Week 7 brought a great slate that helped determine which teams are for real and which ones probably should’ve let their star quarterback rest another week to let his hand heal. Nonetheless, we’re in the full swing of the college football season, with teams racing to become bowl eligible as quickly as possible. This week served as the appetizer for what’s to come over the next month and a half.
Indiana University- Football School
Indiana and football have been synonymous with losing for nearly the entirety of college football history. In fact, the Hoosiers still hold the record for the most FBS losses by any program — a record that may soon be in jeopardy, as Northwestern sits only three losses behind them. Indiana football hadn’t had a coach with a winning record during their time in Bloomington in the post–World War II era. That is, until Curt Cignetti showed up.
Cignetti’s famous line is “Google him,” and when you do, you find exactly what he says: winning records everywhere he’s been. From IUP (Division II) to Elon (FCS) to James Madison (Sun Belt), his track record proves one thing — he wins. Many didn’t doubt his ability, but taking the job at Indiana was a different challenge. He was entering a conference loaded with perennial powerhouses. Teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and even Michigan State have enjoyed decades of success. Adding former Pac-12 schools USC, Oregon, and Washington didn’t make the task of winning in the Big Ten any easier. That’s why last year’s run to the College Football Playoff shocked people across the country. It was soon picked apart with criticisms of Indiana losing their biggest games in noncompetitive fashion. Losing star quarterback Kurtis Rourke to graduation left Indiana in an uncertain spot, where many — myself included — thought regression was inevitable.
Cignetti brought in transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Cal and took the Hoosiers to Eugene for their first true road test. Indiana had handled Illinois earlier this year, but that was Illinois — not one of the Big Ten’s heavyweights. Oregon, still riding high after beating Penn State in State College, looked like the ultimate test of whether Indiana was for real. While that Penn State win has lost some luster as the Nittany Lions continue to falter, a road trip to Oregon is still one of the toughest assignments in college football — especially when you have to fly three-quarters of the way across the country to get there.
To be frank, Indiana dominated this game. A quick drive at the end of the half allowed them to capitalize on an Oregon missed field goal and kick one of their own, giving the Hoosiers a 13-10 lead at halftime. Indiana came out strong in the second half, not allowing Oregon to move the ball more than 25 yards on any drive. The Ducks’ only second-half points came from a short field goal off a drive that began in Indiana territory and a pick-six. The 30-20 final score doesn’t tell the full story — in reality, Indiana played in a way that looked more like a 35-13 kind of win.
What does this mean for Oregon? It’s not the end of the world by any means, but it is their first conference loss as members of the Big Ten and their first home loss since Washington beat them back in 2022. Oregon avoids both Ohio State and Michigan this regular season, gets to host USC (who reenters the rankings this week), and finishes the year at Washington. The margin for error is now zero if they want to repeat as Big Ten champions, but their playoff hopes are still alive.
Indiana also avoids both Ohio State and Michigan this year, leaving them with no more ranked opponents on the schedule. What was supposed to be a marquee matchup at Penn State has lost its luster following the firing of James Franklin. Heck, their biggest remaining game might be against UCLA. The Hoosiers are now in prime position to play for their first conference title since 1967. Whatever happens the rest of the way, earning the program’s first road win against an AP Top-5 team has solidified Curt Cignetti as a legitimate Power Five coach — and he’s proven that Indiana is here to compete. The only question now is whether he’ll stick around or jump at one of the bigger jobs that will inevitably open soon.
Red River Rivalry
The big news of the week was that Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was gearing up to play just 17 days after hand surgery. He practiced all week and was officially announced as the starter, trotting out onto the field hoping to lead the Sooners past the Longhorns. To make a long story short — he shouldn’t have.
Mateer produced his worst game of the year, going just 20-for-38 for 202 yards and throwing three interceptions. It was clear from the start that his hand wasn’t right. He couldn’t throw with the same comfort, velocity, or confidence as before. While Mateer’s legs can be a difference-maker, he was clearly running with caution, doing everything he could to avoid contact — especially to that injured hand, which still took several hits throughout the game. He just wasn’t ready. And while I don’t know what the backup looked like in practice, it was painfully obvious that Mateer didn’t have it on Saturday.
Texas, on the other hand, still didn’t look like the preseason No. 1 team they were hyped up to be. But a strong second half — highlighted by a 75-yard punt return touchdown — was enough to secure the win. The Longhorn defense was once again dominant, holding Oklahoma without a touchdown for the second straight year (and three of the last four). They didn’t allow a drive longer than 30 yards in the second half and held the Sooners to just 6-of-17 on third down.
