After an absolutely crazy week last Saturday, a lot was expected of this week. Upsets were extremely possible and big games abounded. Week 7 may not have been as crazy as Week 6, but it was still a great week. There were some great games and a nice shake-up on the rankings, including a new top five. We also had a huge Heisman shake-up following the suspension of Todd Gurley (more on that later). As we always do, we'll take a look at the biggest games, individual performances, Heisman rankings, and a quick preview of next week.
Notable Games:
There was no bigger game this week than #2 Auburn and #3 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs came in to this game as the hottest team in the nation and left this game with even more fire. With a huge 38-23 win, the Bulldogs leapfrogged to #1 in the rankings with 45 first-place votes. Are the Bulldogs the new team to beat? It certainly looks that way.
Florida State was #1 at the start of the week, but now finds itself at #2, even though they beat Syracuse 38-20. It was a great win for the team, but the voters found the Bulldogs more worthy of the top spot. The 'Noles have been losing steam steadily over the last few weeks. They'll need to turn that around if they want to remain unbeaten.
Arkansas came into this week with 15 straight SEC losses. No one was really expecting them to challenge Alabama, but that's exactly what they did. They pushed the Crimson Tide to the very brink, but #7 Alabama hung on for the one-point win. It's been a heartbreaking season for the Razorbacks so far. They came so close against Alabama on Saturday and came even closer against Texas A&M last month.
The only other match-up between top ten teams was between #5 Baylor and #9 TCU. The Horned Frogs were coming off a huge win against Oklahoma and were looking to knock off another top Big 12 team, Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Coach Art Briles and Baylor came back for a 24-point deficit to keep their undefeated season going. The Horned Frogs meanwhile, dropped out of the top 10 and into the bottom half of the Big 12.
Taking TCU's place at #9 is Oregon, who entered the week at #12. The Ducks were still hurting from their shocking loss to Arizona last week, but managed to channel that into a statement win over #18 UCLA. The Bruins meanwhile, dropped out of the top 25.
The other new team in the top 10 was Georgia. Even though their top running back (and player) Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely, the Bulldogs completely dominated Missouri. Georgia is now ranked tenth and at the top of their division.
#22 Georgia Tech suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils. Duke won 35-21, sending the Yellow Jackets flying out of the rankings. GT is now second in their division (behind Virginia) and Duke is ranked third.
#6 Notre Dame continued its bid for a second perfect regular season in three years. The Fighting Irish were taken to the edge by unranked North Carolina. The Tar Heels jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but ND won 50-43. The Irish are now ranked fifth and one of only six unbeaten teams left (along with Mississippi State, Florida State, Ole Miss, Baylor, and Marshall).
Speaking of Marshall, the Thundering Herd is now ranked 25th. Their win this week, which made them bowl eligible, came over Middle Tennessee, handing the Blue Raiders their first conference loss of the season.
The Michigan Wolverines have been struggling as of late, but they turned it around with an 18-13 win over the Nittany Lions of Pennsylvania State University. U of M is now 3-4 and ranked fifth in their division. Penn State meanwhile, is ranked right below Michigan.
Notable Performances:
Following their win over Kansas, Oklahoma State is now ranked in the top 15. A big reason they won: junior Tyreek Hill. The WR compiled 280 yards of receiving and returns. Not only did he lead the Cowboys in receiving yards, he returned one kick for 99 yards and six points.
As mentioned before, Ole Miss is one of six teams left that are still undefeated. This week, they beat #14 Texas A&M. A lot of credit goes to #25 Cody Prewitt, who returned an interception for 75 yards and a touchdown.
The second game of the week featured Washington State and #25 Stanford, who was coming off a close loss to Notre Dame. The Cardinals rebounded nicely, beating WSU 34-17. Helping in a big way was Ty Montgomery, who compiled 134 return yards and had seven receptions for 72 yards.
Kenny Hill is getting most of the freshman love right now, but some should also be given to Darius Phillips of Western Michigan. The wide receiver had one catch for 52 yards, 2 carries for 27 yards, and four punt returns for 95 yards. Look for him to be a featured part of the Western Michigan offense for the next few years.
