College Football Coaches Poll: UCLA, Kansas State Rise in Week 7

Though Week 6 of the 2022 college football season delivered its fair share of intrigue, upsets weren’t the main course on the menu, leading to few changes at the top of the latest USA Today Coaches’ Poll. 

In fact, the top 10 teams in the Week 7 rankings remained exactly the same. Although No. 1 Alabama narrowly beat unranked Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa, the Tide held onto the top spot in the new poll. Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and Clemson rounded out the top five after recording convincing wins in their respective matchups over the weekend. 

As for the rest of the top 10, there were no changes to report. No. 6 USC cruised past Washington State. No. 8 Tennessee blasted LSU on the road in Baton Rouge. No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 9 Ole Miss faced in-conference tests against Texas Tech and Vanderbilt, respectively, and both schools escaped unscathed. 

No. 10 Penn State held its spot after having the week off. 

The biggest shakeups in the rankings came from programs in the Pac–12 after UCLA scored 42 points against a stout Utah defense. The Bruins rose seven spots in the poll to No. 12, while the Utes plummeted eight positions to No. 19. 

In other significant moves over the weekend, Mississippi State climbed up six spots to No. 17 with a blowout of Arkansas, while Kentucky slid nine spots with a loss to South Carolina. Kansas State moved up four positions to No. 16 with a narrow victory over Iowa State.

Cincinnati, Texas and North Carolina all climbed into the latest poll, while BYU, Washington and Arkansas dropped out after losses.

Here is the full Week 7 coaches poll:

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. USC
7. Oklahoma State
8. Tennessee
9. Mississippi
10. Penn State
11. Oregon
12. UCLA
13. NC State
14. Wake Forest
15. TCU
16. Kansas State
17. Mississippi State
18. Syracuse
19. Utah
20. Kansas
21. Cincinnati
22. Kentucky
23. Baylor
24. Texas
25. North Carolina

Others receiving votes: BYU 82; Illinois 77; James Madison 70; Coastal Carolina 55; Florida 52; Tulane 32; South Carolina 21; Minnesota 14; Notre Dame 13; UCF 10; Maryland 8; Washington State 7; Washington 7; Texas A&M 7; Purdue 7; LSU 5; Liberty 5; Florida State 4; Pittsburgh 2; San Jose State 1.