They rushed the field in Knoxville. And Fort Worth. And Salt Lake City. And Syracuse. They didn't rush the field in the Anchor-Bone Classic or Dakota Marker because the road teams won both games (by a combined three points). Florida State fans might have rushed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium, but Clemson was too stubborn to let them. They didn't need to rush the field at the Big House because Michigan fans are pretty used to seeing their team stomp Penn State.
I'm not going to definitively declare Week 7 of the 2022 season as one of the best weekends in college football history. Said history is too deep, too rich and too long to make a statement like that. But I will definitively say this: Saturday was why we watch. It was why we go to such lengths to plan our lives around a silly, ridiculous sport. It was why we put up with all of its frequent and maddening nonsense. We knew it was going to be a huge weekend because of the volume of big games -- three unbeaten-vs.-unbeaten matchups, plus three other battles of ranked teams -- and somehow it exceeded all expectations.
At the bottom of my weekend recap column this season, I have been listing my 10 (or so) favorite games of the week. To celebrate a weekend like what we just saw, I'm just going to make the entire column out of that list. From Tennessee's Neyland Stadium to Ferris State's Top Taggart Field and everywhere in between, here are my 20 favorite games of Week 7 and what their impacts might be moving forward.
1. No. 6 Tennessee 52, No. 3 Alabama 49
What happened: It took 60 full minutes, but the Vols beat Bama for the first time since 2006 and scored their first home win between top-10 teams since 1999 thanks to an early burst -- they led 21-7 after 11 minutes and 28-10 in the second quarter -- and a wobbly 40-yard field goal at the buzzer by Chase McGrath. The kick probably would have been good from about 42 yards and no more, but it fell between the uprights. Then the goalposts came down.
UT's Hendon Hooker went toe-to-toe with Bryce Young, throwing for 385 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in just 30 passes. Receiver Jalin Hyatt, in a performance that conjured names like DeVonta Smith and Torry Holt, caught six balls for 207 yards and all five of Hooker's scores.
.@Vol_Football WR Jalin Hyatt:
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 16, 2022
-1st player w/5 rec TD's vs an AP Top-5 team since Torry Holt in 1997 vs No. 3 FSU
⁰-5 rec TD are the most in a game vs any Nick Saban-coached team ever
⁰-1st player since DeVonta Smith in 2019 to have at 200 rec yds & 5 rec TD in a game
Alabama charged back from down 18 to take the lead two different times, but Hyatt's final touchdown tied the game at 49, and after Bama's Will Reichard missed a 50-yard field goal try with 15 seconds left, Hooker completed passes to Ramel Keyton for 18 yards and Bru McCoy for 27 to set McGrath up for the winner.
What it means: Granted, the win would be even more significant if Tennessee and Alabama were in the same SEC division, in which case this would serve as a useful tiebreaker, but this game changed a lot from an odds perspective. My SP+ ratings now give the Vols a 37% chance of winning the SEC East and a 19% chance of winning the SEC. The Allstate Playoff Predictor, meanwhile, more than doubled their CFP chances, from 23% to 48%.
Now comes maybe the single biggest CFP-related question of the moment: Can someone knock Bama out this time? Nick Saban's Crimson Tide suffered an almost identical loss this time last year -- 41-38 via a last-second field goal to Texas A&M on Oct. 9 -- but won out, then beat Georgia in the SEC championship game to snare a CFP bid. Another loss wouldn't officially eliminate the Tide, but it very nearly would. Here are their projected win probabilities, per SP+, for the rest of the season:
Oct. 22: Mississippi State 80%
Nov. 5: at LSU 75%
Nov. 12: at Ole Miss 58%
Nov. 19: Austin Peay 98%
Nov. 26: Auburn 89%
Dec. 3: vs. Georgia (in a hypothetical SEC title game): 47%
Dec. 3: vs. Tennessee (in a hypothetical SEC title game): 57%
Obviously, the Tide's most likely second loss would be in Atlanta, and if they win out, they're there. But after losing in Tennessee's biggest home game in ages, they might be playing in Ole Miss' biggest home game in ages in a few weeks, too. Lane Kiffin's Rebels oscillate between brilliant and sleep mode and face relative toss-ups in each of their next two games (63% win probability at LSU, then 62% at A&M). But they're seventh in SP+, and if they can take at least one of the next two games, they'd be in position to seize control of the West with an upset of the Tide.
