College Football 24-25: Week 7 Review

Conference Check-ins
ACC- Four teams remain undefeated at the halfway point, led by Miami and Clemson, who are both in the Top 10 of the AP Poll. Clemson is already 4-0 in conference play, with a road game at Pittsburgh in its conference finale being the only major test remaining. Miami still has six conference games remaining, though none are against the Top 4 in the ACC. Pittsburgh and SMU could prove to be dark horses, as could Louisville or Syracuse. However, it feels like a two-horse race at the moment. 

Big Ten- Saturday's Ohio State-Oregon game provided a little clarity for the direction of the conference. Three teams remain perfect at 3-0. Oregon and Penn State each earned close wins on Saturday, while Indiana stunned everyone with their perfect start. The Hoosiers still have a daunting schedule ahead, highlighted by Ohio State and Michigan. Oregon also has Michigan on the schedule, meeting the Wolverines in The Big House in early November. That same weekend, the Nittany Lions face Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Wolverines each have paths to the conference title game.

Big 12- With heavyweights Texas and Oklahoma gone, the Big 12 is ripe for the picking. BYU, Iowa State, and Texas Tech are the only undefeated teams left in the conference, while Kansas State leads a pack of one-loss teams. The fun thing about the Big 12 this season is that just about anyone can win on any given Saturday. None of the undefeated teams are safe. If I had to give a tentative prediction for the conference title game, I'd say BYU and the winner of the Kansas State-Iowa State contest during the final weekend of the regular season.

SEC- Half of the SEC is ranked in the Top 25, but few teams have been able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Georgia lost to Alabama, who then lost to Vanderbilt. Newcomer Texas is the #1 team in the country. Next weekend is a big one for the conference. Alabama will be in Knoxville in a battle of one-loss teams, while Georgia will try to avoid a second loss against Texas. Texas A&M and LSU are the only other remaining undefeated teams in conference play, though they're slated to meet in a few weeks, while the Tigers still have Alabama on the schedule and the Aggies have the Longhorns looming at the end of the season. The race to Atlanta is still impossible to call.

At-Large Conferences- With only one guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff, several teams are vying to be the one and only. Boise State is the current favorite, led by Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty. They'll face heavy competition from two undefeated military academies. Army and Navy are both playing excellent football. It would also be foolish to ignore the likes of Memphis, UNLV, and Liberty from the mix.

My Top 25
1. Texas (6-0)
2. Oregon (6-0)
3. Miami (6-0)
4. Georgia (5-1)
5. Penn State (6-0)
6. Ohio State (5-1)
7. Alabama (5-1)
8. LSU (5-1)
9. Tennessee (5-1)
10. Clemson (5-1)
11. Notre Dame (5-1)
12. Kansas State (5-1)
13. Iowa State (6-0)
14. Ole Miss (5-2)
15. Missouri (5-1)
16. Boise State (5-1)
17. Michigan (4-2)
18. BYU (6-0)
19. Texas A&M (5-1)
20. Indiana (6-0)
21. Army (6-0)
22. Pittsburgh (6-0)
23. Illinois (5-1)
24. SMU (5-1)
25. Arizona State (5-1)

My 12-Team Playoff
1. Texas (SEC)
2. Oregon (Big Ten)
3. Miami (ACC)
4. Kansas State (Big 12)

5. Georgia (SEC) vs. 12. Boise State (MWC)
6. Penn State (Big Ten) vs. 11. Clemson (ACC)
7. Ohio State (Big Ten) vs. 10. Tennessee (SEC)
8. Alabama (SEC) vs. 9. LSU (SEC)

13. Notre Dame 
14. Iowa State
15. Ole Miss

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