The UAB Blazers picked up their fourth win of the season by beating North Texas 56-21. Leading the way was quarterback Cody Clements, who threw for 316 yards, two scores, and zero picks. UAB is currently ranked fourth in their division and are at 4-2.
Heisman Standings:
As we said before, Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely for allegedly receiving payments for signed memorabilia. How does that affect the Heisman standings? Let's check it out. But first, a nod to the two players who fell off of our rankings: Amari Cooper, who had only two catches for 22 yards on Saturday, and Nick Marshall, who threw two picks in a loss to Mississippi State.
10. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska- The running back was out of action on Saturday, and that keeps him pinned at the ten spot. He'll need a great game against Northwestern in Week 8 if he wants to move up the ladder.
9. Kenny Hill, Texas A&M- The Aggies suffered their second straight loss this week, sending Hill four spots down our rankings. The freshman did put up some solid numbers however, throwing for 401 yards and two scores. He'll need a win and a great outing against Alabama next week to stay in the race.
8. Bo Wallace, Ole Miss- Wallace makes his debut on our list coming off an impressive day against Texas A&M. He accounted for three total touchdowns as Ole Miss stayed unbeaten and in the top three,
7. Bryce Petty, Baylor- In one of the best games of the week, Baylor rallied from a 24-point deficit to beat #9 TCU. Guiding them was Petty, who threw for 510 yards and six TDs. The Bears are now ranked fourth.
6. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin- Not only did the Badgers win, but Gordon ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns. If Gurley's suspension continues, Gordon might be the only running back invited to New York.
5. Jameis Winston, Florida State- Though the character card is definitely hurting Winston's repeat chances, his on-the-field performances are only helping him. His performance against Syracuse was the best individual performance of the week (according to The Sports Examiner, at least). The sophomore QB went 30 for 36 and had three touchdowns.
4. Everett Golson, Notre Dame- Once again, Golson led his team to a win, but his performance was spotty. He did throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had three turnovers. The main reason he's in the top five is because he's kept Notre Dame undefeated. If he can do the same next week (more on that later), he'll be top three on this list for sure.
3. Todd Gurley, Georgia- Yes, Gurley has been suspended indefinitely, but he did practice today with the team. This gives hope to Bulldog fans that he will return soon. Until then, his stock will continue to drop.
2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon- Mariota had the second-best performance of the week (once again, according to The Sports Examiner). He accounted for four total touchdowns as his Oregon Ducks dominated #18 UCLA. His performance was almost good enough to vault him back into the top spot, but not quite.
1. Dak Prescott, Mississippi State- For the first time this season, Prescott takes the top spot in our Heisman countdown. He does so after the Bulldogs picked up their straight win over a top ten team, a truly incredible feat.
Games to Watch Next Week:
The biggest game of the week is undoubtedly #5 Notre Dame at #1 Florida State. Both of these teams are undefeated and are led by Heisman contenders. The Seminoles are expected to win, but don't expect the Irish to just roll over. A win here could push FSU back in the top spot, while a win for ND could push them in the top 4.
Unranked last week, Clemson is now #24. On Saturday, they face conference rival Boston College. Both teams are 4-2, and you know BC would love to take Clemson's place in the rankings. This could potentially be one of the best games of the week.
#19 Nebraska takes on Northwestern in a Big Ten battle. Northwestern is ranked third in their division, just ahead of Nebraska. The Cornuskers need this win if they want to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive.
Games between ranked SEC teams have been some of the biggest stories almost every week, and that trend continues this week, with #7 Alabama and #21 Texas A&M. When Johnny Manziel was at the helm, the Aggies beat the Crimson Tide once and put up a great showing in the other game. Can Kenny Hill lead Texas A&M to the victory, or will 'Bama signal caller Blake Sims keep his team in the playoff hunt?
The first game of the week with a ranked team features #20 Utah and Oregon State. Both teams are 4-1 and in the top four of their divisions (Pac-12 South and North, respectively). A win for either one of these programs would fuel their Pac-12 championship dreams.
Thanks for reading this recap. As always, feel free to comment if you agree or disagree with something.
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