ESPN Releases FPI Top-25 Rankings Following Week 7 With LSU Football Tumbling

Brian Kelly and Co. see their Power Ranking fall after escaping in Week 7, move ahead to a challenge against Vanderbilt next week.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

No. 11 LSU (5-1, 2-1 SEC) narrowly escaped with a win on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium after taking down LaNorris Sellers and the South Carolina Gamecocks 20-10 in Week 7.

Behind a strong outing from tight end Trey'Dez Green, the Bayou Bengals survived against an SEC foe to move to 5-1 on the season and remain in the College Football Playoff conversation.

"I was pleased with some things that we did that we have not been doing. We ran the ball with more effectiveness and got the ball to Trey’Dez Green," Kelly said. "I was pleased about that.”

“But, certainly, you can’t get down on the one-yard line three times and come up with three points. And I think we all know that. But what I loved was our compete. I loved the way our guys competed for four quarters; our fans stayed in there with us.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

"Look, it is what it is. Find a way to win, and tonight we found a way to win, even though we had some mistakes out there that could, at some time, be catastrophic, and we’re going to have to eliminate them. But, the bottom line is, I’m glad the way the kids competed today.”

The goal for the night was to contain South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers with the Bayou Bengals doing just that after limiting the physical signal-caller to 124 passing yards.

Sellers escaped the pocket at times, but the Tigers' defense kept him in check after holding the Gamecocks to only 10 total points.

"He's an extraordinary athlete, and we missed a lot of tackles where if we run our feet and do the things we’re supposed to do, we probably tag him more," Kelly said.

"But he felt us today. You know, he felt our football team, he felt our defense. We made it tough for him."

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Now, with Week 7 in the rearview mirror, the updated ESPN Football Power Index Rankings have been revealed with LSU seeing a slight drop.

The ESPN Football Power Index: Week 7 Edition

1. Ohio State
2. Indiana
3. Alabama
4. Notre Dame
5. Oregon
6. Georgia
7. Texas
8. Miami
9. USC
10. Texas Tech
11. Texas A&M
12. Ole Miss
13. Tennessee
14. Utah
15. Mizzou
16. Vanderbilt
17. Michigan
18. LSU
19. BYU
20. Oklahoma
21. Penn State
22. Washington
23. Nebraska
24. Auburn
25. Florida State

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Kelly and Co. drop to No. 18 after falling one spot in the Power Rankings.

Now, all eyes are on Week 8 with the LSU Tigers hitting the road to Nashville for an SEC matchup against Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores.

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