RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

College football fans across the country had Oct. 12 circled on the calendar as a day filled with must-see games. It lived up to the hype, as the day featured outstanding games at the top of the sport’s hierarchy and, for me, a new No. 1-ranked team.

The Ohio State–Oregon game featured six lead changes throughout, while four more games featuring top 25 teams needed overtime to decide a winner. 

And while there are still nine undefeated teams left in the sport at the halfway mark of the season, no one team feels unbeatable and no one team has separated itself with a resounding performance that has indicated success will be found in November, let alone the second half of October.

All that’s certain is the uncertainty that makes this sport the best in the world, and the second college football axiom holds true: Anything that can happen will happen. Just add water — or 2024 Vanderbilt.

With that, here is a look at my top 25 rankings following Week 7 of the college football season:

1. Oregon (6-0)

Week 6 result: Defeated Ohio State, 32-31

The Ducks outlasted the Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium, marking their first win against a top-five opponent as a Big Ten member. The Ducks have won 35 of their last 36 games at Autzen and put up 32 points on a defense that had surrendered just 6.8 points per game prior to their first loss of the season.

2. Texas (6-0)

Week 6 result: Defeated Oklahoma, 34-3

Oklahoma briefly looked like it might be poised for a fight with an early takeaway, but the Longhorns began overwhelming the Sooners with 21 points in the second quarter and 34 unanswered by game’s end. Quinn Ewers returned from injury, throwing for 199 yards and a touchdown, while adding another score on the ground.

3. Ohio State (5-1)

Week 6 result: Lost to Oregon, 32-31

The Buckeyes failed to do what most have when they visit Eugene … win. But Ohio State still looks like one of the best four teams in the sport and like a team that could still challenge for the Big Ten title.

4. Penn State (6-0)

Week 6 result: Defeated USC, 33-30

The Nittany Lions fought back from a 14-point deficit to get their first road victory since August 31st and supplant themselves as one of just three unbeaten teams left in the Big Ten. 

Tight end Tyler Warren enjoyed what might be a Mackey Award-winning performance with 17 catches for 224 yards with a touchdown in the win.

5. Georgia (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Mississippi State, 41-31

The Dawgs didn’t cover the spread, which was 33.5 points, but they got the win to set up for a monster top-five showdown in the SEC next week. They’ll travel to Austin, Texas, to play the undefeated Longhorns. Carson Beck threw for 459 yards in the win, but the Dawgs gave up 306 passing yards to Michael Van Buren Jr., which is worrisome as they prepare to play against a top-10 Texas offense.

6. Miami (Fla.) (6-0)

Week 6 result: Idle

7. Clemson (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Wake Forest, 49-14

Since scoring just three points against Georgia back in Week 1, Clemson has put up 40 or more in four of its five wins, and at least 29 points in all five. The Tigers have looked like the best team in the ACC since Week 2.

8. Iowa State (6-0)

Week 6 result: Defeated West Virginia, 28-16

Matt Campbell’s team just keeps winning. Rocco Becht completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown, while Carson Hansen carried it 20 times for 96 yards and three scores. 

No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Highlights

9. BYU (6-0)

Week 6 result: Defeated Arizona, 41-19

The Cougars forced four turnovers against the Wildcats to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 2020. With the victory, BYU stays atop the Big 12 standings in a tight race for first place. Cougars QB Jake Retzlaff threw for 218 yards with two touchdowns in the win.

Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 14 BYU Cougars Highlights

10. LSU (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Ole Miss, 29-26 (OT)

Garrett Nussmeier found Kyren Lacy for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in overtime to give the Bayou Bengals a walk-off win. Nussmeier finished with 337 passing yards, three TDs and two INTs in what could be a season-defining victory for the Tigers, who look to separate in a loaded SEC.

11. Tennessee (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Florida, 23-17

For the third straight game, the Tennessee passing attack has looked anemic. However, against a depleted and humbled Florida team, the Vols did enough to earn their second win in SEC play with a massive game against Alabama on tap next week.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has not passed for more than 200 yards since the Vols’ Week 2 win against N.C. State.

12. Alabama (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated South Carolina, 27-25

Alabama survived this game thanks to a missed field goal and a mismanaged final possession by the Gamecocks. For two and a half games, the Tide have not looked good — proving it with a loss to Vanderbilt — and now stumbling against a South Carolina team that will struggle to win eight games this season. One bright spot is that the Alabama defense did record four takeaways and four sacks against the Gamecocks.

13. Notre Dame (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Stanford, 49-7

The Fighting Irish scored 35 points in the second and third quarters and got their best performance to date out of QB Riley Leonard, who completed 16 of 22 passes for 229 yards and four total touchdowns. 

