We’ll be talking about Week 7 of the 2026 college football season for a while.
Saturday’s slate had a little bit of everything. Five of the top 7 teams fell, including No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame. Ohio State at Indiana, Notre Dame at BYU, Florida State at Miami and many other matchups featuring top 25 teams came right down to the wire. From the jump and into early Sunday morning, Week 7 was pandemonium.
Here’s a look at our Week 7 winners and losers picked fresh from the chaos.
Winner: Tennessee
George MacIntyre was born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee — just south of Nashville. He grew up a Tennessee fan, conditioned to loathe the University of Alabama. After leading his Vols to a dominant 26-10 win over the No. 6 Crimson Tide on Saturday, MacIntyre called the evening a “dream come true.”
For those keeping track at home, Tennessee has now won 3 straight over Alabama in Knoxville. And while MacIntyre played his part well, it was star RB DeSean Bishop and a simply nasty performance from Jim Knowles’ defensive unit that propelled the Vols to win No. 6 on the season.
Bishop is the closest thing college football has to a 90s era running back. The Knoxville native is as physical as it gets and only got better as the game progressed, toting the rock for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns on 32 carries. Bishop is up to 837 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season — top 10 nationally in both categories.
Saturday was Knowles’ best game plan to date. The Crimson Tide were completely and totally unprepared for the physicality (there’s that word again!) the Vols brought from the jump. Alabama QB Keelon Russell fumbled on his first drive, and the Vols forced 4 total turnovers on the evening. Alabama finished 2-of-13 on third down and just barely surpassed 200 total yards. Alabama’s lone touchdown came on a short field following a Crimson Tide INT.
Apart from perhaps BYU, Tennessee’s was the most impressive win of Week 7.
Loser: Steve Sarkisian and Texas (again)
Of all the overrated Texas teams across the years, the 2026 Longhorns squad might just take the cake.
After starting the season 4-0 with a pair of top 25 wins, the Longhorns have now dropped 2 straight to unranked teams. Florida backup QB Tramell Jones Jr. stunned Texas, accounting for a pair of touchdowns as the Gators defense put Arch Manning and the Longhorns’ offense in a straitjacket.
It’s Year 6 of the Steve Sarkisian Show, and things have gone considerably downhill since the Longhorns’ first season in the SEC. Texas finds itself in the same situation it was in at this time last year — 5-2 with no margin for error heading into the back half of the season.
Making matters worse, Manning is really having a rough go at it this season. He posted perhaps his worst game yet on Saturday, and he’ll have to be a hell of a lot better next week when Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss Rebels come to town in a game that could knock the Longhorns out of postseason contention (if that hasn’t been done already).
Winner: The Mormons
BYU football’s most impressive win since… 1984 over Pitt? Ever? I’m going to go with “ever.”
Bear Bachmeier and the Cougars are for real after downing No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo. Keep in mind, BYU did it without star running back LJ Martin, who was sidelined with a lower-body injury in the first week of October. The Cougars claimed the No. 2 spot in the AP Poll on Sunday, their highest ranking since they won the national title in 1984.
There’s no such thing as coasting in college football, but BYU’s path to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance could not be any clearer. The Cougars are undefeated and face just one top 25 team the rest of the way. This year’s Holy War could be an all-timer 45 minutes north in Salt Lake City.
Loser: Oklahoma State
While the rest of the Big 12’s upper echelon showed off in Week 7, Oklahoma State fell flat on its face. The Cowboys, boasting a win over an Oregon team that beat Nebraska in the late window, just couldn’t get it done against the Cougars after a brutally slow start in Houston.
It’s early, but Saturday’s loss officially extinguished Oklahoma State’s already slim hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma State couldn’t afford another loss the way the rest of the Big 12 is shaping out: BYU, Texas Tech, Utah, Houston and Arizona have a combined 2 losses on the season.
Better luck next year, Pokes.
Winners: Elijah Melendez, Byrum Brown and the Auburn Tigers
A lot has changed since Auburn’s last win over Georgia in Athens.
The Tigers earned their first win in the state of Georgia since 2005 on Saturday, stunning the previously No. 1 Bulldogs behind electric performances from Elijah Melendez and Byrum Brown.
Let’s start with Melendez, who was the heart and soul of Auburn’s defensive showing. He posted a team-high 9 tackles, had 1 sack and 1 tackle for loss and snagged a crucial interception to keep Georgia out of the end zone before halftime.
“Man, how about Elijah Melendez?” Auburn head coach Alex Golesh said postgame. “It felt like he was just everywhere tonight. That’s a special human being, too.”
On the offensive side of things, Auburn’s first drive of the second half really stands out. Brown led the Tigers on a 9-play, 76-yard scoring drive culminating with Brown in the end zone off a 5-yard rush. For the day, Brown rushed for 115 yards and 1 touchdown while completing 15-of-26 attempts for 150 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 turnovers.
Saturday’s win was Auburn’s first over an AP No. 1 opponent since 2017’s Iron Bowl. Additionally, Saturday was Auburn’s 6th win over No. 1 all-time.
Losers: Indiana fans who assumed Nick Marsh got his feet down
Say the line, folks: Football is a game of inches.
Indiana lost a football game for the first time since December of 2024. After winning 22 straight, the Hoosiers fell to Ohio State in heartbreaking fashion to kick off Saturday’s elite slate. Emphasis on heartbreaking.
The Hoosiers had it. Josh Hoover read the Ohio State blitz and floated a great ball to Nick Marsh for what should have been the go-ahead touchdown with 1 minute remaining. Julian Sayin was out of the game with an arm injury, so a touchdown very likely would have won Indiana its 23rd straight.
One problem: Nick Marsh caught the ball with his foot out of bounds.
Despite being a loser this week, Indiana is still in great shape to return to the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers play just one ranked team the rest of the way and remain a top 10 team in the Week 8 AP Poll.
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Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