It’s hard to tell if that was a product of Texas’ defense being that good, or Oklahoma rushing Mateer back far too soon. I tend to lean toward the latter, but credit where it’s due: Texas went on the road and beat a top-ranked team. There’s still a lot for the Longhorns to clean up, and their schedule doesn’t ease up at all. Now back in the rankings, they’ve got a couple of so-called “tune-up” weeks — if such a thing exists in the SEC — before facing Georgia.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, is staring down a brutal stretch, possibly with a quarterback who can’t fully grip or throw the ball. They travel to South Carolina before a daunting run of Ole Miss, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. Depending on Mateer’s health, 7–5 might be the realistic goal. If resting him for two or three weeks means giving him a real chance to win some of those late-season games, I’d take it — because based on what I saw Saturday, you’re not winning any of those matchups with that level of play.
130th Auburn Georgia
In the 130th meeting between Auburn and Georgia, the Tigers looked to build some momentum and snap a nine-game losing streak against the Bulldogs. Playing host this year, Auburn hoped a little Jordan-Hare magic could help kickstart the hopeful rebuild under Hugh Freeze.
The Tigers came out hot and dominated early. Forcing punts on Georgia’s first three possessions, Auburn had a chance to extend its lead to three scores before halftime. They drove down the field and appeared to score on a three-yard Jackson Arnold scramble, but it was ruled short. On the next play, a quarterback sneak looked—at least to my eyes—to have clearly crossed the goal line before the ball was punched out. The officiating and review crew didn’t see it that way and awarded the ball to Georgia.
It didn’t get much better from there. The officials’ flags flew constantly as Georgia drove down the field to kick a field goal before halftime, cutting the deficit to 10–3. What looked like a potential 10-point Auburn swing quickly turned into a seven-point game—thanks less to football plays and more to the whistles.
Hugh Freeze was irate—which is odd, because he’s usually a very level-headed man—but nonetheless, Auburn still held the lead at halftime. The second half, however, was all Georgia. The Bulldogs flipped the script completely, moving the ball at will while Auburn looked stuck replaying the controversial sequence from the first half. Georgia outscored Auburn 17–0 in the second half to secure the win and keep their SEC Championship hopes alive.
To be clear, the refs didn’t cause Auburn to come out flat after halftime. But a 17–0 or even 17–3 lead feels a lot different than 10–3. This marks the second time Hugh Freeze’s Tigers have been on the wrong end of controversial officiating—the first being the “fake sub” play by Oklahoma, which the conference formally apologized for afterward. It remains to be seen whether Freeze will get another apology for this goal-line review.
Then again, there’s one sure way to avoid letting it come down to officiating: score more than zero points in the second half and gain more than 50 yards of offense.
Georgia now sets up a Top 10 showdown with Ole Miss next week, looking for revenge after last year’s drubbing at the hands of the Rebels. Auburn, meanwhile, drops to 0–3 in conference play.
Upsets and G5 Contenders
South Florida used their Friday night stage to put on a show in the second half, demolishing a previously undefeated North Texas team, 63–36. Considering the game was tied at halftime, I’d love to know what kind of speech head coach Alex Golesh gave in the locker room to spark that explosion. The Bulls move up to #19 in the latest rankings.
Coming in at #22 is Memphis, who had a bye this week. They’ll host South Florida in two weeks in a matchup that should determine the true front-runner in the American Athletic Conference.
Four ranked teams fell to unranked opponents this week. USC took down Michigan in Los Angeles thanks to a strong second half. Utah demolished Arizona State in a wet showdown late Saturday night in Salt Lake City. Colorado earned its second win over a ranked team under Coach Prime—and he learned the cost of a field storming—as the Buffaloes upset Iowa State. Lastly, Florida State let a halftime lead slip away to Pittsburgh, marking their eighth consecutive conference loss.
What makes this latest loss even worse for the Seminoles is that it came at home, and it likely marks the end of what once looked like a promising season in Tallahassee.
Other Top 25 Teams
Ohio State took care of business against Illinois. Ole Miss escaped a scare from Washington State, while Texas A&M pulled away from Florida in the second half. Alabama looked solid against a good Missouri team, scoring late to seal the win.
Texas Tech looked strong in their win over Kansas, but lost starting quarterback Behren Morton to a season-ending leg injury in the process. Backup Will Hammond will now take the reins.
LSU used a strong second half in Death Valley to beat South Carolina. Georgia Tech is off to a 6–0 start for the first time since 1979, and Notre Dame rallied in the second half to soundly defeat NC State.
Game of the Week: Navy 32, Temple 31
Navy entered the game 5–0, traveling to Philadelphia to take on Temple in a battle of unbeatens in American Conference play. The Midshipmen looked to pick up right where they left off in previous weeks, connecting for a 50-yard touchdown pass — yes, a pass — on their first possession. The Owls answered with a long drive of their own to tie the game at 7–7.
