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CFB Week 7 winners, losers: Oregon nets signature win
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Oregon Ducks running back Jordan James celebrate a touchdown by Gabriel as the No. 3 Oregon Ducks host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CFB Week 7 winners, losers: Oregon nets signature win, Ole Miss plays itself out of playoff conversation

By Eric Smithling  |  Last updated 10/12/24

The weekend lived up to the hype. Several of the biggest games in Week 7 went down to the wire, including Ohio State-Oregon, Ole Miss-LSU and Penn State-USC.

From a historic performance from Penn State tight end Tyler Warren to a pathetic showing from Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden, here are Week 7's winners and losers.

Winner: Oregon Ducks 

No. 3 Oregon (6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten) gained the inside track on a Big Ten title game berth with its 32-31 home win over No. 2 Ohio State (5-1, 2-1 in Big Ten). 

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel had arguably his best game of the season, going 23-of-34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns while adding 32 yards and a rushing touchdown on four carries.

The Buckeyes were every bit the Ducks' equal, and the two teams could easily meet again for the Big Ten championship. Yet while Oregon's path to the conference title game cleared on Saturday, Ohio State needs help.

Loser: Alabama, Tennessee before Week 8 showdown

Neither the Tide nor the Vols looked like legit SEC contenders against lower-tier conference foes ahead of next week's potential College Football Playoff elimination game.

No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1 in SEC) showed that its loss to Vanderbilt was no fluke, struggling against South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 in SEC) in a 27-25 win. For the second time in three weeks, the Tide blew a double-digit lead and needed a fourth-quarter comeback to emerge victorious.

No. 8 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 in SEC) was just as unconvincing in its 23-17 overtime win over Florida (3-3, 1-2 in SEC). The Gators held the Volunteers scoreless through two quarters and had the advantage in total yards, 361-312. 

In SEC play, Tennessee has averaged 329.7 yards per game after averaging 639.3 yards during its 3-0 out-of-conference start.

Both Alabama and Tennessee looked dazed after stunning Week 6 losses. The hits will keep coming for one in Week 8.

Winner: Texas, Georgia before Week 8 showdown

Meanwhile, No. 1 Texas (6-0, 2-0 in SEC) and No. 5 Georgia (5-1, 3-1 in SEC) are ready for the next week's heavyweight showdown in Austin.

The Longhorns easily dispatched Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2 in SEC) 34-3. The 31-point margin of victory was their third-largest in the series since 2000.

Georgia scored a season-high (against FBS competition) 41 points against Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 in SEC) in a battle of SEC Bulldogs. Quarterback Carson Beck had a career-high 459 passing yards in the 41-31 win.

Loser: Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden

Nothing says "loser" like spitting on an opponent. The Ducks wideout was ejected in the first half after he spat on Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun.

While Oregon won, head coach Dan Lanning's squad lost major points in the respect department.

Winner: Penn State tight end Tyler Warren

Any other year, this was a game the Nittany Lions would lose. But facing its first road test in 2024, No. 4 Penn State (6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten) defeated USC (3-3, 1-3 in Big Ten) 33-30 in overtime thanks to a historic performance from Warren.

He tied an FBS record with 17 receptions and ended the game with 224 receiving yards and one touchdown on a perfectly executed trick play when the backup quarterback completed a backward pass to quarterback Drew Allar, who threw to Warren for a 32-yard touchdown, Penn State's first of the game.

Loser: California Golden Bears

The Golden Bears have had a brutal welcome to the ACC, losing its first three conference games by a combined eight points.

A week after blowing a 25-point lead at home against No. 6 Miami (6-0, 2-0 in ACC), Cal's latest heartbreak came in a 17-15 road loss against No. 22 Pittsburgh (6-0, 2-0 in ACC).

Kicker Ryan Coe had a chance to give Cal (3-3, 0-3 in ACC) an 18-17 lead with under two minutes remaining but missed from 40 yards on an ugly, wobbly attempt.

Winner: Onside kicks

Onside kicks had one heck of a comeback in Week 7. South Carolina nearly completed the huge upset at Alabama with a successful attempt with under a minute remaining in its two-point loss.

That set the tone for a wild day of onside-kick recoveries. No. 23 Illinois (5-1, 2-1 in Big Ten) was involved in two in its 50-49 overtime win over Purdue (1-5, 0-3 in Big Ten).

The Fighting Illini had a recovery in the second quarter on a long kickoff after the Boilermaker failed to field the football. 

Purdue successfully converted its own attempt with under two minutes left in regulation down five, 40-35, and scored a touchdown moments later to take a late lead.

Oregon had the most ingenious successful onside kick, with kicker Andrew Boyle deflecting the ball off of an Ohio State special teams player.

Loser: Ole Miss Rebels

No. 9 Ole Miss (5-2, 1-2 in SEC) had such great expectations to begin the season. But halfway through 2024, its CFP aspirations might already be snuffed out.

The Rebels lost an unofficial elimination game against No. 13 LSU (5-1, 2-0 in SEC), 29-26 in overtime in a game it never trailed in regulation and held Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to a 43.1 percent completion percentage.

Ole Miss had multiple opportunities to win, with LSU needing two fourth-down conversions late in the fourth to score the tying touchdown at 23. But when the Rebels needed to make a play, they came up short.

When the 12-team CFP field is set in December, Ole Miss will likely come up short there, too.

Winner: BYU Cougars

Two weeks after Arizona (3-3, 1-2 in Big 12) upset then-No. 10 Utah, No. 14 BYU (6-0, 3-0 in Big 12) suffered no such stumble in its 41-19 win over the Wildcats. 

The Cougars are an unexpected Big 12 contender, having already surpassed their 2023 win total (five) midway through the 2024 season.

BYU has a manageable schedule during the back half of the year, including games against Oklahoma State (3-3, 0-3 in Big 12), UCF (3-3, 1-2 in Big 12), Kansas (1-5, 0-3 in Big 12) and Houston (2-4, 1-2 in Big 12).

Its toughest remaining games are against No. 16 Utah (4-2, 1-2 in Big 12) and Arizona State (5-1, 2-1 in Big 12), which beat the Utes 27-19 on Friday.

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