CFB Blitz: Week 7 takeaways

College Football Blitz recaps the most important developments from the day's top games and examines their significance moving forward.

USC outmuscled Michigan?

Last year's USC-Michigan contest was decided on one of the most dominant drives in recent memory. Trailing 24-20 in the final four minutes, the Wolverines essentially dared the Trojans to stack the box and stop the run. They couldn't, and the result was nine runs on a 10-play, 89-yard drive to score the winning touchdown in the final minute. It was the latest example of Lincoln Riley's USC not showing enough physicality to compete in the Big Ten. Saturday offered a chance at redemption for the Trojans at home, and they rose to the occasion for an impressive win.

Sure, USC still flashed the shiny toys we've grown accustomed to under Riley, but this was a dominant showing in the trenches against a program built on line excellence. The Trojans rushed for a whopping 225 yards at 6.4 per carry and held the Wolverines to 109 yards on the ground.

The next challenge for USC is to replicate Saturday's performance on the road, something it failed to do last time out with a loss at Illinois. The Trojans won't have to wait long, as a road trip to Notre Dame awaits on the schedule.

Texas A&M stays perfect with elite 3rd-down showing

Texas A&M entered Saturday as one of the few remaining undefeated Power 4 teams in the nation. It left the contest versus Florida the same way, thanks to an elite performance on third down to pull away from the Gators. Both teams entered as two of the worst in the country at converting third downs, with both falling below the 35% mark. The Aggies turned in a sparkling 9-for-17 showing in those situations, including 5-for-7 in the fourth quarter to ice the game.

For as strong as the offense showed on third down, Texas A&M's defensive performance might've been even better. Florida converted just 1-of-11 attempts on third down and couldn't keep drives going in front of the rabid crowd at Kyle Field. That puts Florida's third-down conversion rate at a laughable 1-for-24 in its last two losses. We'd add Billy Napier to the buyout section, but that already seems like a solid "when, not if" situation.

Cignetti's the best coach in the sport

He dropped bars in his introductory press conference, took Indiana to the playoffs in his debut season, and now has a top-three team in the sport at his disposal. There's plenty of great coaches across the country, but none have done a more impressive job than Curt Cignetti with the Hoosiers. The latest feather in Cignetti's cap came Saturday with a 10-point road win at Oregon, ending the Ducks' 18-game home winning streak in the process. The one knock on Cignetti's tenure with Indiana last year was the lack of a victory over a quality opponent. Consider that done, emphatically, with a dominant showing in hostile territory.

Cignetti has taken a sledgehammer to all the new coaches who claim they need a few years to turn around a team. No FBS program in history had more losses than Indiana when he took over.

Oregon entered Saturday with a top-10 offense, averaging more than 7 yards per play. The Ducks barely topped 4 yards per play at home versus the Hoosiers. Indiana swarmed Oregon from the jump, overwhelming the offensive line for six sacks and eight tackles for loss. The final output of 267 yards of total offense was a surprise, but the fact that Oregon managed only 64 yards in the second half as it tried to mount a comeback was downright shocking.

The Ducks are still an excellent team and a serious threat for the playoffs. However, they can no longer stake their claim as one of the top two teams in the Big Ten. That belongs to Cignetti's Indiana after today, a squad that no one should doubt for the rest of the season.

Texas ain't interested in Mateer heroics

Somehow, John Mateer returned in 17 days from hand surgery to face Texas and attempt to thrust himself into Red River folklore. Let's just say the Longhorns' salty defense had no desire to play a supporting role in that production. Instead, it was a star turn for the defense, making Mateer look a lot like someone who recently had an operation on his throwing hand. Texas held Oklahoma to just 258 total yards of offense, intercepting Mateer three times and collecting five sacks in a dominant performance. That helped spark a 23-point run by Texas - 20 in the second half - to claim a massive victory and keep its playoff hopes alive.

