College Football Weekly Recap: Week 7
Week 7 in the college football world brought a total of six matchups between ranked teams, likely the highest such mark this entire season. The several marquee matchups had varying levels of excitement, but the highest-ranked game did not disappoint.
The sixth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers played host to Alabama on the third Saturday in October as always, but this time around it was anything but business as usual. Tennessee knocked off the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2006, and the first time with Nick Saban as the head coach, and they celebrated accordingly.
In a classic upset celebration fashion, the Tennessee fans stormed the field and took down the goalposts, eventually throwing them into the river by the stadium. The Vols have now vaulted up to third in the rankings, the highest they have been in the CFP era. In a game that was an instant classic, Tennessee defeated Alabama 52-49 in a constant back-and-forth.
Alabama’s Heisman trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young had himself a game while playing through an injury. Young put up 455 yards and two touchdowns while throwing no interceptions, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome Tennesee’s high-powered offense. Hendon Hooker, the man under center for the Vols is setting himself up nicely to make a run of his own at the Heisman. Hooker threw for 385 yards and five touchdowns while also picking up 56 yards on the ground.
The most impressive performance of the day came from Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. The star wideout had one of the best performances of all time, in my opinion, turning only six receptions into 207 yards and five touchdowns. The combination of the two stars for the Vols has propelled them into the playoff conversation, a development that not many saw coming.
The Vols only have two ranked opponents remaining on their schedule, No. 19 Kentucky, and of course the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in three weeks which is potentially the biggest game of the college football season.
In other games across the country, Michigan came out victorious in the clash of top-10 Big Ten teams. The Wolverines dominated Penn State for the entire second half, bullying the Nittany Lions at the line of scrimmage. Michigan had two rushers go over 160 yards and two touchdowns in Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.
Michigan’s 41-17 victory over Penn State solidified the Wolverines in the top 5 and proved to the nation that they are every bit as good as last year, maybe even better with the new addition of 5-star quarterback JJ McCarthy. Michigan should have easy sailing until the last two games of the season when they play Illinois and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks.
In the Pac-12, things got shaken up a bit when Utah defeated USC, 43-42. The Trojans were rolling with the new additions of Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison and were looking to make a playoff push, but that path just got a lot more difficult after the loss to the Utes. While Utah’s playoff chances are likely over, barring some major chaos, the chance for Utah to go 11-2 and earn a Rose Bowl appearance as Pac-12 champions just became significantly more likely.
Clemson narrowly escaped with a win once again on Saturday, this time it was against Florida State in Doak Campbell stadium. Clemson has a huge matchup this weekend, playing Syracuse in their last ranked matchup of the season most likely.
Speaking of Syracuse, the Orange got a big win of their own, taking down the NC State Wolfpack 24-9, now finding themselves in the top 15. The Orange have had a couple of close calls this season, but they remain unbeaten, and if they can find a way to take down the Tigers on Saturday the playoffs become a real possibility.
TCU continues to roll as well, taking down eighth-ranked Oklahoma State in double overtime to remain undefeated. The Horned Frogs have defeated three ranked opponents in a row and will have another chance to do so this weekend when they take on the Kansas State Wildcats.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Illinois continues to surprise people. The Illini handled Minnesota at home to take the top spot in the Big Ten West. If Illinois can continue to win games, its November matchup with Michigan looming becomes huge.
Unfortunately for James Madison, the Dukes suffered their first loss of the season after being ranked for the first time in school history, they will have a really tough time returning to the polls after their loss to Georgia Southern.
This week of college football provided a lot of clarity for telling how good teams really are, and it also built up some anticipation for the rest of the season moving forward.
Jameson Kramer is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jek5650@psu.edu.
