Week 7 of the college football season is over, and it was highlighted by big wins, huge upsets and Tory Taylor, the punter for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The Washington Huskies were the biggest winners this past Saturday after beating the Oregon Ducks at home in a game that came down to the Ducks missing a game-tying field goal as time expired. The USC Trojans' poor defensive play finally caught up to them as they lost to Notre Dame on the road. But the Trojans and Ducks were not the only ranked teams to lose to ranked opponents, as the Miami Hurricanes lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels and the UCLA Bruins fell to the Oregon State Beavers.
Some ranked teams were upset this weekend as well. We saw the Louisville Cardinals lose their first game to the Pitt Panthers, whose only other win was to Wofford. The Kansas Jayhawks' October woes continued with a loss to Oklahoma State. The Kentucky Wildcats lost a pivotal SEC East matchup to the Missouri Tigers, and the Washington State Cougars were blown out by the Arizona Wildcats.
This coming Saturday's slate of games is keeping with the trend we have seen over the last two weeks and is led by the Big Ten showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. USC looks to bounce back with a home game against the Utah Utes. The Duke Blue Devils hope to play spoiler and hand the Florida State Seminoles their first loss of 2023.
But before all the action starts, let's talk about our top teams.
1. Washington Huskies (6-0) (Last Week: 8)
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Michael Penix Jr. kept making big-time throw after big-time throw, as the Huskies proved that they are playing like the best team in the country.
2. Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) (Last Week: 1)
The Bulldogs have a bye this week and will prep for a tough stretch of games against Florida, Missouri, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Losing Brock Bowers for potentially the rest of the season also doesn't bode well for this team.
3. Florida State Seminoles (6-0) (Last Week: 2)
Florida State could be on upset watch if Riley Leonard returns at quarterback for Duke this Saturday, but the Seminoles appear to be clicking on all cylinders right now.
4. Michigan Wolverines (7-0) (Last Week: 3)
The Wolverines look to pick on little brother this weekend as they go on the road to take on the Michigan State Spartans.
5. Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) (Last Week: 4)
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Looking at the remainder of the Sooners' schedule, they could easily find themselves undefeated and in the Big 12 title game at the end of November.
6. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0) (Last Week: 5)
This weekend's game against the Ohio State Buckeyes is the biggest in the James Franklin era, and the Nittany Lions have everything they need to come out of Columbus with a win.
7. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) (Last Week: 6)
Ohio State is coming off their best game of the season, and it could not have come at a better time. They host to Penn State this Saturday in a game that has huge conference and playoff implications.
8. Texas Longhorns (5-1) (Last Week: 7)
The Texas Longhorns look to regroup after a bye week following the loss to the Sooners and will travel to Houston to take on the Cougars, which could result in some frustration being taken out on the Cougs.
9. North Carolina Tar Heels (6-0) (Last Week: 11)
The Tar Heels are quietly taking care of business on their schedule and, as said before, are the biggest threat to Florida State's Atlantic Coast Conference and playoff run.
10. Oregon Ducks (5-1) (Last Week: 9)
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The Ducks had the win in their hands but came up just short to the Huskies. However, they are still in very good position to win the conference and make the playoffs if they are able to win out.
11. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1) (Last Week: 12)
Even though it is being considered by some to be a "down year" for Alabama, they find themselves 6-1 and leading the SEC West. Also, could we see them looking for a quarterback in the portal this offseason?
12. Oregon State Beavers (6-1) (Last Week: 13)
The Beavers' lone loss to Washington State looks a little worse now, but the Beavers are still winning football games and could look to play upset in the final two weeks of the regular season.
13. Ole Miss (5-1) (Last Week: 14)
Aside from a potential loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in November, the Ole Miss Rebels should easily finish with a 10-win season and COULD be in play for a spot in the SEC title game.
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2) (Last Week: 18)
Notre Dame has had the toughest schedule of anyone this year and got themselves another huge win after upsetting USC. It is a shame the 12-team playoff does not happen this year.
15. LSU Tigers (5-2) (Last Week: 15)
The LSU Tigers' defense finally showed up as their offense put on another clinic against Auburn. The Tigers' fate is in three weeks, following Army and a bye week, as they travel to Tuscaloosa.
16. USC Trojans (6-1) (Last Week: 10)
Caleb Williams played really poorly, the USC defense played as it usually does — and the Trojans' playoff hopes are hanging by a thread following their embarrassing loss to Notre Dame.
17. Duke Blue Devils (5-1) (Last Week: 17)
No Riley Leonard, no problem, as the Blue Devils picked up the win on Saturday. But they could really use their QB1 this Saturday against Florida State,
18. Missouri Tigers (6-1) (Last Week: NR)
It is mid-October, and the Missouri Tigers are bowl-eligible and still in play in the SEC East. Remember, they almost upset the Bulldogs last year, so do not be surprised if they come for revenge this season.
19. Utah Utes (5-1) (Last Week: NR)
The Utes' next two games are against USC and Oregon, and two weeks later they play Washington. Could Utah play upset and take control of the conference standings? Or will they be put to rest along the way?
20. Tennessee Volunteers (5-1) (Last Week: NR)
The Volunteers are either going to rise up on this list or fall into a pit of despair as they play Alabama and Kentucky in back-to-back weeks — and then they have Missouri and Georgia in consecutive weeks in November.
