College Football Playoff remains unclear and chaotic midseason
With a very unclear CFP field midway through the 2025 season, Before The Snap argues why this might be the best playoff race yet.
Week 7 of the college football season took a chaotic turn. A handful of top-25 teams lost games that could have season-long repercussions.
Arguably the biggest surprise from the weekend was Indiana‘s road win over Oregon in a game that featured our top two quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft: Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore.
Those two dueled in a Big Ten battle that could decide one spot in the conference championship game and, in turn, who makes the College Football Playoff (CFP) this season. Indiana‘s historic 30-20 victory elevates them to sure-fire CFP contender behind Mendoza and a disciplined defense.
Further down the rankings, South Carolina–LSU featured another pair of top-five passers in our rankings with LaNorris Sellers and Garrett Nussmeier. That game was ultimately decided by strong defenses as the Tigers beat the Gamecocks 20-10.
Penn State‘s loss and a season-ending injury to quarterback Drew Allar adds another wrinkle to a jumbled-up ranking. Here’s how we sorted through the chaos to get our rankings for Week 8:
2026 NFL Draft QB prospect rankings1. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (last week: 1)Week 7 at Oregon: 20-31 (64.5%) passing, 215 yards, one touchdown, one interception; nine carries, 23 yards
What a week for the Hoosiers. Their win in Eugene in Week 7 is a monumental achievement for the program under coach Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers’ defense played their part extremely well but so did Mendoza.
Oregon was the toughest defense he’s faced so far this season with talent up front and on the back end. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF) data, Mendoza was pressured a season-high 14 times by the Ducks defense. To his credit only one of those pressures ended up in a sack. He was on time throughout the game as Indiana utilized a lot of run-pass option (RPO) plays to get the ball out quickly against the Oregon defense.
He made plays with his legs as well including a key first down in the red zone on the Hoosiers’ first touchdown drive of the game.
His first pick-six of the season does not go unnoticed. He was backpedaling in the face of pressure on both ends of the line and didn’t layer the throw well, allowing Oregon to tie the game 20-20 in the fourth quarter.
But what speaks louder is how he responded on the next drive to march 75 yards in 12 plays and find Elijah Sarratt for a go-ahead touchdown to make it 27-20 en route to a 30-20 win. This was a tough test for the top prospect and he did more than enough to pass, even with that untimely interception. Mendoza and the Hoosiers have Michigan State on deck this week.
2. Dante Moore, Oregon (last week: 2)Week 7 vs. Indiana: 21-34 (61.8%) passing, 186 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions; three carries, eight yards
As Mendoza and Indiana won and rose in the college football rankings, Moore and Oregon fell. It was a tough day from the get-go for Moore under center. His first dropback ended in a sack – the first of six on the day. For context, he’d had one in his previous five games.
Indiana was constantly throwing blitzes at Moore as well as the kinds of stunts he can expect at the NFL level. That meant a season-high 19 pressures on 42 drop backs. Moore did find room at times and took advantage of the Indiana defensive spine for the Ducks’ first touchdown of the game.
That was his lone score of the game, though. Oregon went with more quick game in the second half to keep Moore from facing a lot of pressure but Indiana responded by saving their pressures for third down. By the fourth quarter, Moore was pressing more. His first interception came off of a deflection; the second on his next throw was a risky pass in desperation mode.
Overall, this was our first look at Moore playing from behind this season. He struggled as expected for a first-year starter in the Ducks’ offense. He’ll have more chances to improve on what happened against one of the better-coached defenses he’ll face this season, starting this week against Rutgers.
Week 7 vs. Missouri: 23-31 (74.2%) passing, 200 yards, three touchdowns; seven carries, 31 yards, one fumble
Simpson shoots up the rankings after a strong performance against a tough pass rush. Missouri pressured him 15 times per PFF data – second-most this season – and sacked him four times on his 39 drop backs. Still, the Alabama passer continues to put good film on tape for scouts and analysts to enjoy.
His layering on throws in this game really stood out. Three passes in particular show how he can combine his NFL-level arm, accuracy and timing to get the ball to receivers in the ideal spot.
His accuracy this season has drawn comparison to Mac Jones in his time at Alabama. That does make sense but Simpson’s arm talent and mobility are better than what Jones was working with in Tuscaloosa.
