Week 7 advised us why we enjoy college football.
From legendary top-10 clashes, sensational upsets and wild plays, Saturday was an amazing day for the sport, and we break down the most significant minutes listed below in this week’s winners and losers.
Winner: SEC cannibalizing itself
For those questioning why SEC commissioner Greg Sankey altered his tune on a 24-team playoff, think about Saturday the response.
3 Associated Press leading 10 SEC groups, consisting of No. 1 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 in SEC), No. 6 Alabama (5-2, 3-2 in SEC) and No. 7 Texas (4-2, 1-2 in SEC) suffered sensational losses, putting 2 (Alabama, Texas) on College Football Playoff life assistance, most likely requiring to triumph to get rid of any doubt about their locations in the 12-team field.
Georgia, on the other hand, suffered the most spectacular loss of the 3, falling in the house to unranked Auburn (4-2, 2-2 in SEC), which got in 1-6 all-time in roadway video games versus AP No. 1 groups, its last win coming versus Florida in 1994, per Stathead
Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown beat the Bulldogs with his legs. When omitting his 17 lawns lost on 5 sacks, Brown acquired 132 hurrying lawns on 21 brings (6.3 backyards per effort) and scored a goal that provided Auburn a 24-14 third-quarter lead.
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) October 17, 2026
Auburn ultimately won on a basket as time ended, a week after Oklahoma beat then-No. 1 Texas on a walk-off basket, which ESPN senior college football author Adam Rittenberg shared on social networks, marked the very first time in AP survey history (because 1936) that the No. 1 group in the nation lost in back-to-back weeks on the last play of the video game.
From @ESPNInsights: The Texas(Oklahoma)and Georgia(Auburn) walk-off field-goal losses mark the very first time in AP Poll history( given that 1936 )that the No. 1 group has actually lost on the last play of the video game in successive weeks.– Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) October 17, 2026
Mentioning Texas, the Longhorns lost for the 2nd year in a row (this time in the house) to Florida, which had actually dropped its last 2 by a combined rating of 83-36. Alabama succumbed to the 3rd successive time at No. 14 Tennessee, which controlled in the trenches to get in the SEC title discussion.
The SEC’s depth exposed itself on Saturday, and in a 12-team playoff field, that might do more damage than great. By the end of the year, a handful of the conference’s programs might be defending a little number of areas in the field.
Loser: Ohio State’s QB obstacle in huge roadway success
No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 in Big Ten) will require its defense to blaze a trail– plus a lot more from pass receiver Jeremiah Smith– after quarterback Julian Sayin suffered an injury to his ideal arm throughout Saturday’s 19-15 win over the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1 in Big Ten).
Coach Ryan Day informed press reporters later that Sayin would miss out on “several weeks,” putting his schedule for the last five-game stretch start on Halloween at No. 19 USC (6-1, 3-1 in Big Ten) in jeopardy. With no tested choices behind Sayin, the Buckeyes are getting in unidentified area at an unideal time.
Winner: BYU Cougars in the nationwide title race
No. 8 BYU (6-0, 4-0 in Big 12) has its signature win.
The Cougars triumphed in a top-10 face-off with No. 2 Notre Dame (6-1), 28-24, to securely place themselves in the nationwide discussion.
Later, head coach Kalani Sitake talked to ESPN’s Holly Rowe, and he seemed like somebody with plenty still to show.
“We’re gonna stay humble and hungry,” Sitake stated.
BYU has a lot to tidy up, especially from a careless 2nd half that included 2 turnovers and a bad phony punt effort deep in its own area, however it revealed amazing willpower to weather those mistakes and take a late lead before hanging on with a protective stop on the video game’s last play.
Make no error. Going into the 2nd half of the year, the Cougars are legitimate.
Loser: Former No. 1 general high school QB potential customers
Arch Manning and Bryce Underwood were both first-class, No. 1-ranked gamers in their particular high-school recruiting classes, however neither is having the season they envisioned.
In the loss to Florida, Manning was 14-of-20 for 173 lawns and a goal while seldom pressing the ball downfield. When Texas had an opportunity to drive for either a winning goal or a connecting basket with the ball at its own 48-yard line, Manning lost a fumble on a sack, which ESPN Insights kept in mind offered him 3 turnovers in the 4th quarter over the previous 2 weeks, the most in the SEC.
Getting in recently, Arch Manning has ZERO 4th quarter turnovers. In upset losses to Oklahoma and Florida in back-to-back weeks he has 3 free gifts in the last quarter which now leads all of the SEC.
