B/R's 2025 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 7

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The slate suggested some chaos may be on the horizon, and Week 7 did not disappoint.

Hot seats are ablaze at Florida State and Penn State. Indiana took down Oregon to make a statement in the Big Ten, Colorado edged Iowa State to shake up what was already a messy Big 12 outlook and John Mateer returned for Oklahoma but Texas controlled the SEC clash anyway.

And we might not be done.

Several teams in the SEC escaped late-night disasters, but there may be a final surprise or two to come.

This piece will be updated on Saturday night.

Winner: South Florida's Rout

1 of 12

Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Byrum Brown

Hope you didn't think the Bulls were going away!

To begin the season, USF pulled off consecutive Top 25 wins against Boise State and Florida. But then, Miami quieted the buzz in a 49-12 beatdown.

As the hype faded, though, South Florida did not. Dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown has steered a powerful offense, one that amassed 582 yards in a 63-36 victory over North Texas on Friday night. It marked the third straight game in which the Bulls scored at least 54 points.

The victory gave USF a critical conference win, pushing the Bulls to 5-1 while handing UNT its first loss of the campaign.

Upcoming trips to key American contenders Memphis and Navy will determine the team's ceiling in 2025, but USF continues to impress.

Winner: Demond Williams Jr.

2 of 12

G Fiume/Getty Images

If you aren't yet familiar with Demond Williams Jr., it's probably about time to bank the standout Washington quarterback.

Rutgers just could not contain him.

In a 38-19 victory over the Scarlet Knights, he connected on 21-of-27 passes for 402 yards and rushed for 136 yards—both of which set personal bests for the sophomore QB. He totaled four touchdowns.

"Demond Williams is a superstar," UW coach Jedd Fisch told reporters. "He is special, and we've known that for a lot of years now."

Because of the recent loss to Ohio State, the Dawgs face an uphill climb to contend in the Big Ten. They are 5-1 but still have Top 25 teams Michigan, Illinois and Oregon left on the schedule.

It's safe to say, however, that Williams is demanding a mountain of respect.

Loser: Illinois' CFP Dream

3 of 12

James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The offseason always finds its darlings, and Illinois fit that billing in 2025. Bret Bielema's team brought back a bunch of experience on both sides of the ball, led by quarterback Luke Altmyer.

We always expected Week 7 against Ohio State would be the decisive game for that College Football Playoff dream.

And it didn't go well.

No, the result—a comfortable 34-16 triumph for the Buckeyes—was not surprising. We watched Indiana steamroll the Fighting Illini a few weeks back, and that result shattered most of the hype. Still, at 5-1 with a chance to spring a home upset, Illinois had an opportunity to rejoin the CFP conversation.

Instead, the once-optimistic Illini have relinquished all margin for error in their pursuit of a national surge in 2025.

Winner: UCLA, Again!

4 of 12

Raj Mehta/Getty Images

Let your conscience be your guide, but I owe UCLA an apology.

Friends, I left the Bruins for dead after an extremely non-competitive 0-3 start to the season. I don't regret that decision, either. Losing to UNLV is one thing, but a 25-point loss at the hands of—checks notes—New Mexico? Yeesh.

Understandably, the school fired DeShaun Foster following that loss. It was the final straw of a challenging but unsuccessful 5-10 tenure, and Tim Skipper opened his interim job with a loss to lowly Northwestern.

That leads me to this: UCLA, shockingly, is on fire!

After last weekend's incredible upset of Penn State, the Bruins proceeded to wreck Michigan State 38-13. Nico Iamaleava passed for 180 yards and three touchdowns, and the defense held MSU to 253 yards.

I'm not suddenly anticipating a climb to six wins and bowl eligibility, but it's been a remarkable two weeks for UCLA.

Loser: Missouri's Upset Opportunity

5 of 12

Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Moral victories do not exist for Missouri in the 27-24 loss to eighth-ranked Alabama. But, man, the chances were there.

Bama's missed field goal opened the door.

But the fake punt didn't work.

And then Mizzou's defense folded on a pair of fourth-down attempts, the latter of which included a blown coverage on Alabama's game-sealing score.

In front of their hometown crowd, the Tigers had a real opportunity to spring the upset. While the defense wasn't perfect, it recovered from a slow start—17 points in three drives—to keep them in the game. The offense struggled, though, and the unbeaten label no longer accompanies Mizzou.

Loser: Mike Norvell

6 of 12

James Gilbert/Getty Images

What a horrible birthday present.

