AP Top 25 poll: How Texas and Penn State’s losses could impact Week 7 rankings

RALEIGH

The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll once again is expected to see more major shifts in the rankings this week after a chaotic weekend of college football.

First things first: It’s time to admit Texas and Penn State were over-ranked all season, and, until they prove themselves, neither team should sniff the top 15 — much less top 10.

The Nittany Lions (3-2) picked up their second loss of the season after falling to previously winless UCLA (1-4), 42-37, in Pasadena, California. The Bruins, who fired their head coach after three games, upset the 7th-ranked team in the nation. Penn State trailed 27-7 at halftime before attempting to come back in the second half.

UCLA entered the game as a 25.5-point underdog. It finished as the first team in 40 years to start 0-4 or worse and beat a top-10 team, according to Sportradar. Texas-El Paso was the most recent team to achieve the feat, beating then-No. 7 BYU in 1985.

Penn State, which snapped its streak of 34 straight wins against unranked teams, undoubtedly should join UCLA outside the AP Top 25 based on its strength of record.

Texas also slipped to 3-2 after it lost to Florida, 29-21, in Gainesville, after a gritty win by the Gators (2-3). UF’s defense held the Longhorns to 52 yards rushing, and Texas QB Arch Manning passed for 289 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked six times.

Coming off a bye, DJ Lagway put together his best performance of the year and threw for a season-high 289 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas Wilson made both scoring catches in his freshman debut. Jadan Baugh rushed for 107 yards and one score.

The Longhorns looked shaky in their wins over San Jose State and UTEP. Their 14-7 Week 1 loss to Ohio State in Columbus is really the only saving grace, though their strength of record was 48 before the loss. If Texas doesn’t drop out completely, it’ll be lucky to be ranked higher than 20.

Penn State and Texas are the only ranked teams without a win over a Power Four opponent.

After starting the season 5-0, No. 14 Iowa State lost at unranked Cincinnati (4-1), 38-30, Saturday. The Cyclones missed 16 players in the game, and the Bearcats capitalized by building a 31-point first half lead.

Iowa State’s defense, which was missing two All-Big 12 defensive backs, could not control the run and gave up a season-high 260 yards on the ground.

This was a key win for the Bearcats more than it was a bad loss for the Cyclones. Iowa State may stay ranked, while Cincy — with a win over Kansas and a three-point loss to Nebraska, another team knocking on the door of the poll — could sneak in toward the bottom.

No. 6 Texas A&M (5-0) beat a solid Mississippi State (4-2) after a somewhat slow start. They led 7-3 at halftime but put together a 17-point fourth quarter to pull away.

KC Concepcion, the former NC State receiver, hauled in two scoring receptions to end the first half and begin the second.

The Aggies have an argument to leapfrog some teams in the rankings after their 31-9 win.

No. 10 Alabama will likely move up a spot or two after it defeated No. 16 Vanderbilt in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide (4-1) used a 14-point second quarter and 10-point fourth quarter en route to its 30-14 victory.

Ty Simpson threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, while Jam Miller ran for 136 yards and found the end zone once. They helped lead Alabama to the second straight win over a top-20 team.

The Commodores moved to 5-1 on the season after the loss. They will likely drop a couple of spots but will probably stay ranked

Teams ranked 19-25 were either on a bye this week or won their respective games, including Michigan, Notre Dame and Virginia. They could move up after the two top 10 collapses and a possible slip by Vandy.

No. 3 Miami (5-0) escaped a late-game scare against No. 18 Florida State (3-2) after giving up 19 fourth-quarter points. The Hurricanes defeated the Seminoles, 28-22, in Tallahassee. FSU scored a field goal on its opening drive before Miami’s defense recorded stops on seven straight drives.

Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos threw for two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Hurricanes, led by Carson Beck’s clean game, found the end zone after the changes of possession.

Expect Miami to stay put in the top 5. With No. 1 Ohio State (5-0) blowing out Minnesota and No. 5 Oklahoma (5-0) shutting out Kent State, numbers support the Hurricanes to remain at No. 3. Ole Miss (5-0) and Oregon (5-0) were both on byes.

Meanwhile, Florida State will likely take a dip after starting its ACC schedule 0-2. Its win over Alabama and the losses coming by one possession to now-ranked teams are doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Memphis is another team that could sneak into the poll. The Tigers are 6-0 with a Power Four win over Arkansas and a blowout victory over Tulsa.

If Cincinnati is a contender to be ranked, Nebraska is, as well. The Cornhuskers (4-1) defeated Michigan State, 38-27, for their second Power Four victory. Their lone loss was by three points to a ranked Michigan (4-1).

Last week’s AP Top 25 poll

This story was originally published October 5, 2025 at 11:00 AM.