Throw in Tennessee's Nov. 5 trip to Athens, and we're looking at a particularly incredible early November slate in the SEC.
2. No. 20 Utah 43, No. 7 USC 42
What happened: USC's beautiful offense nearly knocked Utah out early with touchdowns on each of its first three drives. But the Trojans' ugly defense allowed five TDs on the Utes' final six drives -- the only time they didn't score was when they lost a fumble at the USC 3 -- and Cameron Rising's touchdown and 2-point combo rushes put Utah ahead for the first time with 48 seconds left.
UTAH LEADS!@Utah_Football converts for 2 to take the 1-point lead late! pic.twitter.com/e2R04hx8SI
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 16, 2022
The teams combined for 1,118 yards (7.7 per play), and while USC recovered both of the game's fumbles and therefore won the turnover margin, the Trojans went 0-for-2 on fourth downs while Utah went 3-for-3. That made the eventual difference.
What it means: In the big picture, it means the Pac-12 is now far less likely to have a team in the CFP. The Playoff Predictor put USC's odds at 19% heading into Week 7, while no one else was above 4%. Now the Trojans still lead the way at only 8%.
We should know by now, however, that playoff bids aren't a direct proxy for conference strength -- Clemson snared a bid through a mostly weak ACC on many occasions, after all -- and Utah's win just made a potentially wild Pac-12 title race even more intriguing. SP+ gives UCLA a 40% chance of winning the conference title, while Oregon is at 30%, Utah 17% and USC 12%. (SP+ has never liked USC as much as ESPN's FPI, the driver of the Playoff Predictor, and it has liked UCLA more for most of the season.)
Those odds will see another shift after next week's UCLA-Oregon game. The plot twists might only be beginning. But Saturday affirmed that as elite as USC's offense is, the defense, which now ranks 56th in defensive SP+ and 87th in yards allowed per play, is in no way CFP worthy. And now the Trojans probably won't be either.
3. No. 13 TCU 43, No. 8 Oklahoma State 40 (2OT)
What happened: The fact that a double-overtime game between two unbeatens ranked third on this list says a lot about Saturday's general awesomeness. But this one was a thriller too. OSU quickly went up 14-0 thanks to a pair of Spencer Sanders touchdown runs, and the Cowboys made that advantage last for as long as possible. But they went scoreless over their last four possessions in regulation, and TCU scored twice in the final 10 minutes to tie the game at 30.
The Horned Frogs nearly won in the first overtime period, but Oklahoma State converted a fourth-and-9 to set up a short Dominic Richardson touchdown. OSU's Tanner Brown kicked a 52-yard field goal to start the second overtime session, but TCU responded with six rushes and a game-winning Kendre Miller touchdown.
What it means: For starters, it means TCU is for real. Granted, we probably already knew that following its blowout of Oklahoma and last week's 38-31 survival over Kansas. But in case there were any remaining inklings of doubt, the Horned Frogs' ability to absorb early shots against a mature and physical OSU team and come back to win anyway should erase them.
This Frogs team is resilient and confident and is now a likely co-favorite in the Big 12. SP+ gives four teams between a 14% and 30% chance of winning the conference -- Texas (30%) and TCU (28%) are the front-runners, with Kansas State (20%) and OSU (14%) a step behind and Baylor (4%) and Kansas (1%) clinging to hope of a turnaround.
4. North Carolina 38, Duke 35
5. No. 4 Clemson 34, Florida State 28
What happened: Clemson and UNC seized control of their respective ACC divisions (from an odds perspective, anyway), albeit in completely different ways. Dabo Swinney's Tigers won with a patented Dabo concept: the middle eight.