As he turned 44 years old, Mike Norvell found himself on the wrong side of another embarrassing result. Florida State—at home—lost to Pitt 34-31, falling to 3-3 on the season with an 0-3 mark in the ACC.

It's difficult to overstate how bizarre the season has been in Tallahassee.

The opening game? An upset of Alabama, which genuinely looked soft against a seemingly reinvigorated FSU roster. Norvell's crew rolled to 3-0, and the memories of last year's horrendous 2-10 record were fading.

Now, after three straight losses, the dreaded hot-seat talk has returned. Norvell has a buyout just south of $60 million. Can the school truly afford that?

Yet as the 'Noles fade into irrelevance once again, can they afford to keep him?

Loser: Penn State's All-In Year

7 of 12

Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Florida State supporters, take heart. You are, incredibly, not the angriest fan base in the country, thanks to Penn State.

This collapse has become unconscionable.

Somehow, the Nittany Lions managed to one-up themselves in a terrible way. They shockingly lost at then-winless UCLA last Saturday, then fell 22-21 to Northwestern—like Florida State—at home in Week 7.

The reality of this situation is about to set in: There will be no Big Ten championship. There will be no trip to the College Football Playoff. There will only be a disastrous memory of a very expensive debacle.

Penn State sunk millions and millions of dollars into retaining key veterans for 2025, aiming to repeat Ohio State's success in 2024.

Barely into what we can call mid-October, it's officially a failure.

Franklin's job security has plummeted from "generally OK" to "highly questionable" to "hanging on by a thread" in a matter of eight days. And the Nittany Lions' championship-or-bust season is a bust.

Winner: Colorado's Upset

8 of 12

Given that Colorado had to replace Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter this season, regression was the only logical expectation.

Sure enough, the Buffs stumbled out the gate in 2025. They dropped games to Georgia Tech, Houston, BYU and TCU during the opening half of the season, dealing with an early QB carousel, shaky offensive play and an average defense.

So, naturally, CU toppled 22nd-ranked Iowa State on Saturday.

The upset should provide a much-needed spark for the Buffs, who hadn't yet managed a conference win. Picking up these kinds of victories, even in a down season, is essential to selling the future of the program.

Colorado won't contend for anything this year, but that's a quality win.

Loser: Oregon's Front-Runner Status

9 of 12

Soobum Im/Getty Images

From the Ducks' perspective, everything had gone according to plan.

Oregon rattled off five consecutive wins to start the season, capping a favorable start with a dramatic victory at Penn State. Entering their off weekend, the Ducks boasted a 5-0 record and had climbed to No. 2 nationally.

Step back, take a breath and Oregon was exactly where it wanted to be: the co-main contender in the Big Ten alongside Ohio State.

Well, so much for that.

Indiana threw a wicked dagger into the narrative, holding Oregon to just 267 yards and silencing the hometown crowd. Dante Moore, a top Heisman contender, threw for just 186 yards with two interceptions in the 30-20 loss.

Oregon is absolutely still a threat in the Playoff race, but the Ducks are going to need a little help to repeat as Big Ten champions.

Winner: USC's Big Ten Statement

11 of 12

Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Makai Lemon

USC lost a heart-breaker two weeks ago, mounting a 14-point comeback at Illinois but losing on a field goal as time expired.

However, if the Trojans could respond when Michigan came to town, the hope of a resurgent year would remain. They answered the proverbial bell on Saturday, earning a resounding 31-13 victory over the Wolverines.

And now, it's rivalry time.

Notre Dame, which in Week 7 secured its fourth straight victory, is set to host USC in a prime-time showdown. It's an enormous game—for both programs, really, but especially—for the Trojans as they aim to regain a national footing.

Lincoln Riley isn't particularly close to a hot seat, but taking down Notre Dame would be a legitimate boost to the vibes around the program.

Loser: Late-Night SEC Upsets

12 of 12

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Considering what happened in the afternoon, it was only rational to wonder what madness may await during the evening slate.

Turns out, a whole lot of narrow misses.

Florida stuck with Texas A&M into the fourth quarter, but a 24-17 deficit into a 34-17 loss. South Carolina evened the score at 10 in the third quarter, but LSU pulled away for a 20-10 victory. Auburn led 10-3 at halftime, but Georgia controlled the second half for its own 20-10 win.

Yes, a controversial ruling in UGA's favor helped. Auburn could have taken a 17-point lead, had Jackson Arnold's goal-line fumble been ruled a touchdown. (While I am inclined to believe it was a TD, I cannot help you, Auburn fans.)

Chaos popped up all around the country on Saturday, but we're merely left with several "what ifs" in the SEC.

Click here to read article