"Week 7 Recap”
Written by Wendi
Another wild Saturday led to 5 of the top 7 teams going down. It took 2OT, a bad penalty and 2 completed Hail Mary’s from another top ranked team from losing (Florida State vs Miami). Speaking of controversial, did you watch the ending of the Notre Dame vs BYU game? In a thriller, BYU upset Notre Dame 28-24 that snapped the Irish’s 16 game winning streak, but it was the questionable no call on pass interference on Notre Dame’s last play in the endzone that could have led to Notre Dame winning the game. Come to find out, the Big 12 officials stated that one second should have been put back on the clock to give the Irish one more play. As bad as officiating has been all around the country this year and with replay capabilities, at what point, will something change?
Without their starting quarterback and running back, Mississippi State drew blanks against LSU and were shut out 31-0. Lane Kiffin needed a key victory after last week’s OT loss against Kentucky. LSU completely broke the back of Mississippi State’s offense by stopping them on five consecutive 4th down attempts. Here’s to hoping the Bulldogs get their key players back for this coming weekend.
Behind a gritty defensive display and some critical special teams play, SMU defeated Virginia 23-13 maintaining their perfect 10-0 home record against ACC opponents since joining the conference. This matchup pitted SMU’s top-tier passing offense against Virginia’s top-ranked ACC passing defense, turning the game into a physical, defensive battle.
In a defensive slugfest loaded with late drama, Ohio State outlasted Indiana 19-15. With only seconds remaining on the clock, Indiana’s QB launched a pass into the corner of the end zone for a spectacular catch for what initially looked like the game winning touchdown but after a formal review, his left foot had barely scraped out of bounds before securing the ball. The catch was ruled incomplete and the Buckeyes escaped with the win. That snapped Indiana’s 22 game winning streak. But this hard-fought win, cost the Buckeyes losing their quarterback for the next few weeks.
Welp, Alabama loses for the third straight time in Knoxville 26-10. This also marks the second consecutive loss for the Tide since 2007 after losing to Georgia last week. This matchup was defined by a relentless Tennessee defense that completely overwhelmed Alabama’s offense, which was notably missing injured team captain and star receiver Ryan Williams. The defensive strangulation from the Vols forced 4 Alabama turnovers and 5 sacks on the day. How will Alabama bounce back against Texas A&M this weekend after back-to-back losses?
Ole Miss absolutely smothered Missouri 31-3 behind an elite defensive game plan. Missouri had no problem moving the ball down field but would completely stall out in the red zone after going up 3-0 early in the game. Ole Miss broke the game wide open in the second quarter and never looked back.
It took a 3-0 Penn State halftime lead and a quarterback change for Michigan to find a spark on offense in the second half for Michigan to win 21-18. The first half was an ugly offensive showing for the Wolverines that had two costly interceptions in the second quarter. Michigan hosts Indiana this weekend. Who will start at quarterback? I hope it isn’t Bryce Underwood.
In a classic rivalry matchup that went down to the wire, North Carolina edged out Duke 24-20. The thrilling road win marked the first victory over a top-25 opponent for the Tar Heels under head coach Bill Belichick. The Tar Heels went up 17-0 in just 17 minutes of the game. The game was a rollercoaster of momentum, featuring a blazing start by North Carolina followed by a relentless 20-point comeback from Duke that fell short.
With UCLA’s starting QB sidelined due to injury, they had to rely on their backup and a swarming defensive unit to handle Wisconsin 17-7. The hard-fought defensive battle propelled the Bruins to a 6-0 start for the first time since 2022. UCLA is currently ranked 9th and has an easy schedule remaining with Michigan State, Nevada, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and USC to finish out. But without their starting QB, can they win out and make the playoffs?
In a high-scoring top 20 Big 12 showdown, Houston held off Oklahoma State 35-32 handing the Cowboys their first conference loss this season. It was an explosive aerial dual between the two quarterbacks that threw for a combined 708 passing yards. Houston faces a ranked Utah squad this weekend and the Cowboys host Colorado. Can they both get wins?
On to Pick’ems…
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it? The first three games of the day weren’t that bad and then BOOM, Alabama happened and it all went downhill after that for a lot of us.
Jacob followed up his good week with a disastrous one that dropped him to 5th place. Sean, Rick and Kim are back in the top 3 again. Can anyone knock them out of the top spots? Are we all just lackies trying to keep up? Are they in cahoots with each other? Speaking of…Has anyone else noticed Evelyn’s and Chris’ picks are very similar every week? Curious, isn’t it?
Noah finished third for the week which moved him up to 4th place overall. He is only 4 points behind 3rd place. Can he have another good week and edge up to third this week?
Only 6 out of the 16 people playing have either been in 1st place or tied for 1st. If Mike isn’t careful, he may end up in the bottom three. But as long as Auburn is winning, it doesn’t matter though, right? I can’t speak for Teddy, but for Kim, it looks like she wants to win in picks and on the field.
At this point, Adam doesn’t care either, as long as David isn’t winning. I haven’t seen this week’s picks, but I can only imagine what David has thrown at us…Good luck…not really.
Most points for the week: Sean is $10 richer after he nailed 39 points and claimed first place overall.
Least points for the week: With a "not shocked” face, Evelyn had 19 points but was also tied with a bruised Jacob. I guess Jacob enjoyed his $10 from last week a little too much.
Best pick of the week: It didn’t help him in the slightest (only would have made it worse), but Christian only going 1 on Notre Dame made his bad week not look as bad.
Worst pick of the week: Evelyn’s picks. Wonder what she thinks about when she does her picks?
Letters to the Editor:
The 24-team playoff format is so stupid. What’s driving this?
Money….and stupidity
Refs continue to have an influence in games, especially late. What’s the solution?
I wish I knew a solution. Constant replays would make the games even longer. Maybe that is what is needed? AI? But that is not always accurate either.
Texas is not back and gone forever, right?
One can only hope.
What are the Meggers drinking or what kind of pixie dust are they using to be holding the top spots?
It’s definitely "sus.”
Is Auburn the new king of the SEC?
Nah, Kentucky is.
Has anyone checked on Jacob to see if he has any injuries from that fast descent Saturday night on the chart? Nosebleed, blackeyes, bruised chin…etc????
Maybe his ego is bruised
Here are the rankings after Week 7:
1. Sean – 301 points
2. Rick – 294 points
3. Kim – 291 points
4. Noah – 290 points
5. Jacob – 284 points
6. David – 269 points
7. Wendi – 267 points
8. Sam – 266 points
9. Marc – 259 points
10. Teddy – 256 points
11. Cindy - 256 points
12. Adam - 256 points
13. Mike H - 244 points
14. Christian - 241 points
15. Chris – 234 points
16. Evelyn – 210 points
There is a 91-point difference between 1st and last place
