Alabama football fan rooting guide for Week 7
As the second half of the 2023 college football regular season gets underway, the College Football Playoff race begins to get hot. This season is interesting, as there doesn’t appear to be a clear group of four teams that are locks to make it.
Alabama’s early-season loss to Texas set the Crimson Tide back, but it certainly did not rule them out of making a playoff push.
With the Tide improving every week, there’s a good chance that can make a persuasive argument to the CFP committee. It would be even easier if some of the teams ranked above Alabama lost.
Here is a brief rooting guide for Crimson Tide fans to follow along as Week 7 college football actions gets started.
No. 1 Georgia vs. Vanderbilt
Who or what to root for: Vanderbilt to not get blown out.
Georgia hits the road to take on Vanderbilt, but is it really a road game if almost the entire stadium is full of Bulldogs fans? There have been times this season when the Dawgs have not appeared to be as dominant as they were last season or in 2021. No one is expecting an upset here, so Vanderbilt’s goal should be to keep the difference a respectable amount … and maybe try to finish that construction sometime soon.
Indiana vs. No. 2 Michigan
Who or what to root for: Indiana’s defense to raise doubt over Michigan’s offense.
Much like the Georgia-Vanderbilt game, this one is not expected to be a pretty sight. Michigan likely won’t have any issues in taking down Indiana, so there is no real chance of an upset. Questions have been raised regarding the Wolverines’ offense, what Alabama fans should hope for in this matchup is a solid defensive performance by Indiana.
No. 3 Ohio State vs. Purdue
Who or what to root for: Purdue to pull off a magical upset
Is this likely? Not really. However, Purdue has been known to be the team that can spoil a season in an outrageous upset. This is something Ohio State knows all too well.
Syracuse vs. No. 4 Florida State
Who or what to root for: Syracuse to battle, potentially keep it close.
Florida State had a firm grip on the ACC, but Louisville has become a team to watch as the Cardinals and Seminoles are tied at 3-0 in conference play. Louisville has the better overall record at 6-0 compared to Florida State’s 5-0. At the end of the day, a loss to Syracuse at home would eliminate any and all postseason hopes the Seminoles have. Also, poll voters have not hesitated to drop FSU in the event of a close call, could this be one of those scenarios?
UCF vs. No. 5 Oklahoma
Who or what to root for: UCF to prove they belong in the Big 12
UCF has been a disappointment this season. The team is 3-3 overall and 0-3 in the Big 12. A road game against a top-five team is a great opportunity to show the rest of the conference, and the nation, that they belong in a Power 5 conference. An upset is far from likely, but expect UCF to put up a fight against an Oklahoma team that has eyes on the College Football Playoff.
UMass vs. No. 6 Penn State
Who or what to root for: A miracle.
Penn State hosts UMass. The Minutemen are 1-6 overall with some very ugly losses. If the Nittany Lions lose this game, then I’ll advocate for UMass to be granted an auto-bid for this season’s College Football Playoff.
No. 7 Oregon vs. No. 8 Washington
Who or what to root for: Either team, as long as it’s a blowout.
Washington will host Oregon in the biggest matchup of the Week 7 slate. This game has major poll implications, PAC-12 championship implications and College Football Playoff implications. As we saw in recent weeks, teams that rank above Alabama can lose and still stay in front of the Tide. If this matchup ends up close, there’s a chance they both stay top 10. However, if one team wins convincingly, they could fall outside of the top 10, opening up a spot for Alabama to move up.
No. 9 Texas vs. Houston
Who or what to root for: Houston to give Texas some trouble.
Houston, also in its first season as a member of the Big 12, is 3-3 overall with a record of 1-2 in conference play. Texas is now looking to run the table in its remaining games to make the conference championship to get another shot at taking down Oklahoma. Houston has its work cut out for it, but it’s not impossible.
No. 10 USC vs. No. 21 Notre Dame
Who or what to root for: Notre Dame to win.
This is a road game for USC but that’s not the only reason I think Notre Dame has a legitimate chance to win outright. While the Fighting Irish are a two-loss team, I believe they are more than capable of exposing the weaknesses that USC has on defense. This will be a very interesting game to watch with plenty of fans from around the country having something at take depending on the outcome.
No. 25 Miami vs. No. 12 North Carolina
Who or what to root for: Miami to win.
The Hurricanes are coming off of an ugly loss to Georgia Tech at home. A lapse in judgment as the game was winding down led to an upset that led to Miami falling all the way to No. 25. This week, they hit the road to take on UNC. With the Tarheels lurking just behind Alabama in the rankings, it would be in the Tide’s best interest to have them lose. Miami may have made a huge mistake, but without that one incident, that’s a 5-0 ACC team. A win is within reach for Mario Cristobal’s squad.
