with only giving up 108 rushing yards a game. They should also get a boost if QB Tyler Hunley is back for this game, he injured his shoulder in a game against Arizona two weeks ago and missed last week's game against Stanford. If he cannot go then Utah will turn to QB Troy Williams, who started for the Utes last season.
For USC, it will be controlling Utah's pass rush and not turning the ball over. Turnovers have haunted the Trojans this season, QB Sam Darnold has thrown 9 INT's and lost a fumble this season and they've been their own worst enemy in games this season. They are one of the most talented teams in the country, but always seem to either play down to competition or make crucial mistakes that keep opposing teams in the game and it's bit them once(Washington State) and could bite them again here.
PREDICTION: USC 30-14
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