The USA Today/Coaches Poll has been released for week seven of the 2011 college football season and the Stanford Cardinal took a modest hit. In spite of a 48-7 win over Colorado, the Cardinal dropped from No. 4 to No. 5 as an inactive Wisconsin moved a few points ahead. The rest of the top nine remained the same while No. 10 Texas took a nosedive down to No. 21 following the Red River Rout.
The first BCS rankings will be released next week and there should not be a whole lot of change in the rankings. Oklahoma State travels to Texas and Oregon hosts Arizona State, but other than that there is not much chance for significant change. Stanford travels to Washington State but the Cardinal will likely be sizable favorites, even on the road. Stanford is the favorite to win the Pac-12 but they'll need some help if they want a shot at the national title game.
The good news for Stanford is that LSU and Alabama will face off in a month, which will clear up a bit of space. That doesn't mean things still won't get sticky as the season moves along, but for now it would benefit Stanford in the standings.
Here is the USA Today coaches poll top 25 for Week 7:
| 1 | Oklahoma | |
| 2 | LSU | |
| 3 | Alabama | |
| 4 | Wisconsin | |
| 5 | Stanford | |
| 6 | Boise State | |
| 7 | Oklahoma State | |
| 8 | Clemson | |
| 9 | Oregon | |
| 10 | Michigan | |
| 11 | Arkansas | |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | |
| 13 | South Carolina | |
| 14 | Nebraska | |
| 15 | Illinois | |
| 16 | West Virginia | |
| 17 | Virginia Tech | |
| 18 | Kansas State | |
| 19 | Michigan State | |
| 20 | Arizona State | |
| 21 | Texas | |
| 22 | Houston | |
| 23 | Texas A&M | |
| 24 | Baylor | |
| 25 | Penn State |