14. Texas A&M (5-1)

Week 6 result: Idle

15. Missouri (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated UMass, 45-3

Welcome back, Mizzou. Wideout Luther Burden accounted for 127 total yards, including a 61-yard rushing touchdown, on just seven touches against the Minutemen.

16. Boise State (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Hawaii, 28-7

It’s the Ashton Jeanty show in Boise, and it was on display again Saturday. The do-it-all back rushed for 217 yards and a touchdown, while also adding another score through the air in the Broncos’ win over Hawaii.

17. Kansas State (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Colorado, 31-28

The Wildcats escaped Boulder with a win, but it wasn’t easy. Chris Klieman’s team relied on the run game and halfback DJ Giddens, who carried the rock 25 times for 182 yards in the win.

18. Illinois (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Purdue, 50-49

Luke Altmyer threw for 379 yards with three touchdowns in what became an instant classic in the Big Ten. A game that featured more than 1,000 yards of offense, including more than 600 through the air, came down to a two-point conversion attempt the Illini stopped to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive.

Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 23 Illinois Fighting Illini Highlights

19. Indiana (6-0)

Week 6 result: Idle

20. Pitt (6-0)

Week 6 result: Defeated Cal, 17-15

With the victory, Pitt improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1982 and has established itself as a legitimate challenger in the ACC title race. And the Panthers did it without much in the way of offensive yardage. They totaled just 277 yards — nearly 250 beneath their average in the first five games of the season.

21. Ole Miss (5-2)

Week 6 result: Lost to LSU, 29-26 (OT)

Lane Kiffin’s team put up 464 yards of offense, but the Rebels’ defense couldn’t slow down LSU’s offense when it mattered most. Jaxson Dart passed for 284 yards and a score, but he only completed 24 of 42 passes in the game, likely putting an end to his Heisman chances, as well as the Rebels’ SEC title chances.

22. Arizona State (5-1)

Week 6 result: Defeated Utah, 27-19

When you’ve gotta get hard yards, hand the ball to Cam Skattebo. That’s what the Sun Devils did Friday night, as the senior running back rumbled for 158 yards and two touchdowns in an upset win over Utah. With the win, the Sun Devils hit the over on their preseason win total (4.5). 

“For those of you who won,” ASU coach Kenny Dillingham said, “put the money back in the NIL collective.”

23. SMU (5-1)

Week 6 result: Idle

24. Army (6-0)

Week 6 result: Defeated UAB, 44-10

Quarterback Bryson Daily was responsible for five total touchdowns in a rout that started with a 20-point first quarter for the Black Knights. The win makes Army 6-0 for the first time in 28 years and extends the team’s winning streak to 10 games, dating back to last season.

25. Navy (5-0)

Week 6 result: Idle

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.

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Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa says his “authority was affected” when Luis Suarez criticised his coaching style.

Suarez, who retired from international football in September, said earlier this month Bielsa had “divided the whole group” and some players were considering quitting.

In an interview with Latin American broadcaster DSports, Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer also asked “the fans not to take it out on the players when things go wrong” because “the players will reach a limit and they will explode” under the Argentine’s working conditions.

“As for how the situation affected me, I don’t ignore what happened, and I know that my authority was affected in some way,” said Bielsa after Saturday’s defeat by Peru.

Uruguay lost 1-0 in the Fifa World Cup qualifier, but remain third in the overall standings, behind Argentina and Colombia, with 15 points from nine games.

“What happened during the week does not condition or explain how we played, nor do I think it has had an effect because it was a week with a lot of effervescence,” added the former Leeds United boss.

“It didn’t alter the conviction with which the match was prepared and the way the group and the coaching staff worked. The preparation was the same as always.”

Suarez had also criticised the treatment of midfielder Agustin Canobbio, who was forced to train as a ball boy and a spare man during the 2024 Copa America, and staff not being allowed to greet or eat with the team.

Bielsa was sacked by Leeds in February 2022 but became known for his intense training sessions and meticulous level of detail during his time at the Elland Road club.

He was appointed Uruguay boss in May 2023 to build a strong team for the 2026 World Cup.

Uruguay face Ecuador next on Tuesday at the Estadio Centenario.

College football fans were treated to plenty of outstanding games in Week 7, highlighted by Oregon‘s thrilling 32-31 victory over Ohio State, which in return elevated Dillon Gabriel‘s Heisman stock.

While Gabriel saw his Heisman stock rise, Colorado’s Travis Hunter saw his stock take a hit after he exited the Buffaloes‘ 31-28 loss to Kansas State with an apparent shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Boise State‘s star running back, Ashton Jeanty, remains at the top of the Heisman leaderboard after putting together another jaw-dropping performance, this one coming against Hawaii.

