These were the 10 most impressive and impactful performances from around college football in Week 7.
Week 7 of the 2026 college football season will go down as one of the sport’s wildest weekends in recent memory.
Five of the top 7 ranked teams lost No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama and No. 7 Texas all getting tripped up in mostly dramatic finishes, and it would have been even more chaotic had then-No. 3 Miami not held on in double-overtime with a controversial game-ending interception to avoid an upset to Florida State.
According to ESPN, 5 of the top 7 teams losing on the same weekend has never happened.
Those upsets merited special examination from the TeamFB7 Game Balls Committee, which sifted through all the box scores from every FBS game, broke down the game tape like it was the Zapruder film and came up with the list of the 10 most impressive and impactful performances across college football in Week 7.
While eye-popping stats always help stand out in the Game Balls selection process, making a decisive impact in the biggest games matters just as much.
As always, there were way too many deserving players to make the cut not only for the 10 Game Balls but also the 10 honorable mention spots, where players like Indiana WR Charlie Becker (9 catches for 165 yards in a defensive-duel 19-15 loss to Ohio State), Virginia Tech WR Que’Sean Brown (6 catches for 182 yards and a TD in a 34-24 win over Georgia Tech) and Oregon State QB Braden Atkinson (a ho-hum 347 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs in a 48-30 win over Washington State) couldn’t even crack the second list this week.
Here are the 10 Game Ball recipients for Week 7.
1. West Virginia QB Michael Hawkins Jr.
This one is a nominee for best performance of the season!
West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. is best known for his prolific dual-threat ability and rushing prowess, which he showed as usual last Saturday with 77 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. But Hawkins also had a career-best passing performance in the Mountaineers’ 45-42 win over Cincinnati, completing 25 of 33 passes for 464 yards, 3 TDs and 0 interceptions.
That included completions of 41 and 39 yards on WVU’s 82-yard game-winning field goal drive in the final 2 minutes.
Hawkins’ passing output is especially incredible considering the Oklahoma transfer had never passed for more than 247 yards in a game (back in 2024) in his three-year college career.
West Virginia is just 4-3 due to a leaky defense, but Hawkins has done his best to overcome that all season while throwing for 1,519 yards, 10 TDs and 1 INT and rushing for 749 yards and 14 TDs (the most rushing scores in the entire FBS).
2. Houston QB Conner Weigman
It didn’t have the same spotlight as some of the other marquee matchups around college football last weekend, but Houston and Oklahoma State clashed in a top-20 battle with major Big 12 implications and two of the best quarterbacks in college football leading the way.
Cougars veteran Conner Weigman narrowly upstaged Cowboys gunslinger Drew Mestemaker, completing 24 of 33 passes for 343 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT while also rushing for 52 yards, powering Houston to a 35-32 win.
Weigman’s 48-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter on an absolute dime to Koby Young might have been the play of the game as it put the Cougars up 35-25 before the Cowboys later cut it to a three-point game again but were unable to close the gap fully.
Houston moved up six spots in the AP poll to No. 14 with that win while improving to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12, staying in the conference race with no margin for error with No. 2 BYU, No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 10 Utah all unbeaten at 6-0/3-0.
Weigman’s 343 passing yards were the most by a Cougar in a ranked matchup since 2012 and his five scores through the air were the most ever by a Houston quarterback against a ranked opponent. Overall, he’s thrown for 1,771 yards, 20 TDs and 2 INTs along with 229 rushing yards and 6 scores, tying for the FBS lead in total TDs at 26 and he’s one of two FBS quarterbacks with 20 passing TDs and 2 or fewer interceptions.
3. BYU QB Bear Bachmeier
Make it two Game Balls in two weeks for BYU QB Bear Bachmeier.
He led the Cougars to one of the biggest wins of Week 7, topping then-No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 in a battle of unbeatens as BYU overtook that No. 2 spot in the AP poll — the program’s highest ranking since its 1984 national championship season.
Playing a second straight game without injured star running back LJ Martin, the 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, Bachmeier again shouldered a heavy load for the Cougars. He threw for 224 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, rushed for 45 yards and 2 scores and even had a 15-yard receiving TD.
Bachmeier is the first BYU quarterback since Steve Young in the 1983 Holiday Bowl to record a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game.
4. Texas State RB Torrance Burgess Jr. and QB Brad Jackson
Texas State ranks ninth nationally in scoring at 40 points per game, which is especially impressive considering that it includes a 59-7 loss to Texas. Outside of that Week 1 loss, the Bobcats have been largely unstoppable offensively thanks to the tandem of running back Torrance Burgess Jr. and quarterback Brad Jackson.
