College Football Odds Week 7: Picks, Score Predictions for Top 25 Teams
Four of the Top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 take to the road in Week 7.
Of the quartet, three programs face significant tests as they try to keep their respective College Football Playoff hopes alive.
No. 2 Georgia moves into the spotlight for the first time since Week 2, as it visits Tiger Stadium to play No. 13 LSU, while No. 7 Washington faces a massive Pac-12 North clash at No. 17 Oregon.
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While those are difficult tests, the team that will struggle the most is No. 6 West Virginia, which embarks on a Big 12 road trip to face a program synonymous with upsets, Iowa State.
Week 7 Schedule and Odds (Available Odds via OddsShark)
All Times ET.
Friday, October 12
No. 23 South Florida (-7) at Tulsa (7 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, October 13
Minnesota at No. 3 Ohio State (-29.5) (Noon, Fox)
No. 14 Florida (-7) at Vanderbilt (Noon, ESPN)
Tennessee at No. 21 Auburn (-15.5) (Noon, SEC Network)
Pittsburgh at No. 5 Notre Dame (-21) (2:30 p.m., NBC)
No. 2 Georgia (-7.5) at No. 13 LSU (3:30 p.m., CBS)
No. 7 Washington (-3) at No. 17 Oregon (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2)
Michigan State at No. 8 Penn State (-13.5) (3:30 p.m. BTN)
Baylor at No. 9 Texas (-14) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
No. 10 UCF (-4.5) at Memphis (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2)
No. 22 Texas A&M (-2) at South Carolina (3:30 p.m., SEC Network)
Missouri at No. 1 Alabama (-28) (7 p.m., ESPN)
No. 6 West Virginia (-6.5) at Iowa State (7 p.m., FS1)
No. 16 Miami (-6.5) at Virginia (7 p.m., ESPN2)
No. 15 Wisconsin at No. 12 Michigan (-8.5) (7:30 p.m., ABC)
No. 19 Colorado at USC (-7) (10:30 p.m., FS1)
Predictions
Iowa State 34, West Virginia 28
Matt Campbell's Iowa State Cyclones have perfected the art of the upset.
A year ago, the Cyclones took down a pair of Top Five teams in Oklahoma and TCU, and they'll earn their latest scalp Saturday when No. 6 West Virginia comes to town.
Iowa State is coming off its first win over a ranked opponent in Week 6, as it knocked off Oklahoma State on the road.
With confidence flowing through the squad, the Cyclones will take pride in defending their home field and shut down the offensive threat posed by West Virginia quarterback Will Grier.
Even if Grier produces another 300-yard passing performance, the Cyclones have experience absorbing the numbers put up by a dynamic quarterback.
In their win over Oklahoma a year ago, the Cyclones gave up 300 yards to Baker Mayfield and still won by seven points.
From West Virginia's perspective, Saturday's trip to Ames, Iowa, is a trap game given the lack of difficulty on its schedule through six weeks.
With Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State ahead in November, the Mountaineers are gearing up toward the final stretch and might overlook Iowa State.
In two home games, the Cyclones are 1-1 with the record comprised of a win over Akron and a 10-point defeat to Oklahoma.
The Cyclones kept pace with the Sooners for three quarters, which is what they'll use as motivation to end West Virginia's College Football Playoff hopes.
A loss by West Virginia would wreck the Big 12's plans of crashing the Playoff conversation a week after Oklahoma fell out of the Top 10.
The Mountaineers will have that in mind as they visit Ames, but Iowa State will play them close enough to at least cover, and if the Cyclones are in the game in the fourth quarter, they'll win outright.
Georgia 31, LSU 17
No. 2 Georgia starts one of the most daunting stretches in the FBS Saturday with a road trip to No. 13 LSU.
Over the next month, the Bulldogs will take on four ranked teams, including SEC East foes No. 14 Florida and No. 18 Kentucky.
Saturday also marks the first true road test for the Bulldogs, who handled visits to South Carolina and Missouri in September.
On their path to the national championship game a year ago, the Bulldogs won four of their five road games, with a loss to Auburn being the only slip-up.
Quarterback Jake Fromm will benefit from the experience gained on the road as a freshman to power the young Bulldogs through the first half.
While Georgia's strength is its offense, LSU is struggling a bit to find a rhythm with Joe Burrow at the helm after the rough performance against Florida in Week 6.
With Fromm, Elijah Holyfield, D'Andre Swift and Riley Ridley all making plays on offense, the Georgia defense will smother Burrow and the LSU running game making it hard for the Tigers to progress down the field in the first half.
The Bulldogs have only given up 20 or more points once in six games, and their defensive record will only get better, as Burrow and Co. muster a sustained drive or two but nothing to threaten consistently over four quarters.
Other Score Predictions
South Florida 37, Tulsa 17
Ohio State 63, Minnesota 16
Florida 37, Vanderbilt 13
Auburn 31, Tennessee 21
Notre Dame 42, Pittsburgh 20
Oregon 37, Washington 27
Penn State 35, Michigan State 7
Texas 41, Baylor 10
UCF 38, Memphis 23
South Carolina 17, Texas A&M 16
Alabama 63, Missouri 27
Miami 31, Virginia 14
Michigan 27, Wisconsin 21
Colorado 23, USC 16
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
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