The Sooners' offense got worse as the day progressed, overwhelmed by the Longhorns' defensive front that limited the run and regularly swarmed Mateer. They held Oklahoma under 3 yards per play in the second half, pitching a shutout in the process.

Mateer refused to blame his hand afterward, but he was clearly not his usual self when looking to pass.

On offense, the previously nonexistent Texas rushing attack finally appeared with Quintrevion Wisner going for 94 yards in the win. That helped Arch Manning immensely, and he delivered an efficient 21-for-27 performance for 166 yards and a touchdown.

The Longhorns still have red-zone issues on offense, and they can't rely on a punt-return touchdown every week, but Texas now enters a very manageable stretch in the SEC schedule.

Might be buyout season, part I

"What is James Franklin's buyout?" will likely be heavily searched on Google in the state of Pennsylvania tonight. The embattled Penn State coach suffered his third straight loss Saturday with 20.5-point underdog Northwestern stunning the Nittany Lions at home. Coming on the heels of a road setback as 24-point favorites, Penn State is the first team in the last 30 years to lose back-to-back contests to underdogs of at least 20 points, according to Evan Abrams of The Action Network.

It's a stunning fall for the AP Poll's preseason No. 2 team, as most expected the Nittany Lions to challenge for a national title. Now, they might struggle just to make a bowl game. The passing attack again looked awful, with Drew Allar throwing for just 137 yards - with 67 coming on one play - against the Wildcats' defense. Allar eventually left in the dying minutes with a leg injury that Franklin announced postgame as season-ending.

A deeper look into Penn State's issues will be needed, but the immediate outlook for the rest of the campaign is bleak. The Nittany Lions face Indiana and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks to begin November, and getting to six wins is no guarantee. Then there's the bigger question of what to do with Franklin. While the Langhorne, Pennsylvania, native has been very good at Penn State, he's consistently failed to deliver on the big stage with a 4-21 mark versus top-10 opposition. Most alarming this year is the losses to unranked opponents, something Franklin's team hadn't done in 34 straight games before last week.

Franklin and coordinators Jim Knowles and Andy Kotelnicki are making over $13 million this campaign, with the head coach owed $56 million if he's fired before the end of the year. That would be the second-largest buyout in college football history after Jimbo Fisher's exit package at Texas A&M a couple of years ago.

Might be buyout season, part II

Luke Fickell's seat is about as hot as anybody in the Big Ten, as Wisconsin is again suffering through a difficult season under the head coach. Surely with a rival in Iowa coming to town, the Badgers would rally and put forth a strong effort, right?

Allowing 37 points to the nation's 119th-ranked offense while getting shutout at home for the first time since 1980 might be the opposite of a confidence-inspiring performance. For those inquiring minds, Fickell's buyout is $25 million, a number that would be the second-highest ever in college football*.

*Provided Penn State doesn't fire Franklin first

Bama has Simpson, Mizzou does not

There wasn't much separating Alabama and Missouri in Saturday's contest, with the outcome essentially determined by which team had Ty Simpson at quarterback. The Crimson Tide standout continued the torrid start to his first season as a starter with three more touchdown throws in the narrow 27-24 win. Simpson completed 23-of-31 passes for 200 yards and the scores, but it was his work in crucial downs that was the difference. Simpson helped convert 9-of-18 plays on third and fourth down and threw an absolute dime on fourth-and-8 in the final five minutes that led to the game-winning score.

The victory is Alabama's third straight over a ranked SEC opponent, marking just the fifth time in conference history a team has done that without a bye week involved.

Kalen DeBoer has responded in style after taking heaps of criticism following the opening-week loss at Florida State - mainly based on his sideline clothing selection. He's now 12-2 at Alabama while wearing a specific black hoodie, definitely the most important analytical stat in the sport this season.

