Unmissable Showdowns and Shocking Upsets: What to Watch in College Football Week 7

As we edge closer to the midpoint of the 2025 college football season, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Week 7 looms with potentially pivotal matchups that could very well chart the course for the rest of the year. This weekend is packed with high-octane clashes, featuring at least three contests pitting ranked teams against each other — and that number would have swelled to four if Texas had toppled Florida last week. Now, with the Longhorns facing a make-or-break showdown against Oklahoma on Saturday, the Sooners are poised to surge as SEC favorites — while Texas’ dreams of a playoff berth could go up in flames.

Over in the Big Ten, the spotlight shines on Indiana’s trip to Oregon, where one team will notch its first defeat of the season. Meanwhile, Illinois has its sights set on an upset against the nation’s top-ranked squad — a tall order that has this weekend swirling with intrigue and drama.

Buckle up; the heat of Week 7 is about to melt the turf beneath these gridirons. LEARN MORE

We’re nearly at the halfway point of the 2025 college football season. And there could be some season-defining games in Week 7.

The weekend features three matchups between ranked opponents and that number would be at least four if Texas had beaten Florida in Week 6. If the Longhorns lose on Saturday to Oklahoma, the Sooners are going to officially be one of the favorites in the SEC. And Texas’ playoff hopes will be burnt orange toast.

In the Big Ten, No. 7 Indiana travels to No. 3 Oregon and one team will suffer its first loss of the season while Illinois will be aiming for an upset over the No. 1 team in the country.

Here are the games to watch in Week 7.

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois

Illinois has had mixed results against ranked opponents this year. Though the stink of that Indiana loss may never fully wear off unless the Illini can somehow pull the upset on Saturday.

The Illini were demolished 63-10 at No. 7 Indiana in Week 4 before bouncing back with a 34-32 home win over then-No. 21 USC in Week 5. QB Luke Altmyer has thrown for over 700 yards and three touchdowns over the last two games as the Illini are 5-1.

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Altmyer struggled against Indiana as he was terrorized by the Hoosiers’ defensive front. Altmyer was 14-of-22 passing for 146 yards and was sacked seven times. Indiana thoroughly controlled the line of scrimmage as Illinois’ running backs combined for 29 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

If Illinois couldn’t block Indiana, can it block Ohio State? We’re not optimistic. The Buckeyes’ defense has been one of the best in the country so far this season despite all the turnover from the 2024 season. Opponents are averaging just five points per game and the Buckeyes have allowed only 12 pass completions of 10 or more yards all season.

No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri

The spread has come down significantly in Missouri’s favor as the Tigers are coming off a bye week and Alabama is playing its third straight game against a ranked opponent.

The Crimson Tide are 10-0 at home under Kalen DeBoer but just 3-5 away from Bryant-Denny Stadium since the start of 2024. Two of those wins, however, are against ranked opponents after Alabama’s win over Georgia in Week 5.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz had high praise for Alabama QB Ty Simpson as the fourth-year player has worked his way into the Heisman conversation over the first half of the season. Simpson has thrown for 1,478 yards and 13 TDs over five games and threw his first interception of the season against Vanderbilt a week ago.

“The quarterback makes very good decisions, not easily deceived with disguise,” Drinkwitz said this week. “Unaffected by pressure. Ability to escape. I think those three things make it really difficult to try and game plan a quarterback on third down. You kind of have to pick your poison. Like, if we play zone, he’s going to pick us apart. If we blitz, he’s going to stand in there and identify the one-on-one matchup and take it.”

The Tigers have a sleeper Heisman candidate of their own in running back Ahmad Hardy; a big game against Alabama could be his breakout opportunity. He leads the nation with 730 yards on just 103 attempts and has 551 yards rushing after contact, per Pro Football Focus. Only seven other players have more than 551 total rushing yards this season.

No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon

Much like Illinois’ game against Ohio State is a chance for vindication after that blowout loss to the Hoosiers, Indiana needs to prove itself against Oregon on Saturday afternoon.

The Hoosiers were easy punching bags for people advocating for Alabama or Miami’s inclusion into the College Football Playoff a year ago after they lost 38-15 at Ohio State and trailed 27-3 late in the fourth quarter of their 27-17 playoff loss at Notre Dame a year ago. Those were the only two ranked teams Indiana played all season long.

Barring a Penn State resurgence, Oregon is the last ranked team remaining on Indiana’s schedule this season. A blowout loss may overshadow the fact that Indiana has outscored its first five opponents by 38 points per game.

