CFB: Week 7 Preview
Week 6 had a handful of major upsets headlined by Iowa State taking down No. 3 Oklahoma, 38-31, and Michigan State defeating rival No. 7 Michigan, 14-10. Other upsets included NC State picking off Lamar Jackson and winning over No. 17 Louisville, LSU rebounding from their loss to Troy versus No. 21 Florida, and Stanford's Bryce Love running past No. 20 Utah.
Week 7 continues to get deeper into conference play as teams like No. 12 Oklahoma (versus Texas), No. 13 USC (versus Utah), and No. 21 Michigan (versus Indiana) can't afford second losses, which would virtually eliminate them from CFP contention. Undefeated teams such as No. 6 TCU, No. 7 Wisconsin, and No. 10 Miami, will look to stay unbeaten against conference foes. Check out our CFB Staff's preview below.
*Maximum of 100 Points.*
Top-25 Rankings:
1. Alabama (6-0, 3-0) - 100 Pts.
2. Clemson (6-0, 3-0) - 97 Pts.
3. Penn State (6-0, 3-0) - 93 Pts.
4. Georgia (6-0, 3-0) - 92 Pts.
5. Washington (6-0, 3-0) - 87 Pts.
6. TCU (5-0, 2-0) - 86 Pts.
7. Wisconsin (5-0, 2-0) - 82 Pts.
8. Washington State (6-0, 3-0) - 76 Pts.
9. Ohio State (5-1, 2-0) - 76 Pts.
10. Miami (4-0, 2-0) - 73 Pts.
11. Auburn (5-1, 3-0) - 71 Pts.
12. Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) - 69 Pts.
13. USC (5-1, 2-1) - 64 Pts.
14. Oklahoma State (4-1, 1-1) - 61 Pts.
15. Virginia Tech (5-1, 2-1) - 55 Pts.
16. Notre Dame (5-1, 2-0) - 52 Pts.
17. South Florida (5-0, 2-0) - 50 Pts.
18. San Diego State (6-0, 3-0) - 49 Pts.
19. NC State (5-1, 3-0) - 43 Pts.
20. Central Florida (4-0, 2-0) - 39 Pts.
21. Michigan (4-1, 1-1) - 37 Pts.
22. Stanford (4-2, 3-1) - 34 Pts.
23. Michigan State (4-1, 2-0) - 32 Pts.
24. Kentucky (5-1, 2-1) - 13 Pts.
25. Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1) - 10 Pts.
Just Missed the Cut:
26. Texas Tech (4-1, 1-1) - 9 Pts.
27. Utah (4-1, 1-1) - 9 Pts.
28. Toledo (4-1, 1-0) - 7 Pts.
29. Louisville (4-2, 1-2) - 5 Pts.
30. Florida (3-2, 3-1) - 3 Pts.
Trending Upward: Notre Dame (+10) is back to looking like a top tier program, at least for now, and with victories over Michigan State and North Carolina, and with their lone loss coming to Georgia, their resume looks pretty good as well. They have a bye week this coming Saturday, and then the schedule really turns up, with games against USC, NC State, Wake Forest, Miami, Navy, and Stanford remaining. Those teams have a combined record of 27-5. That stretch will show us what Notre Dame is really made of. Other programs on the come up are TCU (+3) after their victory over West Virginia, Miami (+2) following their win against rival Florida State, and Georgia (+1) after their beatdown of Vanderbilt.
Trending Downward: Michigan (-14) had a lackluster performance against rival Michigan State on Saturday, with quarterback John O'Korn looking out of sorts. The team had five turnovers, Jim Harbaugh's play calling was too safe, and it resulted in the waste of a great defensive performance. Michigan State deserves credit for outplaying the Wolverines, but it's a game that Michigan was expected to win and should have. They'll have opportunities to rebound against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State, but they're on the downslide right now. Louisville (-12) after their slip-up against NC State, Florida (-9) after their regression versus LSU, and Oklahoma (-9) after their loss to Iowa State are also sliding down the ranks.
Charles Post:
No. 21 Michigan @ Indiana
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. Texas
Georgia Tech @ No. 10 Miami
Texas Tech @ West Virginia
No. 6 TCU @ Kansas State
Purdue @ No. 7 Wisconsin
Navy @ Memphis
Utah @ No. 13 USC
Boise State @ No. 18 San Diego State
Oregon @ No. 22 Stanford
Week 6 Record: 7-3.
Overall Record: 48-12.
Chase Zayac:
No. 21 Michigan @ Indiana
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. Texas
Georgia Tech @ No. 10 Miami
Texas Tech @ West Virginia
No. 6 TCU @ Kansas State
Purdue @ No. 7 Wisconsin
Navy @ Memphis
Utah @ No. 13 USC
Boise State @ No. 18 San Diego State
Oregon @ No. 22 Stanford
Week 6 Record: 7-3.
Overall Record: 47-13.
