College Football 2023: Winners and Losers from Week 7
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Michael Penix Jr.'s late touchdown pass to Rome Odunze handed Washington a vital win over Oregon and stands as the highlight of a busy Week 7 around college football.
And really, we didn't even need to wait until Saturday for drama.
Thursday night, Houston scored a wild victory thanks to a Hail Mary as time expired. Then on Friday, Tulane took a valuable step toward another place on the national scene while Colorado went the wrong direction.
In addition to Washington's key Pac-12 victory, Saturday's action included three prime-time tilts between Top 25 teams and plenty of important conference games. As always, we're covering the most notable results of the weekend.
This piece was updated throughout Saturday night.
Winner: Houston's Last-Second Miracle
1 of 11Are you kidding me? What a finish.
As a slim underdog at home, Houston seemed to have let an upset slip through its fingers. West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene hit Hudson Clement for a 50-yard touchdown with just 12 seconds to play.
That would've been plenty dramatic on its own. Houston, though, had a little more excitement in store.
Following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, West Virginia kicked off from the 20-yard line. One play later, Houston snapped the ball from WVU's 49 with three seconds left. Donovan Smith rolled left, settled his feet and launched a prayer down the left sideline.
Stephon Johnson had the answer.
The ball deflected into the air, and Johnson brought it down while avoiding a swipe from a WVU defender. The catch gave Houston an improbable touchdown and a 41-39 win.
Loser: Colorado's Collapse
2 of 11Colorado, on the other hand, didn't enjoy its finish. Deion Sanders' club endured its first truly gut-wrenching loss of the season.
Early on, the Buffaloes were cruising. They raced to a 29-0 lead in the opening half behind Shedeur Sanders' three touchdown passes and seemed well on their way to a comfortable home victory and 5-2 record.
The meltdown soon followed.
Stanford roared back with 19 third-quarter points as Elic Ayomanor caught touchdowns of 97 and 60 yards. In the closing frame, the Cardinal outscored CU 17-7 to even the score at 36. Joshua Karty hit a 46-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.
Ayomanor, who ended up with 13 catches for 294 yards, snagged his third touchdown after CU scored first in overtime. Sanders tossed a goal-line interception, and Karty's 31-yard field goal handed Stanford its 46-43 win.
While the 4-3 Buffs have a chance to make a bowl, four of their five remaining opponents are ranked. They are idle in Week 8 before hosting UCLA to close the month.
Winner: Tulane's NY6 Hopes
3 of 11Last year, Tulane earned a place in the Cotton Bowl and drew national praise for a comeback win over USC.
Another trip to a New Year's Six game is a little bit closer.
In a showdown of 4-1 teams, Tulane put together a terrific second half to secure a 31-21 win at Memphis.
After the hosts pulled ahead 21-10, the Green Wave scored 21 unanswered points to steal a crucial road victory. Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt accounted for 268 yards and two touchdowns, while top runner Makhi Hughes scampered for 130 yards and a score.
Tulane is just 2-0 in conference play, so the road is far from finished. But the Green Wave have locked in their status as a front-runner to appear in the AAC Championship Game.
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Loser: NCAA Transition Rules
4 of 11
We are here for you, James Madison fans.
After a 41-13 rout of Georgia Southern, the Dukes are among the nation's first bowl-eligible teams. The problem—and it's quite a big issue—is that James Madison might not be allowed to actually do that. Again.
As part of a two-year transition period to the Football Bowl Subdivision, JMU isn't permitted to play in postseason games.
Last year, the eight-win Dukes unofficially stood atop the Sun Belt's East division. Because of this policy, though, Coastal Carolina—which had recently lost quarterback Grayson McCall and fell to JMU 47-7 in the regular-season finale—went to the conference title game instead. Despite that campaign, the NCAA denied JMU's bowl-eligibility waiver request for 2023.
This season, James Madison is now 6-0 with a 2-0 mark in Sun Belt contests. Even if another faux-division title isn't in the future, the Dukes have played their way into deserving an extra game in 2023.
If there's not enough bowl-eligible teams, JMU could be selected in front of a program with a 5-7 record.
But we shouldn't have to cross our fingers in hopes of seeing the Dukes in a bowl. Get rid of the rule, NCAA.
Winner: Ranked Teams in the Early Window
5 of 11
Five ranked teams kicked off in the noon ET hour, and only one of them really encountered much of a challenge.
Vanderbilt scored first against No. 1 Georgia, but the Dawgs quickly recovered, built a 24-7 halftime lead and won 37-20. Indiana did the same opposite No. 2 Michigan before the Wolverines rattled off 52 unanswered points in yet another lopsided victory.
No. 3 Ohio State thrashed Purdue 41-7, and No. 4 Florida State cruised past Syracuse 41-3.
