Four teams in the top eight lost in Week 7 so the College Football Playoff picture is as clear as it’s been all year.
It was only a matter of time. While previous weeks in college football have provided upsets, week seven was the craziest one to date. Several top teams faced tough tests, and playoff chances were hurt in a big way across the board.
The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs entered Saturday with no real tests passed. They had played SEC games, but mostly against the cupcakes of their division. In their crossover game in Baton Rouge, things got ugly. The Bulldogs faced a 16-0 deficit at halftime, and couldn’t quite recover, despite some solid drives in the second half. Georgia’s route to the playoff is now clear, which will include winning out and beating Alabama in the SEC championship game should they get there.
Despite a loss in the opening week to the Auburn Tigers, the Washington Huskies still had playoff hopes. Winning the Pac-12 wouldn’t be easy, especially navigating tougher games down the stretch. One of those was today in Eugene. The Huskies had a chance to win in the closing seconds, but a missed field goal ultimately doomed them as Oregon won in overtime.
West Virginia also took a tumble against the newly minted giant killers, the Iowa State Cyclones. Will Grier had his worst game of the season and took himself out of Heisman contention. Cyclones running back David Montgomery had himself a big day, tallying 189 yards on 28 carries. West Virginia must win out and take the conference title to have a shot now, and the road won’t be easy.
College Football Playoff rankings after Week 7
In case you didn’t know this, the Crimson Tide are good. It was another week of quick strikes and a finish with the second team. While it wasn’t his best performance, Tua Tagovailoa still threw for 265 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 completions before aggravating a knee injury, but Saban said after the game he’s okay. Jalen Hurts came in and got some light work in, completing seven of eight for 115 yards.
The running game looked solid once again, with three guys getting nine or more carries. Damien Harris got the lead, and racked up 62 yards on the ground and got the only score for Bama on the ground. Jerry Jeudy continues his ridiculous tear, and he caught only three balls but called 147 yards and a touchdown. Devante Smith also had a 100-yard day on four catches.
Coming into this game, many were unsure how Drew Lock would handle Alabama’s defense. Spoiler alert, it didn’t go well. He looked below average, leading to more questions about how good this coming class is. Lock only completed 50 percent of his passes, threw two picks, and was sacked twice. Quinnen Williams continued his dominance with two tackles for loss and another sack. Isaiah Buggs got in the fun as well, getting one and a half sacks and a tackle for loss. Saivion Smith had two picks for the Crimson Tide.
The Tide visit Knoxville next week in what many expect to be a very similar game.
Ever since their big comeback win against Penn State, the Buckeyes have been sleepwalking through the first couple of quarters. This week was no different against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Early on, the Gophers built a 14-10 lead on a couple touchdown runs from Mohamed Ibrahim. The defense tightened up after that and scored the last 20 points of the game.
Dwayne Haskins continued his tear, completing 33-of-44 for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Right now, he is the only one in the race with Tua Tagovailoa for the Heisman. Wide receiver K.J. Hill was the big recipient today, catching nine balls for 187 yards and two touchdowns. While the passing game was explosive once again, the running game was a struggle. Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins combined for 23 carries and 86 yards. Offensive line concerns have come up for the Buckeyes, and that will be something to watch down the stretch.
The defense got stingy later in the game, but it has looked different now without Nick Bosa. The front only tallied two sacks on the day, and one came from the front four. Chase Young is getting a lot of attention so the others must step up. The second is getting stronger, with both Kendall Sheffield and Damon Arnette getting more comfortable.
Ohio State will be in West Lafayette next week battling the Boilermakers.
What a scare for the Fighting Irish in a game that many believed they should roll, especially since it was at home. Pittsburgh gave the Irish everything they could handle, building a 14-6 lead early in the second half after a kickoff return for a score. The Irish got it together with two big touchdown drives, the second of which came with under six minutes to go in regulation. The defense held late and kept the Irish undefeated.
Ian Book put together another efficient day, completing 26 of 32 passing and two touchdowns. However, he did throw two picks, which luckily resulted in no points for the Panthers. The run game was stifled all day long, which put a ton of pressure on Book. He answered the call when it counted though.
The defense only picked up one sack but put a ton of pressure on Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett. Junior lineman Julian Okwara was big for the Irish, tallying seven quarterback hurries on the day and a pass defended.
This team has a great shot to put themselves in the playoff this season, but they need to take care of business the rest of the way. They are off next week and face Navy at home the week after.
The Tigers had their bye week this week, and they sneak in courtesy of the Georgia loss. Clemson is still undefeated and is still rolling through ACC play. There is a very good chance this team finishes undefeated and routs their opponent in the ACC title game. Their biggest test left will be next week against the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
First Team Out: LSU
Their big win over Georgia gets them back up the rankings, and they are knocking on the door. Their big test will be vs. Alabama on Nov. 3.