Simpson’s rebounded exceptionally well from the Crimson Tide’s season-opening loss to Florida State. If he keeps this up against SEC competition he’ll be in serious consideration for a top-10 pick. Next up is the Tennessee Volunteers in his next SEC test.
4. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (last week: 4)Week 7 at LSU: 15-29 (51.7%) passing, 124 yards, one interception; 17 carries, 74 yards, one fumble
Sellers returned from the bye week and showed the flashes that make him one of the top talents in the class at the position and one of the best athletes we’ve seen at the position in years. His legs were on full display against the Tigers as the Gamecocks leaned on the ground game to find some success.
Sellers saw a lot of pressure in this game and struggled as a passer to his lowest yardage total in a full game this season. On 40 drop backs, PFF data show he was pressured 26 times and sacked three times.
His game-breaking athleticism makes him one of the top talents at the position in the class. But as this game showed, he still needs to evolve as a passer to reach his incredibly high ceiling. He could have a bounce-back performance this week against an Oklahoma defense that gave up a big second half to Arch Manning and the Longhorns a week ago.
5. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (last week: 3)Week 7 vs. South Carolina: 20-33 (60.6%) passing, 254 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions; six carries, 28 yards, one fumble
On the other side of the Tigers-Gamecocks game, Nussmeier played better after the Tigers’ bye than he did in Week 5 against Ole Miss. Still, he doesn’t look fully healthy and committed three turnovers that show some of the frustrations evaluators have with Nussmeier.
His second interception was a killer on 2nd and 8 from inside the South Carolina 10-yard line and he appeared to not see a South Carolina defender spying him over the middle. LSU’s defense did well to hold the Gamecocks offense from capitalizing but this could’ve been a 14-point swing at the NFL level.
His first touchdown pass showed nice touch in a back shoulder throw to wide receiver Trey’Dez Green.
Overall, it was an improved performance for Nussmeier after the bye. As he improves health-wise, he could be move up the leaderboard even more as the season continues. He’ll have another good test this week against Vanderbilt and their defense.
Week 7 at Texas: 20-38 (52.6%) passing, 202 yards, three interceptions; nine carries, 37 yards, one fumble
Mateer shockingly bounced back from his mid-season hand surgery to make the start for Oklahoma in one of the biggest games of the year. That may have been a mistake against a Texas defense that was successfully getting to him throughout the game.
Mateer faced 17 pressures – tied for the most this season with Oklahoma’s loss to Ole Miss in Week 4. The big difference was how successful those pressures were. Mateer was sacked five times on 17 pressures against Texas compared to just four times on 47 pressures the rest of the season combined, per PFF data.
Texas’ pressure wasn’t leaving room for Mateer to use his legs and evade defenders as he had earlier in the season. His first interception of the game came on a 2nd and 10 from his own 37-yard line with delayed pressure up the middle. He got the throw off but it went directly to Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad.
Muhammad notched another interception at the end of the first half on Mateer’s heave to the end zone on 3rd and 2. That ruined Oklahoma’s chances at another field goal that would’ve potentially given the Sooners a 9-3 lead at halftime.
This was a crucial game for Mateer and the Sooners. They’re back to the drawing board this week against South Carolina on the road.
Week 7 at Utah: Did not play
Leavitt did not play in Week 7 but moves up a spot due to Allar’s season-ending injury. All signs point to him starting this week against Texas Tech. That will be a great game for his evaluation because of the Red Raiders’ pass rush led by future top pick David Bailey.
Week 7 vs. Michigan: 25-32 (78.1%) passing, 260 yards, two touchdowns, one interception; one fumble
Maiava makes his debut on the top eight thanks to an impressive performance against a unique Michigan defense. The Trojans went with quick game to neutralize the Michigan pass rush. Maiava had a season-low time to throw of 2.27 seconds, per PFF data, resulting in just five pressures all game. His average depth of target (ADOT) was just 5.9 yards – by far his lowest of the season.
Maiava got the ball out quickly and to the Trojans’ playmakers like wide receiver Makai Lemon. Astute viewers will notice that Maiava’s making adjustments pre-snap, showing Lincoln Riley’s trust in the quarterback.
He’ll have another chance to build on this performance in Week 8 against Notre Dame. The Trojans are back in the top 25 and could go on a run leading up to a matchup against former Pac-12 foe Oregon in November.
Next two up: Carson Beck, Miami; Cade Klubnik, Clemson