10 Biggest Questions Facing Top 25 Teams Heading into Week 7
Week 6 was a wild one for college football. If nothing else, it was a wake-up call that the playoff race is wide open. There are a lot of teams that still have a shot.
Will Week 7 cause similar ripples on the college football landscape? Five games will feature two Top 25 teams, and another four ranked teams go on the road against unranked opponents. The recipe for more chaos is certainly there.
From another crucial weekend in the SEC to an underrated slate of games in the Pac-12, there's a lot happening. Which storylines involving Top 25 teams should you watch? The answers are in the following slides.
The only criterion here is that one of the teams involved has to rank in either the Associated Press Poll or Amway Coaches Poll.
Will Stanford's Defense Hold Connor Halliday in Check?
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Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday threw for a FBS-record 734 yards in a 60-59 loss to Cal in Week 6.
It was a weird game that was a perfect ending to a weird day. And if Washington State is going to continue with said weirdness, it'll manage to upset Stanford on the road Friday.
The Cardinal have a terrific pass defense, one of the best in the country. As it so happens, all Washington State does is throw the ball.
One would think that benefits Stanford, yes?
The answer is yes, but there's another factor at play. The Cardinal have been bad at finishing offensive drives, ranking among the worst teams in the country in scoring and touchdown percentage in the red zone.
Oddly enough, the Cardinal have had a harder time putting away Washington State in recent years when facing the Cougars at home, with the last two games in Palo Alto being decided by 10 points or less. And this Washington State team is a more dangerous 2-4 than you'd expect.
Getting into a low-scoring game is something Stanford is comfortable with. In fact, it's the environment in which it thrives. But if Washington State is able to move the ball and score points, there's a legitimate concern about Stanford's ability to keep up.
Will TCU's Trevone Boykin Outclass Another Big 12 Quarterback?
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One of the biggest surprises in the Big 12 this year, if not the biggest, has been the improvement of TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin. He looks nothing like the player he was last year, as Matt Brown of Sports on Earth writes:
"All but written off after shuffling between quarterback and wide receiver last season, Boykin has emerged as a different player under the tutelage of new quarterbacks coach Sonny Cumbie -- like Kliff Kingsbury, a former Mike Leach QB -- and his co-coordinator Doug Meachem.
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There are factors around him that have contributed to Boykin's visible improvement. His offensive line is finally providing him with a cleaner pocket, and receivers are playing up to their potential.
All the same, Boykin is making good, confident decisions.
He's already outplayed one Big 12 quarterback this year, beating Oklahoma's Trevor Knight last week. Can he outclass the conference's best quarterback, Bryce Petty?
Ultimately, this comes down to how well each team's defense plays. Both are near the top of the conference statistically speaking, but they have largely gone untested save for TCU's win over Oklahoma last week.
We're going to learn a lot about both teams Saturday. We may learn that Boykin is, in fact, the Big 12's most improved player.
Can Arizona Get a Comfortable Lead in the Pac-12 South Race?
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Arizona hosts USC in a crucial Pac-12 South game that could further a Top 10 team's quest for a conference championship and playoff appearance.
We are, of course, talking about the No. 10 Wildcats and not the 3-2 Trojans, because 2014 college football has taken his father's old Corvette out of the garage for a joyride in the middle of the night.
As Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports writes, the Pac-12 has been one surprise after another. Road teams are 11-3 in conference games and were 5-0 last week. Interestingly enough, USC is a slight favorite on the road, per OddsShark.com.
That can only mean Arizona is on the verge of suffering a gut-wrenching loss.
Or can it?
The Wildcats are not only surprisingly good but young. USC has been fighting, and will continue to fight, depth problems all season. Arizona has enough speed to keep up with any team in the Pac-12. Going 3-0 in conference play would be a huge boost with Arizona's (seemingly) hardest games behind it.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Will Texas A&M's Passing Attack Get Back to Normal?
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Scoring 66 points in the past two games wouldn't indicate on the surface that Texas A&M's offense has been off, but it has.
In those two games, the Aggies offense has been held to 17 points or less heading into the fourth quarter before late surges. While A&M was able to come from behind in a win against Arkansas, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns made no difference in a 48-31 loss to Mississippi State.
Put simply, quarterback Kenny Hill and his receivers haven't been on the same page. Hill has been inaccurate at times, and Aggies receivers dropped 11 passes against Mississippi State, according to Suzanne Halliburton of the Austin American-Statesman.
Leading receiver Malcome Kennedy has been listed as probable (shoulder) for the Ole Miss game, per Halliburton, and he'd be a welcome sight back.
A&M's defense has been prone to give up chunk yards and points. There's a lot of talent on that side of the ball but a lot of youth as well. It could be a while before the defense no longer becomes a liability. In the meantime, the offense has to turn it around if A&M is going to play in shootouts.
Who Emerges in the SEC East Race, Georgia or Missouri?
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The SEC East race is still largely an open-ended discussion, but one would have to think the winner of this weekend's Georgia-Missouri game has a good shot of claiming the division down the road.
Missouri has only played one conference game, but it was (at the time) a critical win over South Carolina. The wheels have fallen off the Gamecocks' bus a bit, but going 2-0 against South Carolina and Georgia, which have won the East three of the last four years, would be a great start.
Georgia, meanwhile, is trying to separate itself from Florida and Kentucky, two other teams with a 2-1 conference record. The Bulldogs have arguably the best player in the conference in running back Todd Gurley, so they have a chance to win every game going forward.
