Life at Oregon State isn’t easy.
It isn’t fun when all your conference mates abandon you, leaving your future in doubt. But while you’re spending all this time trying to ensure your program will be safe, you have to play the games, too.
That part isn’t easy, either.
The 2025 season has been a tumultuous one for the Beavers, and they suffered a 39-14 home loss to Wake Forest on Oct. 11. The defeat drops Oregon State to 0-7, making it the first team in the FBS to be eliminated from bowl eligibility and the only team in the country with seven losses.
Not only is it the program’s worst start since 1991, but the Beavers have mostly looked lifeless all season, losing by an average of 17.9 points per game. As the Demon Deacons applied the beatdown in front of a hopeless Reser Stadium, whatever fans stuck around resorted to the infamous paper-bag-over-head.
I am emotionless. Can’t think of any other way to describe it.
The Oregon State administration doesn’t care. The fans and more importantly the students are powerless to change anything. @BeaverAD and @BrentBlaylock1 need to go. @OregonStatePres, please. We need your help. pic.twitter.com/SLlEqc8tYm
— Obeav-Wan 🦫🤙 (@ObeavWan) October 11, 2025
Including the first round and quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, there are 43 bowl games, meaning 82 of the 136 FBS teams are able to play a postseason game. Make that 135 now thanks to Oregon State. Hopefully, the Beavers can win in Week 8 when FCS Lafayette visits Corvallis.
Times are tough for Oregon State, and it leads the best and worst things of college football in Week 7.
Worst: Kirby Smart’s hijinx
A strange incident unfolded in Georgia vs. Auburn, and some discipline should be in store for Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart.
In the fourth quarter, Smart apparently called for a timeout. When officials blew play dead for said timeout, Smart suddenly didn’t know what was going on. He tried to explain that he was just clapping his hands, and the worst part is, the officials bought it.
When replays were shown on the broadcast, it was very easy to tell Smart was lying. Essentially, he delayed the game and wasn’t penalized for it.
Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy try to make sense of Kirby Smart getting off the hook for calling a timeout here. pic.twitter.com/L6Bk43fuvs
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 12, 2025
It’s hard to decide who handled it worse, Smart or the referees, and Auburn had every right to be upset about it … especially when the jumbotron in Jordan-Hare Stadium proved Smart was guilty.
Best: Kent State gets FBS win
Kent State entered the 2025 season as seemingly one of the worst teams in the country, but the Golden Flashes are making tremendous progress under interim coach Mark Carney.
In the season opener, they beat Merrimack to snap a 21-game losing streak. In Week 7, they put on a strong performance to beat Massachusetts 42-6 for their first win over an FBS team since 2022. The Golden Flashes had lost 26 consecutive games to FBS opponents, with the last victory coming 1,050 days ago.
Finally, the skid is over. The Minutemen aren’t feeling better with an 0-6 record.
Worst: Disaster ‘College GameDay’ kick
Pat McAfee’s field goal challenge on ESPN’s “College GameDay” has become one of the best segments in college football, allowing a student the chance to win a huge amount of money. There’s been awesome celebrations in doing so.
But none of that happened when the show visited Eugene. A student named Luca had the chance to win $1 million and a new car.
His kick was a complete disaster.
“NO WINNER!”
Pat McAfee was hyped he and Nick Saban didn’t have to pay $1M for this kick attempt 😂 pic.twitter.com/7nLti2Azxo
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 11, 2025
Just more proof kicking is hard.
Best: Oklahoma State shirtless dudes
Sometimes, dudes just got to be dudes.
There hasn’t been much excitement about Oklahoma State this season, but a spectacular scene unfolded inside Boone-Pickens Stadium during a 39-17 loss to Houston.
What started as one shirtless guy waving his shirt in the air in an empty section, just having fun, turned into a chaotic scene. More and more people joined in on the fun, and before anyone could blink, the section was flooded with people just having a good time.
Guys being dudes https://t.co/rWHi3VPx8ypic.twitter.com/tNhY2CdGSm
— Oklahoma State Athletics (@OSUAthletics) October 11, 2025
Even in the midst of defeat, Cowboys fans were able to have a smile in a moment that just makes college football special.
Worst: Students getting called out
No. 4 Mississippi survived a scare from Washington State to remain undefeated, and coach Lane Kiffin wasn’t happy with his team’s performance. However, it wasn’t the only thing he was displeased with: He took issue with the home crowd.
“I thought our Red Zone offense showed up about like our student section,” Kiffin said.
To add further insult, Cougars quarterback Zevi Eckhaus said the loudest he heard the crowd was actually when the traveling Washington State fans were cheering, and noted Wazzu never had to use a silent count.
Clearly, there are some problems with the home field advantage for the Rebels, and Kiffin is trying to get people fully invested in a potential College Football Playoff team. Time for the students, and likely the entire crowd, to step up.
Best: Fernando Mendoza
Indiana picked up arguably one of its biggest wins in program history over Oregon, and of course, the Hoosiers were pretty pumped about it.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been known to give a great quote, and he gave an incredible postgame interview to CBS following the victory. He made sure to shout out so many people, and even gave love to Pat McAfee and ESPN – a rival network.
Indiana star QB Fernando Mendoza had a whole lot to say after the win over Oregon, including a shoutout for Pat McAfee (and Boston Connor).
CBS reporter Jenny Dell: “ESPN, CBS, whatever. We’ll go with that.” 🏈🎙️ #CFBhttps://t.co/c76wbzQVY9pic.twitter.com/XdWkS9TDho
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 11, 2025
Not only is Mendoza climbing up the Heisman Trophy odds, he’s becoming a person college football fans adore.
Worst: Booger McFarland’s odds comments
It’s obvious defensive players make it a mission to dish out punishment to opposing offenses, but admitting to trying to specifically injure someone is going a little too far.
We learned that questionable tactics are apparently something people think of thanks to ESPN’s Booger McFarland. When discussing Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer’s injury, the analyst said if he were playing, he’d be thinking about some unsportsmanlike tactics.
“That’s a thumb and a hand I would be looking to step on as a defensive lineman,” McFarland said on ABC.
“That’s a thumb and a hand I would be looking to step on.” – ESPN/ABC’s Booger McFarland on Oklahoma QB John Mateer, who recently had surgery on a broken bone in his right hand. 😬 pic.twitter.com/E7sbK9uHES
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 11, 2025
That’s a pretty low, unprofessional comment to make. It sounds like a bounty-type of comment. Hopefully, current players aren’t taking this as actual advice and are better than that.
Best: UCLA’s hot run
Remember two weeks ago when we all figured UCLA would finish 0-12? Crazy how things can change.
The Bruins showed they weren’t a one-hit wonder with a dominant road performance against Michigan State to follow their victory against Penn State.
UCLA is now 2-4, and while it still isn’t much, there is an obscure scenario: the Bruins recover from the 0-4 start and run the table toward the Big Ten title game. Will it happen? Likely not, with Indiana and Ohio State on the road later this season.
But UCLA’s drastic turnaround shows the beauty of college football – it’s a chaotic, beautiful mess, and deep down, wouldn’t we all love to see the Bruins turn into a sudden contender?
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) October 11, 2025
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football Week 7 best, worst led by Oregon State, Kirby Smart