After Week 7 takes: Contenders, Hotseats, and Heisman talks

By Jace Hinton October 15, 2024 09:20

Photo by Ellen Schmidt / Associated Press

Week 7 of college football was more relaxed than week 6, but some storylines emerged. Some coaches may be facing a hot seat very soon, and teams are starting to look like they will be on the outside looking in at the expanded playoff. What are the takes from week 7 of college football?

Take Number One: Lincoln Riley's Time at USC is Possibly Coming to an End.

When Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma and headed west to USC, it was viewed as a problem for the rest of the college football world as now he had an even better chance at recruiting, especially out in SoCal. However, in his three years at USC, he is 22-11 with a Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane and a Holiday Bowl win. Clay Helton, who Riley took over for, was 25-8 with a Rose Bowl win and a Cotton Bowl loss in his third year. Now the Trojans are 1-3 in the Big Ten. USC also needs help adjusting to the Big Ten style of football. Lincoln Riley came over from Oklahoma in the Big 12, so you think he would have been able to adapt his team to be ready for the Big Ten, and yet USC has lost close games but has been dominated at the line of scrimmage by Minnesota in week six and now Penn State in week 7. Lincoln Riley is also on pace for another unranked season for USC for the second year in a row, and at USC, if you do not win now, you will be gone.

Take Number Two: Ole Miss is no Longer a Playoff Contender.

Former USC coach Lane Kiffen's Ole Miss Rebels have suffered back-to-back heartbreaks the past two weeks, losing to Kentucky at home and then in Baton Rouge in overtime. Jaxson Dart has been a Heisman contender all year, but Ole Miss is out of contention following these back-to-back losses. Almost nine teams are above them in the SEC standings, including Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and, of course, the red-hot Vanderbilt Commodores.

Take Number Three: This is a Brand New Vandy

Vandy has historically not been one of the competitors in the SEC, but the Commodores are 2-1 in the SEC and 4-2 overall with wins over Bama and Kentucky this past week. Diego Pavia is playing phenomenally, and the Commodores will be a team to be reckoned with for the rest of the season. They are not a playoff team, but they could be in a big bowl game come postseason time.

Take Number Four: Army and Navy are a Group of 5 Contenders.

Boise State is the clear front runner as a Group of 5 contenders with their phenomenal running back and Heisman candidate Ashton Jeanty, but the Army and Navy are both undefeated and ranked for the first time at the same time since 1960. The last time the Midshipmen won a national title was 1926. The Black Knights have five, most recently three-peat from 1944-1946. Only one of those teams will likely have a chance to make the playoffs because the two teams will play on December 14 in America's Game. The only problem for the two teams is they have to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, another top-ranked squad fighting for a playoff sport. Still, should both stay undefeated, this will be a playoff-implication game for both teams while they are also battling. For the commander-in-chief trophy as the Navy beat Air Force a couple of weeks ago, the Black Knights will take on the Falcons on November 2 at West Point.

Take Number Five: The Heisman Race is a Dual

My Final take after week 7 is that the Heisman race is now a dual. Many agree that Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter are the finalists for the Heisman based on what they have been doing. Like others, I believed that Cam Ward could win the Heisman. With what Jeanty and Hunter have done, it is down to these two. Last week, Jeanty had 31 carries for 217 yards and one touchdown in the Bronco's win over Hawaii, putting him at 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season. Hunter had three catches for 26 yards last week for the Buffaloes against Kansas State before he was injured in the second quarter, and he was later pulled from the game. Nonetheless, Ashton Jeanty is doing what few have done this season at the running back position. While Travis Hunter is doing what has ever done in college football.