Week 7 in college football is packed from top to bottom, but the spotlight lands squarely on a handful of heavyweight matchups that could shake the rankings again after last week’s upset spree.
The day starts big with No. 5 Indiana welcoming No.
4 Ohio State at noon on Fox, a top-10 clash that opens Saturday’s slate. Later, No.
8 BYU and No. 2 Notre Dame meet in the night window at 7:30 p.m. on ABC in another marquee showdown.
Those are the headliners, but they’re far from the only games with ranked teams involved. No.
16 Mississippi State visits No. 22 LSU at noon on ESPN.
At 3:30 p.m., No. 6 Alabama goes to No.
14 Tennessee on ABC, No. 9 Ole Miss hosts No.
13 Missouri on SECN, and No. 10 Texas Tech plays at Arizona State on Fox.
The ranked-versus-ranked slate continues at 7:30 p.m. with No. 20 Houston hosting No.
18 Oklahoma State on Fox.
There’s also a full day of notable matchups across the country, with games spread across Fox, ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, SECN, ACCN, CBSSN, The CW, NBC, TNT, USA Network, BTN, Peacock, Paramount+, and a wide array of ESPN app-only and network streaming options.
Thursday’s schedule includes UAB vs. East Carolina at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, Old Dominion vs.
Georgia Southern at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2, and Texas State vs. Colorado State at 8 p.m. on CBSSN.
Friday brings Penn vs. Columbia at 7 p.m. on ESPNU, Tulane vs.
Memphis at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, Purdue vs. Washington at 8 p.m. on Fox, and Coastal Carolina vs.
App State at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
Saturday is loaded from noon through the late-night window. Along with the biggest games, the day includes No.
7 Texas vs. Florida on ABC, No.
24 SMU vs. Virginia on The CW, Michigan State vs.
No. 25 Northwestern on Peacock, Kansas State vs.
Kansas on FS1, West Virginia vs. Cincinnati on TNT, Boston College vs.
Pitt on ESPN2, Clemson vs. Charleston Southern on ACCN, Army vs.
Florida Atlantic on CBSSN, James Madison vs. Georgia State on ESPNU, Maryland vs.
Rutgers at 12:30 p.m. on BTN, and Texas A&M vs. The Citadel at 1 p.m. on SECN+.
The afternoon window also features No. 1 Georgia vs.
Auburn at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, Michigan vs. Penn State at 3:30 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+, Duke vs.
North Carolina on ESPN2, Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech on ACCN, Air Force vs.
UNLV on CBSSN, Wyoming vs. Northern Illinois on The CW, and several games available only through the ESPN app.
The late slate keeps rolling with No. 3 Miami (Fla.) vs.
Florida State at 7 p.m. on ESPN, Vanderbilt vs. Arkansas on ESPN2, Baylor vs.
TCU on FS1, North Dakota State vs. Nevada on CBSSN, and then the BYU-Notre Dame matchup at 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
Also in that window: No. 12 UCLA vs.
Wisconsin on NBC and Peacock, Oklahoma vs. No.
15 Kentucky on SECN, Syracuse vs. Louisville on ACCN, and Stanford vs.
Elon on ACCNX.
After dark, the schedule still has plenty left, including UTSA vs. Navy at 8 p.m. on ESPNU, UTEP vs.
San Jose State at 9 p.m. on MW+, Sacramento State vs. Ohio U. at 10 p.m. on the ESPN app, Colorado vs.
No. 11 Utah at 10:15 p.m. on ESPN, Cal vs.
No. 21 Wake Forest at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2, Hawaii vs.
New Mexico at 10:30 p.m. on FS1, San Diego State vs. Fresno State at 10:30 p.m. on CBSSN, and Oregon vs.
Nebraska at 11 p.m. on Fox.
Fans can watch nearly every game through Fubo, which offers a free trial for new users. ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and more than 100 other live channels are included, with participating plans only and taxes and fees possibly applying.
In Other News...
Ahmad Hardys Status Keeps A Dangerous Future Ole Miss Matchup In Focus
Missouris backfield is still waiting on Ahmad Hardy, and that matters well beyond Columbia because his return would immediately shape the way Ole Miss has to think about a looming matchup. Eli Drinkwitz said Hardy has not yet started the two-week ramp-up period or gotten back on the practice field, which keeps the situation squarely in the public eye for a Tigers team that has leaned on him as one of its most important offensive pieces.
For Ole Miss, the uncertainty is part of the challenge. A healthy Hardy changes the texture of Missouris offense and the way the Rebels would have to prepare for it, while Drinkwitz also made clear he wants to cut through the online speculation around Hardys status. He said he will announce it publicly when the running back resumes practice, leaving the timeline open for now and keeping one of the matchups biggest variables unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Former Ole Miss Standouts Keep Giving Fans A Reason To Notice
Week 5 offered another reminder of how deep the Ole Miss NFL pipeline has become, with 20 former Rebels appearing in games around the league. A handful of those alumni had especially notable Sundays, including Jared Ivey turning in the kind of breakthrough moment that tends to stick with a young pass rusher, while Tavius Robinson kept finding ways to be around the ball with multiple tackles and a forced fumble.
The list also featured several first-time starters, a sign that more former Rebels are earning larger roles as the season settles in, even if others were inactive or on bye. It was the kind of weekly snapshot that gives Ole Miss fans plenty to monitor, because the production is spreading across the roster and the next update could bring another familiar name into the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Has One Edge Against Missouri That May Not Be Enough
Pete Golding does not need a scouting report to know Austin Simmons. Ole Miss defensive coordinator spent time around the quarterback during his stint in Oxford, and that familiarity is part of the backdrop as the Rebels get ready to face Missouri. For a defense trying to sort through a new opponent, having seen a quarterback up close before can help, especially when the player on the other side is carrying the kind of confidence Simmons has built this season.
Still, the challenge is bigger than a memory or two from Simmons Ole Miss days. Since transferring to Missouri, he has taken a clear step forward, throwing for 1,434 yards with 14 touchdowns and just one interception. Golding may have an edge from knowing the player, but Ole Miss is also preparing for a quarterback who has grown into a much tougher problem than the one they once knew. [Read more 🡒]