We’ve yet to reach the halfway point of the 2025 season and the No. 1 (Penn State), No. 2 (Texas) and No. 3 (Clemson) teams in ’s preseason Top 25 have two losses, are unranked in the AP poll and in danger of missing the College Football Playoff. We could lick our wounds, or we could thank college football for its chaos and continue to celebrate the best games of the week—even if the matchups aren’t what we thought they might be.
Let’s go with the latter.
The Longhorns, losers of the only two Power 4 games they’ve played this season, still made the list of games to watch for this week, but only because of the river that divides Texas and Oklahoma. Elsewhere, the race for the Group of 5 bid heats up in the American Conference, where three of the league’s top prospects (Tulane, South Florida and North Texas) face worthy opponents this week. And finally, Indiana and Oregon seek to cement their hot starts against one another in a new-age Big Ten showdown.
Here’s a look at the best games of Week 7:
East Carolina Pirates (3–2) at Tulane Green Wave (4–1)
It’s probably not entirely fair to say the Green Wave have been snubbed by AP pollsters, but not receiving a single vote in this past week’s rankings despite boasting two dominant wins over Power 4 competition feels somewhat disrespectful. Sure, those wins were over Northwestern and Duke, but Tulane boasts the 32nd-best strength of schedule—only six spots behind No. 24 South Florida, a team being largely awarded for beating 2–3 Florida. Poll griping aside, Jon Sumrall’s program features a ground-first attack, led by dual-threat BYU transfer quarterback Jake Retzlaff. The Pirates’ run defense is stingy, allowing just 3.35 yards per carry this season, meaning Retzlaff may be called upon to throw more than Tulane would like on Thursday.
No. 24 South Florida Bulls (4–1) at North Texas Mean Green (5–0)
Yes that’s right, the American Conference has games on tap this weekend before we even get to Saturday that are worth your time. North Texas may have been disappointed to lose quarterback Chandler Morris to Virginia, where he’s now thriving, this offseason but the product on the field hasn’t taken much of a dip. The Mean Green are averaging 44.8 points per game (eighth in FBS) behind the arm of freshman Drew Mestemaker (67.9% completion, 11 touchdowns, zero interceptions) and the fifth-most rushing touchdowns in the country—largely scored by underclassmen duo Makenzie McGill II and Caleb Hawkins. North Texas has one of the easiest schedules remaining among the American contenders, but has to get through South Florida to gain the upper hand.
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (5–0) at No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini (5–1)
Ohio State’s defense has been astounding through five games, both from a statistical standpoint and when you remember the Buckeyes lost four defensive lineman, one linebacker, two cornerbacks and a safety to the NFL in April. Ohio State leads the nation in scoring defense, having allowed just two touchdowns thus far, and is third in yards per play allowed (3.84). With breakout senior Caden Curry leading a deep group of edge rushers, Illinois must be better prepared than it was for Indiana, when Luke Altmyer was sacked a whopping seven times.
No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide (4–1) at No. 14 Missouri Tigers (5–0)
For the second straight week, the Tide will get the chance to deal a major blow to an SEC upstart, this time on the road in Columbia, Mo. Alabama’s loss in the season opener to Florida State continues to look like a blip the further it gets in the rearview mirror but the road remains littered with tough opponents and a two-touchdown loss on the résumé won’t do Kalen DeBoer any favors. Awaiting this Saturday is a run-heavy Missouri team, led by bell cow back Ahmad Hardy, who leads the nation in rushing yards and is second in rushing scores. It’s not a good matchup for the Tide who allowed 7.6 yards per carry to Vanderbilt and 6.9 yards per carry to Georgia, giving Hardy and mobile QB Beau Pribula a chance to start the season 6–0.
No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers (5–0) at No. 3 Oregon Ducks (5–0)
In many ways, both of these teams could have reasonably been expected to take a dip from last season, but the start of the year has been far from any sort of regression. Though each program’s best win (Indiana at home over Illinois and Oregon on the road against Penn State) may not look as strong with what we’ve learned since the preseason, both are still postseason worthy—and the winner of this game may be on the fast track to the Big Ten championship game with no ranked opponents left. Quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore will get the attention and rightfully so, but pay close attention to each top-10 defense and top-end edge rushers like the Ducks’ Matayo Uiagalelei (four sacks, 12 hurries) and the Hoosiers’ Mario Landino (three sacks, five hurries) and Mikail Kamara (one sack, 11 hurries) among the top to watch.
No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners (5–0) at Texas Longhorns (3–2)
The Red River Showdown lost some luster with Texas’s collapse in the Swamp last weekend, but remains the sport’s best midseason rivalry game. All eyes in Norman, Okla., are on the status of quarterback John Mateer, who hasn’t played in nearly three weeks. In Austin, the focus remains on the struggle of the offense to meet perhaps outsized preseason expectations. Arch Manning has been woeful against Power 4 competition (55.9% completion percentage, three touchdowns, three interceptions) and the Longhorns offensive line can’t protect him (seven sacks allowed vs. Ohio State and Florida). But this is always a “throw the records out the window” type of game and Texas’s win-or-miss-the-playoff desperation could go a long way.
No. 15 Michigan Wolverines (4–1) at USC Trojans (4–1)
Both teams could easily still consider themselves CFP hopefuls and this is a crucial point for both programs. Michigan in particular lacks opportunities for quality wins other than Ohio State in the season finale but seems to have settled into a tried-and-true combination—running the ball and defense. Justice Haynes (130.8 yards per game, eight touchdowns) is the engine that keeps the Wolverines offense going, but Bryce Underwood has had more opportunities to use his legs of late and has made it count. On the other side, USC back Waymond Jordan similarly powers the Trojans, while receiver Makai Lemon is second in the nation in all-purpose yards per game. Expect these teams to go back and forth in a close one.
No. 18 BYU Cougars (5–0) at Arizona Wildcats (4–1)
There may be no freshman quarterback in the country playing better than Bear Bachmeier, who at one point didn’t anticipate starting the season behind Jake Retzlaff. The latter departed for Tulane, clearing the way for Bachmeier, who hasn’t wasted the opportunity. Through five games, he’s the top freshman in passer rating (158.36), which ranks 26th in the nation, and has 12 touchdowns and 1,254 yards of offense. A trip to Tucson, Ariz., is the toughest test yet for the Cougars, however, with the Wildcats having cruised at home so far. Arizona had just a single blip on the road against Iowa State, but even with allowing 399 yards and 39 points ranks fourth in FBS with 3.92 yards allowed per play. In the ever chaotic Big 12, this matchup bears watching.
