College Football Week 7 Overreactions and Underractions: Big Ten Madness

College Football Week 7 saw a big shakeup in the Big Ten, from a fired coach to a power ranking shakeup. Indiana is proving itself to be no joke, Penn State is in shambles, and Sherrone Moore gets taken down by Lincoln Riley. The SEC had some powerhouses flex their muscles, with five schools now in the top ten.

"Curt-cignetti" by YHoshua is marked with CC0 1.0.

Off the Field & Screen went 2-3 in our picks this week. Indiana and USC both grabbed major conference wins. Kalen DeBoer continues to right the ship in Alabama, Texas gets back into the conversation, and Ohio State proves they are the top school in the nation.

College Football Week 7 Overreactions

Overreaction 1: Big 12

The Big 12 has two schools in the top fifteen in the AP poll. The conference, as a whole, is closer to the ACC than it is to the Big Ten. In fact, the ACC may be a deeper conference. Each week, the Big 12 sees some major upsets, but are these due to excellent coaching and performance, or are they because the programs are not accurately ranked? Regardless, only one team from this conference should end up in the College Football Playoff. Cincinnati is undefeated in conference play, and yet, they've lost to Nebraska, a middle-tier Big Ten team.

Overreaction 2: Oklahoma Losing

Oklahoma got John Mateer back for this game, and he didn't play like the Heisman candidate everyone had grown accustomed to watching. He threw three interceptions, but don't be surprised if they bounce back and find their way into the CFP. Mateer will acclimate better with each passing week, and the Sooners have five ranked opponents left on their schedule. Ohio State didn't have its season derailed by losing to their rival last season. Oklahoma could do the same.

Overreaction 3: Texas Winning

Texas is overranked. Yes, they beat a top ten team in the country. They did so at home in a rivalry game. They could easily finish the season with six losses. They lack the complete team needed to consistently succeed at a high level. The Longhorns will likely win their next two games (Kentucky, MS State). When they do, the hype train will be back on. Don't be fooled. They'll have a tough time beating Vanderbilt, Georgia, and Texas A&M.

College Football Week 6 Underreactions

Underreaction 1: USC's Win

Lincoln Riley has been looking for a signature win at USC, and he finally got it. Perhaps, more important than the win was the way they won. Michigan has prided itself on winning in the trenches. USC rushed for 224 yards, outpacing the Wolverines by 115 yards (109). Lincoln Riley has been considered the quarterback guru who can't get his teams to play good enough defense to compete for a national title. Well, his Trojans locked down the Michigan offense. USC has positioned itself well in a year that has seen the Big Ten shake up considerably. If they had managed to hang on against Illinois, perhaps, they'd be a playoff team. Next week, they have a chance to knock another team out of the CFP: Notre Dame.

Underreaction 2: Sherrone Moore

Sherrone Moore led Michigan to victories over Ohio State and Alabama to end the 2024 season. These wins spurred unfounded hot-seat conversations about Ryan Day and Kalen DeBoer. However, the Wolverines continue to play undisciplined and uninspired football. It isn't the time to put him on the hot seat, although some argue for it every week, but it is time to explore the question. Michigan wins in the trenches, yes. But mphsaizing the run game isn't enough. The team has to be disciplined and outwork every opponent. Sometimes, it appears that Moore doesn't set his players up for success. Is he on a path to right the ship, or does he have more in common with Brady Hoke?

Underreaction 3: Indiana

Indiana still isn't receiving enough attention. Going on the road and beating Oregon has put the Hoosiers on course to challenge for the Big Ten title. If Curt Cignetti can do that, the media will finally believe in Indiana. This week, the conversation has shifted from discussing the program's rapid growth to which larger program might poach Ciginetti. The media should give Indiana the same respect as Ohio State and Alabama this season. But they won't. But the Hoosiers don't care. They win. Google them.

Best Games

Indiana's season-defining win over Oregon, 30-20

Indiana arrived last season, but the nation is just catching up.

Alabama's 27-24 win over Missouri

The apologies to Kalen DeBoer should start pouring in, but they won't until they've won a National Title. That's the cost of coaching at Alabama.

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