Eliminator Week 7: No last-second miracles for Boise State, Ole Miss or UCLA

— -- "It's never over 'til it's over" is one of the most overused clichés in sports.

But has it ever been more true than during the final 10 seconds of Michigan State's 27-23 win over Michigan on Saturday?

At least we know when it's really over at The Eliminator, which is trimming the 128-team FBS field to four for the College Football Playoff.

It's certainly over for Boise State, which turned the ball over seven times in the first half of a 52-26 loss to Utah State on Friday night. And it's over for Ole Miss, which gave up 31 consecutive points in a 37-24 loss to Memphis on Saturday.

The Broncos and Rebels were among six FBS teams that were eliminated from playoff consideration this week. Through seven weeks of the 2015 season, we've eliminated 102 of the 128 FBS teams (79.7 percent), leaving 26 teams in contention for the four playoff spots.

Here's where FBS stands after Week 7:

Jump to sections: Better luck next season | Previously eliminated | Who's in | Still in contention | On the fence

Better luck next season

Trending: DOWN

Here's how Boise State's final eight possessions of the first half ended Friday night: fumble, fumble, interception, interception, touchdown, fumble, fumble and interception (for a touchdown). So that's how the Broncos lost to Utah State 52-26, ending a 12-game winning streak over the Aggies.

Trending: DOWN

Yeah, maybe Thursday night games aren't a great idea. Playing their first Thursday night home game since 1939, the Wildcats lost to Auburn 30-27 at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky is still on track to make a bowl game, with winnable games left against Vanderbilt and Charlotte.

Trending: DOWN

Maybe Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald needs to pin calendars all over his team's locker room to remind his players it's not 2013. After winning five games in a row to start the season, Northwestern has dropped two in a row, including an ugly 40-10 loss to Iowa on Saturday. Two years ago, the Wildcats won their first four games but then lost seven in a row.

Trending: DOWN

We tried to warn the Rebels about Saturday's trip to Memphis being a trap game. Then again, maybe the Tigers are the better team. After falling behind 14-0, Memphis scored 31 consecutive points in a 37-24 victory.

Trending: DOWN

If nothing else, quarterback Christian Hackenberg's final season at Penn State is serving as quite an internship for playing for the Houston Texans. It's even more difficult to throw from your back in the NFL.

Trending: DOWN

Somebody needs to tell the Bruins it's going to be hard to win the Pac-12 if they can't figure out how to beat Oregon and Stanford. The Bruins have lost six consecutive games to Oregon and eight in a row against Stanford, including Thursday night's 56-35 defeat the Farm.

Previously eliminated

Eliminated in Week 1 (30 teams):  Akron Zips, Arkansas State Red Wolves, Army Black Knights, Bowling Green Falcons, Central Michigan Chippewas, Charlotte 49ers (not bowl-eligible),  Colorado Buffaloes, Eastern Michigan Eagles, Florida Atlantic Owls, Georgia Southern Eagles, Georgia State Panthers, Idaho Vandals, Kansas Jayhawks, Kent State Golden Flashes, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, New Mexico State Aggies, SMU Mustangs, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, Texas San Antonio Roadrunners, Texas State Bobcats, Troy Trojans, Tulane Green Wave, UCF Knights, UNLV Rebels, UTEP Miners, Vanderbilt Commodores, Washington State Cougars, Western Michigan Broncos, Wyoming Cowboys

Eliminated in Week 2 (27 teams): Appalachian State Mountaineers, Arkansas Razorbacks, Ball State Cardinals, Buffalo Bulls, Cincinnati Bearcats,  Colorado State Rams, East Carolina Pirates, Florida International Golden Panthers, Fresno State Bulldogs, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Louisville Cardinals, Marshall Thundering Herd, Maryland Terrapins, Massachusetts Minutemen, Miami (OH) RedHawks, Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico Lobos, North Texas Mean Green, Rice Owls, San Diego State Aztecs, San Jose State Spartans, South Alabama Jaguars, South Florida Bulls, Utah State Aggies, Virginia Cavaliers

