The Texas Longhorns rolled through Red River, the Oregon Ducks outlasted the Ohio Buckeyes and the college football rankings were shaped by overtime madness.
The seventh weekend of the 2024 season was headlined by several thrilling finishes, including LSU's win over Ole Miss in Baton Rouge, Tennessee's overtime victory versus Florida, Oregon's win against Ohio State, and Penn State's overtime escape over USC. Also, Alabama needed a last-minute interception versus South Carolina to avoid another upset defeat, with Kansas State and BYU also picking up big-time wins in Big 12 play.
1. Texas (6-0)
Next up: Hm vs Georgia
The Longhorns got revenge for the 2023 last-minute loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry with a dominant 34-3 victory on Saturday. Defense led the way for coach Steve Sarkisian, as this unit limited the Sooners to 237 yards and recorded five sacks. Quarterback Quinn Ewers returned after missing the last two games due to injury but showed some rust (20 of 29 for 199 yards and a touchdown). The quarterback left no doubt about who the No. 1 team in the land is after Week 7. Up next for Texas is a massive Saturday night showdown against Georgia. The Longhorns face their toughest test of the season in what will be a Top 5 showdown for the ages.
2. Oregon (6-0)
Next up: At Purdue
The Oregon Ducks were one of the shakiest top 10 teams in college football to begin the season. Now, they're the owners of the most impressive win of the year. Oregon and Ohio State traded punches for four quarters on Saturday night in a back-and-forth heavyweight showdown in Eugene. The Ducks came out on top with quarterback Dillon Gabriel (341 passing yards and three overall scores) and a timely defensive stop in the final seconds proving to be the difference. The Ducks bested Ohio State, 32-31, in a tight battle that went down to the very end. The difference? Dillon Gabriel made the plays to win while Will Howard fell short. The Ducks QB went 23-of-34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns, with 32 yards and a score on the ground as well. Running back Jordan James and receiver Evan Stewart each went off with more than 100 yards and a touchdown. Oregon struggled to find its rhythm early in the year, but the pieces have clearly fallen into place for coach Dan Lanning after Saturday night's massive victory.
3. Georgia (5-1)
Next up: At Texas
With a huge showdown at Texas looming next week, Georgia may have been peeking ahead a bit with Mississippi State in Athens on Saturday. The Georgia Bulldogs had a relatively uneventful week, if a 10-point win over a one-win team like Mississippi State can be classed as "uneventful." The Dawgs had a 34-10 lead in the third quarter but they took their foot off the gas and MSU closed the gap. It took a 7:26-minute, 16-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to close things out. Despite Carson Beck's 459 yards and three touchdowns, it doesn't feel like UGA has gotten things running smoothly just yet this season. Coach Kirby Smart's team was in control most of the way in a 41-31 victory, but Mississippi State gave Georgia more of a battle than most anticipated. Quarterback Carson Beck led the offense to an average of 7.9 yards a snap and threw for 459 yards and three touchdowns.
4. Ohio State (5-1)
Next up: Bye Week
The Buckeyes came up just short in a 32-31 battle at Oregon on Saturday night. Traditionally AP voters drop teams who lose a few spots simply because they've added to the loss column. This time, they should avoid such a simple read of the situation. The Ohio State Buckeyes traveled across the country to play in one of the most hostile environments in college football and came away with a last-second, one-point loss to the No. 3 team in the polls. They shouldn't be punished harshly for this one. Ohio State's offense had no trouble moving the ball (467 yards), but its top-ranked defense struggled (7.6 yards a play allowed). In addition to the loss, coach Ryan Day's team suffered a major injury with left tackle Josh Simmons suffering an ailment against the Ducks that will sideline him indefinitely.
5. Penn St (6-0)
Next up: Bye Week
James Franklin has a reputation for losing the tough games, so going on the road to face a recently-unranked USC team was always going to be a bit of a "show me" outing. The Nittany Lions can hold their heads high having avoided the upset, but they looked vulnerable while doing it. A bigger win might have justified a ranking ahead of a conference rival who just picked up their first loss. However, Penn State had to overcome a 14-point deficit and beat the Trojans in overtime while Tyler Warren had a herculean effort with 224 yards on 17 catches. Tight end Tyler Warren's monster day (17 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown) and a stingy second-half effort by the defense helped to fuel Penn State for a 33-30 overtime victory at USC. The Nittany Lions trailed 20-6 at halftime, but the defense stepped up in the final two quarters, with Warren and quarterback Drew Allar (391 yards) delivering clutch plays to lift coach James Franklin's team to a victory after a long road trip to the West Coast.