Navy then struggled offensively, punting on the rest of their first-half possessions, while Temple moved the ball efficiently and took a 17–7 lead into halftime. Whenever Navy finds itself down, it’s always a tough hill to climb given their offensive style. But receiving the ball to start the second half, they unleashed a nine-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a touchdown to cut the lead to three. Temple responded with a touchdown of their own, followed by another nine-play, 75-yard Navy drive to make it 24–21 Owls heading into the fourth quarter.
A Navy field goal tied the game at 24–24 with just over six minutes remaining. Temple then embarked on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that drained 5:18 off the clock and ended with a touchdown to make it 31–24. With only 1:16 left, it would take a miracle for Navy to tie the game. Well, it only took them 37 seconds — quarterback Blake Horvath broke free for a 51-yard run to bring the Midshipmen within one. And what else would you expect in that situation? They lined up for two — and converted… on a pass.
Temple’s final drive came up short, and Navy escaped Philadelphia with a win, keeping their dream of a perfect season alive. The grit, determination, and refusal to quit shown by the nation’s Navy make this matchup the College Footblog Game of the Week.
Stat Line of the Week
Demond Williams Jr (Washington): 21/27 402 YDS 2 TD 13 CAR 136 YDS 2 TD
In a game overshadowed by the ALDS Mariners matchup Friday night in Seattle, Demond Williams Jr. put on a show to help Washington move to 5–1. A 28-point second half — fueled by Williams’ stellar performance — helped the Huskies erase a 13–10 halftime deficit and defeat Rutgers 38–19.
Will’s Corner
BYU 33, Arizona 27 (2OT)
In a game BYU had no business winning — they did. The Cougars jumped out to a 14–0 lead in the first quarter and looked ready to roll Arizona. But after giving up a late touchdown pass and sitting through an hour-long weather delay, they came out flat. BYU didn’t score again until the fourth quarter, when they trailed 24–14. They finally figured it out just in time, scoring with 19 seconds left to send the game to overtime.
In the first OT, they held Arizona to a field goal, but instead of giving it to LJ Martin — who was averaging seven yards per carry — they tried to throw it. A field goal sent the game to double overtime, where they went back to the ground for a touchdown. On the required two-point conversion, they again tried to throw and failed to convert. The defense held, forcing an incompletion on fourth down to seal the victory. BYU now plays host to Utah next week in their biggest game of the year.
Tennessee 34, Arkansas 31
It wasn’t pretty. On some drives, Tennessee looked like a top-10 team in the country; on others, they looked like the Bad News Bears. Fortunately for the Vols, the good outweighed the bad as they fended off a late rally to beat Arkansas and improve to 5–1. Next up: a trip to Alabama for the Third Saturday in October.
Washington State 21, Ole Miss 24
Considering Washington State entered as 32-point underdogs, this was about as good as it gets. Tackling was ultimately their downfall, and poor clock management and play-calling prevented them from having a real shot to tie or win after getting the ball back with just over a minute and no timeouts. There are no moral victories in football, but this one came close — even forcing Ole Miss to drop in the rankings. Next week, the Cougars travel to take on ranked Virginia, hoping to keep the good vibes rolling.
AP Poll Reaction
Indiana Jumps to #3
Oklahoma falls to #14.
USC, Texas, Utah, Cincinnati, and Nebraska enter the Top 25, replacing Michigan, Illinois, Arizona State, Iowa State, and Florida State
South Florida enter the top 20.
This is the highest Indiana has ever been in the AP Poll.
CFB News
College football is back on Tuesday nights this week! Conference USA and Sun Belt kicks off its midweek slate with games on Tuesday this week. The next day without football is December 2nd.
Penn State fires head coach James Franklin after 12 years. The change comes after three straight loses, and includes a $50+ million buyout. Man what I would give to have my occupation be a fired college football coach.
College GameDay heads to Athens Georgia, heaven forbid the do two weeks in a row of non SEC teams. Ole Miss and Georgia is a top 10 matchup.
Big Noon Kickoff makes its way to Provo for the BYU versus Utah. Even though the kickoff isn't until 8 pm ET they choose to take the morning show all the way out west.
Games to Watch – Week 8
5. Ole Miss @ 9. Georgia – Oct 18, 3:30 PM ET (ABC)
11. Tennessee @ 6. Alabama – Oct 18, 7:30 PM ET (ABC)
23. Utah @ 15. BYU– Oct 18, 8 PM ET (FOX)
20. USC @ 13. Notre Dame – Oct 11, 7:30 PM ET (NBC)
Guest Guesser Update
This week my mom and I picked the same picks, and we went 8/10, not bad. This means she is still up and even got it to 2 because of our pro picks.
I’d love to hear from readers, too. Think my takes are dumb? Want my opinion on something I missed? Email me at thecollegefootblog@gmail.com.
