CFB Week 7 winners, losers: Oregon nets signature win, Ole Miss plays itself out of playoff conversation

The weekend lived up to the hype. Several of the biggest games in Week 7 went down to the wire, including Ohio State-Oregon, Ole Miss-LSU and Penn State-USC.

From a historic performance from Penn State tight end Tyler Warren to a pathetic showing from Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden, here are Week 7’s winners and losers.

Winner: Oregon Ducks 

No. 3 Oregon (6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten) gained the inside track on a Big Ten title game berth with its 32-31 home win over No. 2 Ohio State (5-1, 2-1 in Big Ten). 

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel had arguably his best game of the season, going 23-of-34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns while adding 32 yards and a rushing touchdown on four carries.

The Buckeyes were every bit the Ducks’ equal, and the two teams could easily meet again for the Big Ten championship. Yet while Oregon’s path to the conference title game cleared on Saturday, Ohio State needs help.

Loser: Alabama, Tennessee before Week 8 showdown

Neither the Tide nor the Vols looked like legit SEC contenders against lower-tier conference foes ahead of next week’s potential College Football Playoff elimination game.

No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1 in SEC) showed that its loss to Vanderbilt was no fluke, struggling against South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 in SEC) in a 27-25 win. For the second time in three weeks, the Tide blew a double-digit lead and needed a fourth-quarter comeback to emerge victorious.

No. 8 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 in SEC) was just as unconvincing in its 23-17 overtime win over Florida (3-3, 1-2 in SEC). The Gators held the Volunteers scoreless through two quarters and had the advantage in total yards, 361-312. 

In SEC play, Tennessee has averaged 329.7 yards per game after averaging 639.3 yards during its 3-0 out-of-conference start.

Both Alabama and Tennessee looked dazed after stunning Week 6 losses. The hits will keep coming for one in Week 8.

Winner: Texas, Georgia before Week 8 showdown

Meanwhile, No. 1 Texas (6-0, 2-0 in SEC) and No. 5 Georgia (5-1, 3-1 in SEC) are ready for the next week’s heavyweight showdown in Austin.

The Longhorns easily dispatched Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2 in SEC) 34-3. The 31-point margin of victory was their third-largest in the series since 2000.

Georgia scored a season-high (against FBS competition) 41 points against Mississippi State (1-5, 0-3 in SEC) in a battle of SEC Bulldogs. Quarterback Carson Beck had a career-high 459 passing yards in the 41-31 win.

Loser: Oregon wide receiver Traeshon Holden

Nothing says “loser” like spitting on an opponent. The Ducks wideout was ejected in the first half after he spat on Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun.

While Oregon won, head coach Dan Lanning’s squad lost major points in the respect department.