College football week 7 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are five things learned from college football week 7.
1. LSU’s Offense is for Real
LSU’s new offense has been working this season. Fans who saw their offense the last several years would see that as a surprise and may be wondering when the rug would be pulled out from under them. Six games into the season, the Tigers are still putting up video game-like numbers. That continued against Florida this week.
Against a solid Florida defense, Joe Burrow went 21 of 24 passing for 293 yards and three touchdowns. Clyde Edwards-Helaire added 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Tigers scored 42 points against a team that has a few NFL Draft prospects on the defensive side of the ball. They rank first in points scored per game at 52.5 and are second in passing yards per game at 395.5. This offense is showing no signs of slowing down.
2. Oklahoma’s Defense is Much-Improved
The weak spot for Oklahoma for the longest time was their defense. For years, Oklahoma would have a great offense, but their defense would hold them back. Their defense may not be the best unit in the country, but they are making plays under new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. That was proven on Saturday.
In their rivalry game against Texas, Oklahoma limited the Longhorns to just 27 points, which is impressive given that this was a Big 12 game and that the Longhorns can move the football up and down the field. They didn’t force a turnover in this game, but limited Texas to 310 total yards. Allowing 20.3 points per game this season shows just how improved the Oklahoma defense is this season.
3. Penn State is for Real
Penn State had won five games coming into week 7, but hadn’t been tested. That changed this week when they traveled to Iowa for a night game. They won an ugly game 17-12. The defense played their hearts out, while the offense helped grind out the win under young quarterback Sean Clifford.
The defense allowed just 70 rushing yards in the game as they flexed their muscles. Their defense can continue to carry this team while the offense figures things out. So far this season, Penn State allows just 8.2 points per game and scores 42 points per game. They will get another chance to prove themselves this week against Michigan.
4. Georgia isn’t a Great Team
One of the biggest upsets of college football this season happened this weekend when Georgia lost to South Carolina. It was a game filled with injuries, miscues and bad coaching decisions. South Carolina was able to win the game in overtime 20-17. Making things worse for Georgia, they couldn’t move the ball and lost to a third-string quarterback.
Losing to a team that will be fighting for bowl-eligibility isn’t the end of the world, but it does prove Georgia isn’t a great team. Great teams may play poorly, but in the end they find ways to win these games. Jake Fromm just didn’t play well and the team suffered as a result. From top to bottom, the Bulldogs didn’ coach or play well enough to win the game. Now, it will be hard for Georgia to keep their CFP dreams alive.
5. There Could Still be Some Good Pac-12 Football Left
A few weeks into the season, the Pac-12 had been battered in non-conference play. It seemed like the sky was falling, but now there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. There are three teams who currently have just one loss and could make things interesting in the conference. Oregon, Arizona State and Utah are those three teams.
Oregon and Utah were the preseason favorites to win the conference. The Ducks lost a close one to Auburn in the first game of the season, but since that point have played lights out. Utah lost one of those weird Friday night Pac-12 games, which gave them their only blemish. Arizona State lost a tough game to Colorado, but that has been their only letdown this year. Making the CFP will still be tough for the conference, as room for a lot of quality wins is scarce, but there should be excitement down the stretch.
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