What did we just watch? Week 7 decided to completely shake things up in college football as we saw five of the AP poll's top seven teams fall Saturday.
Miami moved up to the top spot in the latest AP poll after former No. 1 Georgia fell to unranked Auburn at home. The Hurricanes are one of just six teams that remain undefeated entering Week 8.
Both Texas and Alabama have lost in back-to-back weekends, but which team could we see bounce back this upcoming week?
Following big wins and surprising upsets, our college football experts break down key takeaways from Week 7.
Jump to:
Favorite upset | Impressive player
Concerning two-game slide
BYU-ND | Bounce back
What was your favorite upset of the day?
There's plenty to choose from, but for me, the conversation begins with BYU's 28-24 upset of No. 2 Notre Dame and the euphoric field rush that followed inside LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night.
Missing star running back LJ Martin, the eighth-ranked Cougars entered as double-digit underdogs. But this was no fluke. BYU converted eight of its 12 third-down attempts and scored touchdowns on each of its four red zone trips, including Walker Lyons' go-ahead score with 1:47 remaining. And while the Cougars flustered Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr, who finished with a career-high 10 overthrows and a career-worst 55.1% completion percentage, his counterpart delivered. BYU's Bear Bachmeier did it all, contributing a passing touchdown, two rushing scores and a touchdown reception on a gadget play on his way to joining Ty Detmer as the second Cougars quarterback to lead the program to a win over an AP top-2 opponent.
Speaking of Detmer, this win did more than just solidify BYU -- which holds a record of 29-4 since the start of the 2024 season -- as a bona fide College Football Playoff contender and bolster the Big 12's place in the national conversation. Afterward, coach Kalani Sitake was emotional as he reflected back to September 1990 and the night he stormed the field as a high schooler after Detmer and the Cougars downed No. 1 Miami. Thirty-six years later, Sitake and his players delivered another upset that will live long in the annals of BYU's football history. -- Eli Lederman
Following a day of big games, which player impressed the most?
Houston signing five-star freshman quarterback Keisean Henderson put the pressure on incumbent starter Conner Weigman to produce, even after he led the Cougars to a 10-win season last year.
Weigman has responded to the challenge.
On Saturday, he outplayed Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker -- whom Mel Kiper Jr. recently ranked as his No. 1 quarterback prospect for the 2027 NFL draft -- and the Cougars fended off the Pokes in a shootout, 35-32.
Weigman was spectacular, passing for five touchdowns and 343 yards. Despite tweaking his ankle in the first half, he also rushed for 52 yards, including a big 44-yard run on third-and-7 that set up his 21-yard touchdown throw late in the third quarter, giving Houston a two-score lead.
Weigman ranks fourth nationally with a QBR of 87.7. And behind his play, the Cougars are firmly in Big 12 title and playoff berth contention. -- Jake Trotter
More concerning two-game slide: Alabama or Texas?
Texas went from No. 1 to panic mode in just two weeks' time. Sure, you can say that's life in the SEC where a humbling is always around the corner. But the Longhorns' 27-24 loss to unranked Florida was especially deflating when you factor in a 17-3 blown lead against a backup quarterback, an injury to star pass rusher Colin Simmons and another troubling day of inconsistency from Arch Manning.
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said he's evaluating everything on offense -- including his QB -- after a home loss that cranks up the pressure going forward for a squad with national championship ambitions. Given how much money Texas spent on offensive talent this offseason, it's hard to believe this team is having such a hard time finding a steady rhythm and converting when it matters on third downs and in short-yardage spots.
The numbers don't lie with this unit. It's down to No. 104 on the FBS leaderboard in yards per play, No. 102 in rushing offense and -- perhaps most shocking of all -- No. 126 nationally when it comes to generating plays of 20-plus yards.
The fixes and fine-tuning need to come together quickly for Sarkisian and Manning with a top-10 ranked Ole Miss squad coming to town this week. The Rebels just held Missouri's dynamic offense to three points. Texas is 16-2 at home since joining the SEC in 2024, but the stakes surrounding this one feel higher than ever. -- Max Olson
What did you learn about BYU and Notre Dame in each team's first big game of the season?
If there was any lingering doubt beforehand, there shouldn't be now: BYU is for real and it has the potential to run the table. The Cougars' toughest opponent left is no slouch -- a road matchup against Utah in Salt Lake City -- but what Sitake's team showed Saturday night against Notre Dame is that it has the ability to win on the big stage. A top-25 rushing attack with a top-10 rushing defense is a pretty good recipe to keep this run going.
"A lot of people weren't respecting us," linebacker Cade Uluave said. "That's just the final truth. A lot of people think we were flukes. Some people didn't think we were all that, and now we just went and beat the No. 2 team in the nation."
As far as the Irish go, losing in a tough environment like Provo and doing so while still having a shot on the last play of the game is nothing to sneeze at. Yet given their schedule, this was their first big test to prove the way they have handled inferior teams also meant they could win against opponents they would theoretically face in the College Football Playoff. Now, after what was, at times, a sloppy performance on both sides of the ball, the margin for error just shrunk.
Notre Dame's schedule isn't filled with tough conference opponents, of course, but it still has to face No. 1 Miami and No. 23 SMU. Both matchups are in South Bend, which is a boon for Marcus Freeman's team. After the loss to BYU, a loss to either of those teams might keep it out of the playoff -- again.
"We own it, and we've got to be better," Freeman said after the game. "We've got to execute no matter what the situation is." -- Paolo Uggetti
Which team has the best chance at bouncing back in Week 8?
Alabama's offense was averaging 49.6 points per game before a two-game slide against Georgia and Tennessee, in which the Crimson Tide managed just 17 and 10 points. Texas A&M comes to Tuscaloosa this week and has struggled to limit explosive plays against good opponents like Kentucky, LSU and Missouri. According to ESPN Research, Tennessee pressured Keelon Russell on 23 of his 39 dropbacks (59%). Russell went 7-of-13 for 58 yards with an interception and five sacks in those situations.
But the Aggies haven't been able to mount much of a pass rush all season. Texas A&M is coming off a 41-0 win over The Citadel, but A&M ranks 135th in sacks, with five all season, and 97th in total offense (356.9 YPG) with Marcel Reed struggling mightily. A home game against a struggling opponent after a tough two-game stretch could be just the salve Kalen DeBoer needs to get the Crimson Tide back on track. -- Dave Wilson
