B/R Experts Week 7 College Football Rankings 2024 | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

The Texas Longhorns entered Week 7 ranked No. 1 in the final AP Poll and made a compelling case to remain at the top of the college football world with a 34-3 win over No. 18 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.

However, the Oregon Ducks belong right now in that conversation.

After beginning Big Ten play with lopsided wins over UCLA and Michigan State, the Ducks faced their first major test in conference play and easily their biggest game of the regular season when they welcomed Ohio State to Eugene on Saturday night.

The game lived up to the high expectations that come with meeting the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the nation, and quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel (373 yards, 3 TDs) and Will Howard (339 yards, 3 TDs) both had big games the air.

The Ducks kicked the go-ahead field goal with 1:47 left after an 11-play, 59-yard drive, but the Buckeyes still had plenty of time to score a drive of their own. They marched to the Oregon 28-yard line, but an offensive pass interference sent them back 15 yards and the game ended in bizarre fashion.

With five seconds left in the game, Howard scrambled for a 12-yard gain, but couldn't get down in time to stop the game and give the Buckeyes a chance to use their final timeout for a field goal attempt before time expired had expired.

The Ducks improved to 6-0 with a win over No. 2 seed in the country, adding to a record that also includes a win over current No. 17 Boise State in Week 2. They will likely still trail Texas when the latest AP poll is released on Sunday, but the gap has narrowed significantly.