College football winners, losers in Week 7: BYU is the toast of historic weekend, Texas has a Sark problem

BYU makes its case as a national title contender, Auburn stuns Georgia in Athens and Sarkisian searches for answers after another ugly Longhorns loss

Oct 18, 2026 at 9:36 am ET • 4 min read

Any given Saturday can be an earth-shattering moment in college football history. Week 7 was one for the ages. Five of the top seven teams in the AP top 25 rankings went down, completely shaking up the national championship picture

Leading the way, No. 8 BYU stunned No. 2 Notre Dame in heavyweight battle. No. 4 Ohio State was also able to outlast No. 5 Indiana. Losses by No. 1 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas are a little less forgivable. 

After the carnage, UCLA is the only remaining undefeated in the Big Ten or SEC. The battle for number one in the AP top 25 should be fierce as undefeated Miami and BYU contend with a wave of one loss teams. 

With that in mind, here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 7. 

Winner: BYU 

Since 2024, BYU has been the third-winningest program in college football. Still, they haven't been treated as a legitimate national-caliber program. After a stirring 28-24 upset over No. 2 Notre Dame, the Cougars officially clinched their spot among the national elite. 

BYU dominated in nearly every area of the game, including holding opposing quarterback CJ Carr to 27-of-49 passing. Sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier led a game-winning drive with only minutes remaining to seal the deal.

With the win, BYU is assured a spot in the College Football Playoff assuming it takes care of business and could jump into the AP's top-three rankings for the first time since their national championship season in 1984. 

Loser: Texas coach Steve Sarkisian

Sarkisian has done nearly everything in his power to avoid taking responsibility over the last two seasons. After yet another stunning loss to Florida, the shine is fully coming off.

Texas' offensive game plan looked disastrous against the Florida defense ranked among the worst in the SEC. Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning has not developed in any meaningful way and continues to make mistakes at the worst possible time. 

After the loss to Oklahoma, Sarkisian said that there's "not a chance" that he gives up play-calling. After the Florida loss, he admitted everything was up for evaluation. With a second loss on the record, there may not be another choice. 

Winner: Ole Miss 

The Rebels were backsliding a little bit after their quality wins over LSU and Louisville quickly fell out a favor. But after a total decimation of Missouri, 31-3, Ole Miss is suddenly right back in the SEC race.

Specifically, it was the defense that took center stage after a few weeks of poor performance. The Rebels pounced, holding a stacked Missouri running game to 1.5 yards per carry. Star Mizzou running back Jamal Roberts didn't have a single rush of more than six yards. 

Ole Miss's offense is going to be fine. If the defense is finally reaching championship caliber again, that changes things. 

Loser: Baylor

Baylor coach Dave Aranda seemed to get firmly off the hot seat after a strong start to the season. But after a 17-6 loss to a struggling TCU squad, the Bears are suddenly dead in the water.

Technically, Baylor only has one loss in Big 12 play, but the loss of momentum after losing to a hated rival will be harder to overcome. The Bears got the absolute worst of the DJ Lagway experience as he completed fewer than 50% of his passes and Baylor's offense mustered only six total points.

It's unclear how Baylor will handle Aranda's job status in the weeks ahead but with BYU, Texas Tech and Houston still on the schedule, plenty more losses are ahead. 

Winner: Auburn 

The Tigers have needed something good to happen for so long. Auburn hadn't beaten George in Athens in 21 years, but Alex Golesh helped get them over the finish line behind a strong defensive effort. 

Auburn was able to bait Bulldogs QB Gunner Stockton into a pair of interceptions for great field position, and also got 100 yards on the ground from its own QB, Byrum Brown. Georgia was favored by 20.5 pounds against the Tigers. Instead, Auburn won 27-24. Its roster is starting to come together. 

Loser: QB Keelon Russell, Alabama

After five straight games of at least 45 points to open the year, quarterback Keelon Russell is struggling. The sophomore threw for just 147 yards and two interceptions in a 26-10 loss to Tennessee. Finishing with a less efficient day than counterpart George McIntyre was a rough look. 

The Crimson Tide's blazing start is slipping as the offense finished with only 201 total yards. Tennessee's defense is strong, but Russell's slip in Knoxville remains puzzling. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer must get things figured out or the Tide's season could quickly end. 

Winner: North Carolina

Don't look now, but the Tar Heels are suddenly looking pretty impressive. The Tar Heels upset reigning ACC champion and chief rival Duke on Saturday, 24-20, to continue a strong flurry of recent performances -- last week, Bill Belichick got his first ranked win on the road vs. Pitt. 

The Blue Devils both outgained UNC and won the turnover margin, but North Carolina managed to overcome early miscues to pick up wins. Now, the Tar Heels are 4-2. Belichick deserves plenty of credit. 

Winner: Rutgers

The battle between Rutgers and Maryland was one of the tightest ever for worst in the Power Four, but the Scarlet Knights emerged as the champion in a back-and-forth game against the Terrapins, 37-30. 

Really, Rutgers has the benefit of wide receiver KJ Duff, maybe the best wide receiver outside of Jeremiah Smith. The senior caught nine passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. While Duff will certainly soon be catching passes from NFL passers, it's nice to see him stack Rutgers records. 

Winner: Arkansas

It only took three years, but Arkansas finally has its first SEC win in ages. The Razorbacks outlasted Vanderbilt, 31-21, behind 300 total yards from quarterback KJ Jackson. Arkansas had not won a single SEC game since their bowl season in 2024, but already-embattled first-year coach Ryan Silverfield finally has something to sell.