Chinedum Wejinya:
No. 21 Michigan @ Indiana
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. Texas
Georgia Tech @ No. 10 Miami
Texas Tech @ West Virginia
No. 6 TCU @ Kansas State
Purdue @ No. 7 Wisconsin
Navy @ Memphis
Utah @ No. 13 USC
Boise State @ No. 18 San Diego State
Oregon @ No. 22 Stanford
Week 6 Record: 7-3.
Overall Record: 45-15.
1. After Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) and Michigan (4-1, 1-1) each lost to an unranked foe (Iowa State and Michigan State) on their home field last weekend - What records do you expect the Sooners and Wolverines to finish with and who do their losses come against?
Post: Oklahoma falls to 4-1 (1-1) and I think they'll finish with a 10-2 record. Their toughest games left are against Texas, Oklahoma State, and TCU. They'll win two out of three of those games and finish in the top-3 of the Big 12, but won't reach the conference title game. Michigan is also 4-1 (1-1) now, but there situation looks a little more bleak. I pick them to finish with a 9-3 spot, losing at least two games against Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State.
Zayac: After unexpected losses from Oklahoma and Michigan, I expect the Sooners to be just fine and win the Big 12 Conference going 11-1 - winning out. Michigan, on the other hand, will lose three more times to Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State to finish 8-4. Who's got it better than us? Well, everybody right now.
Wejinya: I expect Michigan to finish the season 8-4, with three more losses to Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State - All top-10 teams right now. As for the Sooners, I expect them to win all but one of their remaining games, finishing 10-2, with a loss to TCU, but still competing for the Big 12.
2. Just two weeks into conference play, there are only two remaining undefeated teams in the Big 12 conference (TCU and Texas) - What are the chances that either the Horned Frogs (5-0, 2-0) or the Longhorns (3-2, 2-0) win the Big 12?
Post: Texas has looked pretty good in there first two Big 12 games, but it was against at Iowa State and at home versus Kansas State. Not exactly a gauntlet to say the least. The ‘Horns still have Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU left on the schedule. However, the Horned Frogs have a real shot. They have already taken down Oklahoma State and West Virginia so it’ll come down to the Oklahoma game. Right now, TCU has the edge on winning the Big 12 but Oklahoma and Oklahoma State still have a shot at it.
Zayac: Those two unbeaten teams have a lot of talent, but I just can't see them winning the conference. The Oklahoma Sooners have the best chance to win the Big 12 to me, with Heisman hopeful Baker Mayfield, despite last weeks hiccup versus Iowa State.
Wejinya: There is a high chance that either TCU or Texas win the Big 12, but in my opinion, there is a higher chance that the Horned Frogs do because I feel like they are a better team, and have already gotten past Oklahoma State and West Virginia. Texas hasn't player either of those opponents.
3. Even though Stanford is just 4-2 (3-1), do you think star running back Bryce Love (1,240 Yards, 9 TDs) should be the Heisman favorite or do you think the Heisman leader should have to be on a College Football Playoff contending team?
Post: I don’t necessarily think the Heisman winner has to be on a team that’s in CFP contention, but to be the best player in the nation, I think you have to be a good leader and that usually results in being on a top-15 team. If Stanford goes 9-3 or 10-2 and Love keeps up this pace, he deserves the Stiff Arm. If the Cardinal end 8-4, I’d probably lean toward someone else. But right now, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s been the best player.
Zayac: Bryce Love has been the best player in the country by far. He is absolutely deserving of the Heisman award, way more deserving than non-championship contender Lamar Jackson who won the Heisman last year for the Louisville Cardinals.
Wejinya: I do think Bryce Love should be one of the Heisman favorites. The Heisman leader doesn't have to be from a College Football Playoff contending team because last year Lamar Jackson was not on one of those but he did something amazing. However, it is more difficult for a non-contending team to have a Heisman winner.
*Maximum of 20 Points.*
Heisman Standings:
1. Bryce Love (Stanford RB) - 16 Pts.
2. Saquon Barkley (Penn State RB) - 16 Pts.
3. Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma QB) - 12 Pts.
4. Jalen Hurts (Alabama QB) - 6 Pts.
5. J.T. Barrett (Ohio State QB) - 4 Pts.
Movement: Bryce Love ascended to the top spot after going for 150+ yards against Utah, and is still averaging 200+ yards per game on the ground. He's leading the nation in rushing with 1,240 yards. Saquon Barkley slipped to the second ranking, after back-to-back slow weeks. He has 649 yards and six touchdowns. Baker Mayfield dropped down one spot, too, but his 15-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio is still very impressive. Jalen Hurts remained at the fourth slot, after leading yet another victory over a ranked Texas A&M team. J.T. Barrett replaces Mason Rudolph as Oklahoma State had a bye week, and Barrett continued his scorching run. He has 1,513 yards and 16 touchdowns to just one pick.
College Football Playoff Picks:
Photo Credit: ESPN & Sports Illustrated.