And we can’t honor one without the other after what they did last Thursday in a 66-27 win over Colorado State.
Burgess rushed for 224 yards and 4 TDs on 24 carries (9.3 YPC) while adding 3 receptions for 52 yards. Meanwhile, Jackson completed 14 of 19 passes for 213 yards and a TD and rushed for 181 yards and 3 scores on 13 attempts (13.9 YPC).
For the season, Burgess leads the entire FBS in rushing at 139.7 YPG (838 yards and 5 TDs) and Jackson has passed for 1,439 yards, 14 TDs and 5 INTs with 367 rushing yards and 4 scores.
Texas State may only be 3-3, but the Bobcats are an entertaining watch every week.
5. Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop
Tennessee contributed to one of the wildest weeks of college football in recent memory with its 26-10 upset of then-No. 6 Alabama.
That surged the 6-1 Volunteers to No. 11 in the AP poll and in the process earns running back DeSean Bishop a return to the Game Balls list.
Tennessee was playing with backup QB George MacIntyre, who has usurped five-star freshman Faizon Brandon at the position for the Vols, but his contributions in the passing game Saturday were modest with 197 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT.
The star of the show was unquestionably Bishop, the former walk-on turned star running back, who rumbled for 159 yards and 2 TDs on 32 carries (plus 16 receiving yards). Bishop’s two TDs were the only second-half scores for either team as Tennessee pulled away from the Crimson Tide.
Bishop ranks sixth nationally in rushing at 119.57 YPG (837 yards and 10 TDs overall).
6. Kentucky S Jordan Castell
One of the biggest surprise teams of the 2026 season has been Kentucky, which has already surpassed its win total from each of the last two seasons with a 6-1 start while climbing to No. 12 in the AP poll.
That impressive run under Will Stein continued last weekend with a 21-13 road win at Oklahoma, where the defense led the way and safety Jordan Castell led the defense.
The senior had 2 interceptions, including a game-sealing pick-6, along with 9 tackles and a pass breakup.
His first pick came in the second quarter as Oklahoma attempted a fake field goal, throwing the ball into the end zone where Castell was in perfect position for it.
His second interception was especially impressive and impactful, though. It was late in the fourth quarter when he picked Oklahoma QB John Mateer’s pass off over the middle and returned it 41 yards for the score to turn a one-point game into a 21-13 lead with a little more than a minute remaining.
Castell leads the SEC with 4 interceptions this season and also ranks sixth in the league in tackles per game (8.1).
7. Auburn QB Byrum Brown
In a weekend full of upsets across college football in Week 7, none was more stunning than Auburn’s 27-24 road win over then-No. 1 Georgia, handing the vaunted Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
It’s been an up-and-down fall for dual-threat QB Byrum Brown, who followed coach Alex Golesh from USF to Auburn. He came into the game with 7 passing TDs and 7 interceptions, but Brown came through in the biggest game of his career.
Brown threw for a modest 150 yards and 1 TD (with no INTs) but he also rushed for 115 yards and a TD on 26 carries (double that of any other Auburn player) to power the Tigers to their biggest win in years.
Auburn went down 14-0 before scoring 24 straight points only to have Georgia come back and tie the game with 2:58 remaining.
The Tigers had to punt on their ensuing possession before getting the ball back on a Bulldogs fumble recovered at the Auburn 44. Brown rushed for 13 yards and drew a roughing the passer penalty to help position the Tigers for the game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired.
Auburn is 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC now while Brown is up to 459 rushing yards and 5 scores along with his 1,205 passing yards (8 TDs, 7 INTs).
8. Wyoming QB Tyler Hughes
QB Tyler Hughes was the peak of efficiency in Wyoming’s 41-23 win over Northern Illinois, completing 16 of 19 passes for 196 yards while rushing for 183 yards and 4 TDs on just 12 attempts (15.3 YPC).
That’s a near flawless performance from a quarterback who has had a tough season overall.
Hughes, a fifth-year senior in his first season at Wyoming after four years with William & Mary, has just 3 TD passes with 7 INTs overall this fall. But he was at his best in this win, which improved the Cowboys to 4-3 overall.
This was Hughes’ third-career 100-yard rushing performance and easily surpassed his previous high of 130 yards on the ground.
9. Army QB Cale Hellums
It’s routine to see service academy quarterbacks with gaudy rushing statistics, but Cale Hellums nonetheless managed to get the attention of the TeamFB7 Game Balls Committee with what he’s been doing lately.
Army’s senior QB attempted just 2 passes last week in a 56-24 win over FAU but he rushed for 195 yards and 5 TDs on 25 carries. Over the last two games, Hellums has 418 rushing yards and 7 TDs for the two biggest rushing outputs of his college career.
