ESPN shakes up Top 25 Power Rankings after Week 7 of College Football

The college football season is around half over for most programs with Week 7 in the books. That was a week full of upsets, and, unsurprisingly, that also means that ESPN has made some major changes to its Top 25 Power Rankings.

Looking at the Power Rankings, there’s one new team cracking the Top 10. On top of that, there’s four new teams that have cracked the Top 25 after being unranked last week by the ESPN Power Rankings. Then, of course, there’s plenty of movement up and down within the rankings.

Ultimately, these Power Rankings are a glimpse into a moment within the 2025 college football season as a whole. In the second half, there’s going to be plenty more movement. So, for the time, here’s the ESPN Top 25 Power Rankings following Week 7:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes stayed perfect against Illinois, even if they did give up the most points they have in any individual game this season. That was a whopping 16, as the Buckeyes continue to dominate on the defensive side of the ball. So, it’s no surprise ESPN left them at the top of its college football power rankings.

Now, the goal is to stay at the top of these rankings moving forward. That starts with an interesting run upcoming where Ohio State is going on the road to take on a struggling Wisconsin team before heading home to face an interim coach-led Penn State team.

2. Miami Hurricanes

The Miami Hurricanes are coming off their second bye in three weeks this past weekend. The only game they played during that stretch was a solid win over Florida State. It was enough for ESPN, though, as Miami stayed steady in the Power Rankings.

The Hurricanes are going to finish the season with seven straight games. That includes five games in the month of November alone. Those are also all ACC games against teams currently unranked in the AP Poll.

3. Indiana Hoosiers (+4)

The Indiana Hoosiers earned one of the defining wins in program history during Week 7. They went into Eugene and knocked off the Oregon Ducks. Now, they’re not just formidable as it relates to winning the Big Ten. The Hoosiers are also a serious national championship contender.

With the win, Indiana made a big jump up in the ESPN Power Rankings. The trick now is to avoid a letdown game. Next week, they’ll return home to take on Michigan State. In their six remaining Big Ten games, the Hoosiers don’t see a ranked opponent.

4. Texas A&M Aggies (+1)

The Texas A&M Aggies jumped up one spot in the ESPN Power Rankings. That comes after taking care of business against an overwhelmed Florida team. With that, the Aggies moved to 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in SEC play. They’re one of three SEC teams still unbeaten in conference play.

The other two unbeaten teams in SEC play are Alabama and Ole Miss. Neither appears on Texas A&M’s schedule, though. Still, it won’t be easy, with three ranked teams coming in the second half of the season.

5. Ole Miss Rebels (-1)

Ole Miss managed to slip in the ESPN Power Rankings by one spot. They did that without losing, but were put on upset alert against the Washington State Cougars. It was good to survive, but the perception of Ole Miss seems to have taken a minor hit.

Of course, Ole Miss can earn all of that back quickly. The Rebels are set to travel to Athens to take on Georgia next weekend. That figures to be a massive game. It’s also one of back-to-back games they have against ranked opponents.

6. Texas Tech Red Raiders (+2)

The Texas Tech Red Raiders have seemingly separated themselves from the rest of the Big 12. In these Power Rankings, the next closest team from the conference is currently ranked 14th. That should put them in a good position to represent the conference in the College Football Playoff.

Texas Tech only has one game against an opponent that is currently ranked left. In fact, four of their final games are against teams with a .500 or worse record. That includes three teams currently winless in conference play.

7. Alabama Crimson Tide (+2)

Since Alabama lost to Florida State, they’ve bounced back and, seemingly, been an entirely different team. That manifested most recently against Missouri. The Crimson Tide were able to go on the road there and beat a talented team in a close battle. Along the way, quarterback Ty Simpson has looked like a Heisman contender.

It’s a rivalry week now for Alabama. The Crimson Tide are looking to knock off Tennessee. This comes one season after the Volunteers handed the Crimson Tide a key loss. This time, with the game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama hopes to be smoking those victory cigars.

8. Georgia Bulldogs (+2)

It was a bit of an odd night for Georgia when they met Auburn to play in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. After effectively not being able to move the ball in the first half, the Bulldogs turned it up and came from behind to win. It was ugly, but got the job done.

The Bulldogs are actually up two spots in the ESPN Power Rankings. They’ll also have the chance to prove they’re deserving this week when they host unbeaten Ole Miss. A win there not only propels Georgia in the SEC race, it also would make them resurgent for the College Football Playoff with a massive win on their resume.

9. Oregon Ducks (-6)

The Oregon Ducks got more than they could handle from Indiana, losing 30-20. Arguably, it could have been worse. With that, they’ve tumbled in the ESPN Power Rankings. That six-spot drop was actually the second-largest that any team suffered this week.

The good news is that Oregon has time to fix the loss. With six Big Ten games left, the conference title game and the College Football Playoff are still very much on the table. As of now, only one of those games is against a ranked opponent.

10. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+2)

The only new team in the Top 10 of the ESPN Power Rankings is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are now 6-0 and 3-0 in ACC play. That makes them the only unbeaten ACC team and one of five ACC schools without a loss in conference play.

After taking care of business against Virginia Tech last week, Georgia Tech is now turning its attention toward Duke. That’s one of those currently unbeaten in conference play teams. Duke is also the only one of those unbeaten ACC schools the Yellow Jackets will see this season.

11. Tennessee Volunteers
12. LSU Tigers (+1)
13. Oklahoma Sooners (-7)
14. BYU Cougars (+2)
15. Missouri Tigers (-1)
16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1)
17. USC Trojans (NR)
18. Texas Longhorns (+7)
19. Virginia Cavaliers
20. Vanderbilt Commodores
21. USF Bulls (NR)
22. Memphis Tigers (-1)
23. Utah Utes (NR)
24. Cincinnati Bearcats
25. Nebraska Cornhuskers (NR)