10 Biggest Questions Facing Top 25 Teams Heading into Week 7
Week 7 of the college football season will just about mark the halfway point in 2015. It's appropriate, then, that it's full of separation games that could determine divisional, conference and College Football Playoff races.
In all, there are five games between Associated Press Top 25 teams: UCLA-Stanford, Florida-LSU, Michigan State-Michigan, Northwestern-Iowa, Alabama-Texas A&M. Though only one puts two undefeated teams against one another, all have major implications.
It's a busy week, but those are the best kinds. By Sunday, we should know a lot more about the playoff landscape.
What are the top 10 questions facing AP Top 25 teams heading into Week 7? Here we provide the answers based on last week's results, upcoming matchups and more.
10. Will Utah Avoid a Letdown vs. Suddenly Hot Arizona State?
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Two weeks ago, UCLA was coming off its best win of the year (vs. Arizona) and firmly in the playoff conversation. Then, at home, the Bruins coughed one up against Arizona State, 38-23.
Can Utah avoid a similar letdown, also at home, against the Sun Devils one week after the Utes got a huge win over undefeated Cal?
Arizona State, despite a slow start with losses to Texas A&M and USC, is now 4-2 and appears to have things rolling in the right direction. The Utes defense will once again face off against one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12: Mike Bercovici. The senior has thrown for 1,604 yards, and six different receivers are already over 200 yards.
However, Utah leads the Pac-12 in interceptions, which is sort of amazing considering it's an average team in sacks and tackles for loss. The Utes' pass rush can cause havoc, though, and how well this defense plays for the second week in a row will dictate the tone of the game.
9. Will UCLA Quarterback Josh Rosen Get Back on Track Against Stanford?
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As one would expect, UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen has been excellent and freshman-like at times this season, often in the same game. That's part of the learning process, but it would say a lot about his mental makeup if he comes back with a big game against Stanford.
The Bruins need a bounce-back win after losing to Arizona State, and Rosen needs a bounce-back game. He'll have to be patient against the Cardinal, though, who boast one of the better pass defenses in the Pac-12.
"They make you execute. They make you make mistakes," UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said, per Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times. "Obviously, they have done a damn good job of that the last four times we played them."
UCLA hasn't beaten Stanford since 2008 when Jim Harbaugh coached the Cardinal. At least on offense, the key is limiting mistakes while nickel-and-diming Stanford in the passing game. That's a harder combination than you'd think.
8. Will This Finally Be Alabama Quarterback Jake Coker's Breakout Game?
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Finally starting for Alabama, things have been somewhat up and down for quarterback Jake Coker in 2015. There have been some slow starts, specifically against Arkansas, but also strong moments of perseverance and competitiveness.
The question is, on the road against Texas A&M, can Coker finally put it all together? With the way Texas A&M plays the run, it wouldn't be surprising to see Alabama give the Aggies a heavy dose of Derrick Henry. But what if A&M gets out to a big lead? What if slow starts hurt the Tide again? It might be up to Coker to help dig Alabama out of that hole.
"He's a fierce competitor," former teammate and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston told Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com. "He's going to work his tail off until he has success. And if something bad happens, he's going to battle. He's not going to give up."
It's also possible the opposite could be true and Alabama plays a game that more closely mirrors 2014's win against A&M. Bottom line, can Coker have his best overall performance of the year in the Tide's toughest road game yet?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Will Leonard Fournette Thrive Against the Best Defense He's Faced Yet?
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As much as the college football community is fawning over LSU running back Leonard Fournette, the truth is he hasn't faced a truly great run defense yet. The top rushing defense the Tigers have faced this season belongs to Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs rank 44th in yards per rush allowed.
That's not to take away from Fournette's eye-popping highlights, but it is worth noting, just as it's worth noting that Florida enters Week 7 with a run defense giving up fewer than 100 yards per game at three yards a carry.
Yeah, this should be an intriguing matchup.
Fournette's the best player on the field, and keep in mind: Last year's 30-27 win over the Gators was his breakout performance (140 yards, two touchdowns). Can he keep up his Heisman-esque numbers in LSU's toughest test of the season so far?
6. Can Oklahoma Rebound Against Kansas State?
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There was no secret potion to Texas' 24-17 win over Oklahoma in Week 6. The Longhorns lined up and ran it down the Sooners' throat 58 times for 313 yards. On defense, the Horns had their greatest success when bringing at least five players to get to Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The loss in all likelihood knocks Oklahoma out of the playoff race. At the very least, OU is nowhere near the conversation. But the Big 12 title could still be in play. However, it's gut-check time with a trip to Kansas State. The Wildcats are 0-2 in conference play, but they have given Oklahoma State and TCU all kinds of problems.
This is the one opponent the Sooners can't afford to overlook. And, like Texas, K-State will utilize its quarterback in the run game.