Here is a look at the current Heisman Trophy odds following a jam-packed Week 7:

Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State: +160

Another day, another dominant performance from Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos’ star back carried the ball 31 times for a jaw-dropping 217 yards and a touchdown in Boise State’s 28-7 win over Hawaii. Jeanty has now topped the 200-yard rushing mark in three games this season, and he has totaled 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in six games.

Next: Jeanty and the Broncos have a bye before traveling to UNLV to take on the Rebels on Oct. 25.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty celebrates one of his two touchdowns against Hawaii.

Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon: +400

Gabriel was sensational in Oregon’s memorable 32-31 win over Ohio State on Saturday. The lefty QB completed 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while also adding 32 yards and a score on the ground in the win. Oregon should be favored in every remaining game on its schedule, and if the Ducks are able to run the table, Gabriel should continue to find himself near the top of this leaderboard.

Next: Gabriel and the Ducks travel to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers on Oct. 19.

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns in the Ducks’ 32-31 win over Ohio State.

Cam Ward, QB, Miami (Fla.): +550

Ward and the Hurricanes had a bye this weekend after their thrilling comeback victory over Cal last week. Ward finished that game 35-of-53 for 437 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning TD pass to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds remaining. Ward also added a rushing score in that win as Miami improved to 6-0 for the first time since the 2007 season.

Next: Ward and the Hurricanes travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals on Oct. 19.

Miami QB Cam Ward threw for 437 yards and two touchdowns in Miami’s 39-38 comeback win over Cal.

Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado: +900

After finding himself near the top of the leaderboard following his memorable performance against UCF back on Sept. 28, Hunter’s Heisman hopes took a hit this weekend after he was knocked out of the game Saturday with an apparent shoulder injury. The Buffaloes’ two-way star caught three passes for 26 yards on offense and recorded a tackle on defense before exiting the game.

Next: Hunter and the Buffaloes travel to Arizona to take on the Wildcats on Oct. 19.

Travis Hunter caught three passes for 26 yards before exiting Colorado’s game against Kansas State with a shoulder injury.

Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama, +1000

Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide entered Saturday hoping to bounce back following an ugly 40-35 loss to unranked Vanderbilt last weekend. The Tide were able to squeak out a win against South Carolina, but it was far from pretty. Milroe was 16-of-23 passing for 209 yards with a touchdown and two rushing scores in a 27-25 win over the Gamecocks. He ran in a 7-yard touchdown with 10:42 remaining in the fourth quarter and then hit Germie Bernard for a late 34-yard score to help No. 7 Alabama survive the scare. With the victory, Milroe and the Tide improved to 5-1 on the year.

Next: Milroe and the Crimson Tide travel to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers on Oct. 19.

Jalen Milroe was on the move often in Alabama’s win over South Carolina, rushing for two touchdowns. 

Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson: +1200

As good as Milroe and Gabriel have been this year, you could make an argument that no quarterback has been better over the past month than Klubnik. Following an ugly Week 1 loss to Georgia, Klubnik has been on fire, shredding every defense in his way. The Tigers‘ junior signal-caller was fantastic again on Saturday, completing 31 of 41 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Wake Forest. Klubnik has now thrown for 1,528 yards and 17 touchdowns in six games.

Next: Klubnik and the Tigers take on Virginia on Oct. 19.

Cade Klubnik led Clemson to another high-scoring win, throwing for three touchdowns in a 49-14 victory over Wake Forest. 

Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: +1500

Beck put up big numbers in the Bulldogs’ 41-31 win over Mississippi State, but this was a game that shouldn’t have been as close as the scoreboard reads. In addition to his 459 yards and three touchdowns through the air, Beck also threw a pair of costly picks, one of which came on Georgia’s first offensive possession of the contest. He did finish with 36 completions to 11 different players, including Arian Smith, who hauled in five catches for a game-high 134 yards and a touchdown.

Next: Beck and the Bulldogs travel to Texas to take on the Longhorns on Oct. 19.

Georgia QB Carson Beck threw for over 300 yards in the first half of its win over Mississippi State.

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Michael Cohen

College Football and College Basketball Writer

LOS ANGELES — High above the sun-splashed turf at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where a 36-yard field goal from kicker Ryan Barker had given No. 4 Penn State an overtime victory over USC, the Nittany Lions’ celebrations spilled into the hallway from the visiting coaches’ booth. Out came offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and his placemat-sized play card that housed more magic and sleight of hand than an improved Trojans’ defense could handle. The back-clapping embraces between Kotelnicki and his coaching comrades reverberated around the press box. “Let’s f—— go, baby!” someone shouted. And the joyous howls attached to a 33-30 overtime victory in which Penn State trailed by double digits began to echo through the elevator shaft on their six-story descent to the field.

