5 College Football Programs That Should Be Worried After Week 7
TJ Inman
Host · Writer
The season is now half over, and clear trends and narratives have emerged. Which five teams should be worried after seven weeks of the 2025 college football season?
1. Auburn Tigers
This was supposed to be the year for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers. The day Freeze got this job, he pointed towards the 2025 campaign as the one that would present a breakthrough opportunity for his program, and fans have been patient during the rebuild phase. Auburn recruited well in the high school ranks and bolstered the talent and depth on the lines of scrimmage with additions from the transfer portal. Unfortunately, it is now clear that Freeze got the most critical position on the field dreadfully wrong. Jackson Arnold is not the answer, and the Tigers have scored just 37 points through three SEC games. They now sit at the bottom of the standings after another frustrating loss, this time to Georgia. Without an answer at quarterback, there’s no path forward for Freeze on The Plains.
Week 8: Missouri at Auburn (-2.5)
2. Florida State Seminoles
After a rousing start to the season with a thumping of Alabama, the Florida State Seminoles have now dropped three straight ACC games this season and a completely shocking eight straight ACC contests overall. Their path to the College Football Playoff is now destroyed after a loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers at home. Pittsburgh has 479 total yards and 321 yards through the air as Florida State’s defense continues to flail. FSU has improved significantly over the debacle that was 2024, but this season is now trending downwards, and they still have road trips to Clemson, NC State, and Florida on the schedule. What’s the bar for Mike Norvell to clear to keep his job, and is he capable of reaching it?
3. Wisconsin Badgers
Have the Wisconsin Badgers hit rock bottom now? Luke Fickell’s squad hosted the Iowa Hawkeyes and was completely dismantled in a dreadful performance that resulted in a 37-0 loss. The Badgers had only 209 yards of offense and turned the ball over three times as they fell to just 2-4 and 0-3 in the Big Ten. They have been outscored 20-88 in Big Ten play, and it is painfully obvious that Fickell is not the answer moving forward, but does Wisconsin have the funds available to pay his gigantic buyout and make the necessary move? Things will get no better as they host Wisconsin this Saturday.
Week 8: Ohio State (-27.5) at Wisconsin
4. South Carolina Gamecocks
LaNorris Sellers was expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and the South Carolina Gamecocks were viewed as a College Football Playoff team entering the 2025 season. Instead, Shane Beamer’s team is 3-3 and just 1-3 in the SEC, and Sellers does not appear to have made any progress from last season to this campaign. South Carolina was outgained 422 to 317 yards in the 20-10 defeat to the LSU Tigers. What’s the reaction in Columbia if the wheels fall off for the Gamecocks? They now take on Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss, along with the season-ending clash against Clemson, so we might just find out.
Week 8: Oklahoma at South Carolina (+4.5)
5. Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State hired Jonathan Smith from Oregon State at the same time Indiana hired Curt Cignetti. The national media lauded the hire as a “home run" that would put Michigan State in a great spot to compete in the Big Ten. While a direct comparison is not necessarily fair, it’s hard to ignore how great the Hoosiers look with their second-year head coach compared to the pit the Spartans have fallen into. Michigan State got shellacked by UCLA, and the Spartans are now 0-3 in the Big Ten and losers of three straight contests. Smith is firmly on the hot seat because his team is regressing, and they are now nearly four-touchdown underdogs to the aforementioned Indiana Hoosiers this Saturday.
Week 8: Michigan State at Indiana (-26.5)
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