Oregon vs. Washington, USC vs. Notre Dame Top CFB's Most-Watched Games of Week 7

Saturday's Washington versus Oregon college football matchup was must-watch television.

The matchup between No. 5 Washington and No. 9 Oregon—a 36-33 win for the Huskies—was the most-watched college football matchup of Week 7 with 7.04 million viewers, according to Nick Schultz of On3.

No. 15 Notre Dame's 48-20 win over No. 18 USC was the second-most viewed matchup of the week with 6.43 million viewers.

The back-and-forth battle between the Huskies and Ducks ultimately came down to a missed game-tying 43-yard field goal by Oregon with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. It was dubbed the "game of the year" by college football fans across the country and rightfully so.

Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. established himself as the Heisman Trophy frontrunner in the process, completing 22 of 37 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns against one interception in the win.

Penix has completed 72.1 percent of his passes for 2,301 yards and 20 touchdowns against three interceptions through six games.

Largely because of Penix and the offense, Washington remains undefeated with a 6-0 record and is shaping up to be a favorite in the Pac-12.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, meanwhile, blamed the Ducks' loss on himself as the team dropped to 5-1 on the year.

"I think this game is 100 percent on me," Lanning told reporters after the game.

Lanning was heavily criticized for his play-calling in the loss. One of the biggest plays of the game came when he decided to have his offense go for it on fourth-and-three at the Washington 47 with 2:11 remaining in the game.

Bo Nix's pass intended for Tez Johnson fell incomplete and the team turned the ball over on downs. Penix then led the Washington offense down the field and into the end zone, finding wide receiver Rome Odunze for the touchdown.

USC-Notre Dame, meanwhile, saw Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams put together perhaps the worst game of his college career. He completed 23 of 37 passes for 199 yards and one touchdown against three interceptions in the loss.

The Notre Dame defense had Williams' number all night. He had never thrown three interceptions in a game and hadn't tossed more than one pick in a game since his freshman season at Oklahoma in 2021.

Williams was firmly atop the Heisman Trophy conversation through the opening weeks of the 2023 season, but now fans have begun to question his candidacy following Saturday's loss to the Fighting Irish.

The presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft will look to bounce back this weekend against the No. 14 Utah Utes (5-1). Penix and Washington, meanwhile, will face Arizona State (1-5)