College Football Week 7 Recap
The immortal words of Russell Crowe in Gladiator were among the first things that entered my mind as I exhaled following USC quarterback Caleb Williams’ incomplete pass with zeroes on the game clock, preserving Utah’s 43-42 come-from-behind victory over the previously unbeaten Trojans. It wasn’t just that game. It was the culmination of an entire day of college football that took my breath.
A day that featured an unheard of six head-to-head Top 25 matchups didn’t necessarily begin auspiciously, as #5 Michigan had a huge second half and flattened then #10 Penn State in the early time slot. Still, there were some interesting appetizers, as #22 Texas fought off a game Iowa State team to keep its Big 12 title hopes alive, and surprising Illinois bumped its winning streak to five games and solidified its position in the rankings. Then, the fun began.
In the most anticipated matchup of the day, and perhaps of the season so far, #3 Alabama and #6 Tennessee started a football game that turned into a track meet. With the score tied at 49 a piece, Alabama kicker Will Reichard missed a field goal attempt from the Tennessee 32 that likely would have won it with just 15 seconds remaining. Instead of playing for overtime off the miss, Tennessee went for the win. Connecting on Hendon Hooker passes of 18 and 27 yards, the Vols had their own chance to put it away with a 40-yard attempt with only two seconds left. It was a knuckle-ball kick, but it floated its way through the uprights (uprights which weren’t long for this world, as it turns out). I could write words about the joy of college football, but commentary on that video clip sums it up perfectly .
About the same time as Volunteer fans were taking the goalpost for a swim in the river, another big game was finishing up in dramatic fashion. The last two unbeaten teams in the Big 12, #8 Oklahoma State and #13 TCU, needed two overtimes to settle the matter. Oklahoma State had led 24-7 in the first half, and entered the 4th quarter with a 14-point lead. But the Horned Frogs got two touchdowns before regulation ended, the second coming with under two minutes left. After trading touchdowns in the first overtime session, the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal to start the second session. On the sixth play of TCU’s ensuing possession, running back Kendre Miller ran it in from the 2-yard line to seal a huge 43-40 win, and sent the third Top 10 team of the day (at that point in time) down in defeat.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that at the same time those two games were being played, #18 Syracuse continued its best start since 1987 by beating #15 NC State (minus QB Devin Leary, who we unfortunately learned is done for the season) by a convincing 24-9 score. Also, #22 Kentucky got its season back on track by downing #16 Mississippi State. I need to invest in more televisions for my home.
The nightcap featured #7 USC visiting #20 Utah. The Utes were stung last week at UCLA, but are known for being a very tough out at home. A Utah crowd that rivaled the decibel-count of the 100,000+ Volunteer fans in Knoxville made life as tough on the Trojans as you could imagine, especially in the second half. Like the other two close games, this one was a track meet. USC had its offense rolling in the first half, despite the hostile surroundings, but Utah was able to stay in shouting distance. Utes QB Cam Rising had an enormous day (accounting for 5 of their 6 TDs), as did TE Dalton Kincaid (16 receptions, 214 yards, 1 touchdown). The Utes never led the game until 48 seconds remained on the clock, thanks to a successful 2-point conversion that if missed would likely have given the Trojans the win.
As I said after Week 1, from September through November, college football seldom fails to deliver the sort drama you just won’t find in other sports until you get to postseason. This week, you didn’t have to look past the rankings for the fun, but there were other great games too, some of which I’ll mention below in my weekly thoughts.
I hate to bring down what was one of the day’s great games, but…..I think that if USC and UCLA came out and stated that they weren’t going to the Big Ten for the money, but rather to escape Pac-12 officiating, people would find that explanation acceptable. Exhibit #674 is the Utah-USC game. In what was an important and big-stage game for the conference, the officiating continued as a major impediment to anyone taking the Pac-12 seriously. The officials made two of the worst roughing-the-passer calls seen this side of whatever city Jerome Boger’s NFL crew was working today. Both were against USC, and both extended drives that resulted in Utah touchdowns. The calls were so bad that FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino was at a loss for words, and you could hear the anger in the voice of analyst Brock Huard (a former quarterback, no less). The line of the day was when Huard said, “Tom Brady even disagrees with that call.”
Perhaps feeling they went too hard on the Trojans, the officials made a mind-boggling decision that benefitted them in the end, even though it ultimately didn’t help. During the game’s last drive, USC was granted a timeout in the middle of a play. On that play, Utah got an interception, but were correctly called for pass interference. While the flag was thrown promptly, the play continued on, as it should. The Ute defender returned the interception, ticking precious seconds off the clock for USC, practically negating the penalty yardage they’d receive after. But somehow, the officials decided there was a “timeout” called right at the moment of the interception, and added 6 seconds back on the clock. What the actual…?!?! I’d say this was a black eye for the conference, but they’ve already been so beaten and bloodied by these horrific gaffes that their reputation is nothing more than a rotting carcass at this point. Just shameful.
