We are now over the halfway point of the regular college football season, moving on to Week 7. As the season inches closer to the College Football Playoff, the margin for error gets smaller. Each week presents certain challenges for teams, but more so for particular teams that are in must-win mode, including the Miami (FL) football team, which just suffered its first loss of the season in dramatic, eye-rolling fashion.

In Week 7, there are five teams that must win to either keep their seasons alive, stay within the first four spots for a College Football Playoff berth, or salvage their season altogether and maybe even get to their respective conference championship games.

Miami Hurricanes

This year's Miami football team will likely never be able to live down their embarrassment of a loss to Georgia Tech in Week 6. It was the coaching blunder of all coaching blunders when Mario Cristobal didn't have his team simply take a knee to run the clock out and seal the game.

With the loss, the once-undefeated Hurricanes are now 4-1, with that loss being a conference loss. While it's only one loss, the chances of the Miami football team making the College Football Playoff are all but done. Their chances of making the ACC Championship Game aren't out of the realm of possibility, especially with a win over the Tar Heels. If Cristobal wants to bring hope back to this season and prove he can still progress this team, a win over North Carolina is paramount.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Likewise for the Tar Heels football team, an ACC matchup against a wounded Miami football team is a must. Drake Maye and the Tar Heels are undefeated, one of the three teams left (Louisville, Florida State) in the conference, with four being undefeated in conference play (Duke).

The ACC is now a conference with no divisions, so it's those with the best records that will represent the two teams in the title game. This is a big year for Mack Brown, where he's hoping to build off last season and get back to the ACC championship, but winning this time. It starts with staying undefeated and beating Miami.

Tennessee Volunteers

After their loss to the Florida Gators a few weeks ago, the Volunteers football team has been questioned. What exactly is this year's Tennessee team? With no Hendon Hooker or Jalin Wyatt and a few others, there's really not much resemblance to last year's impressive squad that nearly got into the College Football Playoff.

Tennessee football is 4-1 and 1-1 in the SEC, with a big matchup set for Neyland Stadium this Saturday against Texas A&M football. They took it to South Carolina, avenging last season's game. Tennessee has the benefit of playing in their safe haven at home, but this is another must-win game now for the Volunteers, who are hoping to keep their rowdy fan base happy and their SEC East chances alive before meeting Georgia in a few weeks.

Texas A&M Aggies

For Texas A&M football, it's not just about salvaging their season or winning the SEC West; it's about Jimbo Fisher proving that he's the right man to lead the Aggies. Entering the season, there were huge question marks and uncertainty if Fisher would make it through the 2023 season, even if he did have a huge buyout of his contract looming over the university.

The Aggies have looked much improved from last season when they missed a bowl game, but every game matters now as long as Fisher is head coach. While both the Aggies and the Volunteers need this win, they need it for completely different reasons, however not one involving a College Football Playoff berth.

USC Trojans

The USC football team has been living on the edge the past couple of weeks. Caleb Williams has been great as usual, keeping the Trojans in every ballgame. The problem is, as it was last season, the Trojans' defense is becoming a glaring issue once again.

Deion Sanders and Colorado nearly came back and tied the game a few weeks ago, and last week, Arizona took them to overtime. It now gets much more challenging for USC football from here, starting with Notre Dame this week. And to make matters worse, they have to go to South Bend.

Even in their wins, the Trojans keep trickling down the AP Poll, so USC is going to have to prove they can stay relevant enough for a top-10 ranking. Their game against the Fighting Irish is a must-win.

LSU Tigers

USC isn't the only team with a horrible defense. LSU football and their defense have been allowing yards and points to be scored at will by opposing teams. Meanwhile, quarterback Jayden Daniels is doing everything humanly possible to keep the Tigers in games, putting up Heisman-like numbers.

Even though the AP poll still seems to love LSU football with two losses, Brian Kelly and his Tigers can't afford another loss this season without it being considered a bit of a failure. They'll welcome Auburn and new head coach Hugh Freeze into Death Valley on Saturday, hoping to get another conference win after beating Missouri this past weekend.