/gestures demonstratively toward tweet below from last Sunday https://t.co/k2PSnebw1v
— Ross Taylor (@ClemsonFBRoss) October 16, 2022
With the game tied at 14 approaching halftime, the Tigers scored 10 points in the final two minutes of the first half, then scored on the opening play of the second half as well to go up by 17. They were up 20 when Florida State began inching back into the game. The Noles got to within six but never got the ball with a chance to win late.
Over in Durham, the Tar Heels used a 21-0 run to take a 10-point lead late in the third quarter before Duke responded with a quick pair of touchdowns in the fourth. Down by four with two minutes left, the Tar Heels drove 74 yards, converting a fourth-and-5 and then scoring with 18 seconds left on a pass from Drake Maye to Antoine Green.
What it means: Each ACC division has a clear favorite. In the Atlantic, Clemson is 5-0 with a 79% chance of winning the division, per SP+. In the Coastal, UNC is 3-0, a game up on Georgia Tech (!) and 1.5 up on both Pitt and Miami, and has a 56% chance at the title. Since a frustrating loss to Notre Dame, the Tar Heels have won three in a row and overachieved their SP+ projection by an average of 9.9 points per game.
That said, their biggest competition is still ahead. Clemson hosts unbeaten Syracuse (18% Atlantic title odds) next week in what almost amounts to a winner-take-all matchup, while UNC has a bye week before hosting Pitt (21% Coastal odds) in Week 9. The favorites are clear, and they could be even heavier favorites in a couple of weeks.
6. No. 5 Michigan 41, No. 10 Penn State 17
What happened: What this game lacked in drama, it made up for with its resounding nature. Down 17-16 early in the second half after controlling the ball but giving up a couple of unlikely big plays -- a long run by Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford and a pick-six that bounced off two helmets -- Michigan laid the hammer down, scoring two touchdowns in four minutes and running away with a 24-point win.
The Wolverines rushed for a jaw-dropping 418 yards on what had been, to date, a decent PSU run defense. Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum combined to rush for 339 yards and four touchdowns. In big games, Michigan relies on its physicality, and as it did against Ohio State last November, it worked wonders here.
Kyle Vantrease connects with Derwin Burgess Jr. to give Georgia Southern the lead.
What it means: Ohio State remains the Big Ten favorite -- the Buckeyes are No. 1 in both FPI and SP+ -- but Michigan is sending the loudest possible message that the race is far from over. Only Georgia and Michigan rank in the top eight in offensive, defensive and special teams SP+. The Wolverines are without a genuine weakness, and if Saturday is any indication, they might be even better at the physicality thing than they were a year ago.
SP+ now gives Michigan a 35% chance of winning the Big Ten East -- quite a vote of confidence considering how much it likes Ohio State (and considering that their rivalry game is in Columbus this year) -- and the Playoff Predictor gives the Wolverines a 51% chance of reaching the CFP, with or without a win over the Buckeyes.
7. Michigan State 34, Wisconsin 28 (2OT)
8. Maryland 38, Indiana 33
9. Purdue 43, Nebraska 37
What happened: The Big Ten's biggest matchup of the day was a blowout, and Ohio State was idle, but the conference still had a ridiculously fun week. After what had been a pretty straight-forward game in East Lansing, things got funky late. Michigan State botched a field goal attempt at the end of regulation, then offered Wisconsin another lifeline when Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz threw the ball directly at two Spartans defenders in overtime and neither could hold on for the interception. In the second OT, Jacoby Windmon forced a Braelon Allen fumble -- Windmon has been MSU's best player by far this year -- and Jayden Reed caught a touchdown pass (after throwing one in the first OT) to seal the win.
In Bloomington, Maryland outgained Indiana by 91 yards and landed a plus-three turnover margin, but it couldn't put the Hoosiers away until a Billy Edwards Jr. touchdown with 2:11 left -- Edwards, the backup QB, was in the game because of what looked like a pretty nasty knee injury for starter Taulia Tagovailoa -- and an onside kick recovery in the final minute. And a similar game broke out in West Lafayette, where Purdue hogged the ball (101 snaps to Nebraska's 52) and led most of the way but gave up a series of big plays that allowed the Huskers to stay close. The Boilermakers got the ball back with 5:55 to go, converted a fourth-and-1 near midfield and put the game away.
