Welcome to Twelve in the Box. Here, you will see twelve teams making the biggest impact on college football. Is this a ranking? Not really—you won’t find any numbers by the team names. Is this a power ranking? Sort of. The Judge, here, will use his arbitrary sliding scale of indiscriminate factors to present the twelve teams (and three alternates) Your Honor thinks you need to be paying attention to.
If you had James Madison cracking the AP poll in your office pool, please collect your prize. Some of the most interesting stories during a college football season don’t necessarily involve the best teams. What is exciting about Week 7’s Twelve in the Box is the teams that aren’t on here. A handful of teams wait right outside the cut line and are a good week away from knocking several of this week’s teams out of the fold. Until that does or does not happen, these teams deserve your attention.
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The Judge’s CFB Week 7 Rankings
Alabama
The Crimson Tide needs Bryce Young to get healthy as soon as possible. Alabama survived a scare against Texas A&M, a game that had received hype since the offseason because of bickering between the two head coaches. Backup quarterback Jalen Milroe led the Tide to another conference win, but the void left by Young is obvious. Preferably, Young will return this week for Alabama’s trip to Knoxville against an incredibly dangerous Tennessee team. You’ll want to tune in to this one. It will be the most competitive matchup between these teams since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa.
To Win SEC Conference
+105
To Make Playoff
-400
To Win FBS Championship
+240
Next Game: at Tennessee
Clemson
The Tiger defense has found its footing since its shootout against Wake Forest, only allowing 23 total points in its last two games. Despite being 6-0 and getting increased production from the defense, Clemson is still looking for a complete performance. They might need it for their upcoming trip to Tallahassee against a capable Florida State team. Trying to make more of the Tigers’ remaining schedule would be disingenuous, though. Only one of their remaining opponents, Syracuse, is currently ranked. If Clemson can avoid a poor performance, they will likely make it through the regular season undefeated.
To Win ACC Conference
-360
To Make Playoff
+105
To Win FBS Championship
+1200
Next Game: at Florida State
Georgia
Georgia looked like they were going to sleepwalk through another game until Auburn failed to convert a fake punt in the second quarter. The surprise was a welcome jolt to the Dawgs as they went on to rout the Tigers 42-10. Still, this Georgia team seems to have regressed from its Week 1 performance against Oregon in which some people were already crowning them as repeat champions. They will hope to carry their second-half performance into Week 7 as they get to host Vanderbilt before the schedule ratchets up. Georgia has all the tools to make another run, but will they put it all together is the big question.
To Win SEC Conference
-105
To Make Playoff
-500
To Win FBS Championship
+220
Next Game: vs. Vanderbilt
James Madison
James Madison is in their first season in FBS and are 5-0 going into Week 7. They have found a way, in their inaugural season, to crack the AP Top 25. How about that for a welcome party? No, the Dukes have not beaten any Power 5 teams but they will have a chance in November at Louisville. James Madison has taken down Middle Tennessee and Appalachian State, who have wins over Miami and Texas A&M, respectively. Even though the transitive property alone has never won a championship, it doesn’t make what the Dukes are doing this year any less impressive.
Next Game: at Georgia Southern
Michigan
This is where the rubber meets the road for the Wolverines. Michigan passed tests against Iowa and Indiana the last two weeks but will finally play host to a 5-0 Penn State team in Week 7. The maize and blue will be looking to capture their first win over a ranked opponent and solidify themselves as legitimate contenders for the college football playoff. It certainly won’t come easy, as Penn State has looked sharp in road wins at Purdue and Auburn. Michigan will need quarterback JJ McCarthy to keep performing like he did in Week 6 if they want to remain undefeated through Week 7.
To Win Big Ten Conference
+600
To Make Playoff
+380
To Win FBS Championship
+2000
Next Game: vs. Penn State
Mississippi State
The Bulldogs’ Week 3 loss to LSU is looking more and more like the exception than the rule with this team. Since then, Mississippi State has taken down Texas A&M 42-24 and Arkansas 40-17. The offense is rolling behind quarterback Will Rogers and he has the numbers to back it up. In Week 6, Rogers bested Aaron Murray’s SEC record for career completions. Murray needed 52 games to reach 921 completions. Rogers? Only 28. The Bulldogs will need every bit of production they can get as four of their remaining six games are against teams currently ranked, including Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss.
