Winners and Losers: College Football Week 7
(Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Winner: Caleb Williams
When Lincoln Riley finally benched former-star quarterback Spencer Rattler, many of the OU faithful were elated.
Looks like that elation has aged magically.
Caleb Williams, the former No. 1 quarterback and No. 7 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, is playing his way into Sooner lore.
The freshman threw for 295 yards and four scores in a 21-point rout of TCU, and Oklahoma again owns the Frogs, especially in Norman.
The wildest thing here is the OU defense had no answer for TCU QB Max Duggan, who had a career day throwing for 346 yards and four scores, plus wide receiver Quentin Johnston hauling in seven catches for 185 yards and three scores.
No matter.
Williams was simply too much, helping OU score back-to-back 50-point games, their first and only 50-point home performance against an FBS school this season.
Rattler did struggle but won five games for the Sooners. With Williams’ two more, OU sits at 7-0 before a date in Lawrence, KS this weekend. Given the combined record of their remaining schedule is 24-10 (23-5 not counting a miserable KU squad), Oklahoma will have their work cut out for them.
But now, a general is finally at the helm to lead his troops.
(Photo by Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Loser: Hawkeye Nation
Oh, Iowa.
We all had such faith: a 6-0 start, a big win hosting Penn State, and an easy Big Ten West schedule to finish the season laid ahead for the Hawkeyes.
But the Purdue Boilermakers said hello.
For the 9th (!!) time, Purdue has defeated the AP #2 team when unranked.
And it wasn’t close.
Purdue laid a 24-7 hammer on Iowa behind a 375 yard, two-touchdown masterclass from quarterback Aiden O’Connell.
Receiver David Bell was electric, lighting up the Iowa defense with 11 catches, 240 yards and a touchdown.
Let’s not let Spencer Petras’ godawful performance slide either, throwing for 195 yards and FOUR interceptions, by far the most of any game in his career.
Iowa’s loss clearly plummets their playoff odds, although doesn’t doom them. The Hawkeyes are still heavy favorites in the Big Ten West and have a very favorable schedule down the stretch.
Win those games and win the Big Ten title game, and Iowa still *should* be in.
Iowa last won the Big Ten as co-champs in 2004 and sole champions in 1985, so this is clearly easier said than done.
(Photo by Christopher Anderson / Special to the Forum)
Winner: THE RED TURF
There’s never been an FCS winner or loser here, until now.
The Eastern Washington Eagles are off to a 7-0 start, and this last win may have been their most impressive.
Eric Barriere made sure the red turf of Boos Field stayed red, bleeding the Idaho Vandals dry in a 71-21 win.
And boy did he punish this poor, poor team.
He posted 600 yards, SEVEN touchdowns, and all of that done with over 13 minutes left in the game.
Dominance.
EWU lost early in the FCS playoffs last season to North Dakota State in the First Round, failing to avenge the 2018 FCS National Championship game loss.
Perhaps this year revenge will finally come.
(Photo by Jack Wallace / Sports Illustrated)
Loser: Dino “Always Covers” Babers
Dino Babers is known for two things: usually not winning, but always, always, always covering.
Syracuse is 3-4, and very well could be 7-0 after three very close losses and a fourth spurred by not playing one of the nation’s best running backs as much as he should’ve.
Their third close loss in a row occurred this weekend to the visiting Clemson Tigers, a team that fell very far from grace this year but still is full of five stars and a hunger for redemption.
The Orange inexplicably went for a field goal attempt on fourth-and-one despite how good running back Sean Tucker has been, and the 48-yarder missed.
But Babers still found a way to cover, as he has done across all three of these recent losses.
Given the Orange still have to face Virginia Tech, Louisville and ranked NC State on the road, plus hosting Boston College and Pitt, getting those last three wins to reach a bowl game seems more and more far out of reach.
It’s been a long three years for the sole FBS New York college football program to get to the coveted 13th game, but if things don’t turn around quickly, the Orange faithful will have to wait just a bit longer.
(Photo by Todd Van Emst/AU Athletics)
Winner: Yellowhammer Bounceback
A bounceback week for the whole state of Alabama was desperately needed, and both the Tide and Tigers responded resoundingly.
Alabama absolutely bodied Mississippi State 49-9 in a very expected road win, getting an “angry” win after the pitiful Texas A&M loss.
Bryce Young was still Bryce Young, putting up almost 350 yards and four scores, and the ‘Bama defense forced three picks out of Bulldog quarterback Will Rogers.
Out of the five remaining games for the Tide, only one should be much of a challenge, and that’s at Auburn in the Iron Bowl to end the season.
Auburn themselves has lost their only two truly hard games (at Penn State, Georgia), but beat down Arkansas by 15 on the road to earn a strong win.
The Tigers still have to face a rolling Ole Miss and tough test at Kyle Field against A&M before their date with Alabama.
Even with the loss of the chaos god himself Gus Malzahn, Auburn still may have a little bit of football madness left in them.
(Photo by Brianna Paciorka / News Sentinel)
Loser: Rocky Top
After Lane Kiffin decided that Rocky Top won’t be his home sweet home to him anymore, Tennessee Volunteer fans had quite the sour taste in their mouths.
That sour taste showed out in a very ugly way this Saturday, as the Kiffin-led Ole Miss Rebels stormed into Neyland Stadium and avoided the upset.
The most remarkable part of the game, however, was the final minute. Tennessee faced a 4th and 27 back at their own 36-yard line, and quarterback Hendon Hooker completed a pass over the middle to Jacob Warren for a possible first down.
Or so he thought.
The refs ruled the pass short by half a yard, and the Vol fans lost their minds.
Keep in mind, Tennessee had all three of their timeouts remaining, and the clock still read 0:54, meaning this game was far from over.
Yet not just booed rained from the rafters of Neyland, but rather trash. A whole lot of trash.
The Volunteer fans did an impression of their program over the last decade by tossing heaps of garbage onto the field, prompting a 20+ minute delay. Even Kiffin was hit by a golf ball, which for some reason a fan had brought to the game.
After the delay, the Rebels received the punt, punted it right back to the Vols, and Tennessee would go on to lose the game despite reaching the red zone again.
Stay classy, Tennessee.