The production line of talented quarterbacks at Oklahoma keeps rolling. Caleb Williams announced himself on the national stage with a stunning debut. The Big Ten is wide open and there were fireworks in the SEC, while Georgia strengthened their grip on No.1.
Here's my highlights of the week...
TCU 31-52 No.4 Oklahoma
A true freshman quarterback makes his debut to replace the established starter and leads them to the national title. Oklahoma haven't won the national title in Week 7, but could history repeat itself here? In 2018, true freshman Trevor Lawrence replaced Kelly Bryant as Clemson's quarterback, leading them to the the national championship that same season.
Enter Caleb Williams. Having shown flashes of brilliance in the Red River Showdown with Texas last week, Williams was given the start over Spencer Rattler by Lincoln Riley against TCU. He came out of the blocks fast, completing his first eight passes, finishing the game completing 18 of 23 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for a further 66 yards on nine carries.
While it might be a little early to be talking about national championships, Oklahoma are hitting form at the right time and Williams is giving the offense a spark it has consistently lacked so far this season. Watch them make a run at the Playoff. Rattler's future in Norman looks in doubt but his coach was quick to praise both his quarterbacks.
“Two guys that are team first....Caleb got his opportunity and obviously did a great job with it." - Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley.
At the top...
No.11 Kentucky 13-30 No.1 Georgia
Stetson Bennett threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns as Georgia ended Kentucky's unbeaten start with a dominant defensive performance, limiting the Wildcats to 249 total yards and blocked two kicks.
The Bulldogs' defense sacked Kentucky QB Will Levis three times and held them to just 51 rushing yards, a week after Kentucky had run for 330 against LSU. Both teams now take a week off before Georgia heads to Jacksonville to take on bitter rivals Florida, and Kentucky travels to Mississippi State.
Purdue 24-7 No.2 Iowa
Iowa's defense, dominant all season, was picked apart by Purdue in one of the biggest upsets this year. Aidan O'Connell completed 30 of 40 passes for 375 yards and two touchdowns. His primary target was David Bell, who had 11 catches for 24o yards and a touchdown as he torched the Iowa secondary.
Where Iowa's defense has normally been so strong, their offense has struggled to spark and this was no exception. QB Spencer Petras threw four interceptions as the Hawkeyes' 12-game winning streak came to an end, opening up the Big Ten West.
UCF 21-56 No.3 Cincinnati
Cincinnati continue to impress, thrashing UCF 56-21 with a dominant defensive display. Running back Jerome Ford ran for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns as the Bearcats racked up 50 points in consecutive games.
No.5 Alabama 49-9 Mississippi State
Alabama bounced back from their loss to Texas A&M in style, overwhelming Mississippi State in Starkville. The Crimson Tide sacked Will Rogers seven times and intercepted him three times in a dominant display. Will Anderson, Jr. registered four sacks and made six tackles for loss. Their offense was equally impressive. Bryce Young passed for 348 yards and four touchdowns, with receivers Jameson Williams and John Metchie dominating the Bulldogs' secondary.
In contention...
No.10 Michigan State 20-15 Indiana
With Ohio State and Michigan in a bye week, Michigan State had an opportunity to strengthen their hand for Big Ten contention at Indiana. Spartans tight end Tyler Hunt competed a 15-yard pass to his quarterback Payton Thorne on a trick play before Thorne returned the favour, throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Hunt.
Turnovers on offense cost the Hoosiers as Michigan State moved to 7-0 for the first time since 2015. They will need to keep momentum going as their last two games see them line up against Ohio State and Penn State.
No.12 Oklahoma State 32-24 No.25 Texas
Having raced to a 24-13 lead, Texas couldn't close the game out against Oklahoma State, and were outscored 16-0 in the fourth quarter. This is becoming a theme for Steve Sarkisian's side, who lost a convincing lead to Oklahoma last week. They have been outscored 41-7 in the last quarter of their last two games. Running back Bijan Robinson ran for three touchdowns and 135 yards to keep him in the Heisman conversation.
His counterpart, Jaylen Warren ran for 193 yards on 33 carries, 154 of them in a lop-sided second half where the Cowboys' offensive line dominated Texas. Oklahoma's stingy defense and favourable schedule could see them remain unbeaten to a potential Big Ten decider with Oklahoma on 27th November.
No.13 Ole Miss 31-26 Tennessee
Lane Kiffin's return to Rocky Top with his Ole Miss team was greeted with debris raining down from the stands. A close call in the fourth quarter denying Tennessee a first down prompted an avalanche of objects, causing a 20-minute game delay. Tennessee fans jeered their former coach while their team kept the game honest. Kiffin had the last laugh, casually catching the bottle thrown at him while leaving the field. He tossed his visor back into the crowd afterwards.
Matt Corral was the difference. Mississippi's quarterback and Heisman front-runner threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, also running for 195 yards, a performance all the more notable for the fact Ole Miss were missing four starters on offense.
No.19 BYU 24-38 Baylor
Dave Aranda is having quite an impact as Baylor's head coach. A team that finished 2-7 last season is now 6-1. Baylor overwhelmed BYU with their physicality, running for 303 total yards. Linebacker Dillon Doyle was the star of the show in Waco, sacking Cougars' QB Jarren Hall but also popping up on offense where he scored two touchdowns.
Elsewhere...
In the SEC, Bo Nix racked up 292 yards and three touchdown passes as Auburn secured an impressive win on the road at No.17 Arkansas who have now lost three on the trot after a promising 4-0 start. No.20 Florida went to Death Valley and found an LSU team on form. Trion Davis-Price ran for an LSU-record 287 yards and three touchdowns. No.21 Texas A&M followed up their win over Alabama with a 35-14 win over Missouri, moving to 5-2.
Two of the ACC's more disappointing teams, Miami and North Carolina met in a shootout at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels move to 4-3 after a 45-42 win while Miami slips to 2-4. Pitt, meanwhile, could move into ACC contention, boosting their record to 5-1 with a 28-7 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. QB Kenny Pickett has thrown for 21 touchdowns and just one interception this season, boosting his draft stock. North Carolina State moved up the Top 25 with a 33-7 win on the road at Boston College.
Games to look out for this week:
No.23 Pitt hosts No.24 Clemson in a pivotal ACC showdown.
No.9 Oklahoma State travels to Ames to strengthen their challenge for the ACC crown against Iowa State.
No.10 Oregon visits UCLA with the Bruins needing a victory to stay in contention in the Pac-12 South.
Here's this week's AP Top 25...
Rank Team Record
1 (1) Georgia 7-0
2 (3) Cincinnati 6-0
3 (4) Oklahoma 7-0
4 (5) Alabama 6-1
5 (6) Ohio State 5-1
6 (8) Michigan 6-0
7 (7) Penn State 5-1
8 (12) Oklahoma State 6-0
9 (10) Michigan State 7-0
10 (9) Oregon 5-1
11 (2) Iowa 6-1
12 (13) Ole Miss 5-1
13 (14) Notre Dame 5-1
14 (15) Coastal Carolina 6-0
15 (11) Kentucky 6-1
16 (16) Wake Forest 6-0
17 (21) Texas A&M 5-2
18 (22) North Carolina State 5-1
19 (-) Auburn 5-2
20 (-) Baylor 6-1
21 (23) SMU 6-0
22 (24) San Diego State 6-0
23 (-) Pittsburgh 5-1
24 (-) UTSA 7-0
25 (-) Purdue 4-2
Comentarios