Eliminated in Week 3 (14 teams): Air Force Falcons, Auburn Tigers, Boston College Eagles, Connecticut Huskies, Iowa State Cyclones, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Northern Illinois Huskies, Old Dominion Monarchs, Purdue Boilermakers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas Longhorns, Tulsa Golden Hurricane, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Eliminated in Week 4 (nine teams): Arizona State Sun Devils, BYU Cougars, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Ohio Bobcats, Oregon State Beavers, Tennessee Volunteers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Washington Huskies

Eliminated in Week 5 (four teams): Arizona Wildcats, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Texas Tech Red Raiders

Eliminated in Week 6 (12 teams): Georgia Bulldogs, Illinois Fighting Illini, Indiana Hoosiers, Kansas State Wildcats, Miami Hurricanes, Missouri Tigers, Navy Midshipmen, NC State Wolfpack, Oregon Ducks, Syracuse Orange, USC Trojans, West Virginia Mountaineers

Who's in

Utah retains the top spot in the College Football Playoff for now, although the Utes looked less than spectacular in their 34-18 victory over Arizona State on Saturday night. Still, the Utes are the lone unbeaten team in the Pac-12. Baylor continues demolishing opponents and probably won't be tested until mid-November in consecutive games against No. 17 Oklahoma (home), No. 14 Oklahoma State (road) and No. 4 TCU (road). LSU gets the No. 3 spot after taking out Florida 35-28 at Death Valley on Saturday night, although Alabama might be the best team in the SEC again. The Crimson Tide and Tigers will settle the debate on the field in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 7. Defending national champion Ohio State gets the No. 4 spot, although Clemson, Florida State and Michigan State are also in the mix.

Still in contention

Trending: UP

Did you see Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin stiff-arm Nick Saban as he tried to call a timeout on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter of a 41-23 win at Texas A&M? See, we told you Kiffin was running the show in Tuscaloosa.

Trending: UP

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen called Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman "the best player in the nation." Coleman is averaging 2.7 touchdown catches per game, better than 120 of 127 FBS teams. Just a reminder: LSU running back Leonard Fournette is pretty good, too.

Trending: UP

Even Tigers coach Dabo Swinney thought Michigan pulled a "Clemson" on its last punt against Michigan State.

Trending: DOWN

The Gators lost 35-28 at LSU, but at least there's hope going forward. Quarterback Treon Harris passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns after replacing suspended starter Will Grier.

Trending: UP

FSU coach Jimbo Fisher had this to say about quarterback Everett Golson, after he threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-21 win over Louisville: "He's playing aggressive but smart football. He's respecting the game but not respecting the ball." Uh, isn't the ball going to be ticked?

Trending: UP

Welcome back to national relevancy, Hawkeyes. It has been quite a while. Iowa is 7-0 after rolling Northwestern 40-10 on the road Saturday. If you look at the Hawkeyes' remaining schedule, there's a good chance they could finish the regular season with an unbeaten record. Dang, did I really just type that?

Trending: UP

LSU coach Les Miles said his heart was "fluttering with each bobble" as kicker Trent Domingue tried to secure a lateral from holder Brad Kragthorpe on a fake field goal attempt that resulted in the winning touchdown in Saturday night's victory over Florida. Of course, the "Mad Hatter" wouldn't have it any other way.

Trending: UP

Spartans sophomore Jalen Watts-Jackson, who returned a muffed punt 38 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the Spartans' 27-23 win over Michigan, underwent surgery Sunday morning for a fractured hip. Even if he never plays another down of football, he'll be named a vice president of some Michigan-based company.

Trending: UP

Notre Dame scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to beat USC 41-31 on Saturday night. It was the first time the Irish scored more than 40 points against the Trojans since 1977, when they warmed up in blue jerseys and then changed to green jerseys before winning 49-19 en route to the national championship.

