Well, that’s more like it.
Although Saturday’s noon window featured arguably the weakest slate of games in any viewing block in recent history, the rest of the day more than made up for it.
In the game of the week, Washington survived to win an instant classic against Oregon and assert control of the Pac-12 for the time being. After USC suffered its first loss of the season to Notre Dame, the Huskies look like the team to beat in the conference could be a threat to crash the College Football Playoff party for the second time.
We’ll recap all of that and more as we break down the winners and losers from Week 7 of the college football season.
Winner: Washington offense passes its first major test
For the second week in a row, the College GameDay matchup delivered an absolute gem. Saturday’s game in Seattle was easily the most high-profile Pac-12 matchup in years as it was the latest conference pairing of undefeated teams since 2004.
It was also the most significant game in the rivalry’s long history, marking the first matchup between top-10 teams.
Both looked like teams capable of winning the league and competing on a national stage, but it was Washington that ultimately emerged victorious thanks to another stellar game from Michael Penix Jr., who now sits as the clear Heisman Trophy favorite.
Penix’s 302 passing yards were fewer than his counterpart Bo Nix threw, but he ultimately outdueled Nix with four touchdown passes. Oregon is far and away the most talented team Washington has faced on both sides of the ball, and it pushed this team to its limits.
Ducks coach Dan Lanning was aggressive on fourth downs, and his team was ultimately 0-for-3 on those opportunities. The first was a questionable decision as he sacrificed the chance to kick a field goal and cut the lead to one before the half.
But it’s hard to argue with the other two decisions, and if Oregon converts even one of them, I’m probably writing this section about the Ducks instead. However, Washington’s defense got the timely stops it needed, and when you have an offense this prolific, that’s enough to beat almost anyone.
Loser: USC comes crashing down
On its face, the idea of USC losing to Notre Dame was not at all outrageous. After all, the Trojans have been fortunate to win several games this year with the defense being a severe limiting factor, and this didn’t look like a great matchup on paper, especially on the road.
I don’t think many expected the game to play out the way it did, though, and it’s hard to place much blame on the defense for the 48-20 blowout loss.
Notre Dame got to quarterback Caleb Williams early and often, and it’s clear that Williams still has some progress to be made when it comes to handling pressure. He tossed three interceptions, including one on the game’s opening drive that gave the Irish a quick score, and the defense quickly found itself on its heels as Notre Dame took advantage of the mistakes.
If USC lost in a shootout, it would have been frustrating, but it would have been a much easier pill to swallow. Now, it seems this team has issues on both sides of the ball, and while it remains unbeaten in Pac-12 play, it would be hard to confidently pick the Trojans against either Oregon or Washington.
Williams will bounce back. He’s a supremely talented player, and even guys at that level are permitted to have bad games. But Notre Dame provided future opponents a pretty effective blueprint for slowing down a quarterback many thought was unstoppable at the college level.
The season is far from over for USC, but this team has much to work on.
Winner: Graham Mertz is rewriting his story at Florida
With what appeared to be a transfer portal class full of promising quarterbacks, it was a bit surprising at the time when Florida quickly signed Graham Mertz, who began his career at Wisconsin with high expectations but had struggled with the team.
A former five-star recruit, Mertz was the most hyped quarterback to ever sign with the Badgers, and he made a statement in his first start with the team in 2020 in a nearly flawless performance.
We haven’t seen that side of Mertz since. At least, that was until Saturday in Columbia.
Mertz has been efficient all season, leading the SEC in completion percentage. But the Gators passing offense has not been explosive, leading many to question if Mertz was capable of leading a downfield attack.
He proved on Saturday that he very much is, leading the Gators to overcome a 10-point deficit with five minutes to play on the road against South Carolina. He finished with 423 passing yards and three touchdowns in what was easily his best game since his Wisconsin debut more than three years ago.
Mertz’s 1,897 yards ranks in the top 15 nationally, his 76.2% completion percentage ranks third, and he’s thrown 12 touchdown passes to just two interceptions, both of which came on tipped balls.
