College Football Week 7 Odds, Predictions & Best Bets To Back Today
Finally, some clarity in the scene entering Week 7.
Last weekend provided a host of upsets and thrilling finishes that helped clear things up, and the College Football Playoff scenarios are starting to take shape.
Now we’ve got another loaded slate, including the biggest Pac-12 game in recent memory with No. 8 Oregon taking on No. 7 Washington in Seattle. We’ve also got a huge rivalry game in South Bend as No. 10 USC, fresh off a near-disaster in a triple-overtime win over Arizona, looks to stay unbeaten against No. 21 Notre Dame.
Those are just of few of the highlights of the forthcoming action on and , with much more to come in Week 7.
College Football Week 7 Odds
College Football Week 7 Best Bets
Indiana +33 over Michigan
The Wolverines are still No. 2 in the AP Poll, but there’s no doubt they’ve been the most dominant team in the country so far this year. Michigan has won every game by 25 points or more and is coming off a 52-10 dismantling of Minnesota. Oddsmakers expect more of the same Saturday, with Michigan favored by nearly five touchdowns at home against Indiana.
The Hoosiers are down bad once again. They’re 2-3 on the year and coming off a 44-17 loss to Maryland. Indiana needed four overtimes just to get past Akron at home, and they don’t match up well at any position. The Michigan Stadium faithful should also be on top of their game after back-to-back road wins for the Wolverines.
One thing to consider here is Michigan has had consecutive travel weeks in Nebraska and Minnesota. That can add up midway through the season, and the Wolverines might get off to a slower start than expected. Strong as Michigan has looked, this is just too many points.
Best Bet:
Oregon +3 over Washington
It doesn’t get any better than this. No. 8 Oregon travels to No. 7 Washington Saturday for a battle of Pac-12 unbeatens. Both the Ducks and the Huskies look like legitimate College Football Playoff threats, and they’d love to add one more conference championship on the way out the door before heading to the Big Ten next season.
Washington has the best passing attack in the country, whereas the Ducks thrive on balance offensively. Oregon also has a nasty defense that’s allowed just 255.6 yards per game this season. The Huskies are favored by a field goal and we can’t wait to see how this one plays out in the Game of the Week at Husky Stadium in Seattle.
The Huskies are better at quarterback, but this is the best defense they’ve seen all year by a mile. Oregon has held four of its five opponents to 10 points or less and the Ducks will dictate the pace in this one. We like them to come out on top with a few big stops down the stretch.
Best Bet:
Tennessee -3.5 over Texas A&M
Texas A&M gave Alabama all it could handle Saturday in an eventual 26-20 loss for the Aggies. A&M led 17-10 at halftime but managed just three points in the second half, letting an upset win slip away in the final minutes. Now it’s time to regroup immediately with a road trip to Knoxville on deck.
Tennessee is coming off a bye week and didn’t have any problems against South Carolina two weeks ago in a 41-20 home victory. Both teams are still alive in the SEC race with just one conference loss, and oddsmakers have the Vols as -3.5 favorites for what should be a barnburner at Neyland Stadium.
That rest differential is huge this week, with A&M coming off another physically-taxing game against the Tide. In a close matchup like this one, it should make all the difference with a well-rested Vols team ready to take advantage.
Best Bet:
Kansas -3 over Oklahoma State
This should be a back-and-forth battle in Stillwater, where the 5-1 Jayhawks are coming to take on Oklahoma State. The Cowboys got back on track last week in a 29-21 home win over Kansas State, but back-to-back losses to South Alabama and Iowa State have them behind the eight ball less than halfway into the season.
Kansas appears to be a legitimate threat in the Big 12 after a 51-22 blitzing of UCF. The Jayhawks also have a solid win over BYU as coach Lance Leipold continues to turn things around in Year 3. Taking care of business as a small road favorite would be another huge step in the right direction.
Both teams are vulnerable against the run here, but the Jayhawks are built to take advantage. This is a dangerous, balanced Kansas attack and the Cowboys will struggle to play catch-up if they fall behind at any point.
Best Bet:
Auburn +11.5 over LSU
LSU barely escaped Missouri and avoided a third loss in a 49-39 win Saturday that was much closer than the score indicated. That keeps the Bayou Bengals firmly alive in the SEC race, and they have a chance to eliminate Auburn in that regard and hand the Tigers a third straight conference loss.
Auburn does have the rest advantage of a bye week. It was much needed after coming up just short with a 27-20 home loss in an all-out battle with No. 1 Georgia, but things don’t get any easier this week against one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Jayden Daniels. Oddsmakers have LSU favored by nearly two touchdowns.
We think this is too many points given the circumstances. The Tigers should be confident knowing they took Georgia to the wire, they’ve had two weeks to prepare and LSU has played three crazy, close games in a row.
Best Bet:
Notre Dame -2.5 over USC
Both teams are coming off extremely disappointing showings – USC needed three overtimes to get past lowly Arizona in a 43-41 win Saturday, while Notre Dame got beat up in a 33-20 loss at Louisville.
This is still a huge top-25 rivalry matchup with big implications. The Trojans are unbeaten at 6-0, but the defense has given up 40-plus points in consecutive weeks. Notre Dame is still somewhat alive in the national picture, but it can’t afford another loss the rest of the way. And the Irish are -2.5 favorites for a huge showdown in South Bend.
Caleb Williams has single-handedly bailed this defense out multiple times, but eventually, it will catch up with the Trojans. USC does not have an impressive win on the schedule and Notre Dame is battle-tested as can be after seven games. This is Irish QB Sam Hartman’s time to shine and we expect him to take advantage.
Best Bet:
Miami +3.5 over North Carolina
The Hurricanes are coming off the most devastating loss imaginable. A brutal coaching mistake directly caused a late turnover and Georgia Tech pulled off an unthinkable 23-20 road win in Miami. The question is whether or not the Hurricanes will let one loss become two and send this season off the rails.
Oddsmakers have the Tar Heels as -3.5 favorites with North Carolina coming off a dominant showing in a 40-7 win over Syracuse to stay unbeaten on the year. This is a huge game for the Tar Heels as they look to establish themselves as legit ACC contenders.
As brutal as that loss was for the Hurricanes, the Yellowjackets are not a terrible team and Miami had it in the bag for 59 minutes. We expect a strong response this week from a team we shouldn’t count out just yet.
Best Bet:
Oregon State -3.5 over UCLA
The Pac-12 Conference isn’t going down without a fight. This is one of the most competitive years in conference in recent years and we’ve got another significant matchup Saturday, with 4-1 UCLA heading to 5-1 Oregon State. The Beavers shook off a 38-35 loss to Washington State with big back-to-back wins over Utah and Cal.
The Bruins are coming off a big upset win of their own, handing Washington State its first loss of the year. Both teams have momentum and believe they can win the conference, and the have the Beavers as one-score favorites early this week.
This should be a great battle with two no-nonsense defenses and solid quarterbacks. D.J. Uiagalelei seems to have found his comfort zone in Corvallis and Reser Stadium will be absolutely rocking for this one. Enough to make the difference in the second half of a back-and-forth thriller.
