Week 7 College Football Risers & Fallers: NCAAF Stock Watch

We knew we were set for a wild week of college football in Week 7 after Houston’s insane Thursday night Hail Mary followed by Colorado’s Friday night meltdown against Stanford. Saturday’s slate did not disappoint by any margin.

The top teams rolled in the noon games against lesser opponents, with Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and Florida State winning by an average margin of 33.5 points. Alabama survived a scare from a hapless Hogs team, Rutgers won on an electric comeback to keep Michigan State winless in the Big Ten, and Cincinnati’s Big 12 welcome continued to be a struggle.

In the midday slate, Tennessee edged out Texas A&M, Washington toppled Oregon in a game-of-the-year candidate, Florida secured a gritty road win over South Carolina, and Iowa took the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West with a road win in Madison. The night rounded out with Pittsburgh upsetting Louisville, Arizona stomping Washington State on the road, Air Force making the case to enter the top 25, and Notre Dame stifling Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans. Let’s dig into the stock report entering Week 8.

Stock Up

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

Washington’s electric quarterback solidified himself as the Heisman frontrunner on Saturday with a massive 36-33 win over the Oregon Ducks. Penix is second in the nation in passing yards (2,301) and fourth in passing touchdowns (20) and the Huskies now sit in the driver’s seat of the Pac-12. While Penix has been playing out of his mind and is the clear frontrunner for college football’s prestigious trophy, buckle up. Washington still has to play USC, Utah, Oregon State, and Washington State.

THAT was a Heisman Moment for Michael Penix Jr. BIG PENIX ENERGY! pic.twitter.com/WrlbUtsGcZ

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 14, 2023

Jedd Fisch, Arizona

Arizona’s young head coach is turning around the program quickly. In Jedd Fisch’s first season, the Wildcats won just one game. They went 5-7 last season, and already have four wins this year while playing both USC and Washington extremely close. The Wildcats put themselves on the national radar with a 44-6 win over Washington State on Saturday. Keep an eye on two receivers on this team: Jacob Cowing and Tetairoa McMillan are both the real deal.

In the last two weeks, Arizona has lost by a TD to Washington and should've beaten USC.

Anyone paying attention could tell they were getting close... and tonight they SMACKED Wazzu 44-6.

HELL of a win for Jedd Fisch and crew.

Really good team that deserved a breakthrough win

— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) October 15, 2023

Iowa Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes did the impossible on Saturday, going into Camp Randall and coming away with a win over Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin Badgers while only passing for 37 yards on six completions in the 15-6 victory. With the win, Iowa finds itself as the team to beat in the Big Ten West. The remaining schedule? Minnesota, Northwestern, Rutgers, Illinois, and Nebraska. Iowa could legitimately go 11-1 with that schedule, gliding into the Big Ten championship.

Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s senior safety put himself on the map in Saturday’s huge win over USC. Watts logged two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown along with seven tackles in his dominant performance. His breakout performance likely moved him onto the radar of NFL scouts, and definitely onto the radar of opposing offensive coordinators.

Stock Down

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

USC’s star quarterback had what was probably the worst game of his career on Saturday night against Notre Dame, falling out of favor in the Heisman race to Pac-12 rival Michael Penix Jr. Williams threw three interceptions, taking six sacks in the blowout loss. The talented signal-caller may be slipping behind Drake Maye in the race for the number-one pick.

Dante Moore, QB, UCLA

UCLA’s freshman quarterback hit a wall on Saturday, struggling against Oregon State. Moore went 14-for-33 for 165 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, taking five sacks. Starting as a true freshman is a sign of talent, but Moore’s youth showed on Saturday. If he continues to play at this level, UCLA will not be able to compete with the top of a deep Pac-12 conference. The Bruins still have tough games against Colorado, Arizona, and USC.

Louisville Cardinals

A week after Louisville’s huge win over Notre Dame, they came out flat and lost on the road against a Pittsburgh Panthers team that only had one win prior to Saturday. While Jeff Brohm has the Cardinals playing some great football in his first season, the hype may have gotten a little out of hand after the Notre Dame win. The Cardinals still have to play Duke, Miami, and Kentucky. ACC championship hopes are fading quickly after briefly flashing last week.

Anybody Wanting Tickets to Ohio State-Penn State

Ticket prices are skyrocketing. The Big Ten East race heats up significantly next Saturday in Columbus as Penn State comes to town for their first big test, as the Nittany Lions have been winning games by an average of 36 points per game. #7 vs. #3. It doesn’t get much bigger than this. The winner’s chances of winning the conference skyrocket, while the loser is all but eliminated from playoff contention. Get to Columbus for Big Noon Kickoff next Sunday but come prepared to drop a bag.

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