College Football Power Rankings: Miami returns to No. 1 as Penn State, Texas plummet after brutal losses

CBS Sports Graphic

The new No. 1 in the CBS Sports Power Rankings probably should have never surrendered its perch.

Penn State blew up the top three with the season’s most shocking result, a 42-37 collapse at UCLA. The ripple effect dented Oregon’s résumé and, in turn, boosted Miami back to No. 1 after dropping to No. 3 just a week ago.

It’s been a wild season. The top two teams in the AP Preseason Top 25 poll have fallen out of the rankings after only six weeks. Preseason No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Penn State each have two losses, the first time the top two teams in the preseason poll have lost two of their first five games since 1936. Texas’ loss at unranked Florida wasn’t necessarily shocking. The same issues that have plagued the Longhorns — bad offensive line play and Arch Manning‘s reluctance to throw a ball on time — popped up again, and the Gators’ impressive defense took advantage.

It’s a shame for Texas fans. Their program had never entered a season No. 1 in the polls, and now they’re unranked with half of the season left to go.

But this isn’t an outlier. We say it nearly every week here, but parity is the new reality in the transfer-portal era. The AP preseason Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 6 are a combined 11-9 heading into Week 7, and only one of them, Notre Dame, still has a home in the CBS Sports Power Rankings.

Funnily enough, Penn State’s loss to UCLA is arguably the biggest upset in the sport since Notre Dame fell to Northern Illinois last season as a 28.5-point favorite. The Nittany Lions are the first AP top 10 team in 40 years to lose to a team that started 0-4 or worse.

Even so, the CBS Sports Power Rankings barely budged, thanks largely to eight teams resting on bye weeks. Penn State, Texas and Iowa State lost (we were never high on the Cyclones) in convincing fashion. All three stumbled out of the top 25.

Biggest Movers

5

South Florida

9

Vanderbilt

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Teams

 

