College Football Week 7 delivered a phenomenal slate of matchups including Texas vs Oklahoma, Penn State vs USC, Ohio State vs Oregon and Ole Miss vs LSU. With an action-packed weekend of ranked matchups and a few surprises along the way, there are plenty of winners and losers to reflect on. Let’s dive into the best and worst performances from college football Week 7.
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Winner: Tawee Walker, RB, Wisconsin Badgers
It’s safe to say 200 scrimmage yards warrants being called one of the ‘winners’ from college football Week 7. Wisconsin Badgers running back Tawee Walker came into Saturday with just two 100-yard games in his career. He passed his personal bests easily against Rutgers. Walker also found the end zone three times in this one, but the number to really be impressed by is an 8.3 yards per carry average on 24 carries. Just a phenomenal game for Walker and we also have to tip our caps to a Badgers’ offensive line that paved the way for 300 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns.
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Loser: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide
If Nick Saban’s team with playoff expectations got embarrassed by an unranked opponent the previous week, you could guarantee they would come out for the next game and decimate their opponent. Kalen DeBoer is making it clearer each Saturday that he’s not remotely close to being that guy or even an elite coach right now. The South Carolina Gamecocks were the better team in college football Week 7, outgaining Alabama and winning the time of possession battle. DeBoer’s Crimson Tide got bailed out by some turnovers and they still nearly choked the game away, failing to secure the onside kick. If anything, Alabama fans should be even more concerned with DeBoer after this showing.
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Winner: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson Tigers
Cade Klubnik is on a tear right now and is throwing himself into the Heisman Trophy race. During the Clemson Tigers’ five-gam win streak, Klubnik is performing like one of the best quarterbacks in college football. On Saturday, he recorded his second 300-yard performance of the season and his second game with a 75-plus percent completion rate while adding 3 touchdowns. Over the last five games, Klubnik sports a 17-1 TD-INT ratio with 1,2876 passing yards and a 172.34 QB rating.
Loser: Kyle Whittingham, Utah Utes
Utah Utes quarterback Cam Rising and head coach Kyle Whittingham have been through a lot together, we get that. However, what happened in college football Week 7 erased any remaining shot Utah had at a playoff spot or a feel-good season. Rising, who missed multiple games with a hand injury that wouldn’t let him grip the football, started on Friday night. He then suffered an ankle injury, yet Whittingham kept him in the game. The end result – a 43.2% completion rate with 3 interceptions and 2 sacks – was a brutal loss to Arizona State with Rising’s play crippling the Utes’ chances at a win. We admire Rising for wanting to play through the pain, but Whittingham should’ve been much smarter than this.
Winner: Chrishon McCray, WR, Kent State Golden Flashes
Through his first three games this season, sophomore wide receiver Chrishon McCray had 121 receiving yards. He then exploded against Eastern Michigan with a 188-yard and two-touchdown performance. Evidently, that’s just his opening act. In a Week 7 loss to Ball State, mcCray balled out with 213 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns on just 8 receptions. Just two years removed from being a 247 Sports two-star recruit, McCray might soon be on the radar for a few Power 4 teams as a potential transfer portal target this offseason.
Loser: Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamalaeava looks more like an $8,000 quarterback right now rather than an $8 million quarterback. The physical talent is clearly there and we’d certainly be getting more looks at it if he wasn’t operating behind a turnstile offensive line. The big problem, at least right now, he doesn’t have anything close to a starting-caliber football IQ. He’s missing open receivers, running out of bounds instead of trying to win games and the dumbfounding decision-making is becoming a bigger problem. He just doesn’t look remotely close to competent at this point.
Winner: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren certainly doesn’t look like a three-star recruit. Rated as the 21st-best tight end by 247 Sports in the 2020 recruiting class, Warren came into Week 7 with 289 receiving yards and 3 scores. In a clutch performance on the road against the USC Trojans, the 6-foot-6 senior was unstoppable, turning 17 receptions into 224 receiving yards. The entire Penn State program deserves credit for this comeback win, but Warren is the standout.
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Loser: Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans
Putting Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans here is just as much about Week 7 as it is about the past four weeks. The Trojans are now 1-3 in the Big Ten this season. While every game has been close, what’s concerning to see is Riley’s program not playing a complete game against a Power 4 opponent this season. We can’t even necessarily fault Trojans defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who doesn’t have any kind of pass rush to work with. it’s all on Riley, who heads into Week 8 with a 4-7 record since the start of October 2023 and he has just one win in October over the last two seasons.
Winner: Bryson Daily, QB, Army Black Knights
It’s time to know the name Bryson Daily. Naturally, the Army Black Knights quarterback doesn’t get a ton of chances to throw the football. No matter. For the third time this season, Daily eclipsed the 100-yard mark with at least 1 touchdown passes on six completions or fewer and he’s still never attempted double-digit passes in a game. In Week 7, Daily also led the way with 136 rushing yards and a season-high 4 rushing touchdowns. Daily is the biggest reason why Army is undefeated.
Loser: Georgia Bulldogs
Pretty much everyone involved with the Georgia Bulldogs football program right now, except for Uga X who remains perfect, is a problem right now. Sure, it’s great that Mike Bobo’s offense put up 41 points on Saturday, but we’ll also remind you that Mississippi State ranks 119th in scoring defense (37.8 PPG allowed). On a day when Georgia’s offense worked, the Bulldogs defense allowed 31 points to a team that ranked 101st in scoring offense (20.3 PPG). We’re not sure what’s gone wrong at Georgia, beyond the usual lack of discipline off the field, but it’s ugly football.
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Winner: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon Ducks
That’s why the Oregon Ducks went all-out for Dillon Gabriel. As his old team (Oklahoma Sooners) becomes irrelevant this season, Gabriel put on a show for a national on Saturday night. Gabriel found holes in Ohio State’s secondary, dicing them up for over 300 yards with 2 scores. Not to be outdone, he also found the end zone on the ground and led the go-ahead scoring drive in the closing minutes. Just a phenomenal performance by Gabriel.
Winner: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes
A true freshman already looks like one of the best players in college football. Jeremiah Smith is going to break Cris Carter’s freshman record at Ohio State for the most receiving yards (648), receptions (41) and touchdowns (eight) before Halloween. While Buckeye Nation will obviously be crushed by Saturday night’s loss, Smith looks like an all-time talent. Plus, Ohio State still has a very good chance at the College Football Playoff.
