College football week 7 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 7.
Related: 5 Things to watch in college football week 7
1. Michael Penix is in Line to Win the Heisman
The big matchup of the weekend featured the Washington Huskies hosting the Oregon Ducks. Washington was able to win the game 36-33 by scoring a touchdown within the final two minutes. Their offense deserves a lot of credit for the win and Michael Penix was the focal point of the offense. He finished the game 23/37 passing for 302 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Not only does the win put Washington in a great position to make the Pac-12 Championship Game, it also helps Penix in the race for the Heisman. He had great stats and made the game-winning drive in one of the best wins of the year for a great “Heisman moment”. With other players in the country playing poorly, Penix has moved even further ahead as the odds-on favorite to win the award.
2. USC’s Offense Ended up Being the Problem
USC was undefeated heading into their week 7 game with Notre Dame. The high-powered offense was the reason for the undefeated record, while the defense drew some fair criticism for being the biggest problem. Against Notre Dame though, the offense ended up costing them in their 42-10 loss.
While it may look like the defense didn’t hold up, some of the scoring came from Notre Dame’s defense and from the field position they provided after turnovers. Caleb Williams threw three interceptions for the first time in his career. Notre Dame simply took what was given to them and shut the door on the Trojans. Now, USC will have a tough stretch of Pac-12 games to get through.
3. Money Doesn’t Fix Everything
Following a loss to Georgia, Mark Stoops was asked on his radio show how Kentucky could compete with the big dogs. He mentioned “ponying up” money to help support the program because Georgia “bought a lot of their players through NIL”. While that may be true, it doesn’t explain why Kentucky lost to Missouri 38-21 at home.
Money sure can help a program to be successful, but teams that are undisciplined can make it really tough to win games. The penalty yards and drops that happened in this game would make coaches’ skin crawl. Missouri played well and deserves some credit, but Stoops also deserves some criticism for having his team perform like that after the comments he made.
4. Anything can Happen
While anything can happen is something that college football fans already know, it is great to reiterate. After upsetting Notre Dame in week 6, Louisville traveled to take on a struggling Pitt team. Pittsburgh pulled off the upset of undefeated Louisville which came out of nowhere.
There were also a few comebacks that seemed unlikely. Colorado led Stanford on Friday night 29-0 at the half. The Buffaloes didn’t run the ball very much and allowed Stanford to creep back into the game and win in double overtime. Colorado State was down 30-10 with under five minutes remaining against Boise State. They executed things perfectly down the stretch and won on a hail mary, then an extra point that was moved back due to excessive celebration on their touchdown. Whether it is upsets or crazy finishes, college football is a reminder that anything can happen.
5. Air Force on a Path to the New Year’s Six
Air Force came into week 6 undefeated, but had a tough test coming to town in Wyoming. The Cowboys had defeated Fresno State, Appalachian State and Texas Tech on the season and only lost to Texas on the season. The Falcons mounted a comeback in the second half to win 34-27.
Their rushing attack is the best in the country and helped secure the victory. With the win Air Force remains undefeated and is in the driver’s seat to make the MWC Championship Game and possibly win a bid to a New Year’s Six Bowl Game as a group of five representative. That would be a first for a service academy in the New Year’s Six era.
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