College Football Week 7 Predictions: OSU/Oregon, OKL/Tex, Penn.St/USC, Ole Miss/LSU and More

In week 6, all hell broke loose with Vandy in a complete shocker over Bama on a Saturday to remember forever. 7 out of the 17 active ranked teams lost, and only Texas A&M, a favorite, was inside the Top 25 amazingly.

Week 7 is jam-packed with marquee matchups in the Big Ten and SEC, headlined by #2 Ohio State versus #3 Oregon. There are four weeks until the first College Football rankings are released, so a lot can and will happen in the meantime.

Marquee Matchups

#2 Ohio State vs. #3 Oregon: At the beginning of the season, many media members had these two programs as the favorites in the inaugural ‘new’ Big Ten era. Ohio State has leaned into its bitter rival Michigan’s dedication to pounding the rock. While remaining in the chamber is a potent pass game to boot. Both teams can explode at any time on offense when it comes to yardage, but the Buckeyes average 46 points per game compared to the Ducks, who score 35.

Oregon has turned the ball over in the red zone of late, so QB Dillon Gabriel must get that under control if the Ducks are victorious. Through two games, the Ducks stumbled at times, not able to put four quarters together. Since their dominant performance versus in-state foe Oregon State, Oregon is closer to matching its preseason hype. Defense and ball control will be huge in this highly important contest, which favors Ohio State. Too much talent team versus team resides with the Buckeyes.

The Pick: Ohio State -3

DraftKings

4.5/5

Tip: Bet Ohio State -3.5

• Ohio State wins on the ground
• Oregon at home
• Ohio State more talented

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#1 Texas vs. #18 Oklahoma: This will be the first instalment of the Red River Rivalry, counting as an SEC conference game. Texas proved they could run the ball against a still fairly stiff defense in Michigan. While the Sooners proved they could contain a high-powered offence like Tennessee, even in a loss. Texas star QB Quinn Ewers will return just in time for their rival Oklahoma. Seeing the Sooners putting up around 28 points a game is extraordinary. The one thing going for Oklahoma is a solid brand of defense.

From top to bottom, Texas is the more experienced and high-caliber roster in the present day. Oklahoma will need to move the ball and put up points any chance they face this Longhorns defense. It is a difficult task, considering five Sooners wide receivers remain out with injuries. Defensively, the only way Oklahoma wins is through turnovers and the need to be a bend, but don’t break in the red area on defence. These games tend to be closer than expected, so that +14.5 looks very tempting, even if this College Football podcaster believes Texas wins.

The Pick: Texas wins, but Oklahoma +14.5

DraftKings

4.5/5

Tip: Bet Oklahoma +14.5

• Ewers to have a big day
• Rivalry game
• Point spread to big

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Under The Radar

#9 Ole Miss vs. #13 LSU: Flying under the radar because of the high profile names in week 7 but make no mistake this is huge in the SEC standings. The Rebels need this win even more now having been upset by Kentucky. Ole Miss did manage to bounce back in a convincing victory over the scrappy South Carolina Gamecocks. LSU has been shaky defensively but are coming off a bye week.

Ole Miss should be able to put up points and so far they’ve shown to have the better defense. The Rebels are rightfully slated at -3.5 yet it’s hard to deny LSU at home with a high level offense. We all know the name of the stadium where dreams go to die is ‘Death Valley’.

The Pick: LSU +3.5 

#4 Penn State vs. USC: The Trojans were caught looking ahead at Saturday’s tilt as they went down swinging in a road loss to Minnesota. Penn State has shown the knack of a big-play offense through the run game and this season, even with the passing attack. The new offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, was just what the doctor ordered compared to the stale one-dimensional offense the Nittany Lions had last year. Keep an eye on one half of the dynamic duo backfield to see if Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton is a go.

Minnesota randomly had problems running the ball when playing FBS schools this year. That was the case until the Gophers lit up USC for almost 200 yards on the ground. Penn State gashed a very good Illinois defense for 241 rushing yards, and there is no reason the Nittany Lions won’t be able to run the ball on Saturday. USC will be forced to pass at some point, so they will need a spectacular day from their QB, Miller Moss. The problem is the Trojans’ offensive line won’t hold up long enough for Moss to do his thing.

The Pick: Penn State -4

Saturday Upset Special

Virginia as a +7.5 home dog defeats Louisville.

Hardcore Barnburners

#11 Iowa State at West Virginia: Undefeated Iowa State head to a difficult stadium to play in facing WV in Morgantown. The Mountaineers allowed two scores in a short amount of time in a loss to Pitt. Only too turn right around stunning Kansas with 2 late scores. Iowa State has only beaten a good team in Iowa and that was via comeback. No clue who will win this one but the game will be there for the taking in the 4th.

The Pick: West Virginia +3.5

#18 Kansas State at Colorado: The odds makers were wrong making Colorado a huge underdog against UCF. After that dominate display now the Buffaloes face K-State at home. The Wildcats one major slip up on the road at BYU could be chalked up as fluky given all the defensive/special teams touchdowns the Cougars scored. Can Colorado continue to improve in the rush game will be the likely key item whether they beat Kansas State or not. Colorado’s defense will be tested from QB Avery Johnson’s arm and especially legs.

The Pick: Kansas State -3.5

Against The Spread

#18 Oklahoma +14.5 versus #1 Texas

South Carolina +21.5 versus #7 Alabama

Stanford +23.5 versus #11 Notre Dame

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Quick Hits Recap

-Vanderbilt was 0-60 facing Top-5 opponents before they shocked the world by beating #1 Alabama.

-The Commodores faithful walked damn near 3 miles with the goalpost and proceeded to throw that puppy in the Cumberland river.

-That Vandy loss was the first game in which Alabama never led since the 2019 season.

-Tennessee’s losing streak at Arkansas continued with a 19-14 loss. The Vols haven’t won in Fayetteville since 2001.

-Texas A&M got their largest victory over an AP Top-10 foe in school history smacking around Missouri by 31 points.

-Miami was down 35-10 to California and somehow rallied back to a 39-38 win riding on the shoulders of QB Cam Ward’s 427 passing yards and 3 total TD’s.

-That Miami comeback over Cal was the Canes largest margin since a 28-point deficit overcame back in 1999 versus Boston College.

-Dabo Swinney earned his ACC record 174 wins in a storied run at Clemson.

-RB Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty has 1,031 rushing yards and 16 rushing TD’s in just 5 games.

Written by Chris Carlson Host of The College Ball Show Podcast available at blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio & Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio