CFB Week 7 winners, losers: SEC eating itself, BYU's major statement and more

Auburn eventually won on a field goal as time expired, a week after Oklahoma defeated then-No. 1 Texas on a walk-off field goal, which ESPN senior college football writer Adam Rittenberg shared on social media, marked the first time in AP poll history (since 1936) that the No. 1 team in the country lost in back-to-back weeks on the final play of the game.

Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns lost for the second year in a row (this time at home) to Florida, which had dropped its last two by a combined score of 83-36. Alabama fell for the third consecutive time at No. 14 Tennessee, which dominated in the trenches to enter the SEC title conversation.

The SEC's depth revealed itself on Saturday, and in a 12-team playoff field, that may do more harm than good. By the end of the year, a handful of the conference's programs could be fighting for a small number of spots in the field.

Loser: Ohio State's QB setback in massive road victory

No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 in Big Ten) will need its defense to lead the way — plus even more from wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — after quarterback Julian Sayin suffered an injury to his right arm during Saturday's 19-15 win over the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1 in Big Ten).

Coach Ryan Day told reporters afterward that Sayin would miss "several weeks," putting his availability for the final five-game stretch beginning on Halloween at No. 19 USC (6-1, 3-1 in Big Ten) in jeopardy. Without any proven options behind Sayin, the Buckeyes are entering unknown territory at an unideal time.

Winner: BYU Cougars in the national title race

No. 8 BYU (6-0, 4-0 in Big 12) has its signature win.

The Cougars came out on top in a top-10 showdown with No. 2 Notre Dame (6-1), 28-24, to firmly position themselves in the national conversation.

Afterward, head coach Kalani Sitake spoke with ESPN's Holly Rowe, and he sounded like someone with plenty still to prove.

"We're gonna stay humble and hungry," Sitake said.

BYU has a lot to clean up, particularly from a sloppy second half that featured two turnovers and a bad fake punt attempt deep in its own territory, but it showed remarkable resolve to weather those errors and take a late lead before holding on with a defensive stop on the game's final play.

Make no mistake. Entering the second half of the year, the Cougars are legit.

Loser: Former No. 1 overall high school QB prospects

Arch Manning and Bryce Underwood were both five-star, No. 1-ranked players in their respective high-school recruiting classes, but neither is having the season they imagined.

In the loss to Florida, Manning was 14-of-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown while rarely pushing the ball downfield. When Texas had a chance to drive for either a winning touchdown or a tying field goal with the ball at its own 48-yard line, Manning lost a fumble on a sack, which ESPN Insights noted gave him three turnovers in the fourth quarter over the past two weeks, the most in the SEC.

Afterward, head coach Steve Sarkisian said, "Everything is going to be evaluated."

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham may have already finished his evaluation of Underwood, who was benched at halftime during a 21-16 home win over Penn State (3-4, 0-4 in Big Ten) after going 5-of-11 for 43 yards and two interceptions over the first 30 minutes of game action.

Manning and Underwood have both failed to meet expectations, and with Whittingham having seen enough to make a change, we're wondering how much more patience Sarkisian has until he deems a similar move necessary.

Winner: LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt

Coming off a crushing overtime loss last Saturday at Kentucky, No. 22 LSU (5-2, 2-2 in SEC) was given a reprieve with No. 16 Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2 in SEC) ruling out quarterback Kamario Taylor pre-game of a 31-0 blowout Tigers win.

Leavitt helped ensure it wasn't a fair fight with his best passing performance of the season as he finished 31-of-38 for 289 yards and four touchdowns. A suddenly challenging road trip to Auburn looms next Saturday, but LSU's prized transfer portal quarterback should enter with a ton of confidence.

Loser: Backing an injured player into a wall

Injury cart operators have one job: get players off the field safely. West Virginia's didn't get the memo.

During a wild 45-42 West Virginia (4-3, 1-3 in Big 12) win over the Cincinnati Bearcats (4-2, 1-2 in Big 12), Cincinnati defensive tackle Josh Hough required a cart after suffering an injury, and we can only hope he wasn't hurt further when the vehicle driver backed Hough into a wall, causing him to visibly wince.

Someone's driver's license may need to be revoked.

Winner: Houston Cougars enter Big 12 title chase

No. 20 Houston (6-1, 3-1 in Big 12) emerged victorious in a Big 12 thriller over No. 18 Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1 in Big 12), 35-32, to stake its claim in what's shaping up to be a hotly contested Big 12 championship race.

Quarterback Conner Weigman (343 yards, five touchdowns, one interception) out-dueled Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker (365 yards, three touchdowns, one interception) in a game that featured 1,004 yards of total offense.

With the win, Houston sets up an even higher-stakes game at No. 11 Utah (5-0, 2-0 in Big 12) next Saturday.

Loser: Oklahoma's fake field goal (aka The Worst Trick Play You'll See All Year)

The good vibes emanating from Oklahoma's stunning Week 6 win over Texas lasted exactly one week as the Sooners fell at home on Saturday evening, 21-13 to No. 15 Kentucky (5-1, 3-1 in SEC).

Oklahoma did itself no favors with arguably the worst trick play from the first half of the season on a fake field goal midway through the second quarter.

Kicker Tate Sandell broke from his position using pre-snap motion, allowing Kentucky to easily identify the fake. It must have been by design, too, or Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables almost certainly would have called one of his three timeouts.

But play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Holder Jacob Ulrich made a faulty design worse with a comical attempt at a Tim Tebow-esque pop pass, only to throw high and behind tight end Rocky Beers and to Kentucky senior linebacker Jordan Castell. 

If Oklahoma (3-2, 1-1 in SEC) wants to see how a trick play is supposed to look, it should consider this act of trickery from Northern Arizona against Portland State at the FCS level, which began with all 11 offensive players in a single-file line before the five linemen set out to the far left of the field, leaving tight end Nassim Isaac to snap the ball. The look successfully confused the defense, leading to a six-yard touchdown.

While far from the only reason Oklahoma lost, its boneheaded special teams miscue was certainly the most memorable.