College Football Booms and Busts From Week 7: Notre Dame, Washington, USC and More

Week 7 of the college football season has come and gone. We are officially over the hump and moving forward into the second half of the season. The core of the conference schedule is intensifying, and there are more and more booms and busts each week. It's been a decade or more since we have had a season with so many potential College Football Playoff contenders this late into the year.

Last week, Texas versus Oklahoma was supposed to tell us something. In reality, all it did was likely create a potential BIG 12 Championship game rematch. This week, Oregon versus Washington was supposed to tell us who the class of the PAC 12 was. In reality, it likely set up a championship game rematch of two very deserving teams. The big games are on the schedule every week, but they are such great matchups that even the losing teams are lingering.

What does this all mean? The second half of the season will be filled with drama. There will be upsets. There will, unfortunately, be injuries. There will be incredible endings that we discuss for years to come. For the first time in years, it is hard to predict who the two or three teams with a realistic shot at a national championship are. Before we look too far ahead, let's get into the Week 7 booms and busts.

College Football Booms From Week 7

Washington Huskies

How fun is this Washington team? It is no secret that they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is currently a better-than-even-money favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. What stood out Saturday against Oregon was how the Huskies could dial up the physicality when needed. While the final score suggested a shoot-out, there was an impressive display of toughness from both teams that bodes well for their postseason hopes.

With a manageable upcoming schedule, Washington can see a clear path to the conference championship game on December 1.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Welcome to the roller coaster season that is the 2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The primetime battle with USC marked the fourth straight night game against a ranked opponent, and the Irish will welcome the upcoming bye week. Notre Dame dominated both sides of the football and provided a defensive blueprint for defending Caleb Williams.

SCOOP N SCORE#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/aecaTPyR1A

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 15, 2023

It felt like Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman had to have this one, and nothing answers questions more than a dominating performance against a previously undefeated Top-10 rival. The Irish can catch their breath as the schedule eases considerably from this point.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Is it time we start talking about the traumatic effects of a potential 11-1 Iowa team playing in a conference championship game to go to the College Football Playoffs? It sounds wild, but they are 6-1 with no visible speed bumps ahead. With their 15-6 win over Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes have created an interesting scenario if they can run the table on a weak remaining schedule.

DEFENSE 😤😤#Hawkeyes
pic.twitter.com/yRLpa6j10N

— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 14, 2023

It is never pretty, but Iowa continues to have more points on the scoreboard than its opponent when the final whistle blows. Keep an eye on this team, as there is potential for plenty of chaos here.

College Football Busts From Week 7

Southern California Trojans

It looks like the same old story for Lincoln Riley. It is inarguable that he is one of the brightest offensive minds in the sport, but how long are we going to give a head coach a pass for completely neglecting the defensive side of the football?

Wow!

Caleb Williams with 3 interceptions in the first half.

pic.twitter.com/W4PcO9jEkT

— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) October 15, 2023

He did it for years at Oklahoma and now consecutive seasons at USC. The Trojans did not belong on the same field as Notre Dame on Saturday, and smart money says this is not the last USC loss of the season. The sample size is large enough to question Riley’s ceiling as a head man, especially after wasting three seasons with a generational talent like quarterback Caleb Williams.

The tables sure have turned for the Colorado Buffaloes. One minute, you are up 29-0 against a woeful Stanford team, and the next minute, you somehow have lost the game in overtime in front of your home crowd. Most would probably give Coach Prime a pass for the peaks and valleys of his first season.

Shedeur Sanders with the interception at the start of the 2nd OT. #coloradovsstanford pic.twitter.com/Lm4LJWiC79

— Jetgaming (@_jetgaming) October 14, 2023

With that said, when your quarterback wants to show his watch to everyone and post social media links for his merchandise at halftime, it would be in your best interest to win that game. This behavior is inexcusable for a team that lacks not only talent but also discipline.

Washington State Cougars

Washington State went unbeaten through September, and it looked as if they potentially wanted a piece of the PAC-12 revival tour. Then October came, and that momentum came to a screeching halt. We can understand a tough loss to a physical UCLA team last week.

A 44-6 beatdown at home from Arizona cannot happen. The back-to-back losses loom large when you still have trips to Eugene and Seattle to take on the class of the conference. Washington State will have to pull at least one shocker to get back on track in the final season of the PAC-12.

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