Hot or Not: Week 7 Championship Heat Check
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Hot or Not: Week 7 Championship Heat Check
Man, what a great weekend of football as the college football world was treated to two games with real championship contenders facing each other. Oregon / Washington and USC / Notre Dame outcomes had tangible effects on mid-season playoff positioning. Other playoff potentials held the line even though some weren’t exactly dominant against lesser teams.
We’re approaching the time of the season where talented depth can mean the difference between winning and losing. Conference matchups will dominate the remainder of the schedule until Thanksgiving and ranked matchups will happen each week. In the last season of the current 4-team College Football Playoff, each week is a potential do or die contest. Injuries to key players can quickly change the narrative of a potential contender (Georgia) until proven otherwise. Player development along with team makeup and identity will now have a greater impact on playoff chances than earlier in the season. With that, let’s take a look at this week’s list….
Hot:
Washington – In a wild affair in Seattle, the Huskies scored the go-ahead touchdown on Michael Penix’ 4th touchdown pass late and survived a missed field goal as time expired to take the undisputed lead in the PAC 12 race. This game saw 5 consecutive touchdown drives in the first half until both defenses adjusted to allow only 4 total scores after halftime. This was a fun game to watch, and the result catapulted Washington squarely into the top 4 playoff ranking discussion. Up next: Arizona State
Oklahoma – A bye week came just after the huge win against Texas, giving Brent Venables and staff a little more time to fix a defense that gave up over 500 yards of offense to the Longhorns. Dillon Gabriel gets to face his former team as UCF comes to Norman. Up next: UCF
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Simmering:
Georgia – In a game that the numbers told a different story than the scoreboard, the Dawgs left Nashville with a 37-20 costly victory as all-everything tight end Brock Bowers was injured and will miss at least 4-6 weeks. If there is any team that can afford a loss like that, it’s Georgia. However, you don’t just replace a player like Bowers. The bye week comes at a perfect time as this Dawg squad has multiple starters or significant contributors banged up. Getting healthy and having time to work around the loss of Bowers can only help the Dawgs. Up next: Bye
Florida State – The real story of the 41-3 victory over Syracuse was the Seminole defense. They’ve only allowed one offensive touchdown in the last three games and are 6-0 for the first time in eight years. Quarterback Jordan Travis continues to play well and the ‘Noles are rife with playmakers. They’ll need them this week. Up next: Duke
Michigan – The Wolverines continue to chug along playing no one as the 52-7 victory over Indiana shows. Michigan started slowly, but scored 52 unanswered points and are outscoring their soft schedule by an average of 33 points per contest. The real issue, however, is yet another allegation of cheating by the Michigan staff led by Jim Harbaugh. While the team is more than solid, will another investigation derail championship hopes? Up next: at Michigan State
Ohio State – The Buckeyes throttled Purdue, as expected. The real story is the injury report for the offense. The running backs, as well as a couple of receivers, are beaten up as their depth will be tested with Penn State coming to town this weekend. How will first year starter Kyle McCord fare against the best defense he’s seen all season? Up next: Penn State
Alabama – In a tougher than expected contest, the Tide held on to beat Arkansas 24-21. Jalen Milroe showed flashes, again, but the true Achilles heel of this team is his accuracy. He completed less than 50% of his pass attempts but did hit on several deep shots to help the Tide stave off the Hogs. Jermaine Burton continued his Helter-Skelter career, snagging only 2 passes after having a career day last weekend against Texas A&M. Bama’s rushing defense continues to get stronger and will need to be with the Vols coming to town this weekend. I’m anxious to see how Lord Saban approaches this game. Up next: Tennessee
Penn State – You have to put the Nittany Lions here because they appear to be a pretty solid team. Statistically, Penn State has the best defense in the land. They shut out their only Top 25 matchup, a 31-0 win over #24 Iowa. Interesting stat – Penn State has led the game going into the 4th quarter 4 of the last 6 games against Ohio State. And they’ve lost them all. Up next: at Ohio State
Oregon – A 36-33 loss on the road to Washington is nothing to hang your head over. These two teams will more than likely meet in the PAC 12 championship. But, Dan Lanning has to be kicking himself over 3-failed 4th down attempts, to include one that gave Washington the ball at their own 47 yard line with 2:11 to go in the game. His defense gave up a 2 play, 53-yard touchdown drive and then missed a 43-yard field goal to tie the game. The Ducks must regroup as the formerly ranked Washington State squad comes to Eugene. Up next: Washington State
Ice Cold:
USC – To be frank, I’ve been waiting to put the Trojans here all season. The flash and glitz of Lincoln Riley’s offense, led by Caleb Williams, can only be outdone by a putrid defense that appears to think that tackling and stopping the opponent is optional. Losing 48-20 at Notre Dame exposed the Trojans to be exactly who most thought they were. No need for a Scooby Doo unmasking here. They are who they are. And the schedule doesn’t get easier as Utah, the team that beat them twice last season, is on deck. Up next: Utah
Watch List:
Ole Miss – I keep putting the Rebels here as I don’t truly know who or what they are. A barnburner win over LSU early in the season was followed by a clunker against Alabama. This offense can score with anyone, but can the Rebel defense make plays when they need it? Can the Lane Train go on the road and grind out a win with every game being an elimination game? After a bye week, the Rebels travel to the Plains to take on their former coach. Fun times. Up next: at Auburn
LSU – I keep LSU here because offensively they are one of, if not the best offense in football. Jayden Daniels is silky-smooth, and his playmaker list is long. The offensive line has gotten better as the season progressed. Defensively, they might not be as bad as USC, but it’s close. A blowout 48-18 win over Auburn last week highlighted what they can do. A contest against Army, and then a bye week, lead to one of the biggest SEC matchups of the season against Bama. Still much to play for. Up next: Army
North Carolina – The Tar Heels continue to win on the strength of Drake Maye’s right arm, and this week added playmaker Tez Walker to a stacked receiver group. Walker, if you remember, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA death star after a rule change concerning transfers happened earlier this year. UNC fought it, to include public tongue thrashings from Mack Brown, and the NCAA ultimately changed their mind. Remind me why they exist again? Bottom line – this Tar Heel team is good. They won’t be challenged much over the next 2 weeks and won’t face a ranked team until next month. Oh yeah, and they don’t face Florida State, setting up a potential matchup in the ACC Championship Game. Up next: Virginia
So, there you have it. We are entering into the meat grinder portion of the season. As mentioned above, talented depth will carry the day for contenders facing injury issues. Let’s face it….each team is going to have their fair share of injuries at this point in the season. Who is injured is just as important as how many players are out of action. How a team survives losing a key contributor (and survives is truly the right word) will determine if their championship hopes stay alive. Each weekend going forward is rife with ranked matchups for our viewing pleasure. More top teams will fall in the next 6 weeks. Will a CFP interloper find their way into the Top 4? It is indeed possible, which is what makes college football what it is.