D Poll: Week 7 (2024)
Ranking the top 25 in college football, one wacky result at a time.
Let's cut to the chase. D Poll stands for Dowdle Poll. It doesn't stand for anything other than that, you filthy animals.
Anyway, welcome to my weekly ranking of the top teams in college football! Every week (probably on Monday, maybe Sunday if I'm feeling generous) I'll rank the top 25 teams. It's as simple as that. Now, you'll quickly learn that I tend to order teams in an unorthodox way. I acknowledge that my rankings are not flawless, but they are authentic, and in my opinion, that's what matters.
Ranking teams is always a difficult proposition, especially in college football. That task becomes challenging when five of the highest-ranked teams in the country all lose the previous week. Regardless, I'll give it my best go. Here's the D Poll for Week 7.
1. Texas (5-0, 1-0 SEC)
Week 6 game: BYE
Congrats, Longhorns, you picked the best week to have a bye. In a week where it seemed every top 10 team either lost or was on the ropes, the Longhorns sat on their couch and watched. Must've been a good feeling.
In all seriousness, Texas has been the best team in the country all year long. Yes, the schedule has been fairly easy, except for an impressive 31-12 road victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Still, Texas averages 45 points per game and has held three of their opponents to seven points or less.
The schedule is getting harder, however. Red River is this week and then a bout against Georgia is next. It'll be interesting to see how the Longhorns fare on. Spoiler alert: I think they'll be just fine.
2. Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
Week 6 game: 35-7 win vs. Iowa
"Ohio State hasn't played anybody." That's what the haters say. Well, I'd argue that Iowa's defense is better than what the Buckeyes will face in a good chunk of the rest of their games, and Ohio State made the Hawkeyes look silly.
Quarterback Will Howard continues to do just enough and Jeremiah Smith is the most talented wide receiver in college football (he's also the best). Oh, and the defense might be the best this sport has to offer at the moment. Ohio State has got the goods and is poised to make a run at its first Big Ten title since 2020.
I don't see a lot of games left on its schedule that Ohio State can lose, except next week against the number three team in the D Poll.
3. Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
Week 6 game: 31-10 win vs. Michigan State
The Ducks cruised against Michigan State, not showing too much ahead of their mammoth matchup against Ohio State this week. Can’t wait for that one.
Oregon started the season a little shaky. A close game against the Kibbie Dome dwelling Idaho Vandals was certainly cause for some concern, but then a narrow three-point win over Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty and Boise State the next week made many turn their heads. Since that point, however, Oregon has looked the part, crushing rival Oregon State and beating UCLA and Michigan State in its first two conference contests.
The game against Ohio State is the biggest on Oregon's schedule. If it can pull off the win, Oregon is the favorite to win the Big Ten.
4. Penn State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten)
Week 6 game: 27-11 win vs. UCLA
Is Penn State for real this year? If early returns are to be believed, then yes.
The Nittany Lions treaded water early in their victory over UCLA but quickly found themselves as the game went along. Drew Allar threw for 237 yards and a touchdown, continuing his impressive junior campaign. Allar, as well as the offense led by first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, have been the biggest surprise of the season for me so far. The Nittany Lions were often inept offensively last season, but this year the script has flipped.
Some challenging matchups await the folks from Happy Valley in the coming weeks. They'll have to travel the 2,572 miles to Los Angeles to face USC this Saturday before taking on Wisconsin and Ohio State in their next two games. How Penn State fares in that three-game stretch will tell us a whole lot about its prospects of making a run for a Big Ten title.
5. Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC)
Week 6 game: 39-38 win at California
Midway through this past week, I, for some reason, decided to check where the Miami equipment truck was. This sudden curiosity was brought on by the fact that Miami was playing an ACC game on the road this week (not an unusual thing) on the other side of the country in Berkeley, California (a very unusual thing). When I checked on Thursday, the truck was just past Oklahoma City, not even halfway to its destination. The realities of college football in 2024.
I say all that to say that Miami looked like a team that had traveled 3,000 miles in the first three quarters of its game against the Golden Bears on Saturday night. The Hurricanes were down by as much as 25 points, but still managed to scratch and claw their way back to win. Impressive, yes, but also concerning.
This is the second consecutive week where Miami has played a down-to-the-wire affair against a vastly inferior opponent. Last week it was a nail-biting, controversial win over Virginia Tech and this week it was to California.
Cam Ward's eccentric and exciting play style can be fun, but he's entered complete whoopsy daisy mode the last two weeks. He keeps this up and he can kiss the proposition of a Heisman Trophy goodbye. For most teams, a debilitating pick-six that increases the deficit to 18 points would be a killer, but not to the Hurricanes, and that is to their credit.
I think Miami will be fine, but it's got to clean up its act if it wants to seriously contend for a national title this year.
6. Iowa State (5-0, 2-0 Big 12)
Week 6 game: 43-21 win vs. Baylor
That's right. Iowa State is the sixth-best team in the country right now. Before you start yelling at me, let me explain. Yes, Iowa State would probably not beat Georgia, Tennessee, or somebody like that, but all Iowa State has done this season is win, which is more than you can say for the teams I just mentioned.
There's not a lot to say other than that. The defense has played incredible, and the offense always does just enough to win. Iowa State passed its biggest test in its road win against rival Iowa and has continued to turn its homework in on time since.
The Big 12 is insane and unpredictable, so there's no telling if the Cyclones will be able to survive the chaos. If they can, pencil them into the College Football Playoff.
7. Georgia (4-1, 2-1 SEC)
Week 6 game: 31-13 win vs. Auburn
I am begging Georgia to stop looking mediocre. Except for the opener against Clemson and the game against Tennessee Tech, the Bulldogs continue to do less with a roster that has the most.