Manning is now 1 of 4 QBs in FBS this year with numerous video games with 5 + …
— ESPN Insights( @ESPNInsights)October 17, 2026
Later, head coach Steve Sarkisian stated, “Everything is going to be evaluated.”
Steve Sarkisian is asked if he considered changing Arch Manning:
“We’re not playing good offensive football right now, so everything is going to be evaluated.”
— Inside Texas(@InsideTexas)October 17, 2026
Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham might have currently completed his examination of Underwood, who was benched at halftime throughout a 21-16 home win over Penn State (3-4, 0-4 in Big Ten) after going 5-of-11 for 43 lawns and 2 interceptions over the very first 30 minutes of video game action.
Manning and Underwood have both stopped working to fulfill expectations, and with Whittingham having actually seen enough to make a modification, we’re questioning just how much more perseverance Sarkisian has till he considers a comparable relocation essential.
Winner: LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt
Coming off a squashing overtime loss last Saturday at Kentucky, No. 22 LSU (5-2, 2-2 in SEC) was provided a reprieve with No. 16 Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2 in SEC) dismissing quarterback Kamario Taylor pre-game of a 31-0 blowout Tigers win.
Leavitt assisted guarantee it wasn’t a reasonable battle with his finest passing efficiency of the season as he completed 31-of-38 for 289 lawns and 4 goals. An all of a sudden tough trip to Auburn looms next Saturday, however LSU’s treasured transfer website quarterback must get in with a lots of self-confidence.
Loser: Backing a hurt gamer into a wall
Injury cart operators have one task: get gamers off the field securely. West Virginia’s didn’t get the memo.
Throughout a wild 45-42 West Virginia (4-3, 1-3 in Big 12) win over the Cincinnati Bearcats (4-2, 1-2 in Big 12), Cincinnati defensive deal with Josh Hough needed a cart after suffering an injury, and we can just hope he wasn’t harm even more when the car chauffeur backed Hough into a wall, triggering him to noticeably recoil.
Cincinnati DT Josh Hough is hauled off with an injury at West Virginia and just winds up in more discomfort after the cart backs him into a wall.
As seen on the TNT Sports broadcast. pic.twitter.com/caoaWqUH84
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 17, 2026
Somebody’s chauffeur’s license might require to be withdrawed.
Winner: Houston Cougars go into Big 12 title chase
No. 20 Houston (6-1, 3-1 in Big 12) emerged triumphant in a Big 12 thriller over No. 18 Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1 in Big 12), 35-32, to stake its claim in what’s forming up to be a fiercely objected to Big 12 champion race.
Quarterback Conner Weigman (343 backyards, 5 goals, one interception) out-dueled Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker (365 backyards, 3 goals, one interception) in a video game that included 1,004 backyards of overall offense.
With the win, Houston establishes an even higher-stakes video game at No. 11 Utah (5-0, 2-0 in Big 12) next Saturday.
Loser: Oklahoma’s phony basket (aka The Worst Trick Play You’ll See All Year)
The excellent vibes originating from Oklahoma’s spectacular Week 6 win over Texas lasted precisely one week as the Sooners fell in the house on Saturday night, 21-13 to No. 15 Kentucky (5-1, 3-1 in SEC).
Oklahoma did itself no prefers with probably the worst technique play from the very first half of the season on a phony basket midway through the 2nd quarter.
Kicker Tate Sandell broke from his position utilizing pre-snap movement, enabling Kentucky to quickly recognize the phony. It should have been by style, too, or Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables probably would have called among his 3 timeouts.
Play dumb video games, win dumb rewards. Holder Jacob Ulrich made a defective style even worse with a humorous effort at a Tim Tebow-esque pop pass, just to toss high and behind tight end Rocky Beers and to Kentucky senior linebacker Jordan Castell.
. @Jordan_castell interception. OUR BALL. https://t.co/qKts1UQ4pX– Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 18, 2026
If Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 in SEC) wishes to see how a technique play is expected to look, it must consider this act of hoax from Northern Arizona versus Portland State at the FCS level, which started with all 11 offending gamers in a single-file line before the 5 linemen set out to the far left of the field, leaving tight end Nassim Isaac to snap the ball. The appearance effectively puzzled the defense, causing a six-yard goal.
While far from the only factor Oklahoma lost, its boneheaded unique groups miscue was definitely the most unforgettable.
Eric Smithling
Eric Smithling is an author based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline likewise appears on Athlon Sports. He has actually been with Yardbarker because September 2022, mostly covering the NFL and college football, however likewise the NBA, WNBA, guys’s and ladies’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a movie research studies degree from the University of New Orleans
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