Week 7 of the 2025 college football season proved to be another wild one.
While it didn’t feature as many shocking upsets as the weekend before, we saw quite a bit of chaos unfold around the sport. Perhaps the most notable story to come out of the weekend came from State College, where Penn State fired 12th-year coach James Franklin after losing a second-straight game as a 20-plus point favorite.
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The Nittany Lions’ continued fall from grace wasn’t the only surprise from the weekend. Florida State, like Penn State, is now on a three-game losing streak after a frustrating loss to Pittsburgh that knocked it out of the top 25.
In the SEC, the biggest development came out of Dallas. Even with John Mateer returning to the fold, the Sooners didn’t have it offensively as they fell out of the top 10 following a Red River Rivalry loss to Texas, which got back on track after a loss to Florida.
That’s only scratching the surface of the roller coaster that was Week 7. Here are the full winners and losers from another weekend of college football action.
Winner: Indiana is simply elite
Indiana players cheer after defeating the Oregon Ducks Oct. 11, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
The Hoosiers were the best story in college football last year. In their first season under coach Curt Cignetti, they came out of nowhere to finish the regular season 11-1 and earn a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
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While it was quite the run, Indiana was clearly outmatched when it faced the most talented teams in the country. This year, it’s a totally different story.
The Hoosiers are orders of magnitude better this year than they were last fall, and they proved it on Saturday as they went on the road to knock off No. 3 Oregon in front of a hostile Autzen Stadium crowd. We knew Fernando Mendoza was one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but perhaps the most surprising aspect of IU’s win was the way it was physically dominant in the trenches despite having just a fraction of the Ducks’ talent on paper.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore’s Heisman stock took a major hit as he threw for under 200 yards and tossed a pair of interceptions. Overall, Indiana simply made the Ducks look pedestrian on both sides of the ball.
It’s abundantly clear that Indiana under Cignetti is far more than an oddity this year. This is legitimately one of the best teams in the country, and I see no reason to view the Hoosiers as anything other than a national championship contender.
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They should win the rest of their games, and this team could be on a collision course for a battle of unbeatens with Ohio State in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship.
Loser: John Mateer’s return couldn’t give Oklahoma Red River redemption
DALLAS, TEXAS – OCTOBER 11: John Mateer #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners throws a pass in the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Cotton Bowl on October 11, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Heading into Saturday’s matchup between Oklahoma and Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the biggest question was whether Mateer would be able to go. He ultimately did make his return to the field, but it didn’t matter for the Sooners.
OU was held out of the end zone entirely in a 23-6 loss to the Longhorns, and it has now failed to score a touchdown against Texas in back-to-back seasons as its unbeaten start to the season was spoiled. It’s unclear to what extent Mateer was physically limited, given he was just 17 days removed from surgery to fix a broken hand, but he did not have a good game as he tossed three interceptions and had just five rushing yards.
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The Sooners’ defense did enough to give the team a chance to win, but it wasn’t perfect. It couldn’t force any turnovers from Arch Manning, who didn’t have eye-popping numbers but played solidly overall, and it allowed 94 yards on the ground to Quintrevion Wisner as the Longhorns ran for 136 yards in total.
It’s been a mostly one-man offense for Oklahoma, which has lived and died by Mateer’s play to this point in the season. He had an off game, and with the rushing attack producing less than two yards a carry, the Sooners just didn’t have enough to stay in this game.
It will take a few more losses before Brent Venables’ seat starts to warm up again, but this feels like a significant setback, given the result even with his starting quarterback on the field.
Winner: Why is no one talking about Lincoln Riley and USC?
Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley (wearing white visor) celebrates along with defensive end coach Shaun Nua after kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) hit a 54-yard field goal in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The answer to the question posed above was pretty obvious entering the season. USC was coming off a disappointing 7-6 season, and it didn’t exactly make the kind of splashy moves that would fuel an offseason hype train.
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But as we sit at the midpoint in the season, the Trojans are 5-1, and it feels fair to posit that this is a top-four team in the Big Ten right now. USC made a statement at home against No. 15 Michigan on Saturday, dominating in a 31-13 win.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava continues to play well for the Trojans, and running back King Miller (158 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries) had a breakout game as leading rusher Waymond Jordan suffered an injury in the victory. However, it was the defense that truly impressed.
That unit has been a bit shaky so far this season, but in Los Angeles on Saturday, it played lights out. It wasn’t exactly a bad game statistically for Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, who had two touchdowns to one interception, but the Wolverines totaled just 316 yards and were two of nine on third down tries.
Running back Justice Haynes, who was averaging 130 yards per game entering Saturday, was playing well but left the game with an injury in the first half. Jordan Marshall played relatively well in his stead, but neither produced enough to overcome a passing game that totaled just 207 yards.
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The defense has been the limiting factor for Riley’s teams for a few years now. But with Penn State’s collapse, this looks like a potential top-four team in the Big Ten. A CFP berth could be in reach for the 5-1 Trojans, and a win against Notre Dame on Saturday would go a long way with ranked games against Nebraska and Oregon remaining in conference play.
Loser: Mike Norvell’s fool’s gold at Florida State
Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell after losing the game to the Pittsburgh Panthers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
After going from 13-1 in 2023 to 2-10 in 2024 in one of the most stunning one-year fall-offs we’ve ever seen, it looked like Mike Norvell and Florida State were gearing up for a historic bounce-back after dominating Alabama to open the season.
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The further removed we get from that result, however, the more it looks like a Week 1 aberration. FSU lost at home on Saturday to Pittsburgh, falling to 3-3 on the year after suffering its third consecutive loss. Once again, the defense was abysmal as true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel threw for 321 yards and ran for 64 more while tossing a pair of touchdown passes.