He has his limitations, but he’s making the most of his second act at Florida. And right now, there are few stories in college football more endearing.
Loser: A dilemma in Aggieland
The stakes for Jimbo Fisher heading into 2023 were clear: Despite the fact that his buyout rivals the GDP of a small country, the Aggies needed to significantly improve from last season’s 5-7 finish to keep the boosters from finding tens of millions of dollars in the couch cushions.
We’re seven games in, so have the Aggies improved enough to justify not paying Fisher to go away? I don’t know, you tell me.
They sit at 4-3 with two losses in SEC play, which is certainly not where this team hoped it would be. At the same time, all three of those losses have come to ranked opponents, and two of those came by one score against Alabama and, most recently, Tennessee.
Texas A&M’s secondary has struggled, but it actually played very well against Joe Milton and the Vols offense. Unfortunately, special teams ultimately burned the Aggies, who missed the chance for a big road win under Fisher.
So, where does that leave us? This team is clearly more competitive than it was last season, and it’s also dealing with an injury to quarterback Conner Weigman, who is likely out for the remainder of the season.
But it’s hard to lean too much on that excuse, especially when you look around the country at teams having success with backup quarterbacks and consider the fact that Texas A&M’s is a multi-year SEC starter in Max Johnson.
With remaining games against Ole Miss and LSU on the road, it’s hard to imagine the ceiling is any higher than 8-4. While that’s far from the disaster it could’ve been, it feels like that may not be enough for Fisher to get a go at it for a seventh season in College Station.
Quick Hitters - Winners
Coastal Carolina: The Chanticleers have regressed in Year 1 under Tim Beck, but they got a huge win on Tuesday night in a 27-24 victory on the road against Appalachian State.
Houston: Dana Holgersen may have saved his job — at least for the time being — on a 49-yard Hail Mary as time expired to beat his former team.
The final 12 seconds of regulation between West Virginia and Houston:
• Garrett Greene 50-yd TD pass
• Donovan Smith 49-yd Hail Mary TD pass for the winThere is no better sport than college football. pic.twitter.com/0MbuFZymCU
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) October 13, 2023
Iowa State: It’s been a rough year for the Cyclones, who are missing several key players due to the betting scandal. But they’ve averted disaster on the field and sit at 4-3 after beating TCU and, most recently, Cincinnati 30-10 on Saturday.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights have a real shot at bowl eligibility after beating Michigan State to get to 5-2 on the year. Win over a bad Indiana team next week and they’re there. If not, it’s a brutal path to win No. 6 in the final four games.
Oklahoma State: It looked like the Cowboys were heading for a really bad year after getting blown out by South Alabama on their own field, but Mike Gundy has righted the ship after beating Kansas State and Kansas in back-to-back weeks, the latter marking the first ranked win for 4-2 Oklahoma State.
Iowa: The Hawkeyes offense is perhaps the most anemic we’ve seen since the advent of the forward pass, but the defense is otherworldly. They beat Wisconsin 15-6 to take control of the Big Ten West in a game that was more than 12 points from hitting the over/under of 33.5.
Arizona: The Wildcats are officially a player in the Pac-12. They gave Washington and USC all they could handle, and they finally broke through this week with a statement 44-6 win on the road in Pullman against No. 19 Washington State.
Kansas State: The Wildcats’ road game against Texas Tech felt like a must-win if they had any hope of defending their conference title, and they took care of business with a 38-21 bounce-back victory in Lubbock.
Georgia State: The Panthers are 5-1, and they’ve proven they’re a real Sun Belt contender after knocking off two of the league’s top teams in Troy and Marshall in back-to-back weeks. No hot seat for Shawn Elliott here.
Air Force: It’s time to start talking about the New Year’s Six Falcons. They’re 6-0 after a win over Wyoming that put them in the Mountain West’s driver’s seat.
North Carolina: Let’s get real for a second: The Tar Heels are a legitimate playoff contender alongside Florida State. Drake Maye is as good as any quarterback in the country, and the defense is improving as it did enough to slow down a good Miami offense.
