My Top 10 teams, plus Week 7 ATS leans

Rating teams each week and making adjustments to their power ratings isn't anything like you see in media polls. In my weekly Top 10, I explain why I made an adjustment as well as break down significant upcoming games for each team.

1. Alabama (95): It was business as usual for the Crimson Tide as they defeated Arkansas on the road in Week 6. I'm intrigued to see how this team responds to arguably the toughest four-game stretch for any team in the country. After they play at Tennessee this Saturday, the Tide goes home to face Texas A&M before hitting the road again to face LSU. Whether they get through the month unscathed or not, it won't make a difference to their power rating as the best team in the entire country. They've earned their spot at the top and it would require major injuries to change anything at this point.

2. Ohio State (93): The Buckeyes weren't completely tested Saturday at home by Indiana, but they struggled to pull away in the fashion a four-touchdown favorite would suggest. I won't ever make an adjustment to a power rating based on one game (assuming there weren't significant injuries), so I'm interested to see how they respond playing in Wisconsin in Week 7. I will be breaking down this particular matchup in more detail in another article, but I do expect the Badgers to be a popular home underdog pick; I'm not so sure Ohio State doesn't just run away with it.

3. Clemson (91): In a spot many people thought would be worth betting against the Tigers, Clemson absolutely dismantled a really good Boston College defense on the road. I understood the reasoning since Clemson was coming off a big emotional win over Louisville, but it felt like this team might finally be finding its groove and I didn't want to step in front of the Tigers' train. Saturday vs. NC State is another game where people will point to the road trip to Florida State on deck as a bad spot for Clemson, but all they have done is cover four straight games (yes South Carolina State game was shortened and ultimately no action, but 59-0 was a good enough performance for a cover). Anyway, similarly to Boston College or Georgia Tech earlier in the season, I would be careful fading the Tigers here in this "bad spot" at the current number.

4. Louisville (90.5): Week 6 seemed like a nice time for the Cardinals to get their bye and regroup following the loss to Clemson. I haven't changed their power rating for any reason and look forward to see how they respond when they face Duke this Friday. The number has been climbing steadily since it opened Sunday and 'Ville are currently 35.5-point favorites. It's getting to the point now where I will probably look at backing Duke, but there's no rush while this number keeps steaming up.

5. Michigan (90; LW 89): The 78-0 beatdown at Rutgers was one of the more impressive performances I have ever seen. When you dig into it a little further, you see the Wolverines outgained Rutgers 600-39. I bumped their power rating up some heading into their Week 7 bye and honestly can't wait for the matchup at Ohio State to end the year.

6. Washington (88.5; LW 87.5): Washington has been as impressive as any team in the country the last two weeks with dominating wins over Stanford and Oregon. They earned another bump up in my power ratings and take plenty of momentum into their bye. As well as Washington State has been playing, the season finale on the road could be the Cougars' opportunity to not only play in the Pac-12 title game, but the College Football Playoff as well.

7. Oklahoma (87.5): The Oklahoma line moved about as much as another side did in Week 6, opening as 6.5-point favorites against the Longhorns before peaking at 13.5 (I even saw a 14 here in Las Vegas). Since my number was around a touchdown, I had to jump in and back Texas on Saturday morning and fortunately was able to get a cover. Bob Stoops desperately needed that rivalry win and the Sooners are the clear frontrunner to capture the Big 12 title. This is typically the spot that a Stoops team stumbles, and we saw it in 2014 when they beat Texas by five and followed it up with a home loss to Kansas State. Don't count the Wildcats out in Norman this Saturday either.

8. Florida State (86.5): I wrote an article last week breaking down the FSU/Miami matchup and mentioned you'd be paying a premium backing the Hurricanes. It's one of the main reasons I wanted to do a Top 10 weekly power ratings piece in the first place, but recency bias is a real thing. People saw the Seminoles' second loss of the season to North Carolina and immediately discounted how talented this squad is. I had lined that game PK, but people were betting Miami up as high as -3 during the week. It was a game that ultimately came down to a missed PAT from the Hurricanes late in the fourth quarter, so it certainly could have gone either way. The point is not to overlook teams based solely on their win-loss record (or losing on a 54-yard field goal at the buzzer the week prior as in Florida State's case). The Seminoles will be just fine going forward and definitely a team worth keeping an eye on.

9. Texas A&M (86): The Aggies absolutely deserve this bye after the run of games they have had. Despite almost collapsing to the 'Vols late in Week 6, they were able to grab the win in overtime and things are setting up very nicely as they prepare to face Alabama in Week 8.

10. LSU (86): Their game against Florida was canceled due to weather in Week 6. It probably won't make a difference as far as the SEC landscape is concerned, but if you bet a season win total before the year, then you are praying this game gets rescheduled. I was intrigued to see how the Tigers would perform following their blowout win against Missouri in Ed Orgeron's first game as head coach, and unfortunately it will be a little easier for them now hosting a Southern Miss team that has lost games as double-digit favorites to Troy and UTSA the last couple weeks. The real tests will come in Weeks 8-9 when they get both Ole Miss and Alabama at home.