What it means: Purdue was really the only team with major stakes to play for: With the win, the Boilermakers have a 43% chance of winning the Big Ten West, per SP+. Their odds are almost identical to those of Illinois; Purdue will travel to Champaign on Nov. 12 for what might be the least likely huge game of the season.
10. Texas 24, Iowa State 21
11. West Virginia 43, Baylor 40
12. Oklahoma 52, Kansas 42
What happened: It was a past-and-present weekend for the Big 12. We saw both what the conference used to be best known for (producing tons and tons of points and yards) and what it does better than anyone these days (producing close games). Three of four conference games hit at least 83 total points, and three of four were decided by three.
West Virginia beat Baylor on Thursday night with a blocked PAT conversion early in the fourth quarter and a Casey Legg field goal with 22 seconds left. And early Saturday, as Kansas and Oklahoma were combining for 1,131 yards (701 from the Sooners), Iowa State and Texas combined for four lead changes in just seven scores, with Xavier Worthy's fourth-and-goal touchdown making the difference after some late, confusing officiating drama.
What it means: The god of close games is forever fickle and unreliable. Baylor and Oklahoma State went a combined 10-3 in one-score finishes last season on their way to the Big 12 championship game, but both lost this week by matching 43-40 scores. Meanwhile, Texas and ISU entered their matchup having both lost a downright Nebraska-esque seven of their past eight one-score games. They were destined to play a close one, and the laws of nature dictated that someone had to win it.
13. Georgia Southern 45, No. 25 James Madison 38
14. South Alabama 41, ULM 34
What happened: The Sun Belt's hierarchy crystallized a bit with a pair of thrillers (and Old Dominion's blowout of Coastal Carolina). Georgia Southern and James Madison combined for 1,265 total yards, but the host Eagles scored their third-ever win over a ranked team by forcing four turnovers, overcoming an early 14-0 deficit and surviving a wild fourth quarter that featured 28 points and leads for both teams. Derwin Burgess Jr. laid out for a 22-yard score from Kyle Vantrease, barely a minute after JMU had taken the lead, to secure the win.
Down in Mobile, South Alabama hospitably offered its visitors a 17-10 second-quarter lead before all but putting the game away with a 31-3 run. ULM scored twice late to make it a one-score game, but South Alabama took the ball with five minutes left and never gave it back, converting a pair of third downs and running out the clock.
What it means: For one thing, it means South Alabama is your official Sun Belt West favorite ... for at least a week. SP+ gives the Jaguars a 52% chance of winning the division, but they host second-favorite Troy (35%) next weekend. The winner of that one will see the odds shift massively in its favor. In the East, JMU is ineligible for the title because of its provisional FBS status, but while Old Dominion leads at 2-0, every eligible team still has a shot, even 1-2 Georgia Southern (4% chance) and 0-2 Marshall (13%).
15. Stanford 16, Notre Dame 14
What happened: After a gut-wrenching loss to Oregon State extended their FBS losing streak to 11 games, David Shaw's Cardinal probably felt they deserved a break. Notre Dame gave it to them, turning the ball over on downs at the Stanford 5 and losing a fumble at the Stanford 21. Throw in some third-down superiority -- Stanford was 7-for-16, Notre Dame 3-for-12 -- and it was enough to secure a 16-14 upset in South Bend.
What it means: Notre Dame just gave away all of its recent gains. The Irish looked like they had stabilized, winning three games in a row and physically controlling games against both North Carolina and BYU. But this was an absolute dud. There was some poor turnover luck involved, but Stanford also outgained its host by 74 yards, and Notre Dame dropped from 27th to 43rd in SP+ as a result.
Marcus Freeman's first Irish team is still likely to make a bowl (88% chance, per SP+), but barring another turnaround, it is likely looking at either a 6-6 or 7-5 finish. The Irish won fewer than eight games only once in the 12-year Brian Kelly era.
