Notre Dame football went from a loser to a winner in one week; Washington is a playoff contender and more winners and losers from College Football Week 7.
College Football Week 7 proved to be consequential as Notre Dame football delivered what could be a fatal blow to USC’s playoff hopes.
That sounds drastic, but USC looked awful. To be fair, Clemson had a similar performance and still had a shot at the College Football Playoff last season.
We’ll have more on that in a minute. However, the biggest story was probably Washington football winning its top-10 showdown against Oregon.
Michael Penix Jr. threw a go-ahead touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter, then Oregon missed a game-tying field goal as time expired to give Washington football a massive win.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Colege Football Week 7
Winner: Washington Football and Michael Penix Jr.
As I wrote earlier, Penix Jr. is essentially the Heisman favorite. I wrote that before the disastrous showing by Caleb Williams, but you could kind of see it coming.
USC is soft. People thought Washington was soft too. The Huskies aren’t and they proved it on Saturday with a 36-33 win.
Penix threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns. It looked like Oregon might win after a goal-line stand but Dan Lanning went for it on fourth down near midfield and failed to get it.
Penix drove Washington football down the field for the winning score. The Huskies are now in the driver’s seat for the Pac-12 title game. They also have a good chance of making the College Football Playoff with a big win similar to a team like Oklahoma if both were undefeated.
At any rate, few probably expected the Huskies to be the Pac-12’s top playoff contender after Week 7 but they earned that status on Saturday.
Loser: USC’s playoff hopes, Caleb Williams Heisman chances
There have been signs that USC wasn’t for real. Their ranking has dropped in the past few weeks after struggling to beat Colorado and Arizona.
But on Saturday night, Notre Dame football exposed the Trojans. Not only did Caleb Williams throw three first-half interceptions, which will probably doom his Heisman campaign, but the offensive line was overwhelmed by the Irish.
We knew that USC’s defense was bad. Yet, that wasn’t really the issue. Notre Dame football only gained 251 yards. The problem was that the Trojans surrendered six sacks and turned the ball over three times.
USC also allowed a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown when the Trojans had just gotten within 11 points. It was a brutal beat down and USC will have to improve dramatically if it wants to reach the Pac-12 title game, let alone the playoff.
As far as Caleb Williams, his Heisman Trophy hopes took a major hit, no matter how you slice it.
Winner: Notre Dame football and Marcus Freeman
Notre Dame salvaged its season on Saturday night. It wasn’t saved. It’s probably always going to be viewed as a disappointment to some, simply because Sam Hartman is the kind of quarterback Notre Dame has needed and still won’t make the playoff.
However, the Irish did keep their hopes alive of playing in a major bowl game. Believe it or not, they have played eight games already.
There is a trip to Clemson, as well as a game against Pittsburgh, who just beat a ranked Louisville team, but every game is winnable and if the Irish win out, they’ll reach a New Year’s Six Bowl game.
It wasn’t the goal and next year, with 12 teams going, the Irish would still have life. Not in 2023 though. That ship has sailed.
Loser: Dan Lanning’s inability to win rivalry games
For the second year in a row, Washington dealt Oregon a huge loss. The Ducks also lost to Oregon State last season.
Dan Lanning has done a lot of great things. He’s a good head coach. But he has to start winning big games and his performance in the rivalries isn’t great. Lanning will get second-guessed for his decision to go for it on fourth down before the half instead of kicking a field goal.
Had he done that, Oregon could have been kicking for the win. However, if that play had gone differently the game could have gone differently.
I don’t have a problem with any of Lanning’s calls. Oregon just didn’t execute. They had a chance to put themselves on equal footing with Florida State and Oklahoma in terms of quality wins.
There are still games against USC, Utah, and Oregon State, as well as a potential rematch with Washington in the Pac-12 title game. Outside of that game being played again and the Ducks winning out, this tea probably isn’t making the playoff.
Oregon certainly isn’t out of it, but the Ducks missed an opportunity and now have zero margin for error, plus a real need for some help. A lot of it.
Winner: Drake Maye and UNC
Despite impressive wins over Minnesota and South Carolina, North Carolina really wasn’t getting much respect. Yet, the win over Miami should get this team into the Top 10. It’s a legit threat to knock off Florida State in the ACC and Drake Maye, with a four-touchdown game, is back on the Heisman radar. A home game against Duke and a road game against Clemson are the biggest hurdles to an undefeated regular season.
Loser: Jimbo Fisher
Texas A&M had another winnable game and couldn’t get it done at Tennessee. The Aggies could have also beaten Alabama and Miami. All three games were winnable — the Aggies just seem to find ways to lose. You could point to backup quarterback Max Johnson’s two interceptions but Tennessee out-gained the Aggies 232-54 on the ground. Despite all the five-star talent, A&M still can’t win in the trenches.
Winner: Greg Schiano and Rutgers
Rutgers has been improving in the second stint of Greg Schiano as the head coach. Saturday was a key milestone as the Scarlet Knights rallied from 18 points down with a 21-point fourth quarter to beat Michigan State 27-24. It all started with a blocked punt. Then, it was like a landslide. The win improved Rutgers to 5-2, putting a bowl game well within reach.
Loser: Louisville
The Cardinals were the toast of college football following their win over Notre Dame last week, but after taking a 21-14 lead at the half against Pittsburgh, they didn’t show up in the second half as the Panthers outscored the No. 14 team in college football 24-0 to win 38-21. Let-downs are expected, still, it was a reminder that the Cardinals are more pretender than contender.