Week 7 turned out to be one of the better weekends of the college football season and lived up to the hype, with close games taking place from noon ET into the early hours of Saturday night.

Like every October, there were a few scares on the football field.

Alabama, USC and Illinois each had to overcome potential surprise losses to earn victories. Oregon made a name for itself with a Big Ten win over Ohio State. Kansas State earned a narrow victory over Colorado. And Texas has solidified its reason for being the best team in the country.

Each week has seen its fair share of winners and losers, and Week 7 was no different.

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Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel warms up before the game against Ohio State on October 12, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)

Oregon: Quack, quack, quack. The Oregon Ducks overcame their biggest test of the season so far by defeating Ohio State in one of the best games we’ve seen this season. Dillon Gabriel was a monster on the floor as he led the Ducks’ offense to a 32-31 win. Oregon totaled 496 yards on offense and fended off a late push by the Buckeyes, thanks in part to Will Howard thinking he had more time on the clock as he scrambled to get into field goal position reach. This will be a big step for Oregon coach Dan Lanning, and we can only hope there is a rematch in the Big Ten title game or the playoffs.

Vanderbilt: The Diego Pavia show continues for the Commodores, who were 14-point underdogs away at Kentucky. Not only did Vanderbilt get the win, but Diego finished the game with two touchdowns and the ‘Dores defense gave Kentucky problems all evening. Now Vandy is 4-2 on the season and has a good chance of finishing the season with seven or eight wins if they keep playing like this. Business in Nashville has picked up.

Penn State: Just when you thought they were coming off a first-half loss at USC, Penn State bullied the Trojans until the final minutes. Tyler Warren had one of college football’s best performances of the season as the tight end rushed for 224 yards and a touchdown. If there was any doubt based on the schedule that James Franklin’s team hadn’t proven itself worthy of contending for the Big Ten Championship, this win in Los Angeles should dispel those doubts. Great road win for the Nittany Lions.

Texas: It’s always good to beat a rival, and it’s even better to eliminate them. The Texas Longhorns defense was strong and stifled the Oklahoma Sooners offense. Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense put up 34 points in his first game back from the oblique injury that sidelined him for two games. With a dominant 34-3 win over Oklahoma, Texas is now 6-0 for the first time since 2009.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers carries the Golden Hat Trophy after the team’s 34-3 victory over Oklahoma on Oct. 12, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)

Jedd fish: The first-year Washington coach earned an early victory. With a shocking upset win over Michigan, Fisch helped the program avenge a loss in a national championship game and capture a major conference victory in his first year in the Big 10. Washington’s disastrous loss to Rutgers is looking more and more like an anomaly.

Army and Navy: The two military schools achieved victories on Saturday. Army defeated UAB 44-10, while Navy had a bye. But both schools get into the win column because they did something that hasn’t happened since 1960: Each school is ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. Sunday’s poll was released and found Army ranked 23rd and Navy ranked 25th. The countdown is on to their rivalry game, which may be the most intriguing in recent memory.

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Ole Miss: This was seemingly a playoff eliminator game against LSU on Saturday night in Death Valley, and Ole Miss never trailed until the final play of the game. It was one of those nights for the Rebels as they couldn’t provide enough separation in the first half and the Tigers made them pay for not scoring. Another disappointment for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, who had high College Football Playoff hopes. Now they will need a lot of help and win, which seems unlikely at this point.

USC: The Lincoln-Riley era at USC has turned out to be a dud so far, and the losses are starting to pile up. The Trojans’ defense, which gave Penn State a 20-6 lead in the first half and then allowed the Nittany Lions to convert two 4th down conversions to end the game in regulation, was the one for this team Downfall, along with a stagnant offense at times. USC has now suffered three losses this season and is effectively eliminated from playoff contention. Another miss for Lincoln Riley and fans are starting to get tired of this nonsense.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard (18) hands the ball to running back Quinshon Judkins during the game against Oregon on October 12, 2024 in Eugene. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)

Alabama: I know they won, but this Alabama team looks like a shell of its former self. After beating South Carolina 27-25 a week after losing to Vanderbilt, I have no idea what the identity of this team is is. This team lacks the killer instinct and physicality we have seen in the past. Now they travel to Knoxville for what appears to be a playoff elimination game against Tennessee, which continues to have its own issues on offense. Anyway, the locals are frustrated with life after Nick Saban and we’ve just reached the halfway point of the season.

Will Howard: The Buckeyes weren’t in good position out of field goal range on 3rd-and-20 with six seconds left in the fourth quarter against Oregon, but Will Howard failing to shoot into the end zone at least once is brutal. Howard’s lack of game awareness in not going down early or throwing an incomplete pass as he crawled out of the pocket on third down was shocking. With star receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka, you have to at least give them a chance to make a play or even allow them to interfere with a pass to get into field goal range.

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano, center, speaks to the officials during the first half against Wisconsin, Oct. 12, 2024, in Piscataway, NJ (Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media via AP)

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights started incredibly well with four straight wins to start the season. Greg Schiano was about to get free Gabagool for life. However, a 35-point loss to Wisconsin ended any momentum the school had. The impressive win over Washington two weeks ago could be for naught if Rutgers doesn’t get back on track. Two straight conference losses are certainly a dampener on what appears to be a promising season.

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The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.