I'll give them props for getting off the mat and beating a flailing Auburn team at home following last week's disappointing performance against Alabama. But they've still mightily unimpressed given the talent on the roster. At halftime, Georgia led 14-3, and Auburn was able to cut that to 14-10 at one point before the Bulldogs suddenly remembered that it was time to win a football game.
Carson Beck, while efficient, just looks off. He threw for 240 yards and only had six incompletions, but he looks more like the quarterback we saw at the beginning of last year than the one who was a favorite for the Heisman earlier in the season.
Georgia is still extremely good, and it has the best coach in the sport. Don't be surprised if the Bulldogs are hoisting the national championship trophy at the end of the season, but to get there, they've still got a lot of work to do.
8. Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC)
Week 6 game: 19-14 loss at Arkansas
Woo pig! Arkansas is my second team, and watching them beat Tennessee was pure euphoria, especially given what happened to my favorite team, TCU, the previous evening.
Tennessee's offense has the potential to be amazing, but it's consistently shown signs of weakness against good-to-great defenses. Arkansas' defense isn't world-changing, but it's certainly performed well this year and continued to do so on Saturday night. Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw for just 158 yards and made some bone-headed decisions late in the game that gifted the victory to the Hogs.
The Volunteers play Florida this week, then Alabama the next. Oh, and Georgia is on the docket a little over a month from now, too. If Tennessee hopes to compete for the SEC, as well as a national championship, it has a lot of improvements to make.
9. Alabama (4-1, 1-1 SEC)
Week 6 game: 40-35 loss at Vanderbilt
One does not simply lose to Vanderbilt and climb in the rankings. In fact, the opposite should occur. There's a legitimate argument that Alabama's upset defeat at the hands of the fighting Vanderbilt Commodores is the most surprising loss since Michigan fell to Appalachian State in 2007.
It wasn't like the game was fluky either. Vanderbilt straight-up whooped the Crimson Tide from the opening kick to the final whistle. Alabama was outgained 418-394 and only rushed for 84 yards. The inability to command the lines of scrimmage is baffling given the talent gap between the two schools. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully understand how and why this result happened, but I can't say I'm disappointed that it did.
Diego Pavia beat Auburn last season when he was the quarterback at New Mexico State. He's now one-upped himself by beating Alabama as the quarterback for the Commodores. If you want your team to upset a prominent SEC school, get Pavia in the building ASAP.
10. Clemson (4-1, 3-0 ACC)
Week 6 game: 29-13 win at Florida State
Clemson taught us all a valuable lesson in overreacting. Losing 34-3 to Georgia in Week 1 was jarring, yes, but we should've all listened when they told us that it wasn't the end of the world.
The Tigers have cruised since that game, and given the upcoming schedule I see no reason why they can't continue to do so. They don't play another ranked team until Pittsburgh on November 16, and who's to say if the Panthers will still be ranked at that point anyway? Even though it might not be playing a ton of good games in the next month or so, continue to keep Clemson on your radar.
Alright, that's the top 10. Here are the remaining 15:
11. Notre Dame (4-1)
Week 6 game: BYE
12. BYU (5-0, 2-0 Big 12)
Week 6 game: BYE
13. Texas A&M (5-1, 3-0 SEC)
Week 6 game: 41-10 win vs. Missouri
14. LSU (4-1, 1-0 SEC)
Week 6 game: BYE
15. Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten)
Week 6 game: 41-24 win at Northwestern
16. Utah (4-1, 1-1 Big 12)
Week 6 game: BYE
17. Ole Miss (5-1, 1-1 SEC)
Week 6 game: 27-3 win at South Carolina
18. Boise State (4-1, 1-0 Mountain West)
Week 6 game: 62-30 win vs. Utah State
19. Kansas State (4-1, 1-1 Big 12)
Week 6 game: BYE
20. SMU (5-1, 2-0 ACC)
Week 6 game: 34-27 win at Louisville
21. Nebraska (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten)
Week 6 game: 14-7 win vs. Rutgers
22. Navy (5-0, 3-0 American)
Week 6 game: 34-7 win at Air Force
23. Rutgers (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten)
Week 6 game: 14-7 loss at Nebraska
24. Pittsburgh (5-0, 1-0 ACC)
Week 6 game: 34-24 win at North Carolina
25. Army (5-0, 4-0 American)
Week 6 game: 49-7 win at Tulsa
The highlights of the remaining 15 for me are Boise State, Nebraska, Navy, and Army.
Boise State is in the pole position for the Group of 6 playoff berth; all it has to do is keep winning. Oh, and they might just have the Heisman Trophy front-runner at the moment. Through five games, Broncos' running back Ashton Jeanty (I call him Ashton GT) has 1,031 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on just 95 carries. That's right. Sixteen touchdowns. Ashton GT is currently on pace to break Barry Sanders' record of 2,628 rushing yards in a season. If he does it, and Boise State continues to win, he has my vote for the Heisman.
Nebraska is a lot of fun. Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has flashed absolute brilliance at times, but he's also looked like an overwhelmed freshman. That's perfectly OK and understandable! I have no doubt he'll continue to work out the kinks, and I have a lot of faith in this Nebraska team moving forward.
Salute the troops! Navy and Army, as well as the triple option, are back, but this time with a twist. That's right, these two offenses can throw the ball too. Navy quarterback Blake Horvath has thrown for 771 yards through the Midshipmen's first five games, while also rushing for 565 more. Statistically, Army's passing attack is not as impressive, but Bryson Daily's ability to throw has opened up the offense a ton. Watch out for the service academies; they're both a lot of fun to watch so far this season.
That's the D Poll for Week 7. I expect a lot of changes in the coming weeks, which is good. Bring on the chaos! That's what makes college football such a wonderful endeavor.