The best slate of games so far in the 2024 college football is already giving us exactly what we expected.

Friday night started with an upset. Saturday's action began with a scare for Alabama—yes, another one—then featured Quinn Ewers' return in Texas' first-ever SEC clash against rival Oklahoma and a dramatic finish in Penn State's cross-country trip to USC.

Those matchups set the stage for prime-time showdowns with Ole Miss at LSU and Ohio State at Oregon.

Best of all, both marquee games went to the wire.

B/R tracked the most impactful results and recapped the biggest news from around the nation in Week 7.

Winner: Liberty Stays Unbeaten and on Path to CFP

Welcome back, Tuesday night football. We've missed you.

On that quiet evening early in the week, Liberty wasted a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter but still prevailed over Florida International. Kaidon Salter scampered for a nine-yard touchdown in overtime before the defense forced and recovered to secure a 31-24 win.

As a result, the Flames improved to 5-0 and remain a key Group of Five contender for the College Football Playoff.

Liberty's strength of schedule likely won't do the team any favors, especially relative to an AAC or Mountain West program. But if the Flames are the lone undefeated G5 squad, they might sneak into the CFP.

After all, it was enough to make a New Year's Six bowl in 2023.

Loser: Utah's Fading Big 12 Hopes

The good news is Utah quarterback Cam Rising finally made his long-awaited return from a finger injury. He'd missed four games because of the latest setback, and the Utes' offense had struggled without him.

Unfortunately for the 16th-ranked Utes, though, Rising had a brutal night in a 27-19 loss to Arizona State.

Rising threw a trio of interceptions—one in the red zone—finishing with a modest 209 yards on a 16-of-37 line. Utah crossed ASU's 30-yard line on seven possessions yet scored a single touchdown.

That's an easy recipe for an upset loss on the road.

Consecutive losses to Arizona and ASU have pushed Utah, the preseason Big 12 favorite, into a tough position. Unless the Utes run the table, they are very unlikely to make the Big 12 Championship Game.

Winner: Alabama, but Only Barely

How quickly perception can change.

Two weeks ago, Alabama won a thriller with Georgia. Although the Crimson Tide squandered a huge early advantage, they scored a late touchdown to pick up the biggest win of the young season.

Since then, however, Bama hasn't been very convincing. Kalen DeBoer's team shockingly lost at Vanderbilt last weekend and barely survived South Carolina in Week 7. Domani Jackson's interception as time expired allowed the Tide to escape with a 27-25 victory after failing to recover a last-minute onside kick.

Nevertheless, they won.

As a true gauntlet awaits, that matters most. Alabama retained its healthy margin for error in advance of a three-game stretch at eighth-ranked Tennessee, home to No. 21 Missouri and at No. 13 LSU.

Bama's performances in the last two weeks are clearly a concern, but a 5-1 record at the midpoint of the season is just fine.

Loser: Washington's Hangover

Kinnick Stadium is a prime example of home-field advantage. Sure, Iowa doesn't always go undefeated in its own building, but seemingly all of the Hawkeyes' big wins are at home.

Washington found out the hard way on Saturday.

Fresh off a win over then-No. 10 Michigan, UW headed to Iowa for the first regular-season clash between the teams in 60 years.

Iowa steamrolled the Huskies behind a 166-yard effort from running back Kaleb Johnson, leading by as many as 30 points in a 40-16 rout.

The biggest problem is Washington could not finish drives. Two first-half possessions that entered the red zone totaled three points. Washington's first two drives of the second half each reached the Iowa 35-yard line but stalled with an interception and turnover on downs.

Washington, which dipped to 4-3 overall, has now fallen in both conference games on the road.

And after an idle weekend, a trip to No. 18 Indiana comes next.

Winner: Quinn Ewers Returns but Texas' Defense Is the Real Star

Quinn Ewers missed two games because of an abdomen injury, which shoved Arch Manning into the national spotlight. All along, though, the Red River Rivalry had been the targeted time for Ewers' return.

No, he wasn't outstanding. He threw an early interception and straight-up missed a few open receivers.

But thanks to the defense, Ewers didn't need to be perfect.

Texas held Oklahoma to just 236 yards in a commanding 34-3 victory to reclaim the Golden Hat from the Sooners.

Ewers' performance will likely attract most of the headlines—particularly with Georgia going to Austin next Saturday—but Texas' defense deserves just as much attention or more. Through six games, the stingy unit has yielded three touchdowns. Total. None of the Horns' opponents have cracked 300 yards on the 6-0 squad.

This has been every bit of a championship-caliber defense.

Loser: USC's Blown Upset Bid in OT

Would've, could've, should've.