To Win SEC Conference
+4500
To Make Playoff
+1800
To Win FBS Championship
+20000
Next Game: at Kentucky
Ohio State
The bye week is much welcomed for Ohio State after a 49-20 road win against Michigan State. The Buckeyes can’t seem to stay out of the training room. Running back Miyan Williams and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba were unavailable to play and running back TreVeyon Henderson was injured during the game against the Spartans. The good news was the offense kept rolling behind quarterback CJ Stroud. The bad news is that Ohio State is running out of time to get fully healthy. The Buckeyes will need to be as close to full strength as possible for its October 29th trip to Happy Valley.
To Win Big Ten Conference
-320
To Make Playoff
-500
To Win FBS Championship
+180
Next Game: BYE
Oklahoma
What’s happened to this Oklahoma team has everyone in the college football world scratching their head. After a 3-0 start, the Sooners have lost three straight by a combined 87 points. Certainly, Dillon Gabriel’s injury has something to do with it, however, the Sooners have given up 40 points in each of the games he’s been gone. The Sooners have also given up 7.2 yards per carry in those games. It’s quite concerning considering Brent Venables’s defensive pedigree. What initially looked like a plug-and-play situation is now looking like a rebuild in Norman. Oklahoma will need to get it together to avoid getting embarrassed by Kansas in Week 7, and it’s not even basketball season yet.
To Win Big 12 Conference
+20000
Next Game: vs. Kansas
Southern Cal
The Trojans comfortably won their Week 6 bout against Washington State and will now turn their attention to a much-anticipated Week 7 game at Utah. With Utah losing in Week 6 to UCLA, the game might have lost some hype, but that doesn’t make Saturday’s matchup any less dangerous for USC. There will be a lot riding on this one—a win makes the Trojans the favorite for the conference championship and puts them directly in the mix for the playoff with only one ranked opponent remaining on its schedule. For now, USC sits at 6-0 for the first time since 2006. Lincoln Riley’s first year in charge is off to a good start.
To Win Pac-12 Championship
+175
To Make Playoff
+350
To Win FBS Championship
+2000
Next Game: at Utah
TCU
Sonny Dykes has gotten off to a scorching start in his tenure at TCU. The unbeaten Horned Frogs won in the national spotlight in Week 6 at Kansas and now return home to host another unbeaten, Oklahoma State. A win on Saturday means a solo seat atop the conference standings. While TCU is squarely in the Big 12 race, the meat of their schedule is still to come. The good news is that if Max Duggan keeps playing like he is, the Frogs can beat any of those teams.
To Win Big 12 Conference
+300
To Make Playoff
+900
To Win FBS Championship
+8000
Next Game: vs. Oklahoma State
Tennessee
The Volunteers made a statement in Baton Rouge in Week 6, disposing of the home Tigers 40-13. Some are saying it’s starting to feel a bit like ’98. Rocky Top is buzzing, and it couldn’t come at a better time—the Vols host rival Alabama in Week 7 in its biggest game in years. Tennessee will look to reverse the lopsided trend in this rivalry and get its first win against Alabama since 2006. Unlike years prior, it feels like the Vols have a legitimate shot to knock off the Tide.
To Win SEC Conference
+850
To Make Playoff
+700
To Win FBS Championship
+3500
Next Game: vs. Alabama
UCLA
UCLA has passed the “ain’t played nobody” test with flying colors. After Week 4, the Bruins sat 4-0 but had yet to play anybody of note. They even received a scare from South Alabama. We were waiting on the other shoe to drop. Now UCLA goes into its bye week 6-0 after two top-15 wins over Washington and Utah at home. The next game will be a bit more difficult—UCLA will have to travel to Oregon in Week 8 for a matchup against two teams with unblemished conference records. Everything is still in front of this UCLA team, which is more than a lot of teams can say.
To Win Pac-12 Conference
+300
To Make Playoff
+1000
To Win FBS Championship
+6000
Next Game: BYE
Week 7 Alternates: Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State