Week 7 was legendary. College football didn’t disappoint this past week — packed with storylines and shocking outcomes that will change the entire landscape of the league moving forward. As the dust settles, let’s take a look at our post-Week 7 Sunday Stock Exchange.
Sunday Stock Exchange | College Football Week 7
Stock Up: Tennessee Volunteers
This day has a different feel to it. No longer is mighty Alabama undefeated, unseated at the victor’s table by the Tennessee Volunteers. The sixth-ranked Vols hosted the third-ranked Crimson Tide in Knoxville on Saturday afternoon and ended up scoring the fourth-most points ever against an Alabama team in a 52-49 classic.
The game and the experience itself were unmatched. Hendon Hooker was electric once again, assisted by a 200-yard, five-touchdown explosion from Jalin Hyatt. But the implications are equally exciting. Tennessee has a win over a top-tier opponent and has a game against SEC East rival Georgia coming up in early November. Georgia’s defense may be a more formidable unit, but the Tennessee offense might be even more dangerous.
An SEC Championship bid and a playoff spot both remain on the table for Tennessee. All that’s left is to take care of business in the weeks to come.
Stock Slightly Down: Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama’s performance on Saturday isn’t worthy of a full stock-down mention. The Crimson Tide offense still scored 49 points, bolstered by the unflinching resolve and talent of Bryce Young, as well as the elite dynamic ability of Jahmyr Gibbs. But while the individual showings on Bama’s side deserve recognition, it still doesn’t change one fact: Alabama had zero losses. Now, they have one. That one loss will dip them down a bit.
MORE: Which College Football Teams Remain Undefeated After Week 7?
The good news is Alabama is in the SEC West, not the SEC East with Georgia and Tennessee. Alabama still has a shot to come away with the division, earn a conference title spot, and potentially lock in playoff position down the road. But now, the game against undefeated Ole Miss in early November is a must-win. For Alabama, the margin for error moving forward has narrowed.
Stock Down: Penn State Nittany Lions
One of Saturday’s earliest games was a standoff between two undefeated Big Ten East teams in Penn State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions kept it close with the Wolverines in the first half, down 16-14 at intermission. From that point on, however, James Franklin’s squad was outscored 25-3, as Michigan’s efforts culminated in a 41-17 victory.
Week 7 was a chance for Penn State to get a statement win and keep their Big Ten East hopes alive. Instead, they were comfortably outlasted through four quarters and looked to be a tier below their opponent. The Nittany Lions still have things to be proud of this year, but it’s now a race between Michigan and Ohio State for the division.
Stock Up: TCU Horned Frogs
Double overtime. And 83 total points. Just another day in the Big 12 — only this time, it’s not the normal culprits in a conference-defining tilt. In Week 7, undefeated opponents TCU and Oklahoma State squared off for Big 12 supremacy. Oklahoma State had a 30-16 lead entering the fourth quarter. But the Horned Frogs roared back, forced overtime, and eventually emerged victorious over the nation’s eighth-ranked team.
Now, TCU is 6-0, and they’ll surely be surging into the top 10. The defense remains an issue of uncertainty, but the offense is tough to stop. Quentin Johnston is coming into his own as an elite weapon. Kendre Miller is a reliable, dynamic RB, and Max Duggan is a good college QB who can drive this team to more wins.
Stock Down: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Not long ago, Notre Dame was in the College Football Playoff. But this year, it’s clear that we can’t trust the Fighting Irish. Playoffs are already long removed from the table, but Notre Dame’s sheer inconsistency from week to week is frustrating. Last week, they outlived a talented, upstart BYU squad led by Jaren Hall. This week, they fell 16-14 to an uninspiring 1-4 Stanford team.
It’s still only Marcus Freeman’s first year, so it’s far too early to make any definitive statements on the state of Notre Dame football. But right now, Notre Dame feels like a storied program still in flux.
Stock Up: Utah Utes
The Pac-12 is the conference that most often falls to infighting each year, and that’s ringing true again in 2022. In Week 7, USC came to the Salt Lake State undefeated and left with their first loss of the year — a crushing 43-42 defeat in which Cameron Rising had five total touchdowns, and Utes tight end Dalton Kincaid racked up 15 catches for 217 yards and a score.