What's left to say about Ohio State's defense

Ohio State allowed a rushing touchdown and a red-zone passing touchdown on Saturday at Illinois, and we're still going to praise the defense. Why, you ask? It's the first time the Buckeyes have allowed either this season - a campaign that's now half over. The incredible defensive showing by Ohio State continued as the Buckeyes forced three turnovers, converting them into 21 points. That turned a close game into a comfortable victory. Ohio State has allowed just 41 points all season, the lowest for the program through six games in 50 years.

A different player seemingly stands tall each week, with Arvell Reese and Davison Igbinosun grabbing the headlines this time around. The emerging linebacker had nine tackles and 1.5 sacks, while the standout corner broke up four passes and helped limit Illini receiver Hank Beatty to 48 yards.

The Buckeyes haven't slipped since losing coordinator Jim Knowles in the offseason and have actually improved somehow under Matt Patricia's leadership. It's refreshing to see a longtime Patriots coach having immediate success in the college game - something that certainly isn't a guarantee these days. Just ask North Carolina.

Florida State's ACC curse continues

Florida State has made off-field headlines in recent years for trying to exit the ACC without having to pay an astronomical fee based on the grant of rights. The Seminoles, along with Clemson, settled a lawsuit against the conference in March that significantly reduced the penalty for leaving before 2031. While the push to depart is about the revenue discrepancy compared to other power conferences, you could easily be convinced it's related to the football squad's desire to win a few contests. The Seminoles are now an outrageous 1-10 in their last 11 ACC games following their loss to Pitt on Saturday at home, their third straight setback.

That puts Mike Norvell's outfit in the same company of programs like Purdue, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma State - a far cry from the powerhouse it used to be, or how it looked after an impressive season-opening victory over Alabama.

The issues spread all over the field for Florida State, but the defense's inability to stop true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel in his first career road start was particularly jarring. Heintschel threw for 321 yards and two scores and added 64 yards on the ground.

So, UCLA's now a juggernaut?

The list of the most dominant college football teams of the past decade is undoubtedly 2017 Alabama, 2019 LSU, 2021 Georgia, and 2025 UCLA, following the addition of Jerry Neuheisel as offensive coordinator. Alongside interim boss Tim Skipper, Neuheisel has completely flipped the fortunes of the Bruins' offense. UCLA proved last week's 42-point showing in a stunning upset of Penn State was no fluke, putting up 38 on the road at Michigan State in Saturday's blowout win. After scoring just 57 points in the first four contests combined, Neuheisel's offense has now scored 80 in his two games in charge.

Unfazed by the 9 a.m. PT start, UCLA raced to a 24-7 halftime lead and coasted the rest of the way. The performance marked the first time the Bruins have posted back-to-back wins in 337 days and raises an interesting question: What exactly were DeShaun Foster and his staff doing to start the campaign?

According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, it's just the fourth home loss by 25-plus points to an unranked team by Michigan State in the last 25 years. It also douses any rumors that Spartans coach Jonathan Smith might be a candidate for the UCLA job. The role might already be decided with the interim head coach-coordinator combo of Skipper and Neuheisel making a strong case for permanent gigs.

South Florida's magical middle 8

Coaches across the country preach excellence in the middle eight as a key to winning football. For those unfamiliar, that number refers to the last four minutes of the opening half and the first four minutes of the second. Now that we've established what it is, let's take a look at an absolute master class by South Florida in what was essentially the Group of 5 Super Bowl on Friday night at North Texas.

The Bulls entered the final four in the opening half trailing the Mean Green 21-7 before embarking on a 3:25 drive to score a touchdown with just two seconds remaining. That was impressive, but an avalanche in the first four minutes of the second half is what decided this contest. Not one, not two, but three touchdowns by South Florida in the first 3:05 of the third quarter completely flipped the game from a seven-point deficit to a 14-point lead.

The Bulls now add an AAC victory over previously unbeaten North Texas to a resume that already includes non-conference wins over Florida and Boise State. They're officially in pole position for a playoff spot - an early-season showing that will have coach Alex Golesh on the short list for virtually any Power 4 opening this offseason.