16. No. 22 Kentucky 27, No. 16 Mississippi State 17
17. LSU 45, Florida 35
What happened: The more painful a game looks, the better Kentucky's odds of winning tend to be, and this one looked painful. Quarterback Will Levis left the game injured at one point in the third quarter but returned to complete a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass for the lead. Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed for 196 yards and two scores, and UK scored 21 of the game's final 28 points to secure a huge bounce-back win.
In Gainesville, LSU was doing the same. After a blowout home loss to Tennessee, the Tigers used a 28-0 run to take a 42-21 lead into the fourth quarter. The Gators stormed back thanks to an unbelievable Anthony Richardson touchdown ...
THERE GOES THAT MAN! 🫡 @GVOaant takes it to the house.
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) October 16, 2022
📺 @ESPN pic.twitter.com/8sU2TrLatF
... but the Tigers put the game away with a clock-eating field goal drive. Jayden Daniels finished with 349 passing yards, three passing scores and three rushing scores in a performance that landed him on this week's Heisman list below.
What it means: Neither Kentucky nor LSU is likely to threaten to win their respective divisions or anything, but these were lovely shows of resilience. Between them, the Wildcats and Tigers have four combined games remaining versus SP+ top-10 teams, so they will possibly need even more resilience soon. But nice wins are nice wins.
18. East Carolina 47, Memphis 45 (4OT)
What happened: Memphis began the game with a 17-0 run, to which ECU responded with a 23-3 run of its own. East Carolina seemingly scored the winning touchdown with 1:45 left, but Memphis tied it with 19 seconds remaining, sending the game into overtime. Finally, in the fourth OT possession, Memphis' Seth Henigan overthrew Caden Prieskorn, and ECU prevailed.
What it means: The win keeps ECU on the good side of the bowl gods -- SP+ now gives the Pirates an 80% chance of reaching bowl eligibility -- but while Memphis is at 91%, the what-ifs are piling up. This was the second straight game in which the Tigers blew a double-digit lead and lost to a conference foe. They're 4-3 but could, or should, be doing much better.
19. FCS: No. 3 South Dakota State 23, No. 1 North Dakota State 21
20. Div. II: No. 2 Grand Valley State 22, No. 1 Ferris State 21
What happened: A pair of enormous rivalries produced classics. North Dakota State has been drifting along in third gear this season, but it looked like the top-ranked team in the FCS had found its best self -- the Bison scored on their first three drives and took a 21-7 lead into halftime.
NDSU's final six drives, however, were as follows: interception, punt, punt, punt, punt, turnover on downs. South Dakota State eased back into the game with an Amar Johnson touchdown and a trio of Hunter Dustman field goals, the last of which came with 3:49 left and provided the game-winning points. Just about the heaviest damn rivalry trophy in college football remained with the Jackrabbits.
The Dakota Marker is home again!!#GoJacks🐰🏈 pic.twitter.com/dqRrtu7vgS
— SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) October 15, 2022
Almost exactly the same game played out in the Anchor-Bone Classic in Big Rapids, Michigan. Host Ferris State, the defending Division II national champ, took a 21-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but Grand Valley State, loser of six straight in this bitter rivalry, scored on back-to-back drives and took the lead on Jack Provencher's 10-yard run. The GVSU defense then had to seal the deal twice. The Lakers recovered a fumble with 3:20 left but fumbled it right back to give the Bulldogs one last shot. It fizzled quickly. Ferris went four-and-out, and GVSU kneeled out a huge road win.
What it means: These teams play in levels with large playoff fields, and all four teams are virtually certain to reach the postseason. But these games both produced some key tiebreakers and sent some warning signs. NDSU doesn't have too much longer to rediscover the form with which it won nine national titles in 11 years, and if GVSU can win out as projected, the Lakers could secure the top seed and a key bye in their super region -- and force Ferris State to win an extra playoff game (and potentially win at GVSU) to defend its title.
Who won the Heisman this week?
We're attempting an experiment this season: What happens if I award the Heisman Trophy every single week of the season and dole out weekly points, F1 style (in this case, 10 points for first place, nine for second, and so on)? How will this Heisman race play out, and how different will the result be from the actual Heisman voting?
