AP top 25 poll: Five most underrated college football programs in Week 7

Once again, the AP top 25 poll saw plenty of shake-up after five ranked teams -- including two in the top 10 -- lost over the weekend.

Incredibly, the preseason No. 1 and 2 teams -- Texas and Penn State -- are now out of the poll entirely, less than halfway through the season. (Not for nothing, but those are two that we've highlighted in this space week after week for being ranked too highly based purely on perception rather than resume.)

The new top 10 is largely unarguable for the most part, but we wouldn't be doing our job here if we didn't find a couple of minor points to address.

Here are the most underrated teams in the AP top 25 entering Week 7.

Virginia

Virginia jumped into the rankings last week for the first time since 2019 after its thrilling double-overtime win over Florida State, and the Cavaliers moved up five spots to No. 19 after a 30-27 win on the road against previously unbeaten Louisville on Saturday.

But the only reason 5-1 UVA is still behind No. 17 Illinois (5-1), No. 16 Notre Dame (3-2) and No. 15 Michigan (4-1) is that perilous word again -- perception. Illinois has a narrow home win over USC to its credit, but also lost by 53 points to Indiana.

Notre Dame's best win is against an Arkansas team that promptly fired its coach, while the Fighting Irish are mostly getting credit for competitive losses to Miami and Texas A&M (both ranked in the top 5 this week). Michigan's best win is over Nebraska, while it lost by double-figures at Oklahoma.

Virginia now has two wins better than any of those teams can claim with the upset of a then-top-10 Florida State team and a road win as an underdog against then-undefeated Louisville. Virginia took its lone loss in Week 2, 35-31 on the road against a NC State team that is now 4-2.

Texas Tech

As noted up top, there isn't much to argue about within the top 10 this week. The best we can do is advocate a little stronger for Texas Tech, which moved up two spots to No. 9 with a dominant 35-11 road win over previously-undefeated Houston.

The voters realized they couldn't put a one-loss Alabama team ahead of 5-0 Oklahoma or Indiana, but the Red Raiders weren't afforded the same respect despite literally blowing out every team they've faced this season. Texas Tech hasn't played a game closer than 24 points and has two notable wins now -- a 34-10 road whopping of Utah (which hasn't lost otherwise) and this one-sided road win over Houston.

Yes, Alabama football is back, but the No. 8-ranked Tide still has to own its two-touchdown loss to a Florida State team that is looking increasingly less impressive.

We'd swap those two in the rankings and also consider having Texas Tech ranked ahead of Oklahoma, which is No. 6 and will presumably be missing injured starting QB John Mateer for upcoming big games at Texas and South Carolina.

Texas Tech sure seems legit and ranks first in the FBS in total offense (568.8 yards per game) and second in scoring (48.6 points per game).

USC Trojans football vs. Michigan. — Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley talks with players during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

USC

The Trojans (4-1) were off this past week and remain unranked after being booted from the poll for the crime of losing 34-32 on the road against a good (and now once again ranked) Illinois team on a last-second field goal while playing without two starting offensive linemen and its best defensive back.

Other than that, USC has rolled over its competition, including lopsided Big Ten wins over Purdue (33-17 on the road) and Michigan State (45-31 at home).

The Trojans are second nationally behind the Red Raiders in total offense at 565 YPG and will get their chance to move back into the rankings as they host No. 15 Michigan in the Coliseum this weekend.

Cincinnati

Cincinnati knocked off one of the remaining unbeatens Saturday with a 38-30 win over then-No. 14 Iowa State.

And yet the 4-1 Bearcats remain out of the AP top 25 while Iowa State remains in at No. 22. How does that work?

Sure, Iowa State was depleted by injuries in that loss, but it is what it is -- the Cyclones got run over by Cincinnati, which rushed for a season-high 264 yards on a whopping 8 yards per carry.

They're both one-loss teams, except Iowa State's loss was to Cincinnati! The Bearcats took their lone loss in Week 1, 20-17, to a good Nebraska team. Their other notable win is a 37-34 victory over Kansas, which won't move the needle too much. But head-to-head should matter a little here.

The case can also be made to rank Cincinnati above No. 24 South Florida, which gained notoriety early with wins over then-ranked Boise State and Florida teams; however, neither of those teams is ranked any longer. The 4-1 Bulls were thoroughly outplayed by Miami (49-12). Or No. 25 Florida State (3-2), which has lost two straight now and also got a good humbling from the Hurricanes over the weekend (despite the 28-22 final score looking closer than it was).

Nebraska

Nebraska is also unranked and getting fewer votes in the AP poll than Texas and Penn State despite a 4-1 start, with its lone loss coming by three points to No. 15 Michigan.

The Cornhuskers posted a strong 38-27 win over Michigan State on Saturday and have that aforementioned win over 4-1 Cincinnati. So, if we're going to stump for the Bearcats, you can be sure we'll do the same for the Huskers, while making the same arguments relative to those final two spots in the top 25.