Weekly Syllabus: AP top-10 clashes, stacked SEC slate highlight monster CFB Week 7

A pair of top-10 Associated Press showdowns highlights an excellent Week 7 in college football.

We break down the weekend's biggest upcoming matches in this edition of the Weekly Syllabus while also turning an eye toward the fast-approaching 2026-27 college basketball season.

No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers meet in epic Big Ten clash

It's the biggest home game in Indiana football history.

For the first time, the Hoosiers will host a top-five showdown when Ohio State visits Bloomington on Saturday in a rematch of last season's Big Ten Championship Game, a 13-10 Indiana win. 

In that one, Indiana (6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten) overwhelmed Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 in Big Ten) at the line of scrimmage, finishing with nine tackles for loss, including five sacks. With defensive tackles Stephen Daly (five sacks) and Daniel Ndukwe (4.5 tackles for loss), members of last year's national championship team, and transfer defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi (9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks) having excellent seasons and starting Buckeyes linemen Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels coming off Week 6 absences, the Hoosiers may have a similar advantage in the trenches.

But will it even matter? Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is in the process of rewriting every major Big Ten and Ohio State receiving record. He had over 100 yards in only three quarters in last year's Big Ten title game and is averaging 152.7 receiving yards per game this season. No one has an answer to stop him, and the leading Heisman Trophy candidate could put even more distance between himself and the field by leading the Buckeyes to victory.

Big 12's big weekend

This weekend is a showcase for the Big 12, which features in two of the weekend's biggest primetime games.

ESPN's "College GameDay" goes on the road to No. 8 BYU (5-0, 3-0 in Big 12), which hosts No. 2 Notre Dame (6-0). Running back LJ Martin suffered a lower-body injury earlier this season against TCU and will miss Saturday's game, a major blow to the Cougars, who will be led by a defense that ranks ninth in FBS in points allowed (13.4 per game).

No. 18 Oklahoma State (4-1, 2-0 in Big 12) and No. 20 Houston (5-1, 2-1 in Big 12) meet in one of Saturday's six games featuring ranked opponents, and the winner will move closer to the conference's upper class — along with BYU, No. 10 Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0 in Big 12) and No. 11 Utah (5-0, 2-0 in Big 12) — to possibly give the Big 12 as many as four legitimate playoff contenders at the season's midway point.

Stacked SEC slate

Three ranked matchups highlight another rich SEC slate, but they might not be the most fascinating games.

In a noon ET matinee, Florida (4-2, 2-2 in SEC) visits No. 7 Texas (4-1, 1-1 in SEC) with each team desperate for a win coming off Week 6 losses. The Gators and Longhorns will be especially motivated considering what comes next. Florida plays No. 1 Georgia (6-0, 4-0 in SEC) after a Week 8 bye, while Texas follows with four consecutive games against ranked opponents, including No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 in SEC) next Saturday.

Later in the day, No. 15 Kentucky (5-1, 3-1 in SEC) and Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 in SEC) play after each recorded massive upsets a week ago. The Wildcats stunned a top-10 LSU team, 35-34, in overtime, while Oklahoma revived its season with a Red River Rivalry win over then-No. 1 Texas. One will keep the good times going.

And that's not all, folks.

Kamario Taylor and No. 16 Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1 in SEC) travel to No. 22 LSU (4-2, 1-2 in SEC) in the early afternoon window, and both are looking to avoid back-to-back losses. No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-1 in SEC) plays at No. 14 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 in SEC), where it has lost two in a row, while No. 13 Missouri (5-1, 2-1 in SEC) looks for a statement road win over Ole Miss.

It's impossible to look at the upcoming SEC schedule and not get excited. Well, everything except for Arkansas-Vanderbilt. But we don't need to talk about that.

Basketball media days in full swing

The SEC's basketball media days commence Tuesday with coverage on ESPN Plus, and ahead of the two-day event, SEC media named Florida as its men's preseason No. 1. (h/t CBS Sports)

LSU men's and women's basketball coaches Will Wade and Kim Mulkey are scheduled to speak on Tuesday, and both will likely say something to rile up the internet. South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley will also talk to reporters, while Wednesday's heavy hitters include Florida's Todd Golden, Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope and Arkansas men's basketball coach John Calipari. 

CBB exhibition games

Several teams are gearing up for the start of the 2026-27 season on Nov. 2 with exhibition games this week, including Houston and the Arizona Wildcats, both top-five squads in KenPom's preseason rankings.

The week's most noteworthy preseason game, however, is between UCF and LSU, which has several roster questions with the regular season fast approaching. In last week's exhibition win over McNeese, Wade used a seven-man rotation, and all five starters played at least 34 minutes.

With some players, including RJ Luis, still in limbo, it's unclear who will be available against UCF, not to mention for the regular season.

"What we're doing is unconventional," Wade told reporters in September, per CBS Sports. The unorthodox experiment marches on this week.