"They utilize the extra guy in carrying the ball with their quarterback,” defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said, according to Jason Kersey of the Oklahoman. “That's always going to put stress on your defense.”
Jake Trotter of ESPN.com noted that, under Bob Stoops, "Oklahoma has not lost back-to-back regular-season games since his first year in 1999."
Does that change this week?
5. Can Iowa Take a Firm Hold of the Big Ten West?
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Undefeated Iowa? It might not be as crazy as it sounds.
As Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports opines, "Iowa has the best path by far to get to 12-0" of currently undefeated teams. He has a point (you can read his mailbag post for his reasoning). Beyond this week's game against Northwestern, the Hawkeyes' next-most challenging game is...at Indiana? At currently 2-4 Nebraska at season's end?
Going undefeated is hard for any team, regardless of talent or schedule. There's so much that has to go right, and that part isn't appreciated often enough. So while it might be a touch early to start looking that far ahead, it's not too early to realize what beating Northwestern would do for the Hawkeyes.
Specifically, it would give Kirk Ferentz's team a rather nice cushion in the Big Ten West division race. Not only would Iowa have a tiebreaker over Northwestern, but the Wildcats would have two conference losses.
4. Will Texas A&M Be Able to Slow Down Alabama's Running Attack?
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Texas A&M's defense has undoubtedly improved under first-year coordinator John Chavis. Still, stopping the run has been problematic. The best the Aggies have performed against the run all year was in the season opener against Arizona State in which they held the Sun Devils to 92 yards on the ground—and that was including sacks. Otherwise, A&M is still allowing 4.57 yards per carry.
Alabama, meanwhile, boasts one of the top running backs in the SEC in Derrick Henry, who is averaging 110.8 yards per game.
With the exception of last year's 59-0 loss to the Tide, A&M has been able to get out to quick leads against Alabama. Every time, the Tide have been able to at least make a comeback, but a big lead this year could take the ball out of Henry's hands and require Alabama to get its passing game going. And that passing attack has been inconsistent.
If it's a close game, Henry might be able to take command. If A&M can jump out to a lead and limit Henry's carries, it might stand a better chance.
3. Can Michigan Emerge as the Real Challenger to Ohio State?
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A week ago, Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com wrote Michigan was "the best team in the Big Ten." We'll find out in time if that's true, but the Wolverines can take a monstrous step in that direction by beating Michigan State in Week 7.
Michigan is a touchdown favorite at home, according to Odds Shark, despite being ranked behind the Spartans in both major polls (10 spots, in fact, in the coaches' poll). To its credit, Michigan has played better football over the past month. Since losing to Utah in Week 1, the Wolverines have outscored opponents 160-14, and that includes a 38-0 win over Northwestern.
Should Michigan win, its road to the regular-season finale against Ohio State is pretty clear. Road games at Minnesota and Indiana could be tricky, but they're nothing Michigan can't handle. The road trip to Penn State right before the showdown with the Buckeyes provides the biggest test.
Michigan State's offense is still ranked third in the Big Ten with 31.3 points per game. If the Wolverines can slow that down, there's a good chance they can get their biggest win of the year.
2. Will Ohio State Defensive End Joey Bosa Break out Against Penn State?
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Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa has been somewhat quiet this year. After leading the Big Ten in sacks last year, Bosa has just 1.5 through five games, though he did have four quarterback hurries against Maryland. (He also missed the season opener against Virginia Tech due to suspension). Of course, part of that is a matter of opposing offenses keying on him.
Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott has come to Bosa's defense, saying the junior gets held on every play. Whatever the reason, Bosa can have his "welcome back" performance of 2015. And what better opponent than Penn State? After all, Bosa had his most dominating, game-changing sack of last year against the Nittany Lions in overtime.
Despite the lower numbers, head coach Urban Meyer insisted Bosa is playing well.
"He is playing better and I'd imagine you keep swinging and those sacks will come," Meyer told Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors. "He's certainly creating issues for the quarterbacks and they're stepping up."
1. How Will Florida Do Without Quarterback Will Grier?
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In a flash, things have gone downhill for Florida.
It's a shame. The Gators are off to a 6-0 start and one of the truly remarkable stories in college football. But, on Monday, it was announced that starting quarterback Will Grier would be suspended for a year for a positive PED test.
That puts Treon Harris, who started the final six games of 2014, back as the starting quarterback.
"Treon prepared this week just like he has any other week—to be the starting quarterback,” tight end Jake McGee told Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun. “There's not much dropoff in talent, if there's any at all. He's going to be prepared and ready to go. He's played in a lot of big games. He's a big-time quarterback."
Harris isn't the pocket passer Grier is, but he can make plays with his legs. He's appeared in four games this year, but he hasn't seen much meaningful time since the season opener against New Mexico State.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
