College Football Picks Week 7: Odds, Predictions, Schedule, Rankings for Top 25
Don't let the weak schedule fool you.
That's the lesson from Week 6 in college football that has to be applied for Week 7, with no head-to-head matchups among the AP Top 25 teams.
Despite the lack of marquee games, there's still potential for madness to occur in the unlikeliest of places, just like we saw in Iowa State's win over Oklahoma and Michigan State's road triumph over Michigan on Saturday.
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The two major upsets from Week 6 dropped Oklahoma and Michigan out of the AP Top 10, and with plenty of massive showdowns looming in the coming weeks, some of the best programs in the nation could be susceptible to upsets this weekend.
AP Top 25
1. Alabama (6-0)
2. Clemson (6-0)
3. Penn State (6-0)
4. Georgia (6-0)
5. Washington (6-0)
6. TCU (5-0)
7. Wisconsin (5-0)
8. Washington State (6-0)
9. Ohio State (5-1)
10. Auburn (5-1)
11. Miami (FL) (4-0)
12. Oklahoma (4-1)
13. USC (5-1)
14. Oklahoma State (4-1)
15. Virginia Tech (5-1)
16. Notre Dame (5-1)
17. Michigan (4-1)
18. South Florida (5-0)
19. San Diego State (6-0)
20. NC State (5-1)
21. Michigan State (4-1)
22. UCF (4-0)
23. Stanford (4-2)
24. Texas Tech (4-1)
25. Navy (5-0)
Week 7 Schedule (Odds via OddsShark)
Friday, October 13
7 p.m. ET; No. 2 Clemson (-21.5) at Syracuse
10:30 p.m. ET: No. 8 Washington State (-12.5) at California
Saturday, October 14
12 p.m. ET: No. 6 TCU at Kansas State (Odds not available)
12 p.m. ET: No. 17 Michigan (-6.5) at Indiana
12 p.m. ET: No. 20 NC State (-10) at Pittsburgh
12 p.m. ET: No. 24 Texas Tech at West Virginia (-7)
3:30 p.m. ET: Purdue at No. 7 Wisconsin (-16.5)
3:30 p.m. ET: No. 10 Auburn (-6.5) at LSU
3:30 p.m. ET: Georgia Tech at No. 11 Miami (FL) (-9.5)
3:30 p.m. ET: No. 12 Oklahoma (-9.5) at Texas
3:30 p.m. ET: Baylor at No. 14 Oklahoma State (-22)
3:45 p.m. ET: No. 25 Navy at Memphis (-4)
7 p.m. ET: East Carolina at No. 22 UCF (-28)
7:15 p.m. ET: Arkansas at No. 1 Alabama (Odds not available)
7:30 p.m. ET: Missouri at No. 4 Georgia (-28)
7:30 p.m. ET: No. 9 Ohio State (-22.5) at Nebraska
7:30 p.m. ET: Cincinnati at No. 18 South Florida (-24.5)
8 p.m. ET: Utah at No. 13 USC (-11)
8 p.m. ET: No. 21 Michigan State (-3.5) at Minnesota
10:30 p.m. ET: Boise State at No. 19 San Diego State (-7.5)
11 p.m. ET: Oregon at No. 23 Stanford (-11)
Predictions
No. 10 Auburn at LSU
Keeping pace with rival Alabama is the top priority for the Auburn Tigers, who have scored over 40 points in each of their last three games. Auburn has a loss on its resume, but it came at the hands of Clemson in Week 2.
Saturday starts a vital three-game stretch in Auburn's season, as it takes trips to Baton Rouge, Fayetteville and College Station in a four-week span. On paper, the Tigers should be able to handle LSU, but the Bayou Bengals are coming off a close win in The Swamp over Florida.
If you haven't paid attention to Jarrett Stidham yet, it may be time to finally get a pair of eyes on the Baylor transfer now at Auburn. Stidham has completed 71.2 percent of his passes and has consistently guided his team to victories since falling to Clemson.
Auburn also carries a big-play potential that could shift the momentum of this SEC clash in a heartbeat. Five skill players on the roster have a touchdown of 45 yards or more.
LSU has been more up-and-down than it's wanted to be in Ed Orgeron's first full season as head coach, but the Tigers showed in Week 6 that they are able to bounce back as they pulled out a tight 17-16 win over Florida a week after losing to Troy at home. If the Tigers can pull off the upset at home, it could set the stage for a terrific run to end the season as they only have one ranked opponent on the schedule after Saturday.
Derrius Guice returned to action for LSU last week, but he only posted 50 rushing yards on 17 carries. If the powerful running back is able to get going early on Saturday, it will open up more options for Danny Etling in the passing game, and it could end up being the difference-maker.
Prediction: Auburn 20, LSU 16
No. 12 Oklahoma at Texas
The buildup for the 2017 Red River Shootout took a hit in Week 6 as Oklahoma fell victim to an upset at home against Iowa State. Instead of coming into the game as a top-five program, the Sooners are 12th and one loss away from fading out of the College Football Playoff picture.
In the 38-31 defeat to the Cyclones, the Sooners gave up 368 passing yards and 81 yards on the ground. On the offensive side of the ball, the Sooners earned 323 passing yards and 190 rushing yards. The production on offense isn't a concern, and there's no doubt Baker Mayfield will shine in a big game, but the defense has to clean things up.
Containing the Longhorns offense won't be an easy task, especially since they come into Saturday off a tremendous performance against Kansas State. Freshman gunslinger Sam Ehlinger tossed for 380 yards and ran for 107 more in the team's third win of the year.
There's a good chance this game could turn into a shootout with it coming down to the last offensive possession, or Oklahoma could take out its frustration on the Longhorns.
Prediction: Oklahoma 36, Texas 21
No. 25 Navy at Memphis
With the major conference schedule not packing a massive punch in Week 7, it's worth taking a glance at the Group of Five schools for some must-watch football.
Both No. 25 Navy and Memphis have a penchant for putting up points, and Saturday's game in Memphis has implications on the American Athletic Conference West division.
Saturday's clash will also be a contrast of styles, as Navy uses the option to tear apart opponents, while the Tigers love to air it out. Navy is led by quarterback Zach Abey, who has 870 rushing yards and 471 in the air. Opposing Abey will be Riley Ferguson, who has thrown for 1,535 yards, including 431 in a 70-31 win over UConn in Week 6.
On a day when defensive struggles and blowout could rule the roost, at the very least you'll get a shootout from this afternoon AAC showdown.
Prediction: Navy 45, Memphis 38
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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