Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Week 7
Week 7 shaped up to be one of the better weekends of the college football season, and it lived up to the hype as close games took place from noon ET all the way through the wee hours of Saturday night.
As it does every October, there were a few frights on the football field.
Alabama, USC and Illinois each had to power through potential upset losses to pick up victories. Oregon made its mark with a Big Ten victory over Ohio State. Kansas State put together a narrow victory over Colorado. And Texas solidified its reason as to why it’s the top team in the nation.
Each week has seen its fair share of winners and losers, and Week 7 was no different.
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Oregon: Quack, quack, quack. The Oregon Ducks handled their biggest test of the season so far by beating Ohio State in one of the best games we've seen this season. Dillon Gabriel was a monster on the ground as he guided the Ducks offense to the 32-31 win. Oregon gained 496 total yards of offense and held off a late push from the Buckeyes thanks in part to Will Howard thinking he had more time on the clock as he scrambled to get into field-goal position. This will go a long way for Oregon coach Dan Lanning, and we can only hope that a rematch comes down the road in the Big Ten title game or playoffs.
Vanderbilt: The Diego Pavia show continues for the Commodores, who were 14-point underdogs on the road at Kentucky. Not only did Vanderbilt grab the win, but Diego finished the game with two touchdowns, and the 'Dores defense caused Kentucky problems all evening. Now, Vandy sits at 4-2 on the season with a good chance at finishing the season with seven or eight wins, if they continue playing like this. Business has picked up in Nashville.
Penn State: Just when you thought they were going to catch the loss after that first half at USC, Penn State kept picking at the Trojans until the final minutes. Tyler Warren had one of the best performances of the season in college football as the tight end accounted for 224 yards and a touchdown. If there was any doubt that this James Franklin squad hadn't proved they were worthy to be Big Ten championship contenders because of the schedule, this win in Los Angeles should put those doubts to rest. Great win for the Nittany Lions on the road.
Texas: It’s always good to beat a rival, and it’s even better to blow them out. The Texas Longhorns defense was stout, stifling the Oklahoma Sooners offense. Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense put up 34 points in his first game back from the oblique strain that sidelined him for two games. With a dominant 34-3 win over Oklahoma, Texas is now 6-0 for the first time since 2009.
Jedd Fisch: The first-year Washington coach has an early signature win. With a shocking upset win over Michigan, Fisch helped the program avenge its national championship game loss and get a huge conference win in its first year in the Big 10. Washington's disastrous loss to Rutgers is starting to look more and more like an anomaly.
Army & Navy: The two military schools picked up victories on Saturday. Army topped UAB, 44-10, while Navy was on a bye. But both schools get into the winner column because they have done something not seen since 1960: Each school is ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Sunday’s poll was released and showed Army ranked No. 23 and Navy ranked No. 25. The countdown is on ahead of their rivalry game, which might be the most intriguing in recent memory.
Ole Miss: This was seemingly a playoff eliminator game against LSU on Saturday night in Death Valley, and Ole Miss never trailed until the final play of the game. It was one of those nights for the Rebels as they couldn't provide enough separation in the first half, and the Tigers made them pay for their lack of scoring. Another letdown for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, who had aspirations of the college football playoffs. Now, they’ll need a bunch of help and win out, which doesn't seem likely at this point.
USC: The Lincoln Riley era at USC has turned into one massive dud so far, and the losses are starting to pile up. Leading Penn State 20-6 in the first half, then allowing the Nittany Lions to convert two 4th down conversions on their way to tying up the game in regulation, the Trojans defense has been the downfall for this team, along with a stagnant offense at times. USC now has three losses on the season and have been effectively eliminated from playoff contention. Another miss for Lincoln Riley, and the fans are getting tired of this nonsense.
Alabama: I know they won, but this Alabama team looks like a shell of its former self. Beating South Carolina 27-25 a week after losing to Vanderbilt, I have no idea what the identity of this team is. This team is lacking a killer instinct along with the physicality we've seen in the past. Now, they head to Knoxville for what is seemingly a playoff eliminator game against Tennessee, which continues to have its own problems on offense. Either way, the natives are frustrated with life after Nick Saban, and we have just reached the halfway point of the season.
Will Howard: The Buckeyes were not in good position outside field-goal range on 3rd and 20 with six seconds left in the fourth quarter against Oregon, but for Will Howard to not take a shot at the end zone at least once is brutal. The lack of game awareness from Howard to not get down sooner or throw an incomplete pass when he scrambled out of the pocket on third down was jarring. With star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, you have to at least give them a chance to make a play or even let them draw a pass interference to get into field goal range.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights started out incredibly hot with four straight wins to begin the season. Greg Schiano was on the verge of getting free "gabagool" for life. However, a 35-point loss to Wisconsin stopped all momentum the school had. The impressive win against Washington two weeks ago may be all for naught if Rutgers cannot get back on track. Two straight conference losses are certainly a damper on what was looking like a promising season.
The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.