FSU allowed 158 yards on the ground in total, and while Thomas Castellanos played well and delivered a turnover-free performance, the defensive issues proved to be the limiting factor as they were in prior losses to Virginia and Miami.
Hopes of a historic one-year turnaround have mostly evaporated, and now, the hot seat conversation surrounding Norvell has been renewed. It seems a bit unlikely Florida State makes a change — I can think of 58.6 million reasons why the administration may be hesitant to do so — but hopes of contending in the ACC are essentially dead in the water after a 0-3 start to league play.
Still, given the move made at Penn State, Norvell would do well to avoid a collapse here with fairly tough games still remaining against Louisville, Clemson and Florida.
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Quick Hitters
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze walks off the field after the game as Auburn Tigers take on Georgia Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. Georgia Bulldogs defeated Auburn Tigers 20-10.
Loser: Middle Tennessee
It’s been a rough go for Derek Mason in Murfreesboro so far, and the Blue Raiders fell to 1-5 on the year with a home loss to FBS newcomer Missouri State
Winner: Kennesaw State
The Owls have quietly had one of the most impressive turnarounds in the Group of Five. They moved to 4-2 with a blowout home win over Louisiana Tech.
Loser: Sam Houston
The Bearkats’ quest for their first win continues after a heartbreaking loss to Jacksonville State in which it led late.
Winner: Southern Miss
Charles Huff has worked quickly since arriving in Hattiesburg. With Saturday’s win over Georgia Southern on the road, the 4-2 Golden Eagles have already quadrupled their win total from a year ago.
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Winner: USF
The Bulls were actually underdogs entering Friday night’s road game against North Texas, and though the defense left with some question marks, they still won easily thanks to a 63-point game from Byrum Brown and the offense. South Florida remains squarely in the CFP race.
Winner: Colorado State
One of the most surprising results of the weekend came in Fort Collins, where the previously 1-4 Rams upset a 5-1 Fresno State team. It was a gotta-have-it win for embattled coach Jay Norvell.
Loser: Florida
So much for another magical run for Billy Napier with his back against the wall. Saturday’s 17-point loss at Texas A&M probably ended any outside hope of him saving his job.
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Winner: Texas
The Longhorns have a lot of work to do before salvaging the season, but their first win over a power conference team came in satisfying fashion against rival Oklahoma, and Arch Manning took some steps in the right direction.
Loser: Oregon
Saturday’s loss to Indiana doesn’t materially affect the Ducks that much. This should still be a CFP team, but it was straight-up outplayed at home. This doesn’t look like the potential best team in the country we thought it could be, especially with the Penn State win not looking as impressive anymore.
Winner: Alabama
Ty Simpson continues to impress, and while Alabama had some defensive issues that allowed Missouri to hang around, it remains unbeaten in the SEC entering a rivalry game against Tennessee.
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Loser: Auburn
Auburn’s war against the SEC continued on Saturday night. After a blown call allowed a potential game-deciding touchdown in the Tigers’ loss to Oklahoma, two calls — one in which a would-be touchdown was ruled a fumble short of the goal line and another in which Kirby Smart was inexplicably not charged a timeout despite calling one — will haunt this fanbase for a while.
Loser: Michigan
Justice Haynes exiting is tough, but this offense continues to disappoint. It feels like the Wolverines aren’t taking full advantage of the talent Bryce Underwood brings to the table, though he remains raw.
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Winner: Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish are essentially in win-out mode after starting 0-2, and so far, so good. They rolled again on Saturday in a 36-7 win over NC State.
Loser: Arizona
The Wildcats led by 10 in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t hold on for a ranked win against BYU and ultimately fell in double overtime.
Loser: Iowa State
The Cyclones’ hopes of competing in the Big 12 are quickly fading after losing their second-straight game, this time against Colorado.
Winner: UCLA
Interim coach Tim Skipper and the Bruins proved the win over Penn State wasn’t just one week of magic. UCLA absolutely dominated a struggling Michigan State team on the road, winning 38-13 as Skipper continues to make a strong case for the full-time job.
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Loser: Michigan State
Is anyone happy with where the Spartans are at here in Year 2 under Jonathan Smith?
Winner: Kent State
The Golden Flashes won their first game over an FBS team since 2022 (!), beating UMass 42-6.
Loser: Penn State coach James Franklin
Just three weeks ago, the Nittany Lions ranked in the top three and were hosting College GameDay. What a stunningly rapid fall from grace for Franklin, who was fired Sunday less than a year removed from taking the Nittany Lions to the CFP semis.
Loser: Oregon State coach Trent Bray
Bray took over in Corvallis under tough circumstances, but it’s hard to argue with the decision to fire him after a 0-7 start to Year 2. Quarterback Gabarri Johnson said some of his teammates quit in Saturday’s 39-14 loss to Wake Forest.
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Loser: TCU
The vibes don’t feel tremendous in Fort Worth after a two-score road loss to a previously 2-4 Kansas State team that spoiled a 4-1 start.
Winner: UNLV
UNLV survived a barnburner against Air Force as Dan Mullen remains unbeaten in Year 1 in Sin City. This team is the Mountain West’s best hope of crashing the CFP party once again.
Winner: Marshall
The Thundering Herd delivered one of the more shocking G5 results on Saturday, dominating a red-hot Old Dominion team in a 48-24 win.
Loser: UAB coach Trent Dilfer
This hire always felt like a stretch, and it ultimately proved to be one. Dilfer is out in Birmingham in Year 3 with a 9-21 record after three-straight blowout losses, two of which came against conference foes.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: College Football: Indiana headlines Week 7 winners and losers