6. Tennessee (5-1)
Next up: Hm vs Alabama
Tennessee, Tennessee, wherefor art thou offense, Tennessee? Seriously, since the start of SEC play, the Volunteers offense has been straight up absent. Considering Florida has dominated the recent series against Tennessee, it's hard for coach Josh Heupel to complain too much about an overtime victory. However, the Volunteers were favored by just over two touchdowns and trailed until the fourth quarter. Last week's 23-17 overtime win over Florida was Nico Iamaleava's second game without a touchdown pass. He committed two turnovers, including an interception and a fumble. The Vols were held scoreless in the first half. And as solid as the defense has been, they let DJ Lagway toss a game-tying touchdown on third-and-19. The Vols running back Dylan Sampson (112 yards) was excellent, and the defense stepped up in the second half to help Tennessee secure the win. Most should agree that this
hardly looks like a top 15 team right now, let alone a top 10 team.
7. Miami-Florida (6-0)
Next up: At Louisville
The Hurricanes had an off date in Week 7. After a wild trip to Berkeley in Week 6, the Miami Hurricanes got to sit back, relax and watch everyone else deal with an upset bid for a change. What matters for Miami after two straight close calls is that they're still undefeated and on track to play for the ACC title with an automatic CFP bid on the line. Miami will return to action this Saturday in a huge ACC showdown at Louisville.
8. Alabama (5-1)
Next up: At Tennessee
I'm honestly tempted to punish Alabama for their 27-25 squeaker of a win over South Carolina. A week after suffering an embarrassing loss to Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide should have been out for blood. Instead, it was the same story as blunders on offense and questionable defense opened the door for a lesser opponent. The Gamecocks were a two-point conversion away from forcing overtime and wrecking Bama's season. But the Tide got away with another shaky performance so they cling to this spot. Quarterback Jalen Milroe accounted for three overall touchdowns, but the offense struggled with the Gamecocks' rush (four sacks allowed). Also, the Crimson Tide's defense was an issue once again. South Carolina converted seven of 15 third-down attempts, and the offense posted nearly 400 yards (374). Coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff have a ton to work on before next week's game at Tennessee.
9. Iowa St (6-0)
Next up: Hm vs UCF
The Cyclones are 6-0 for the first time since 1938 after an impressive 28-16 victory at West Virginia. Should the 6-0 Iowa State Cyclones be even higher than this? There might be a good argument for that one. I'm just not there yet. The Cyclones are taking care of business these days, including beating West Virginia 28-16. Rocco Becht continues to play good football. The ISU defense takes care of business. This is just a well-drilled team winning games without much fuss. Quarterback Rocco Becht threw for 265 yards and a touchdown on 18 completions, and the Iowa State defense limited the Mountaineers' standout ground game to 148 rushing yards.
10. LSU (5-1)
Next up: At Arkansas
After LSU lost to USC and struggled with Nichols State, South Carolina and UCLA, we all would have rightly laughed at the idea of the Tigers contending for a CFP bid. Something has clicked for Garrett Nussmeier and the Tigers and it showed on the final drive of regulation against Ole Miss as LSU captured an overtime victory. The QB hit Aaron Anderson with a perfect strike to tie the game with 27 seconds remaining and then he found Kyron Lacy with another beautiful throw into the endzone to end OT. The Bayou Bengals struggled early, but coach Brian Kelly's team battled to force overtime and eventually found a way to knock off Ole Miss 29-26. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier made several clutch throws late, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to receiver Kyren Lacy on the first play of overtime to secure the victory. LSU's offensive line held Ole Miss' standout defensive front to zero sacks and gave Nussmeier plenty of time to make plays downfield when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter.
11. Notre Dame (5-1)
Next up: At Georgia Tech
The Fighting Irish cruised to a 49-7 victory against Stanford on Saturday afternoon. Quarterback Riley Leonard (16 of 22 for 229 yards and three scores) took a step forward with his overall performance, and Notre Dame's defense limited the Cardinal to only 200 total yards. Notre Dame's win over Texas A&M looks better by the week and their loss to Northern Illinois looks worse. They weren't playing either of those teams this week though. They had Stanford in front of them and they demolished them in short order. Could the Fighting Irish rise this week? I'd listen to an argument for that, especially relative to the team directly in front of them here. For now, they stay put.
12. BYU (6-0)
Next up: Hm vs Oklahoma St
The Arizona Wildcats are in the middle of a disappointing campaign but they have talent enough to cause problems for any team that doesn't take them seriously enough. BYU didn't have that problem, trouncing Noah Fifita et al, 41-19. If the Cougars keep winning, they'll keep rising. They have a clear path to the Big 12 title game if they take care of business from here on out. The Cougars continued their surprise run at the Big 12 title with a 41-19 victory over Arizona. Coach Kalani Sitake's defense forced four turnovers, which the team converted into 24 points. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff was efficient (218 yards and two touchdowns), and the ground game pounded the Wildcats for 147 yards over 27 attempts.