Perhaps the best game of the day that didn’t feature a ranked team was North Carolina visiting rival Duke. Despite coming into the game at 5-1 and 4-2, respectively, this game landed on ACC Network with little fanfare. It was back-and-forth, with Duke taking a 35-31 lead in the 4th. With the score remaining the same and as little as 2:14 left, and Duke in possession in UNC territory, ESPN’s win probability gave the Blue Devils a 93.6% chance of prevailing. On the next play, Duke missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, and the Tar Heels went 74 yards in 9 plays to score a touchdown and take a 38-35 lead with 16 seconds left. A last gasp attempt by Duke to get in range for another field goal attempt ended in an interception. North Carolina was largely forgotten after their week 4 loss to Notre Dame, but the Heels now stand at 6-1, unbeaten in conference play, and are ranked #22.
Speaking of Notre Dame, turns out I jumped the gun last week in putting Top 25 love on them. Their offense returned to its early-season malaise in a 16-14 loss to Stanford. The Cardinal hadn’t beaten an FBS team since October 2, 2021, an 11-game losing streak. Kudos to them for getting up off the mat after a gut-punch loss last week against Oregon State. As for the Irish, they had better get some offensive consistency if they simply want to play in a bowl game. They have tough games remaining at Syracuse, hosting Clemson, then ending the season at USC.
Two stats of the day from Tennessee/Alabama:
Vols WR Jalin Hyatt totaled 207 yards on six catches for the day. Five of them were for touchdowns. Alabama’s secondary will see the back of his jersey in their nightmares for quite some time.
The Tide’s 15 penalties at Texas in Week 2 were as un-Alabama under Nick Saban as it gets. Until yesterday, when they were flagged 17 times, a school record. There are only two words that can adequately explain how they still nearly won that game: Bryce. Young.
Last season, Penn State was 5-0 and ranked #5 when they went on the road and lost to Iowa. In that game, QB Sean Clifford was injured and had to leave. While Clifford would return the next week, the Nittany Lions would go on to lose 5 of their remaining 7 games. Not saying they will suffer a similar fate after falling at Michigan, when they were also 5-0 and ranked #10, and lost Sean Clifford in the game to an injury….but maybe something to keep an eye on.
Lane Kiffin has never been known to do anything quietly, but his Ole Miss team is about as quiet as a 7-0 Top 10 team gets. I was skeptical if the “Portal King” would be able to mix in so many new players, not to mention two new coordinators. But Kiffin has shown himself capable of something that too many coaches aren’t – adapting to the strengths of his personnel. While his offenses are known as pass-first, this season the Rebels have a great running game. Against Auburn they had three guys rush for over 100 yards, including QB Jaxson Dart, and had 448 total on the ground.
It was a weird day for Auburn. They fell behind in that game 21-0. At one point, they pulled their starting QB, and the backup came in and promptly fumbled. They had two turnovers in the first half. Their QB1 and RB1 got in a heated argument on the sideline and had to be separated. Yet, early in the 3rd quarter, they were down just 28-24. Despite ESPN’s best effort to make the game entirely about Bryan Harsin’s job, and plenty of on-field adversity, the Tigers did a remarkable job of keeping the game interesting. Halfway through the 4th quarter they were down by just 7 points on the road against a Top 10 team. But it wasn’t to be, and they fell 48-34. I predicted at halftime that it would be Harsin’s final game. But thus far, silence on the Plains. This just feels so inevitable that you simply want to see it over with for the sake of everyone involved.
Speaking of coaches, I recently remarked that 4 of the 5 current interim coaches won in Week 6. Only Colorado’s Mike Sanford didn’t record a W, because the Buffaloes had a bye last week. Well, in Sanford’s debut as the head man, Colorado won against Cal yesterday, 20-13 in overtime. The Buffs’ victory means that no FBS team will go winless this season. Say what you will about how attractive the Colorado job is compared to the program’s peers, but yesterday over 50,000 fans packed Folsom Field (just shy of a sellout) and rushed the field following the victory.
RIP to the Sun Belt’s chances of having an undefeated team, and with it perhaps a New Year’s Six bowl entrant. Coastal Carolina, who probably weren’t as good as their 6-0 record suggested, lost at Old Dominion 49-21. And just one week after cracking the Top 25, James Madison fell to Georgia Southern 45-38, the team that drove the final nail in Scott Frost’s coffin. It’s not completely out of the question that the Sun Belt champion could end up with the automatic qualifier for the New Year’s bowls, but with the AAC’s Cincinnati and Tulane both now ranked and each with one loss, the American’s conference champion is probably a strong betting favorite right now.
Someday, I hope to be much better at picking against the spread. For now, 50-50 will have to do.
This week: 5-1 straight-up, 3-3 ATS (Overall: 22-9 straight-up, 15-14-2 ATS)
Movement at both the top and bottom of my Top 25.