Notre Dame: The win over USC was a desperately needed one for Marcus Freeman, whose team still has a very good chance to end the season on a strong note despite tough early losses.
Oregon State: The Beavers are making a case as the third-best team in the league after an absolutely dominating performance against UCLA. This defense paired with DJ Uiagalelei makes Oregon State a dangerous team in the Pac-12.
Colorado State: The Rams got what felt like a signature win for Jay Norvell against Boise State. After a heartbreaking loss to Colorado earlier in the year, Colorado State won on yet another unreal Hail Mary as time expired.
I stayed up until 2 a.m. to watch my Alma mater beat Boise State for the first time in history … on a Hail Mary … after being down 17-0. It’s a GREAT day to be a Colorado State Ram! pic.twitter.com/FUAXD4KrVE
— Matt L. Stephens (@MattStephens) October 15, 2023
Quick Hitters - Losers
Appalachian State: This is a Group of Five program with high expectations, and it’s sitting at 3-3 after missing a bowl last year. If Shawn Clark can’t turn things around and compete for a Sun Belt title, it’s beginning to look less likely he’ll get a Year 5.
East Carolina: Another underachieving G5 program, the Pirates are a disappointing 1-5 to start the year. Not exactly what you want to see from Mike Houston, who is now just 23-29 in his fifth year at East Carolina.
Colorado: Losses to Oregon and USC were pretty understandable. Surrendering a 29-0 lead to a Stanford team, on the other hand, is a bit alarming. It will be interesting to see how the Buffaloes respond to their first major setback, especially with bowl eligibility looking unlikely at this point.
Georgia: I’m not going to give the Bulldogs too much grief for another sluggish win, but the loss of tight end Brock Bowers with ankle sprain (potentially for the rest of the regular season) is a major cause for concern considering how much of Georgia’s offense runs through him.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks fight in every single game, but that only goes so far. Sam Pittman is now 2-5 in what was a very pivotal year for his tenure.
Maryland: Maybe one day the Terrapins will mount a real threat in the Big Ten. After a loss to Illinois at home, it will not be this season.
Louisville: Pitt is good for a win against a team well above its weight class at least once every season. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, it happened to come in the form of spoiling their 6-0 start.
Washington State: The Cougars have been humbled a bit in recent weeks, and while they’ll be a tough out in the conference, they’re not the dark-horse contender we thought they could be.
South Carolina: It’s been a brutal stretch to start the year for 2-4 South Carolina, but after losing a game it should’ve won at home, Shane Beamer may be set to miss a bowl game in Year 3 after last season’s progress. That’s less than ideal.
Miami: The Hurricanes were far from bad against North Carolina, but it just goes to show how costly that Georgia Tech loss could ultimately prove to be for Miami’s ACC aspirations.
UCLA: The future is bright with quarterback Dante Moore, but he’s just not ready for games like this after throwing three picks in the loss to Oregon State on the road.
Bonus Round: Give James Madison a postseason waiver, you absolute cowards
I’m breaking with the usual format here to deliver a little public service announcement.
James Madison is 6-0. The Dukes have a Power Five win over Virginia, and they could be the best team in the entire Group of Five.
They should be a New Year’s Six contender, but they aren’t, and it’s because of stupid bureaucratic red tape. Teams transitioning up from the FCS to the FBS are ineligible for the postseason in the first two seasons, which is why the Dukes missed the Sun Belt Championship despite winning the East division and didn’t receive a bowl invite despite finishing 8-3 last season.
The logic behind the rule is sound, generally speaking. Many successful FCS teams are not ready to make that leap, and it’s meant to discourage programs from moving up too quickly.
But this just so clearly is not an issue for James Madison, which could have won the Sun Belt last year, too, if it were eligible. Right now, the only programs with an arguably stronger NY6 case are Tulane and Air Force.
The former already has a loss, and neither boasts a Power Five win like the Dukes.
The NCAA has already caved to public pressure once this season in the form of Tez Walker’s waiver at North Carolina. Maybe we can get it to do so again.
Give James Madison a postseason waiver, you absolute cowards.
