Burning questions in college football this weekend, including if the Pac-12 out of playoff contention with a Washington loss.
Week 7 in college football is loaded with battles between Top 25 teams in the SEC, Big Ten, and Pac-12. Georgia plays at LSU in a must-win game for LSU to keep their slim Playoff hopes alive, Wisconsin takes on Michigan in the Big House and Washington travels to Oregon in a battle for control of the Pac-12 North.
Week 7 also provides Heisman candidates Tua Tagovailoa, Dwayne Haskins and Will Grier with opponents that should allow them to continue putting up insane numbers through the air.
As excited as fans are for this week, there remain some burning questions that this week should answer
Burning Questions for Week 7
5. Which Top 5 can’t afford a loss?
No. 5 Notre Dame with a loss at home to Pitt. Alabama and Georgia are at the top of the rankings and can afford to lose one game in in the SEC Championship Game to each other. Ohio State losing to Minnesota would be a striking blow for their resume, but they can recover with late season victories against Michigan State, Michigan and in their conference championship game. Clemson is off this week. Notre Dame was the best choice because a loss to Pitt would be a severe hit to a team that does not get a chance to play in a conference championship game and that does not have many good teams left on their schedule to play.
4. Which Heisman candidate has the best week?
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Phi owl State’s Dwayne Haskins and West Virginia’s Will will each have big days, but Tagovailoa will shine brightest. Alabama hosts a Missouri team that has only intercepted opposing quarterbacks twice this year while giving up 10 touchdowns through the air. Missouri is also giving up 284 passing yards per game so far this season, along with a defensive passing efficiency rating that puts Missouri at 105 out of 129.
3. With a Washington loss to Oregon, will the Pac-12 be left out of the College Football Playoff for the third time in five years?
Yes, Washington needs to win out to give the Pac-12 any chance of having representation in the Playoff this season. A Washington loss this week would only leave the conference with Oregon and Colorado as teams with pulse to go to the Playoff. This may seem like an overreaction, but with how loaded and competitive the rankings are right now, the Pac-12 is going need a lot of upsets to take place in order to be represented come playoff time.
2. Will Colorado prove they are a legitimate Pac-12 contender vs. USC?
No, they will stumble with a true road test at USC. Colorado has started off the season strong with a record of 5-0 going into week 7. This has secured them a No. 19 ranking in the AP Top 25 and 18 in the Coaches Poll. All of this is a little bit deceiving because the combined records of the five teams they have faced this year is a staggering 6-22. They did get a big win over Arizona State last week, but Colorado has not faced a traditional Pac-12 powerhouse yet this season. USC is a seven-point favorite as it stands and they have been getting better and better each week under freshman quarterback JT Daniels.
1. Will voters finally be impressed with UCF with another dominating win?
Probably not. No. 10 UCF is going up against a 4-2 Memphis team coming off of a dominant 55-14 win over a bad Connecticut team. This will be both teams toughest test. UCF’s toughest test to date was their 20-point victory over Florida Atlantic. Even with a big win on Saturday, UCF will not make a significant jump in the rankings. The voters are valuing one-loss power conference teams that have strong wins above of the undefeated UCF squad. Look for the winner of Wisconsin at Michigan to jump ahead of UCF next week along with LSU and Oregon if they beat their Top 10 opponents.