College football Week 7: Players to watch

North Texas hasn't been winning any games of late, but Austin Aune is one of the more fun stories of the season. Aune spent six seasons in the Yankees organization before being released, which reignited his desire to play college football. Aune, 27, walked on at Arkansas, where he was buried on the depth chart. He would leave for North Texas, where he came off the bench to start 2020 but now has been named the starter. The oldest starting QB in the FBS has thrown for 997 yards and seven touchdowns in his last three games. The Mean Green travels to Middle Tennessee on Saturday. 

There is one huge question heading into Week 7: Is Stetson Bennett for real? Not too long ago, Bennett was fourth on the depth chart before an opt-out, an injury that hasn't quite healed and poor play vaulted him into the starting job. No one could have figured that Georgia would be starting the former walk-on and scout team QB as it heads into Alabama for what might be the biggest regular-season game of the year. Can Bennett, who is third in the FBS in ESPN's Total QBR, go into Tuscaloosa and get a win? 

The last time we saw Shane Buechele, he was putting up 474 yards and three touchdowns against the Memphis Tigers. Buechele found wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr. five times for a ridiculous 243 yards (that's a 48.6 yards per reception average to you and me) and two touchdowns. The Mustangs have been airing it out. SMU heads to Tulane this Friday night for what could be a wild game. The Green Wave held Buechele to a season-low 180 passing yards last year.

North Carolina just ran over Virginia Tech last week, with Carter piling up 214 yards and a couple of touchdowns in the 56-45 win. Carter has already rushed for 413 yards in three games and is averaging more than 10 yards per carry on the season. After tearing up the Hokies for 399 rushing yards, the Tar Heels head to Florida State to face the ACC's third-worst rushing defense (the Heels already faced the two schools that are worse). Expect more big rushing stats from Carter. 

After an unbelievable debut at Mississippi State (623 passing yards and 5 TDs against LSU), Costello has hit some hard times. Last week against Kentucky, he threw the ball 55 times but gained just 232 yards on 36 completions. He also failed the throw for a touchdown and was picked off four times in the loss to the Wildcats. Now the Bulldogs host Texas A&M, which has been involved in a pair of shootouts and could allow Costello to find his rhythm. 

Etienne is just piling up the resume now. Last week against Miami, Etienne set an FBS record by recording his 39th career game with a TD. He trails just Dalvin Cook and Ted Brown for the all-time rushing yards mark in ACC history and needs just 173 yards to claim the top spot. Etienne has rushed for at least 173 yards in a game four times during his career. Could he do it a fifth time against Georgia Tech this week and set the record?

Harris wants to get the bad taste of that ugly loss to Clemson out of his mouth. The junior running back rushed the ball only eight times and totaled three yards. Three yards. Counting the blowout win over Florida State, Harris has rushed for just 46 yards over the last two games but has five rushing TDs. Now he has to go up against the FBS' second-best run defense in Pittsburgh.

Harris had a huge day against Mississippi last week, rushing for 206 yards and five touchdowns against the Rebels. He is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and has scored 10 times in three games this season. Harris will face a stiff test as the second-ranked Tide host No. 3 Georgia on Saturday night. Georgia boasts the FBS' best rush defense that has allowed just 38 yards per game, just 1.5 yards per carry and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown this year. 

Jones has been phenomenal this season, averaging 367 passing yards and totaling eight touchdowns over three games. Last week against Mississippi, Jones completed 28 of 32 passes for 417 yards in a shootout win over the Rebels. This week, Alabama welcomes No. 3 Georgia into Tuscaloosa, where Jones will face the best defense in the FBS. Is Jones up to the challenge on such a big stage?   

Not all things are equal in the 2020 college football season. But entering Week 7, UTSA's Sincere McCormick is the FBS' leader in rushing yards. He ran for 197 yards in the season-opening win over Texas State and rolled to 150 yards against a good UAB defense. Last week, McCormick struggled against BYU, who he gained just 42 yards on (with 23 yards coming on one play). UTSA hosts Army, the leading rushing team in the FBS. 

For a few years now, I haven't been able to put my faith in Kellen Mond's ability to take his place among the SEC's elite signal callers. He has the talent and shows flashes of his potential but just doesn't seem to get it done in the big moments. Well, Mond has played very well this year and beat Florida last week in a shootout at Kyle Field. He has averaged 328 yards in his last two games -- a loss to Alabama and the aforementioned win over Florida -- and had six passing touchdowns and just one pick in those games. A&M gets a relative breather at Mississippi State on Saturday. Last year, Mond threw for three touchdowns and ran for two against the Bulldogs.

Check out what Pickett has done: He leads the FBS in passing yards and is tied for eighth in the FBS with five rushing touchdowns. He's also good at playing in fun, exciting games as the Panthers' last three games have been nail-biters. In last year's game against this week's opponent, Miami, Pickett delivered one of the performances games of his career. He threw for just 146 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Williams was brilliant last week against Florida State, rushing for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. The Irish host Louisville this week, and the Cardinals have been one of the nation's biggest disappointments. The Cardinals allowed 242 rushing yards last week to Georgia Tech, so look for Williams to have another big game. 

Wilson has been having a great season and has been remarkably consistent. He is averaging 310 yards per game and has thrown exactly two touchdown passes in each of the Cougars' four wins. Wilson has also completed 82 of his 101 passes this season -- an 81.2% clip! Sure, he hasn't been doing this against the biggest names in college football, but those teams are 10-3 against the rest of their schedules. BYU faces another set of Cougars this week as it travels to Houston in what should be a wild, high-scoring affair.