The lone outlier was No. 11 Alabama, which navigated a semi-scare against Arkansas. The visitors cut Bama's lead to 24-21 in the fourth quarter, but a 10-play, clock-killing drive in the fourth quarter kept the Crimson Tide from really being in danger of an upset.
If you wanted to see upsets on Saturday, it certainly didn't happen early—and with No. 5 Oklahoma idle, the top of the rankings likely won't be changing ahead of Week 8.
Loser: Oregon's Upset Bid
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The moment Oregon stuffed Washington on three straight goal-line plays, visions of an epic road win surely came rushing in.
But in those final six-plus minutes, the Ducks—a three-point underdog—could not protect their 33-29 edge. Washington forced a turnover on downs near midfield, and Michael Penix Jr. immediately took advantage.
Penix connected with Ja'Lynn Polk for a 35-yard gain and then found Rome Odunze for a go-ahead 18-yard score.
Oregon had 1:38 left in regulation, needing a field goal to force overtime or a touchdown to likely win. Bo Nix calmly led the Ducks into scoring position, setting up Camden Lewis for a 43-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.
And it narrowly sailed wide right.
Oregon is still in the Pac-12 hunt, but a tiebreaker loss to Washington stings with USC to come in November.
Winner: Michael Penix Jr.'s Heisman Resume
7 of 11
Washington's win undoubtedly meant the most to Penix, but his late touchdown served a dual purpose.
Recently named the Heisman Trophy favorite, the southpaw enhanced his resume for the sport's most prestigious individual honor. That clutch score against Oregon fits the criteria of a "Heisman moment" that voters generally want to see from a top candidate.
For the game, Penix finished 22-of-37 for 307 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
That combination of strong numbers, a clutch score and a victory over a Top 10 opponent is, so far, his best performance of the season—even as it's not his gaudiest line of the year.
USC's Caleb Williams remains a prime threat, but Penix continues to build a convincing Heisman case. (Editor's note: Or not.)
Loser: Caleb Williams' Heisman Resume
8 of 11
Narrator: Forget that last sentence.
Entering the week as a co-favorite in the Heisman race, reigning winner Caleb Williams will no longer hold the status.
During an ugly 48-20 loss at Notre Dame, he mustered only 199 yards on 37 attempts and tossed three interceptions. He made a few impressive plays as usual but simply had a miserable night in South Bend.
No, we're not ejecting him from the conversation. That would be a distinct overreaction, given his season numbers.
But his Heisman candidacy—let alone Williams' billing as the best prospect in the 2024 NFL draft—is now in question.
Winner: Upsets, Baby!
9 of 11
While the trio of Top 25 showdowns hogged the prime-time spotlight, a couple of huge upsets occurred in the background.
Pitt pulled off the improbable. On paper, a 1-4 team should not compete with a 6-0 squad. But the Panthers are always good for something nonsensical, and that's a fitting way to describe a 38-21 victory in which No. 14 Louisville outgained Pitt by 142 yards.
On the West Coast, Arizona finally did it.
After two straight narrow losses to Washington and USC, the Wildcats put a beatdown on Washington State. Arizona racked up 516 yards and only yielded 234 in a shocking 44-6 obliteration of Wazzu.
For good measure, Missouri—a very slight 'dog at Kentucky—handed a fourth Top 25 team a loss against an unranked foe. Oklahoma State toppled Kansas earlier in the day.
College football can be such beautiful chaos. Thanks for the mayhem, Pitt and Arizona.
Loser: Miami's Coverage on Tez Walker
10 of 11
Miami probably would've preferred the NCAA waste a couple more weeks before declaring Tez Walker eligible.
In his second game at North Carolina, the Kent State transfer was a nightmare for the 'Canes to defend. He reeled in six passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-31 victory for the Tar Heels.
The most frustrating moment for Miami arrived in the third quarter. Shortly after the offense committed its third turnover of the evening, the defense had UNC in a 3rd-and-20. Hold the Heels to a field goal, and the deficit would only be seven points.
So much for that.
Walker ran a deep crossing route, snagged a perfect pass from Drake Maye and sprinted to the corner of the end zone. North Carolina jumped ahead 28-17 and cruised to the win from there.
Winner: Avery Johnson's Five-TD Night
11 of 11
There are out-of-nowhere performances, and then there's what Avery Johnson did on Saturday in Lubbock.
Johnson, a true freshman, entered the clash with Texas Tech holding a 3-of-4 passing line and 10 carries this season. We knew "Sunshine" might get a chance to play, but nobody expected this.
And by this, I mean five rushing touchdowns.
Johnson completed 8-of-9 passes for 77 yards—good!—but showed off electric speed in the 38-21 triumph. He scampered for 90 yards on 13 attempts, accounting for all five of K-State's trips to the end zone and tying a program record in the process.
"He was really good," Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, in the understatement of the day, said after the game.
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