The SEC East has proved already to be unpredictable, so each game has a ton riding on it. Georgia vs. Missouri may not be the most compelling game in its conference in Week 7, let alone nationally, but it has major divisional implications.
-- UPDATE --
According to Georgia's athletic website, running back Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely because of ongoing investigation into an alleged violation of NCAA rules."
-- END UPDATE --
Will Baylor's Offense Rebound?
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It's not common for Baylor to grind out a win, but that's what Texas forced the Bears to do in a 28-7 win over the Longhorns last Saturday.
The Bears offense only scored 21 points against Texas; Baylor's first touchdown was a return of a blocked field-goal attempt. Quarterback Bryce Petty was especially off, going just 7-of-22 for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Going up against one of the best defenses in the Big 12, TCU, isn't an easy way to turn things around either.
"We win a game 3-2 and get on a bus happy," Baylor coach Art Briles said, via David Ubben of Fox Sports Southwest. "That's all we're concerned with."
Be that as it may, it'll be interesting to see if Baylor can get things clicking again on offense. The Bears lack a signature win, and TCU is emerging as a Big 12 sleeper after its win over Oklahoma.
Does Alabama Fend Off the Distractions Against Arkansas?
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Here's how you know Alabama is still near the top of the college football mountain: A loss sparks apocalyptic conversations.
Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com declared that the "[Nick] Saban dynasty is over" and former Tide quarterback AJ McCarron has questioned the leadership on the team. (B/R colleague Barrett Sallee has more thoughts on that.)
Solomon brings up a good stat: Alabama has lost its last three games against ranked opponents. That's not typical of the Alabama teams we've come to know. Yes, the Tide have looked beatable all year, but there's also not a team in the country that looks invincible, a la Florida State in 2013.
If Alabama goes on the road and beats an Arkansas team that is starting to find itself, it would be a good way to quiet the critics. As with many other one-loss teams, Alabama isn't out of the playoff discussion yet. The season isn't over.
But if the Tide lose a second straight game, the gasps and questions are only going to get louder.
Can Ole Miss Keep the Momentum Going?
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The state of Mississippi is the epicenter of college football right now, but Ole Miss remains in a special state of euphoria following the 23-17 upset over Alabama in Week 6.
However, the Rebels' schedule doesn't get any easier. In fact, Ole Miss is rewarded for its marquee win by traveling on the road to Texas A&M.
There's no doubt Ole Miss' defense is legit, ranking first in the SEC in points allowed and against the pass. The question is whether Ole Miss' offense can keep up.
Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace was productive against Alabama in the passing game, throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns to no interceptions. However, Ole Miss' running game still ranks among the worst in the SEC.
As it so happens, A&M is one of the worst rushing defenses in the SEC. But if Ole Miss remains one-dimensional, the Aggies' young but talented defensive front is going to come after Wallace in the backfield.
The Rebels can't afford to get behind the sticks on second and third downs. Not against A&M.
Which Team, Oregon or UCLA, Will Better Protect Its Quarterback?
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Before the season started, conference media projected Oregon and UCLA to meet in the Pac-12 championship game as a possible de facto playoff quarterfinal.
Following Week 6 losses, the Ducks and Bruins are fighting for their playoff lives against one another this weekend.
To be clear, a two-loss team could theoretically still be in the conversation at year's end. If the numerous upsets in Week 6 taught us anything, it's that things could get stranger before the season is all said and done. However, Oregon and UCLA have a common problem: Both have been giving up a ton of sacks lately.
Oregon has given up 12 sacks over the past two games; UCLA gave up 10—10!—to Utah in a 30-28 loss last Saturday.
"I'll say it again and until the day that I die or get out of football. Sacks are a component of all 11 [players]," UCLA coach Jim Mora said (via ESPN.com). "Sometimes it's a rush, sometimes you get beat, and sometimes the quarterback holds it for too long. It's a function of all of those things."
Whichever team can better protect its quarterback figures to have the edge. Either way, protection issues could mean more losses this season for both teams.
Can Mississippi State's Defense Be the Difference Against Auburn?
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Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott is deservedly getting a lot of Heisman attention after two wins over SEC West opponents. Prescott has been great, there's no doubt about that, but the big reason why the Bulldogs are 5-0 is because of their ability to bully opponents in the trenches.
How's this for balance: Mississippi State averages 274 yards rushing, at about 5.6 yards per carry, and 267 yards passing per game. Dan Mullen's offense does pretty much what it wants when it wants.
On the flip side of Mississippi State's crucial game against Auburn this Saturday, the Tigers are one of the best teams in the country at stopping the run, allowing just 2.9 yards per carry (the same as Mississippi State). Against Kansas State earlier in the year, Auburn held the Wildcats to 1.3 yards per carry, including sacks.
Statistically, Auburn and Mississippi State are excellent and similar in many of the same offensive categories. They run 73 and 77 plays per game, respectively, and score about 42 points per game. Both offenses are predominantly run-first, with about a 2:1 ratio running to passing.
The only real noticeable difference is that the Bulldogs defense does a better job of getting into the backfield, ranking 12th in sacks per game and third in tackles for loss per game. However, Auburn's offense does a nice job of protecting quarterback Nick Marshall with only three sacks surrendered on the year. (Having a mobile quarterback helps.)
Which one gives this weekend? If Mississippi State wants to beat Auburn at its own game, it has to disrupt the Tigers offense up front.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
