College Football Picks Week 7: Odds, Predictions, Schedule, Rankings for Top 25
Two of the most consequential games for the College Football Playoff take place in Week 7.
The Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies face off in a battle of Top 10 teams in the Pac-12 that could decide the front-runner to win the conference.
Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans face their first major test of 2023 on the road against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The USC-Notre Dame clash lost some of its luster after the Irish lost their second game of the season in Week 6.
Notre Dame can still play a role in the playoff conversation as the spoiler against a USC side that looked vulnerable at home on Saturday.
The Oregon-Washington clash has potential for a ton of points, while USC-Notre Dame may be dictated by defense based on Notre Dame's first home game against a ranked foe.
Saturday, October 14
No. 1 Georgia (-32.5) at Vanderbilt (Noon ET, CBS)
Indiana at No. 2 Michigan (-34) (Noon ET, Fox)
No. 3 Ohio State (-20.5) at Purdue (Noon ET, Peacock)
Syracuse at No. 4 Florida State (-18) (Noon ET, ABC)
Arkansas at No. 11 Alabama (-19) (Noon ET, ESPN)
California at No. 16 Utah (-13.5) (3 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network)
Massachusetts at No. 6 Penn State (-43) (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington (-3) (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Texas A&M at No. 19 Tennessee (-3.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
No. 23 Kansas (-4) at Oklahoma State (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
No. 14 Louisville (-8) at Pittsburgh (6:30 p.m. ET, CW Network)
Arizona at No. 19 Washington State (-9.5) (7 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network)
Auburn at No. 22 LSU (-12) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 10 USC at No. 21 Notre Dame (-2.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
No. 25 Miami at No. 12 North Carolina (-3.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Missouri at No. 24 Kentucky (-2.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
No. 18 UCLA at No. 15 Oregon State (-4.5) (8 p.m. ET, Fox)
NC State at No. 17 Duke (-3.5) (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
Oregon and Washington have the potential to send their game into the seventies, like it did a year ago.
Washington won last year's battle in Eugene behind Michael Penix Jr.'s 408 passing yards, but the Ducks were able to move the ball on the Huskies.
Oregon ran for 312 yards, led by Bucky Irving's 146 yards, and Bo Nix threw for 280 yards.
All of those totals conjure up high hopes for the battle of top 10 teams that could decide the Pac-12's front-runner for the playoff.
Nix and Penix have combined for 3,458 passing yards and 31 touchdowns through the air. The two Heisman Trophy contenders have just three interceptions between them.
Oregon's defense possesses far better numbers than Washington's unit. The Ducks have held their last three opponents to 22 combined points, but none of those foes have offenses as explosive as Washington's Penix-led squad.
Penix could pick apart the Ducks, like he did last year, and that would force Nix to play catch up with his counterpart, which may lead to both players putting on a performance worthy of being the Heisman Trophy favorite.
Everything about USC's performances this year suggests the Trojans will have to win a high-scoring game to keep up their undefeated record.
The Trojans scored over 40 points in each of their six wins and gave up at least 28 points in four of those contests.
Caleb Williams and Co. may be forced to win a different style of game against Sam Hartman and Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's defense averages a concession of 279.4 total yards per game, and its offense has not gotten over 21 points in the last three weeks.
The Irish played their three toughest games of the season in the last three weeks against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Duke Blue Devils and Louisville Cardinals.
Notre Dame's defense can hang with the best offenses in the country, and if Hartman fails to unleash a massive performance, the only way the Irish can compete is with a game in the twenties or low thirties.
Exhaustion from both teams could also play a factor in the under hitting. USC just went through a three-overtime battle with the Arizona Wildcats one week after absorbing a second-half comeback from the Colorado Buffaloes. Notre Dame is finishing its toughest four-game stretch of the season on Saturday. It may take some time for both teams to get going after their tough prior contests.
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