This result won't sit well at USC, which took a 20-6 edge into halftime over fourth-ranked Penn State. Plus, the Trojans held second-half leads of 23-30 and 30-23 before the Nittany Lions answered each one.

The worst part? I'm only halfway done. USC's promising last-second drive stalled near midfield and ended with a Miller Moss interception, then Michael Lantz pulled a 45-yard field goal in overtime. The miss allowed Penn State to win 33-30 on Ryan Barker's 36-yard kick.

Would've, could've, should've. And just not enough.

Lincoln Riley isn't suddenly on a hot seat—losing by three against one of the nation's best teams is not a disaster—but the cumulative effect isn't helping him. USC dropped to 1-3 in the Big Ten and 3-3 overall.

It's safe to suggest the Trojans desperately need a victory when they fly practically to the other ocean at Maryland next weekend.

Winner: Pitt, Illinois Narrowly Avoid Upsets

Considering what happened in an upset-filled slate of action last Saturday, every win is a good win.

Pitt and Illinois undoubtedly feel similarly in Week 7.

Once again, Cal found itself on the wrong side of a crushing result. After blowing a 25-point lead on Miami, the Golden Bears had a chance to hand No. 22 Pitt its first loss of the season. While trailing 17-15 late in the fourth quarter, however, Ryan Coe missed a 40-yard field goal.

No. 23 Illinois, meanwhile, surged to a 27-3 lead on Purdue but imploded in the second half. Illinois kicker David Olano buried a 38-yarder as regulation expired to force overtime, and the defense held on Purdue's all-or-nothing two-point conversion to squeeze out a 50-49 win.

Pitt is now 6-0; Illinois is 5-1.

And their fans—two groups enjoying a surge of success after both teams missed a bowl in 2023—probably had to take a long walk.

Loser: Ohio State Miscues in Upset Loss

In such an even contest, little mistakes can become a big difference. Ohio State seemed to keep making those errors.

Oregon defender Derrick Harmon flat-out ripped the football away from OSU running back Quinshon Judkins, and the Ducks scored a touchdown two plays later. Oregon kicker Andrew Boyle drilled a surprise onside kick at Ohio State's front line, and the Ducks turned the stolen possession into a field goal.

Those moments somehow pale in comparison to the last minute.

While trailing 32-31, star freshman Jeremiah Smith pushed off to create space. That offensive pass interference moved the Buckeyes back to the 43-yard line. With six seconds left, they needed to get back within field-goal range. Will Howard stepped up to scramble and rushed for 12 yards, but he burned the rest of the clock and slid as time expired.

How anticlimactic. Also, how frustrating for Ohio State.

Oregon solidified itself as the Big Ten front-runner, and we'll undoubtedly be talking about a warming seat for Ryan Day shortly. And the reality is this result was avoidable for the Bucks.

Winner: LSU Fights Back to Jump in CFP Race

Let's start here: LSU wouldn't have exited the College Football Playoff discussion with a loss to Ole Miss.

Because of what remains on the schedule, though, the Tigers would've been in a problematic spot. They trailed Ole Miss for nearly 45 minutes of regulation and never held a lead, either.

Well, not until overtime, that is.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier hit Aaron Anderson for a game-saving 23-yard score—on fourth down, nonetheless—in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis hammered a 57-yard field goal in overtime, but Nussmeier and Kyren Lacy connected for a 25-yard touchdown on LSU's first snap to earn a 29-26 victory.

Arkansas just upset Tennessee, so LSU cannot look past the Razorbacks next weekend. Texas A&M and Alabama await the Bayou Bengals in their following two games, as well.

There's a lot of regular season left to play.

But behind the late heroics from Nussmeier and the offense, LSU is now a bit higher than Ole Miss in the CFP race.

Loser: Colorado Dips in Crowded Big 12

Colorado opened Big 12 action with a shocking win over Baylor, one that required a last-second Hail Mary to force overtime. After that victory, the Buffs annihilated UCF on the road to start 2-0 in league play.

Given that CU finished 1-8 in conference play during each of the last two seasons, it's undeniable progress. The challenge is second-year coach Deion Sanders—for better or worse—has fueled the headline machine and, by extension, invited a higher level of scrutiny.

Had the Buffs held off Kansas State, they would've demanded some flowers—including from yours truly. They absolutely had a shot too, erasing a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a late 28-24 edge.

Colorado, however, could not finish the job.

Avery Johnson found DJ Giddens on a swing pass for a 34-yard gain, then Jayce Brown snatched a contested ball for a game-winning 50-yard touchdown. K-State's defense soon sealed the 31-28 win.

With a loss, Kansas State would've had a rough time sticking in the league race. Instead, the Wildcats made CU the fifth Big 12 program with a one-loss conference record behind the three unbeatens.

These standings will be a beautiful disaster for several weeks.