Here's who won the Heisman this week:
1. Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee (six catches for 207 yards and five TDs vs. Alabama)
2. Dalton Kincaid, Utah (16 catches for 234 yards and one TD vs. USC)
3. Cam Rising, Utah (30-for-44 for 415 yards and two TDs, plus 60 rushing yards and three TDs vs. USC)
4. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (21-for-30 for 385 yards, five TDs and one interception, plus 56 rushing yards vs. Alabama)
5. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas (29-for-40 for 367 yards and five TDs, plus 32 rushing yards and an absolute Heisman moment vs. BYU)
OH MY GOODNESS KJ JEFFERSON 🔥 @RazorbackFB pic.twitter.com/gDCIa6YgxY
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 15, 2022
6. Caleb Williams, USC (25-for-42 for 381 yards and five TDs, plus 57 rushing yards vs. Utah)
7. Jayden Daniels, LSU (23-for-32 for 349 yards and three TDs, plus 44 rushing yards and three TDs vs. Florida)
8. Chase Brown, Illinois (41 carries for 180 yards, plus 53 receiving yards and a TD vs. Minnesota)
9. Michael Penix Jr., Washington (36-for-44 for 516 yards and four TDs, plus a rushing touchdown vs. Arizona)
10. Myles Murphy, Clemson (six tackles, two sacks among 3.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble vs. Florida State)
I'll be honest: I knew who the top four on this list should absolutely be, and I had no idea what order to put them in. Putting pass-catchers who had a great day ahead of their quarterbacks who also had a great day feels a bit strange, but what Hyatt and Kincaid did Saturday was patently ridiculous.
Sources say @jalinhyatt is still running this morning.. pic.twitter.com/UHmUIVXcHm
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 16, 2022
Hyatt is the first person to score five touchdowns against a top-five team since 1997, and he did it in Tennessee's first home win between top-10 teams since 1999. That's enough for the top spot in my book. Meanwhile, in the past 20 years, only three players have caught at least 16 passes in a game against a top-10 team: Baylor's Terrance Williams (vs. West Virginia in 2012), Clemson's Sammy Watkins (vs. Ohio State in 2013) and Kincaid. That's pretty spectacular company right there.
Many more players deserved honorable mentions this week, by the way. Among them: Quentin Johnson, TCU; Drake Maye, North Carolina; Akheem Mesidor, Miami; David Perales, Fresno State; John Rhys Plumlee, UCF; Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky; Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern; Blake Watson, Old Dominion; and Bryce Young, Alabama.
Also, save a shout for Michigan's Donoblake Cordwards, the two-headed Wolverine running back threat of Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum that combined for 44 carries, 339 yards and four touchdowns, plus 34 receiving yards against Penn State. They split the yardage so evenly that neither of them quite made the top 10, but the entire Michigan offense made a statement and a half on Saturday.
Through seven weeks, here are the overall point totals:
1. Jalon Daniels, Kansas (24 points)
2. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (23 points)
3. Caleb Williams, USC (21 points)
4T. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (17 points)
4T. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA (17 points)
4T. Bryce Young, Alabama (17 points)
7. Stetson Bennett, Georgia (15 points)
8T. Adrian Martinez, Kansas State (14 points)
8T. Drake Maye, North Carolina (14 points)
10. Bo Nix, Oregon (12 points)
Daniels' early lead is holding, but probably not for much longer. He's likely out with injury for at least a couple of more weeks, and players such as Stroud, Williams, Hooker, Thompson-Robinson and Young (who was incredible in the loss to Tennessee) continue to inch closer.
I guess it's noteworthy that all 10 of the players above are quarterbacks. With the weekly horse race approach, it's obviously easier for QBs to stand out consistently than it is for their respective skill-corps targets. Players such as Corum and Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs are incredible, and their Heisman odds are still decent, per the sportsbooks, but they'll need a few huge games -- and in Corum's case, he at least needs to outshine Edwards, his battery mate -- to rise on this list.
Of course, quarterback is the most important position in team sports, so it probably makes sense that they're getting preferential treatment in this way.