The scene that awaited them was one of catharsis mixed with hope and possibility regarding what this Penn State team, which improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten, might achieve in the first year of an expanded College Football Playoff for which they seem destined to qualify. Quarterback Drew Allar, who completed 30 of 43 passes for a career-high 391 yards and two touchdowns, waved his arms from waist height to an altitude well above his sweat-soaked hair while imploring the Nittany Lion faithful to roar in a lower corner of the stadium. “Come on!” Allar shouted. “Come on!” The fans obliged by greeting tight end Tyler Warren, who set a new school record with 17 catches for 224 yards and one touchdown, with a line of high-fives along the front row of seats and a cheer that bifurcated his name adoringly. “Ty-ler War-ren! … Ty-ler War-ren!” they sang.

And out near midfield, where defensive end Amin Vanover careened toward the intertwined “SC” logo for an emphatic stomp after Barker’s winning kick, head coach James Franklin hijacked an attempted flag-planting celebration that began with defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon and continued with cornerback Audavion Collins before cooler heads prevailed. That’s how Franklin, who had nearly lost his voice from screaming throughout the game, came to be holding a giant “We Are” banner on his way toward the tunnel.

“We found a way to get a tough win on the road,” Franklin said. “This is going to make the bye week awesome because it would not have been awesome without this. Just proud of our guys and, again, appreciate the fans and the support that we got, and we’re going to need to spend this bye week getting better. There’s still a ton of stuff that we can get better at. But we’re 1-0 [for six consecutive games and that equals 6-0. And I’m going to take it and run to the airport.

“You guys ever see the movie Soul Plane? … That’s what it’s going to be like on the ride home.”

Franklin understood the snatch-and-grab undertone of a game his team trailed by 14 points on two separate occasions in the first half, the Penn State run defense lacerated by USC’s tailback tandem of Woody Marks and Quinten Joyner, who combined for 193 yards and a score on 23 carries. The Nittany Lions lost the turnover battle, 3-to-1, as Allar, who entered the weekend having only thrown three career interceptions, including just a single INT this season, tossed three on Saturday afternoon alone. Penn State also finished on the wrong side of the field position battle and surrendered 7.1 yards per play to an offense that failed to surpass 17 points in a dispiriting road loss to Minnesota last week. Those were the micro elements of a quasi-heist in which the visitors never led in the second, third or fourth quarters.

But everyone associated with Penn State was keenly aware of the larger context surrounding Saturday’s game, which was technically a matchup between the No. 4 team in the country and an unranked opponent but could just as easily have been a top-10 showdown were it not for a questionable officiating decision on a fourth-down sneak that sunk the Trojans against the Gophers. They knew that Big Ten teams traveling across two or more time zones were just 1-8 so far this season, the conference’s first with a West Coast contingent. They knew that Franklin had dedicated a portion of his weekly news conference to railing against the travel difficulties associated with a shorter runway at the State College Regional Airport, which prompted the Nittany Lions to drive 90 minutes to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before flying to California a day earlier than normal. They knew that Penn State had won 21 of 22 games against teams not named Michigan and Ohio State the last two seasons, which meant any loss to someone other than the Wolverines or Buckeyes would invite more questions about where the program stands in a conference that recently added two more historical powers in USC and Oregon. They knew that a favorable 2024 schedule gave the program its best chance of reaching the College Football Playoff in years, perhaps ever, as long as silly defeats were avoided. And now the Nittany Lions are likely to be favored in every game the rest of the year save for a home date with Ohio State on Nov. 2. 

“You’re going to have to find different ways throughout a season to win,” Franklin said. “Some are going to be blowouts — hopefully more of them are blowouts — but some of them are going to be comebacks. Some are going to be home [games] where you get the fans and they’re supporting you. Some are going to be on the road where things are going against you and you don’t have a whole lot of support in the stadium. Maybe weather, or whatever it may be, that’s big. I think the word ‘resilient’ was probably the best word to define our team today.”

There was resiliency from Allar, who responded to a third-quarter interception by leading back-to-back scoring drives measuring 72 yards and 75 yards that knotted the score with 2:53 remaining, and a 14-yard connection to tailback Nicholas Singleton forcing overtime. There was resiliency from Warren, who absorbed one vicious tackle after another while lining up at tight end, running back, wide receiver, quarterback and even center for a brilliant trick play in which he snapped the ball and then caught a 32-yard touchdown. There was resiliency from Penn State’s defense, which rose to the occasion time and again during critical moments by only allowing six points off three turnovers, two of which gave USC the ball on the outskirts of the red zone. 

And there was resiliency from Barker, a former walk-on, who has made all six of his field goals since Franklin changed kickers two weeks ago, including a 4-for-4 showing against the Trojans. He buried the overtime winner from 36 yards and was immediately engulfed by teammates as catharsis, hope and possibility collided. 

“We grinded it out,” Warren said. “And I couldn’t be more happy with the way we played and the way we fought back after being down. It was just an awesome win.”

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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