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When the college football season started, fans had their eyes on week seven because of the loaded slate. Almost every conference had big games featuring ranked teams, and we had a good amount of top-25 matchups all around college football. One of the biggest and most entertaining games of the weekend was a Big Ten clash between the USC football team and Penn State. The Nittany Lions traveled far to take on the Trojans as it was a cross-country trip, but they came away with the big win in overtime.
This game was expected to be a close one, and it more than delivered. Penn State came into this one as narrow favorites as the spread favored the Nittany Lions by less than a touchdown, and the game ended up going into overtime. In fact, USC actually had a big lead in this one and they probably should've won the game. Instead, it was another disappointing loss for Lincoln Riley in a big game that his team could've won.
Penn State struck first in this game with a field goal to go up 3-0, but the USC football team quickly bounced back and ended up dominating the first half. The Trojans scored a couple touchdowns after the Nittany Lions kicked their field goal, and they had a two-score lead. A couple late field goals by both teams led to the Trojans taking a 20-6 lead into the locker room. They were in full control.
The Nittany Lions did a great job with their halftime adjustments as they looked much better in the second half. It took awhile, but the offense got rolling and they immediately scored a touchdown to make it 20-13 in the third quarter. Less than 10 minutes later, they scored again to tie the game. The Trojans' big lead had completely vanished.
Both teams traded touchdowns and field goals after that, and the game ended up going into overtime with the score tied at 30.
The Trojans immediately stalled on their drive to start overtime, and they had to settle for a field goal attempt. They missed it, and the game was essentially over after that. All Penn State needed was a field goal to win, and they got it. The Nittany Lions won 33-30.
Lincoln Riley is to blame for another big game loss
Another big game for Lincoln Riley, another loss. He just can't get it done, and his USC football team is now 3-3 on the year. He is supposed to be one of the best coaches in all of college football, but he only seems to be getting worse with the Trojans.
When it comes down to crunch time in big games, Riley doesn't typically manage it well, and it costs his team. USC could be 6-0 right now, but in three close games, the Trojans couldn't get it done in situations where they really should have won. The players are the ones on the field, but this has been a theme in Riley's career.
One thing that we do have to mention here is that some questionable officiating in overtime is also partially to blame for this loss. There were two pass interference calls that should've been called against Penn State. At least one of those has to be called. That's not on USC, the refs do have to be better. Still, they shouldn't have been in OT to begin with.
Week seven CFB recap
The USC-Penn State game was great, but there was a lot of good action across college football this weekend. Here is a quick recap:
ESPN’s College GameDay was in Eugene for the biggest game of the week between Oregon and Ohio State. They go to the biggest college football game each week, and they had an easy decision about where to go during week seven. The Oregon-Ohio State clash did not disappoint, but the Buckeyes once again lost a close game. Let's take a look at what happened all around college football.
Starting in the ACC, there wasn’t much going on. The ACC is arguably the weakest power four conference. It’s either that or the Big 12. The conference currently has four ranked teams, but Pitt and Louisville aren’t really looked at as a big threat. Clemson and Miami look legit though.
Not much happened in the ACC that is worth noting. The ranked teams that played took care of business.
The Big 12 doesn’t have a ton happening either, but there were some notable results from this past weekend. First off, the chaos of the college football weekend got started early on Friday night as #16 Utah got quarterback Cam Rising back, and they still lost on the road against Arizona State.
On Saturday, all three ranked teams that played got victories. The best game of the weekend in the conference was Saturday night’s showdown between Kansas State and Colorado. The Buffaloes almost pulled it off, but the Wildcats scored a late touchdown to get the win.
There were multiple great games this past weekend in the Big Ten. The Oregon-Ohio State matchup was the biggest and the best as the Ducks won that one 32-31, but there were a few other good ones as well, including the USC-Penn State game.
Another good one in the Big Ten featured #22 Illinois, who almost suffered a home upset against Purdue. The game went to overtime after the Boilermakers erased a massive deficit, but the Fighting Illini won 50-49.
In the SEC, there were a lot of good contests. Alabama barely survived at home against South Carolina. The Crimson Tide haven’t looked great since defeating Georgia. Speaking of the Bulldogs, they didn’t look too good either as they beat Mississippi State 41-31. They play at Texas this week and they have a lot to clean up.
The Longhorns obviously easily took care of rival Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry this past weekend, winning 34-3. Texas is ranked #1 in the country. Lastly, LSU continues to impress as they knocked off Ole Miss in overtime. The Tigers have won five games in a row.
It was a great week of college football, and the back half of the season is going to provide a lot of excitement.