MORE: College Football Power Rankings Week 8
Utah’s stock is up after this game, as the Utes showed their strength and will earn a higher ranking. But UCLA is also a beneficiary. On their bye week, UCLA is now the only undefeated team left in the Pac-12 following USC’s loss. UCLA is now in the driver’s seat, but Utah’s Pac-12 hopes are quietly still alive at 5-2. They only have one conference loss, and more infighting — combined with their win against USC — could move them back up the board.
Stock Down: James Madison Dukes
Let’s make one thing clear. Overall, James Madison’s stock has rocketed up this year. It’s the Dukes’ first season among the FBS ranks, and they’re already close to being bowl eligible. They were 5-0 and the 25th-ranked team in college football heading into Week 7. For a first-year FCS convert, that’s an incredible accomplishment. But the Dukes did come back to Earth a bit this past weekend.
In Week 7, James Madison lost to Georgia Southern 45-38, allowing a school-record 578 passing yards from Kyle Vantrease on the other side. This loss doesn’t diminish what James Madison has already accomplished. But the Dukes might not be at the level of Coastal Carolina and Louisiana from 2021 — not yet, at least.
Stock Up: Offensive Line Intimidation Tactics
Offensive linemen are naturally intimidating human beings. Most are at least 6’3″ or 6’4″ and over 300 pounds. So they don’t have to try too hard to be additionally intimidating on top of that. But that didn’t stop Tennessee offensive tackle Jeremiah Crawford from upping the ante against Alabama.
Linemen are big, and they expend a lot of energy on the field. At one point, with the Tennessee offense in the huddle, Crawford vomited. Rather than run off the field to get a rest, he immediately turned his gaze to the Alabama defense and started nodding in some kind of laser-focused trance.
I’m not quite sure how to process or even explain how that’s intimidating, but it is. And in a broad sense, it was emblematic of the entire Tennessee team giving Alabama everything they had. They won, and they also left a lasting impression.
Stock Down: Offensive Line Embellishing Tactics
Offensive linemen are intimidating. Talented actors? Not as much. It makes sense why linemen flop sometimes. If there’s a little bit of extracurricular activity after a play, some pushing and shoving and arm-flailing can help draw a penalty. But sometimes, efforts are better left not being expended.
Kentucky’s Tashawn Manning won the Best (or Worst) Supporting Actor award on Saturday, courtesy of my colleague Oliver Hodgkinson. Manning found himself tangled with linebacker Collin Duncan after a play, and the two levied a couple late shoves at each other. After Duncan’s final light slap to the face mask, Manning froze for a full second, looked Duncan in the eye, and then suddenly threw his arms up and tumbled back in trust fall posture.
Not convincing — but I love the effort.
Stock Up: Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois is legit. Now, they’re not legit in the way that Ohio State and Michigan are legit. But the Fighting Illini are legit, in the sense that they’re more legit than people have been legitimately giving them credit for.
Does that make sense? Maybe not, but Illinois’ success does. On offense, Chase Brown is a spark of electricity behind a dominating offensive line. And on defense, a fast-flowing front seven backed with a high-level secondary can suffocate opposing offenses.
Saturday’s 26-14 win against Minnesota was very big for Illinois. If the Golden Gophers win that game, then they’re where Illinois is — a one-loss team in lock-step with Purdue at the top of the division. But instead, that team is Illinois, making them the team to beat.
Stock Down: California Golden Bears
It’s been a roller coaster ride of a season for California football — well, the kind of roller coaster that only goes up about 10 feet before heading back to ground level. The Golden Bears are at ground level after Week 7. Coming into their matchup against Colorado at 3-2, Cal lost to the Buffaloes 20-13. Colorado was 0-5 heading in and had recently fired head coach Karl Dorrell.
When asked if they’d be interested in the Golden Bears on Twitter, the Big Sky Conference (FCS) account said “No thanks, we’re full.” It’s safe to say the program that produced future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and fellow NFL QB Jared Goff has seen better days.