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ESPN Senior Writer- College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables doesn't have to look far for proof that his team can win Saturday when the No. 18 Sooners face No. 1 Texas in one of the biggest games of a packed Week 7 slate.
In addition to last week, when five of the top 11 teams in the Associated Press poll lost, Venables can point to last year, when Oklahoma knocked off then-No. 3 Texas.
"People's opinions and expectations about how the game is going to go doesn't decide who wins," he said. "It's execution, it's physicality, it's taking care of the ball, it's playing great situationally. It's handling the chaos of game day. Poise under pressure. Those are the things that win for you; this game this year will be no different."
While the Sooners are trying to avoid a second SEC loss so early in their first season in the league, an undefeated team is going down in Eugene, Oregon, where Big Ten heavyweights Ohio State and Oregon will play in a game that could be a sneak preview of the Big Ten championship.
Unless, of course, Penn State has something to say about that. The Nittany Lions will travel to L.A. to face USC, which needs to avoid what would be a devastating third league loss. Another critical game is Ole Miss at LSU, which will reveal who to take more seriously in the CFP race, and Kansas State travels to Colorado, with both teams still having a chance to win the wide-open Big 12.
As always, college football insiders Heather Dinich and Adam Rittenberg have been talking to sources throughout the week to get their reactions to what unfolded last week, and the storylines to watch in Week 7.
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Last week's upsets
Oregon-Ohio State
Texas quarterback battle
Who's the nation's best receiver?
Kansas State-Colorado
Emptying the notebook
