College football rankings: Danny Kanell shakes up Top 12 with new No. 1 team after Week 7

Following an exciting and consequential Week 7 of the regular season that saw eight Top 25 teams go down, CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell overhauled his weekly Top 12 ranking. It was quite the shakeup from last week’s list, including introducing a brand-new No. 1 team.

Kanell clearly came away impressed by No. 7 Indiana‘s convincing 30-20 road win over No. 3 Oregon in Saturday’s Big Ten showdown from Eugene, and moved the Hoosiers into the top spot after Week 7. From there, Kanell unveiled sweeping movement throughout, including a bit of a freefall for the Ducks.

Check out Danny Kanell’s updated personal Top 12 ranking following Week 7 below:

1. Indiana Hoosiers (+4)

As mentioned above, Kanell gave the Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 B10) his biggest boost of the week — all the way into the No. 1 overall spot — after Indiana delivered host Oregon (5-1, 2-1 B10) a humbling home loss in the week’s lone Top 10 matchup.

In a battle of elite QBs, the Hoosiers’ Fernando Mendoza outdueled Ducks counterpart Dante Moore, who had his first multi-interception game since arriving in Eugene, while running back Roman Hemby added two rushing scores to keep Indiana undefeated on the season.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0 B10) held onto the No. 2 spot in Klatt’s ranking after holding serve in a never-in-doubt 34-16 win over No. 17 Illinois (5-2, 2-2 B10) in Champaign. Once again, Ohio State’s defense led the way with three takeaways that its offense turned into touchdowns for the difference in the game.

Buckeyes redshirt freshman QB Julian Sayin threw a pair of touchdowns while running back CJ Donaldson added two more scores on the ground to spark OSU to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter and never looked back.

3. Miami Hurricanes (-2)

With a new No. 1, Kanell dropped the idle Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0 ACC) two spots out of the top spot during its first bye week after securing its first conference win with last weekend’s 28-22 victory over then-No. 18 Florida State.

Arguably college football’s most complete team this season, Miami returns to the field next Saturday vs. Louisville ahead of a remaining schedule that currently doesn’t have another ranked opponent on it. If the ‘Canes can run the table, they’ll be in the mix for a first-round bye.

4. Texas A&M Aggies (+2)

Kanell makes the Aggies his highest-ranked SEC team at No. 4 after doubling up the visiting Gators, 34-17, inside Kyle Field. Billed as a battle between two of the SEC’s top young QBs — A&M’s Marcel Reed and UF’s DJ Lagway — it was Texas A&M’s rushing attack that exerted its control on the game.

Behind its talented backfield of Reed and running backs Le’Veon Moss and Rueben Owens, the Aggies trio combined for 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns as A&M outgained Florida 183-74 on the ground Saturday night.

5. Texas Tech Red Raiders (+2)

Kanell also gave the Big 12-leading Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0 B12) a two-spot boost from last week after taking care of business with a dominating 42-17 rout of visiting Kansas (4-3, 2-2 B12) on Saturday. This lop-sided win came despite losing QB Behren Morton to a lower-leg injury in the second quarter.

With his QB1 out of commission, Texas Tech running back Cameron Dickey ran for a career-high 263 rushing yards — averaging 12.5 yards per carry — and two rushing touchdowns, while backup QB Will Hammond also added a pair of scores on the ground while outrushing the Jayhawks 372-74.

6. Alabama Crimson Tide (+3)

The Crimson Tide (5-1, 3-0 SEC) continue to prove Week 1’s 31-17 setback at Florida State was little more than a blip on the radar after escaping Columbia with a 27-24 road win over the 14th-ranked and previously undefeated Tigers (5-1, 1-1 SEC).

Alabama QB Ty Simpson threw three touchdowns Saturday to take over the SEC lead with 16 passing touchdowns to just one interception this season. Meanwhile, the Tide’s opportunistic defense forced Missouri QB Beau Pribula into a pair of costly fourth-quarter interceptions to seal the win.

7. Ole Miss Rebels (-3)

Outside of Oregon, Kanell’s other biggest faller actually won Saturday, albeit in less-than-impressive fashion as the fourth-ranked Rebels (6-0, 3-0 SEC) rallied to escape with a 24-21 victory over the visiting Cougars (3-3) of the currently-constructed Pac-2.

Former FCS transfer QB Trinidad Chambliss continued his strong play in place of QB1 Austin Simmons, combining on three touchdowns Saturday, while Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy added 142 rushing yards on the ground.

8. Georgia Bulldogs (+2)

While it wasn’t pretty, especially in the first half as host Auburn (3-3, 0-3 SEC) built an early 10-0 lead, the 10th-ranked Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC) took advantage of several Tigers miscues to secure their second straight win since suffering a 3-point loss at home to Alabama two weeks ago.

Georgia QB Gunner Stockton combined for 243 total yards and a 21-yard touchdown pass to Colbie Young in a 10-0 third quarter to pull ahead 13-10 entering the fourth. That helped the Bulldogs secure their ninth-straight win in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry to tie for most consecutive wins in the series.

9. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+3)

The other team from the Peach State also got a nice boost from Kanell, as the 13th-ranked Yellow Jackets (6-0, 3-0 ACC) leapfrogged into his Top 10 with a 35-20 home victory over Virginia Tech (2-5, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday.

Senior dual-threat QB Haynes King continues to lead Georgia Tech with 273 total yards of offense and three combined touchdowns, including two more rushing scores to give him a ACC-leading nine on the ground this season.

10. Oregon Ducks (-7)

Turns out the third-ranked Ducks (5-1, 2-1 B10) are human afterall as the visiting Hoosiers humbled the powerful Oregon offense and star QB Dante Moore, whose two fourth-quarter interceptions doomed the Ducks to their first regular-season loss since 2023.

In a back-and-forth affair that saw five lead changes or ties in the first half, Indiana’s offensive trio of Mendoza, Hemby and receiver Elijah Sarratt were practically unstoppable during a pair of 75-yard touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarters to pull ahead for good.

11. USC Trojans (NR)

Arugably the biggest Big Ten win outside of Eugene took place in Los Angeles, where the unranked Trojans (5-1, 3-1 B10) put on a clinic in doing the little things rigth in Saturday’s 31-13 win over the visiting Wolverines (4-2, 2-1 B10).

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava continued his strong start to the season with 265 passing yards and two touchdowns while freshman walk-on RB King Miller added a career-high 158 rushing yards as the Trojans outgained Michigan 225-109 on the ground Saturday.

12. BYU Cougars (NR)

The final spot in Kanell’s personal Top 12 goes to the undefeated Cougars (6-0, 3-0 B12), which needed double-overtime to pull off the 33-27 road victory over the host Wildcats (4-2, 1-2 B12) in Tuscon.

BYU freshman QB Bear Bachmeier combined for 261 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, including two rushing scores — the first to force overtime and the second to win it Saturday night — while running back LJ Martin added 162 yards as the Cougars outgained Arizona 258-165 on the ground.