Week Seven College Football Winners and Losers

            Another week of college football has gone by. How did the two upset-potential games pan out? Did anybody get knocked off of their perch?

Winner: West Virginia: I have mentioned many times in this blog about how the Big 12's playoff chances are dwindling. I've put them in the 'loser' section numerous times this year. Well, the Big 12 deserves to have a winner recognized. Their playoff hopes got a ray of hope... At least for now. #20 West Virginia went into Lubbock in what was being labeled as a trap game and ransacked Texas Tech 48-17. The Mountaineers produced 650 yards of offense in this game, providing the Big 12 with a bit of hope amidst their current crisis.
Winner: Syracuse: The Orangemen got a pleasant surprise on Saturday when they beat #17 Virginia Tech 31-17. This was Syracuse's first win over a ranked team since 2012. Check out Syracuse head coach Dino Babers's speech after the game.
Winner: Carlos Henderson: The Louisiana Tech wide receiver tallied 326 receiving yards and five touchdowns in a 56-28 win over Massachusetts. Henderson tied a program record for most receiving touchdowns in a game, but he still was a ways away from the receiving yards record (Troy Edwards had 405 in 1998). Still, those type of numbers make Julio Jones's performance against the Panthers a couple weeks ago seem tame.
Loser: Ole Miss: How in the blue hell is a team like this ranked #12 if they're .500? I get that they play in the SEC West, which gets a lot of love. But still, that baffles my mind how they're ranked so high after a loss to Arkansas.
Loser: Potential Upsets: Wisconsin had a chance to send their game against #2 Ohio State to another overtime. Instead, a sack on fourth down sealed the deal for the Buckeyes as they escaped Madison with an overtime win 30-23. North Carolina State had a chance to pull off an upset against #3 Clemson as well, but came up short in overtime like the Badgers 23-17. As for #9 Tennessee, don't ask them about their game against top-ranked Alabama. Overall, it was a chance to shake up the playoff picture that ended up being squandered.
Loser: Stanford's Missed Field Goal: While Stanford rallied back to beat Notre Dame 17-10, they certainly would've loved to have made this field goal. That has to be worth at least six points, right?

Other Winners: USC, Army, North Carolina, Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee
Other Losers: Houston surviving again, Notre Dame, Northern Illinois, Georgia

My Playoff Teams:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Washington