Saturday’s game is also a draft nerd’s dream with Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza and Oregon QB Dante Moore going head-to-head. Mendoza is second in the country with 16 passing touchdowns and is completing 73% of his throws while averaging nearly 10 yards per passing attempt.

Moore has picked up where Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel left off at Oregon and is completing nearly 75% of his throws for over 1,200 yards. He was exceptional in Oregon’s win over Penn State, finishing 29-of-39 passing for 248 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 35 yards.

No. 6 Oklahoma vs. Texas

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Texas is a slight favorite over the Sooners.

The line likely stems from the uncertainty surrounding John Mateer’s status. The Oklahoma QB had surgery to fix a broken bone in his hand two weeks ago and Saturday will be 17 days since the surgery. Initial reports estimated Mateer’s recovery time at about a month, but it doesn’t seem like anyone will be surprised if Mateer starts for the Sooners.

If he does — and he’s healthy — Oklahoma’s no underdog. BetMGM bettors seem to realize that too. Nearly 75% of the money bet on the game is on Oklahoma to cover the spread and over 85% of the money on the 42.5-point total is on the over.

Arch Manning has gotten a lot of grief after he’s failed to live up to his lofty preseason expectations so far. But Texas’ Week 6 loss at Florida was hardly his fault. Manning was under duress for much of the game and made several very good throws with defenders in his face.

Florida’s defensive front is very good. But Oklahoma’s may even be better. The Sooners tormented Auburn with a school-record 10 sacks and have 12 sacks across their other four games. It’s hard for an offensive line to vastly improve in just a week. This may be a game where coach Steve Sarkisian needs to go deep into his bag to give Manning a chance.

No. 15 Michigan at USC

In three home starts, Michigan QB Bryce Underwood is 56-of-83 passing for 756 yards and three touchdowns. In two road starts, Underwood is 21-of-47 passing for 247 yards and hasn’t thrown for a score.

Road struggles aren’t a new phenomenon for a true freshman quarterback. But it’s hard to see Michigan beating USC if Underwood can’t play better than he has against both Oklahoma and Nebraska.

The Wolverines got the win against the Cornhuskers thanks to 286 rushing yards on just 33 attempts. USC had been holding up well against the run until its loss to Illinois; the Illini had 35 carries for 171 yards. It was by far the worst game of the season for the Trojans’ defense as Illinois averaged 8.1 yards per play.

USC QB Jayden Maiava has thrown for 1,587 yards through five games on just 139 attempts and has just one interception. He’s a big reason why USC leads college football with 8.5 yards per play. As Maiava has picked apart opposing defenses, RB Waymond Jordan has rushed for 537 yards and five touchdowns and Makai Lemon has 35 catches for 589 yards. Michigan’s defense is allowing just 2.4 yards per carry; if Jordan can find running room, the Trojans will be back in the thick of the Big Ten race.

Other games to watch

No. 24 South Florida (-1.5) at North Texas, 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, ESPN2: The Mean Green are 5-0 for the first time since 1959 and will likely be ranked with a victory over the Bulls. UNT is averaging 45 points per game as opponents are completing fewer than 50% of their passes for just 136 yards per game.

No. 22 Iowa State (-3) at Colorado, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN: The Cyclones lost their first game of the season in Week 6 at Cincinnati and are now among the morass of seven teams with one conference loss in the Big 12. Colorado, meanwhile, is staring at a lost season with a defeat. The Buffaloes are already 2-4 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 play.

Florida at No. 5 Texas A&M (-7.5), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: Can Florida win games in back-to-back weeks against conference opponents from Texas? The Aggies moved into the top five after pulling away from Mississippi State in Week 6 and have allowed just 396 total yards in their two SEC wins this season.

No. 10 Georgia (-3.5) at Auburn, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC: Georgia obviously needs the win to keep its SEC title and College Football Playoff hopes alive. But is a loss more debilitating to Auburn? The Tigers are 0-2 in SEC play and the offense has looked dreadful in both games. If Georgia dominates, things could spiral on the Plains.

No. 18 BYU (-2.5) at Arizona, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2: The Cougars are still undefeated with a run game that’s taken pressure off true freshman QB Bear Bachmeier. BYU is averaging nearly six yards a carry as a team, while Bachmeier has thrown for 1,048 yards and seven TDs. Arizona’s defense is giving up fewer than four yards per play.

No. 21 Arizona State at Utah (-5.5), 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN: Both teams were off in Week 6 and ASU is one of just four Big 12 teams without a conference loss. The Sun Devils have won each of their conference games by a score of 27-24, while Utah blew out West Virginia after losing to Texas Tech to open conference play.