Week 7 brings a slate that could redraw the College Football Playoff picture in a hurry, and the biggest swing game sits right at the top: Ohio State at Indiana. The Hoosiers are unbeaten, but this is the stiffest test they’ve seen, and it comes with the added weight of being the biggest game Memorial Stadium has ever hosted. Curt Cignetti’s team will have to answer a simple question: were the recent struggles a blip, or a warning sign?
For Ohio State, the stakes are just as clear. A win in Bloomington would put the Buckeyes back in position as the Big Ten favorite and leave them with a clean path to the Rose Bowl. A loss, though, would tighten the pressure immediately for Ryan Day’s team and shrink the margin for error in the playoff chase.
Elsewhere, Alabama gets Tennessee in a rivalry game that arrives at an important moment for the Crimson Tide. The week off gives the Broncos a break, but there’s no easing into October for Alabama, which wants to put the Georgia loss behind it with a sharp, decisive performance. The Vols may not be an easy out, but this is the kind of spot where Alabama will want to look fast and in control.
Notre Dame faces a different kind of challenge at BYU, where the Irish will walk into a loud Provo atmosphere for one of the season’s defining tests. The Cougars, meanwhile, are staring at the biggest game in school history and will have to find answers offensively without star tailback LJ Martin. The first-ever top-10 matchup at LaVell Edwards Stadium carries huge implications for the Big 12 favorites and for Notre Dame’s place in the national title conversation.
Texas also has a chance to steady itself at home against a banged-up Florida team after the disappointment of Red River last weekend. The Longhorns want to get back to winning ways, and this is the kind of game that can help wipe away some of those bad memories.
In SEC play, another matchup gets a spotlight as two league teams try to sort out who is for real and who is running out of runway against a rough stretch ahead. That meeting will offer a clearer read on who can still push toward the CFP and who is headed for trouble.
Miami returns from its bye week with Florida State coming to town, and Mario Cristobal will not be easing up. The Hurricanes have a big recruiting weekend in front of them, and a rivalry game always carries risk, but this one also gives Miami a chance to strengthen its playoff case while adding to the pressure on the Seminoles’ head coach.
The Big Ten has another notable test at the Rose Bowl, where UCLA hosts Wisconsin in its first real look without its starting quarterback. That game won’t carry the same national weight as Ohio State-Indiana, but it fits into a weekend loaded with CFP consequences.
And in the SEC, Georgia and Auburn renew The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry between the hedges. After the win over Alabama, Kirby Smart will surely lean into the animosity of the matchup to keep his team focused on the task at hand.
In Other News...
Former UCLA Players Just Landed An Unexpected Shot After Football
A familiar football pipeline has opened up in an unexpected direction, with WWE setting up a tryout event at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu as part of its 2026 Hawaii WWE Live Tour. The company is using the session to identify new talent and bring in athletes who fit the physical and performance demands of pro wrestling, and among the names drawing attention are a pair of former UCLA football players with Polynesian roots.
For Bruins fans, the crossover is notable because it puts two ex-UCLA players in the same room with some of WWEs biggest names, from Jacob Fatu and Jimmy Uso to Jey Uso, Liv Morgan, Rey Mysterio and Bayley. It is the kind of opportunity that sits somewhere between a showcase and an audition, and for players whose football paths have already taken them out of the college game, it offers a different kind of stage with a lot still to be decided. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Just Put Itself In Position For A Huge 2027 Backcourt Win
UCLA got an important look at one of the top guards in the 2027 class when five-star combo guard Jalen Davis made an official visit to campus as the Bruins continue to press their recruiting case. The Washington native is a highly regarded prospect with the kind of size and versatility that makes him a fit for the modern backcourt, and he has drawn serious attention from a national group of contenders while weighing what his next three years should look like.
For UCLA, landing in the conversation this early matters, especially with a recruit who can impact both ends of the floor and has the profile to become a program-changer. Davis is still sorting through a wide list of options, and the Bruins now have a chance to build on the visit and make themselves a real factor as the process moves forward. [Read more 🡒]