Trending: EVEN

Moving forward, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said he'll use "whatever it takes to win" in terms of his quarterbacks. Let us help: The Buckeyes averaged 4.1 yards on 34 plays with no touchdowns with Cardale Jones under center against Penn State. They averaged 8.4 yards on 32 plays with five touchdowns when J.T. Barrett was under center. Seems like a no-brainer to us.

Trending: EVEN

The Pokes didn't play this past weekend. They needed an extra week to get ready for Saturday's home game against Kansas.

Trending: UP

NoCal is so much better than SoCal. The Cardinal completed the L.A. sweep by trouncing UCLA 56-35 on Thursday night.

Trending: UP

At this point, the banged-up Horned Frogs can't worry about style points. Their mission is simply to remain unbeaten until Nov. 27 -- the day after Thanksgiving -- when they'll play Baylor with a potential Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.

Trending: EVEN

Yeah, I can kind of understand why Utes coach Kyle Whittingham wouldn't be a good fit for USC. Who would want a coach whose team is three times as tough as the Trojans?

On the fence

Trending: EVEN

The Bears had the weekend off in preparation for Thursday night's game at UCLA. At home last season, Cal lost to the Bruins 36-34.

Trending: EVEN

Duke didn't play this past weekend but remains one of three teams in the ACC's Coastal Division -- Pitt and North Carolina are the others -- that are unbeaten in conference play. The Blue Devils play at Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Trending: EVEN

Houston, Memphis and Temple are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 this week, the first time the American Athletic Conference has had three teams ranked at the same time in its three-year history. The Cougars play Memphis on Nov. 14 and don't play Temple during the regular season.

Trending: UP

With its upset of No. 13 Ole Miss on Saturday, Memphis moved to 6-0 for the first time since 1961. The Tigers won after trailing 14-0, their FBS-leading fourth win this season after facing a double-digit deficit. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 2005 UCLA team was the last FBS member with more than four double-digit comebacks in a single season.

Trending: DOWN

There's hope, Michigan fans: Other Michigan teams have lost to Michigan State and eventually recovered. You'll bounce back, too.

Trending: EVEN

North Carolina coach Larry Fedora has to go to bed every night wondering how in the heck the Tar Heels lost to South Carolina 17-13 on the season's opening night. The Tar Heels have won five games in a row since then, including a 50-14 rout of Wake Forest on Saturday.

Trending: UP

After Oklahoma's flight to Kansas State was delayed for nearly 8½ hours Friday, the Sooners routed the Wildcats 55-0 on Saturday. OU's travel plans for their next trip to Kansas include a connecting flight through Newark, New Jersey, with a five-hour layover.

Trending: UP

Defensive coordinators around the country have to love what Pat Narduzzi is doing in his first season as Pitt's head coach. The former Michigan State defensive coordinator has the Panthers off to a 5-1 start, with their only loss coming on a last-second field goal against undefeated Iowa. In a sport that is dominated by offense-minded coaches, Narduzzi is proving that talented defensive coordinators still make great head coaches.

Trending: EVEN

After beating winless UCF 30-16 on Saturday, the Owls are off to a 6-0 start, matching the best start in school history. Temple was also 6-0 in 1974, '45 and '35. Temple is ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25, ending a 36-year drought of not being ranked.

Trending: DOWN

Yo, Aggies: You still had a couple of months to make your charitable contributions. The IRS gives you until Dec. 31.

Trending: EVEN

The Rockets routed Eastern Michigan 63-20 on Saturday and then moved to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 on Sunday. It is Toledo's highest ranking since it was No. 18 on Nov. 3, 1997. ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Rockets a 17.1 percent chance of finishing the regular season unbeaten, highest among teams from Group of 5 conferences.

Trending: EVEN

Since tailbacks Corey Clement and Taiwan Deal are sidelined with injuries, the Badgers are winning games by -- gasp! -- throwing the ball. Quarterback Joel Stave completed 30 of 39 passes for 322 yards in a 24-7 win over Purdue on Saturday.