Four of Hellums’ TDs came in the first half as Army built a 35-14 lead, and he became just the ninth player in AAC history to rush for 5 or more touchdowns in a single game.
Overall this season, Hellums has rushed for 719 yards and 13 TDs while throwing for 358 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT for the 4-2 Black Knights.
10. Syracuse WR Umari Hatcher
Syracuse wide receiver Umari Hatcher earns a Game Ball for the second time this month after catching 13 passes for 224 yards and a TD in a competitive 34-26 loss to Louisville.
The Orange is just 2-4 without a win over a Power 4 opponent so this was one of Syracuse’s better performances.
Hatcher had a 65-yard reception on Syracuse’s first play of the game to set up an eventual field goal and then caught a 41-yard touchdown later in the first quarter for an early 10-0 lead. He continued to help the Orange move the chains throughout the game despite the team coming up short in the loss.
Hatcher has at least 126 receiving yards in four of his six games this season, totaling 50 catches for 784 yards and 7 scores overall — ranking tied for third nationally in receptions and third in receiving yards.
Honorable Mentions
Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss: Few teams in college football were hotter than Missouri after dominant wins over Florida and Texas A&M lifted the Tigers to No. 13 in the AP poll, but it had no answers last week as Trinidad Chambliss powered Ole Miss to a 31-3 win over the Tigers while passing for 241 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs and rushing for a score. The 5-1 Rebels moved up two spots to No. 7 in the rankings.
Michigan S Chris Bracy: The Wolverines have had to lean heavily on their defense all season, and that was no different last Saturday in a 21-18 win over Penn State. Chris Bracy played the leading role in that effort with 8 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, an interception and a pass breakup. His strip-sack in the fourth quarter set up the game-clinching score for Michigan, which took over at the Penn State 13 went up 21-11 at the time.
LSU QB Sam Leavitt: LSU beat up on a Mississippi State team missing its star QB and RB, winning 31-0, but the bigger takeaway was that Sam Leavitt played his smoothest game of the year while completing 31 of 38 passes for 289 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs — his first game all season without throwing a pick.
Wake Forest QB Gio Lopez and TE Dominick Barry: The Demon Deacons are up to No. 17 in the AP poll after a 6-1 start and were utterly dominant in Week 7 with a 41-7 road win at Cal. Gio Lopez completed 16 of 23 passes for 267 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs while rushing for 51 yards, and Dominick Barry had a breakout game with 4 catches for 103 yards and 3 scores. The freshman tight end had just 2 catches for 14 yards entering the game.
Tulane S Kevin Adams III: Tulane scored its biggest win of the season, 31-17 over Memphis, thanks to an incredible performance from Kevin Adams III, who had 9 tackles (8 solo), 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery. His second pick came in the end zone with 34 seconds left to seal the win.
Florida State QB Ashton Daniels: Florida State couldn’t finish off the upset, losing 43-35 in double-overtime to then-No. 3 Miami on Saturday, but Ashton Daniels gave the Seminoles everything they could ask for with 298 passing yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT plus a rushing TD. He also narrowly tied the game again in the second overtime on what would have been a 36-yard TD pass on fourth-and-21 if not for a holding penalty that negated the play. Then on fourth-and-31, it looked like he might have connected with WR Duce Robinson in the end zone, but Miami DB Bryce Fitzgerald also had his hands on the ball and was awarded the interception instead.
Texas Tech RB J’Koby Williams: J’Koby Williams had just one 100-yard game this season before Saturday when he broke out for 165 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 11 carries, averaging 15.0 YPC in Texas Tech’s 53-25 win over Arizona State.
UTSA QB Owen McCown: Don’t look now, but UTSA is 6-1 with its lone loss coming to Texas, and Owen McCown has been the engineer of one of the better offenses in the country. He completed 28 of 38 passes for a season-high 359 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs to lead the Roadrunners to a 38-34 win over Navy in Week 7.
Miami WR Malachi Toney: The Heisman Trophy candidate had 11 receptions for 154 yards (his second-best output of the season) and 2 TD, including the game-winning score in the second overtime, along with 31 receiving yards to help lead the Hurricanes past Florida State. Miami is now the No. 1 team in the AP poll after its 6-0 start.
TCU EDGE Koron Hayward: Koron Hayward left his imprint all over TCU’s 17-6 win over Baylor with 3 sacks (5 tackles total) as the Horned Frogs shutdown a Bears offense that came into the game averaging 34.8 points per contest. He’s the first TCU player with 3 sacks in a game since 2022.
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