Believe it or not, we are already at the midpoint of the 2023 college football season. To commemorate this time of the year, we were treated to games almost every day this week.
This week, we received a little bit of everything: Hail Mary finishes, big upsets, comeback wins, and spectacular individual performances.
With all this said, let us review what we learned after Week 7.
What Did We Learn After Week 7?
Many of us did not expect the Colorado vs. Stanford contest to be one of the best of the season, but it ended up becoming an epic contest that saw both teams combine for 1,083 total yards of offense. It was also a sad occasion for Coach Prime and his Buffaloes, who squandered a 29-0 lead to lose in double overtime. It was so emotional that Buffaloe fans were seen crying in the stands. On a positive note, we were introduced to sophomore Elic Ayomanor, who showcased one of the greatest performances ever for a receiver. Now we understand why Coach Prime dislikes late games.
It may have started off a little slow, but when Oregon and Washington got going, it was on. In this clash of PAC-12 titans, Michael Penix Jr. and his Huskies struck first, but the Ducks were quick to strike back. Both quarterbacks combined for 639 passing yards and six passing touchdowns. Both teams were evenly matched, but in the end, the Huskies were able to pull out a three-point win. What we learned from this match is that the PAC-12 has surpassed the SEC as college football's premier conference. It is a shame that they will cease to exist after this season, but they are going out with a bang.
Caleb Williams picked the wrong time to have arguably the worst game of his career: three interceptions in the first half, which ended up becoming the deciding factor in their game against Notre Dame. As good as Williams has been all season, he is only human, and we learned that from watching this contest.
Jayden Daniels put on another masterful performance in their win against Auburn. At this point, he deserves to be placed among the top five quarterbacks in the nation. In this game, he did just about everything you would want a player to do on the field. He is an exceptional talent.
It seemed for a while that the Miami Hurricanes were going to pull off a big win over North Carolina and redeem themselves from their embarrassing loss in Week 6. Instead, the combination of Derek Maye and the recently cleared Devontez Walker erupted in the second half and ruined the Hurricanes' plans.
What better way to start the Christian Veilleux era in Pittsburgh than with a big win over a Top 25 team? Well, that is exactly what happened at the expense of Louisville. The story of this game was the Panthers defense, namely the performance senior defensive back of M.J Devonshire.
Credit goes to Vanderbilt for a decent showing against Georgia. Unfortunately, there is a reason why they are the No. 1 team in the country, as they found a way to score when it counted. The biggest concern is the status of their star, Brock Bowers.
Ohio State dominated a Purdue team that was nowhere near their level. The Buckeyes' true test will come next week when they face Penn State.
Speaking of Penn State, their defense was on point in their drubbing of UMass. More specifically, the pass-rushing duo of Adisa Isaac and Demeioun "Chop" Robinson gave the Minutemen offense headaches right from the beginning of the contest.
Michigan did as expected by beating Indiana convincingly. Yet, due to the level of competition they have faced so far this season, the Wolverines are not getting much attention, despite being the No. 2 team in the country. All we can say is that this should change soon enough.
Alabama was lucky to win their contest against Arkansas. Had it not been for their defense, K.J. Jefferson and his crew would have pulled off the upset. Simply put, the Crimson Tide do not have a quarterback on their roster that can make them contenders despite their record.
After starting the season 4-0, Syracuse has steadily declined the last two weeks. Unfortunately for the Orangemen, their decline continued after they ran into a buzz saw called the Florida State Seminoles. With each passing week, it becomes clear that the Seminoles are a worthy playoff team.
At 6-1, the Fresno State Bulldogs are easily the best G-5 team in college football and are capable of competing against anyone, no matter the conferenc
Week 7 Top Performers
Gold Standard Level
WR Elic Ayomanor - Stanford
QB Ashton Daniels - Stanford
QB Jayden Daniels - LSU
DE Adisa Isaac - Penn State
QB Shedeur Sanders - Colorado
QB Michael Penix jr. - Washington
WR Kelly Akharaiyi - UTEP
QB Josh Hoover - TCU
S Xavier Watts - Notre Dame
DB M.J. Devonshire - Pitt
DL Samuel Okunlola - Pitt
WR Devontez Walker - North Carolina
LB JD Bertrand - Notre Dame
DL Landon Jackson - Arkansas
LB Harold Perkins Jr. - LSU
DL Kaimon Rucker - North Carolina
DE Maurice Westmoreland - UTEP
DB Desmond Igbinosun - Rutgers
DB Shyheim Brown - Florida State
DE Jaylen Harrell - Michigan
Silver Level
Offense -
QB Garrett Greene - West Virginia
RB Quinton Cooley - Liberty
WR Troy Franklin - Oregon
QB Grayson McCall - Coastal Carolina
QB Bo Nix - Oregon
WR Stephon Johnson Jr. - Houston
WR Ja'lynn Polk - Washington
QB Donovan Smith - Houston
RB Bucky Irving - Oregon
RB Kyle Monangai - Rutgers
QB Noah Fifita - Arizona
WR Keon Coleman - Florida State
DB/WR Travis Hunter - Colorado
WR Xavier Weaver - Colorado
QB Seth Henigan - Memphis
Defense -
LB Demeioun "Chop" Robinson - Penn State
DE Praise Amaewhule - UTEP
DB Justin Barron - Syracuse
DL Deshon Hall - Louisiana Tech
CB Cam Miller - Penn State
DB Jaylen Key - Alabama
DB Jahlil Florence - Oregon
S Kamren Kinchens - Miami
LB Francisco Mauigoa - Miami
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio - Washington
DL Jacob Holmes - Fresno State
LB Aaron Casey - Indiana
LB Smael Mondon - Georgia
DL Jalen Green - James Madison
LB Kalen DeLoach - Florida State
DE Jack Sawyer - Ohio State
DE Aeneas DiCosmo - Vanderbilt
DE JT Tuimoloau - Ohio State