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1
Miami (Fla.)
The Hurricanes were No. 1 for two weeks, but we dropped them after Oregon’s win at Penn State. Well, that resume-builder for the Ducks took quite the hit. Meanwhile, Miami beat a third ranked opponent for the first time since 2009. Don’t let the 28-22 final score and stats fool you. Mario Cristobal’s bunch dominated Florida State. 2 5-0 2
Ohio State
Ohio State’s defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the red zone all season. Is this unit under Matt Patricia better than the one last season that won a national title with ex-coordinator Jim Knowles? Minnesota kicked a field goal on its first possession and then the Buckeyes held them scoreless and allowed only 96 yards the rest of the game. 1 5-0 3
Oregon
It’s not your fault, Oregon. The Ducks’ win at Penn State in front of the White Out crowd is still impressive, but there’s a different tone after watching the Nittany Lions lay one of the biggest eggs in the sport’s history against UCLA. Oregon was on a bye Saturday. 1 5-0 4
Ole Miss
The Rebels were at home and watched the chaos unfold across the country, but they didn’t get much help in the SEC. The conference leads the nation with four undefeated teams heading into Week 7. The Rebels host Washington State in what should be a laugher in Oxford … right? — 5-0 5
Indiana
Who had Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana as the only remaining undefeated teams in the Big Ten in their preseason predictions? Oh, me? Hey guys! I expected three Big Ten teams to reach the CFP this fall with the winner of Illinois-Indiana as the “wild card.” One of the undefeated will fall this week when the Hoosiers travel to Oregon. — 5-0 6
Oklahoma
The Sooners got Michael Hawkins revved up in a 44-0 win against Kent State. That’s a good thing because it appears John Mateer (thumb) will not play in the Red River Rivalry this week in Dallas. Hawkins threw three touchdowns and scored another on the ground. — 5-0 7
Alabama
The Tide did some bettors a favor by covering the spread late on a 20-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds remaining. Credit Vanderbilt for being competitive and heading into halftime tied, but Alabama’s defense shut down Diego Pavia and Co. in the second half and were especially impressive in the trenches, holding Vandy to 1.1 yards per carry. Next up for Alabama is a trip to Mizzou. 1 4-1 8
Georgia
The Bulldogs rebounded from their loss to Alabama to beat Kentucky for the 16th straight time in a 35-14 win. Georgia’s defense held the Wildcats to only one touchdown on three trips inside the 20-yard line. The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is on tap at Auburn this week. 1 4-1 9
Texas Tech
The widening divide between Texas Tech and the rest of the Big 12 isn’t just on the balance sheet. The Red Raiders are making a case for a class above the other Big 12 contenders. They drilled Houston 35-11 to win their fifth straight game by more than 20 points, the program’s best stretch since 1954. The offense (No. 2 in scoring) gets headlines, but that defensive line is the difference. 1 5-0 10
Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s 31-9 blowout of Mississippi State deserves more attention. The Bulldogs have been explosive all season, but the Aggies held them silent for most of the night to move to 5-0 for the first time in nine years. Marcel Reed has been the difference, scoring three touchdowns Saturday. The showdown in College Station against Florida this week is suddenly intriguing. 1 5-0 11
Tennessee
The Vols got an extra week to prepare for – checks notes – Arkansas. Tennessee was upset by the Razorbacks last season, so you can bet Josh Heupel will be out for blood when interim coach Bobby Petrino comes to Knoxville this week. 1 4-1 12
LSU
Hopefully, Garrett Nussmeier was able to rest up and get back to his old self during the bye week. LSU’s offense has been disappointing, but if they can find a pulse, the Tigers could be a top 10 team. South Carolina comes to Death Valley at night this week. 1 4-1 13
Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets return to action this week against Virginia Tech. The trip to Duke in two weeks figures to be a challenge. 3 5-0 14
Missouri
Missouri got an extra week to prepare for Alabama, its biggest challenge of the season. Ahmad Hardy entered last week leading the nation in rushing and is the Tigers’ best bet at upsetting the surging Tide, who look more like the team today that we expected in the preseason. 4 5-0 15
Michigan
Michigan wins the same way practically every week. Justice Haynes eclipsed 100 yards and scored for a fifth straight game to lead the Wolverines to a 24-10 win against Wisconsin. Donaven McCulley became the first Wolverine with over 100 yards receiving a touchdown catch in three seasons. Michigan travels to USC this week. 4 4-1 16
Illinois
Bret Bielema wasn’t happy with the defense’s performance in a 43-27 victory against Purdue. The Boilermakers can’t do much, but they can score points. Luke Altmyer threw for a career-high 390 yards in the win and has 12 touchdowns without an interception, the best ratio in the Big Ten. Up next is Ohio State. 4 5-1 17
Virginia
Virginia seems more like a team of destiny with every passing week. The Cavs leaned on a pick six and fumble return for a touchdown in a wild 30-27 overtime road win against Louisville. They’ll get a bye week before facing Washington State. 4 5-1 18
Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s defense has turned things around in the last two games, allowing a combined 20 points. The Irish picked off four Boise State passes in a 28-7 win Saturday. The Irish’s two losses – both against top-10 teams – were by a combined four points, the lowest total in the FBS. 4 3-2 19
Arizona State
The Sun Devils jump out of their bye week with a trip to Utah, which is still a Big 12 contender, and then return home to face Big 12 favorite Texas Tech on Oct. 18. This is a big two weeks for the Sun Devils’ hopes to repeat as conference champs. 4 4-1 20
BYU
BYU is 5-0 for the second straight season after a 38-24 victory against West Virginia. Receiver Chase Roberts finished with a career-best 161 yards and scored on an 85-yard reception, the longest pass play since 1996, when Texas coach Steve Sarkisian threw an 87-yarder for the Cougars. 5 5-0 21
South Florida
The Bulls cruised to a 54-26 victory against hapless Charlotte, chewing up 631 yards, including an insane 407 on the ground. Up next is a big trip to North Texas with the winner shifting into the inside track for a spot in the American Championship Game. NR 4-1 22
Florida State
Florida State out-gained Miami and pulled within a score in the fourth quarter, but both numbers are deceiving. The Seminoles fell behind 28-3 before the Hurricanes entered prevent mode, allowing Tommy Castellanos to pick up chunk plays underneath the coverage. He threw the ball a career-high 45 times in the 19-point outburst in the fourth quarter. 5 3-2 23
Memphis
Congratulations, Tigers. You’re the first team to reach bowl eligibility following a 45-7 victory against Tulsa. You also own the nation’s longest winning streak at 10 games. NR 6-0 24
Vanderbilt
The Commodores traded punches with Alabama in the first half, entered halftime tied at 14, but then couldn’t do much of anything in the second half. Diego Pavia is a special talent, but not many quarterbacks could have picked up chunk plays the way Alabama’s defense has been playing lately. 9 5-1 25
TCU
Quarterback Josh Hoover scored five touchdowns in a 35-21 victory against Colorado, a ho-hum win in Fort Worth two years after Deion Sanders’ incredible debut victory leading the Buffaloes. Colorado led 14-0 for a second straight week and lost for a second straight time. NR 4-1