College Football: 25 Hunches for Week 7

If you have not yet been convinced of how much better NCAA football is than NFL football, we give up.

This season, as every other season, has been filled with nail-biters, incredible individual performances and massive comebacks.

Next week looks to be another interesting week in the college football world, as teams fight to solidify themselves as contenders for BCS bowls and conference crowns.

This list runs down 25 "hunches" about what might happen in the upcoming week of games.

Here's a bonus to get things started:

Wisconsin running back Montee Ball will score at least twice.

Ball has 13 touchdowns on the ground already this season, and has scored more rushing TDs since last Novemeber than every team in college football except Illinois.

Good luck, Indiana...

Cal Challenges USC

USC has only one loss, but they have been extremely inconsistent this season.

Cal has demonstrated that they can win games, and hang with prolific offenses.

The Golden Bears were up on Oregon at half before being pummelled into submission last week, and USC is no Oregon.

The teams compare favorably statistically, and even though USC still has better athletes on defense, their inconsistency could bite them in the butt.

Cal is not an easy place to play, even if it isn't at the Bears' usual haunts, and Lane Kiffin's guys are going to struggle.

Tennessee Will Get Dismantled

The last time Derek Dooley wore those hideous pants the Vols lost.

If any Volunteer fans see him wearing them this weekend, just go home.

It's going to be a rough one this weekend.

LSU is coming to town, and they are absolutely steam-rolling everyone right now.

Couple that with the loss of quarterback Tyler Bray, and the only thing uglier than those pants might be the game itself.

Penn State Wins, but Nobody Notices

Explain this one.

It took Florida State three losses to drop out of the Top 25.

Auburn has two and Texas A&M is one game over .500, and yet still ranked.

Penn State has one loss to the No. 2 team in the country, and they get no love?

They snuck back into the bottom of the Coaches' poll, but are nowhere near the AP.

The offense has its issues, but their defense is championship caliber.

Just ask Iowa.

With their next opponent being lowly Purdue, they are going to add another win to their total, but will continue to fly under the radar.

Air Force Will Add to SDSU's Woes

San Diego State and Air Force are both looking up at TCU and Boise State in the MWC.

This is a key matchup for both teams.

While San Diego State has a great running back in Ronnie Hillman and a solid QB in Ryan Lindley, they have struggled defensively.

Air Force gets to host this one, and they will take advantage of the altitude to knock off the Aztecs.

Utah Continues to Find out How the Big Boys Play

Yeah, that transition into a BCS conference is not going so well for Utah.

As a matter of fact, the Utes have only beaten one BCS foe in four attempts thus far this season.

Pitt seems to be finally pulling themselves together, and has shown the potential to do some damage. (See USF game).

Jordan Wynn's final season at Utah has been ended due to injury, and the Utes prospects for a winning season with it...

Tyrann Mathieu Forces a Turnover

Tyrann Mathieu has been anointed with the nickname "Honey Badger".

Just google it.

Not to be confused with Huggy Bear, Mathieu is ridiculously good and should be garnering Heisman consideration.

He makes ridiculous plays and forces turnovers with reckless abandon.

Never mind that a honey badger has nothing to do with LSU, it's an appropriate nickname, and Mathieu will force another TO next week.

By the way, honey badgers are bad to the bone.

Check it out here, here and here.

Iowa Takes It out on Northwestern

The Hawkeyes were cruising along, scoring bunches of points, even in losses, before they ran into the buzzsaw that is Penn State's defense last week in Happy Valley.

Iowa was held below thirty points for the first time this season; as a matter of fact, they were held to a field goal.

Ouch.

They now get to take on a Northwestern team that has not quite lived up to the hype they have received, and has proven that their defense is vulnerable.

The Hawkeyes will bounce back big in this one.

Marcus Lattimore Goes off

Lattimore is the reason the Gamecocks have won as many games as they have.

The quarterback position has been shaky, at best, and No. 21 has helped the offense be consistent.

This week, the Gamecocks face a Mississippi State defense that gives up almost four yards per rush.

While winning the game is going to be very tough, but doable, Lattimore rushing for Heisman worthy totals is not so far-fetched.

Texas A&M Makes Robert Griffin Look Bad

Texas A&M was obviously not physically prepared to play for quarters against either Okie Lite or Arkansas.

They have learned their lesson.

They have also had plenty of experience slowing down solid quarterbacks.

This game features one of the best in Baylor's RGIII.

Texas A&M will finally play a complete game on both sides of the ball, and make him look human again, for one week.

Wake Will Lose

Who saw Wake Forest sitting pretty at 4-1 before the season started?

If your hand is up, you are a liar.

The Deacons have done pretty well for themselves, but this week is a different proposition altogether.

Va. Tech regained some of their momentum with a win against Miami, and Logan Thomas showed flashes of brilliance that should encourage Hokie fans.

Expect Wake to lose their second this weekend.

BYU Will Shut out Oregon State

BYU has one of the better defensive front sevens in the college game.

Although they have lost two games, and one of them was an awful beating, the team has gelled and the defense is back to their stingy habits.

Oregon State is plain awful, and will have a tough time crossing midfield in this one, much less scoring.

Andrew Luck Will Throw for over 300 Yards

Not too far-fetched, right?

He almost hit 400 against Colorado, and this week's opponent, Washington State, is going to get torched.

They just don't have the defense to slow down Luck and the Cardinal if he is focused.

The Cougs may keep it interesting courtesy of a solid offensive performance, but Luck will put it away in the third en route to a big game.

Florida Bounces Back

Sure, Brantley is out.

Yes, it's on the road.

And yet, I feel as if the Gators will pull this one out.

Auburn has the tendency to make mistakes on defense, and is missing some guys due to injury on the offensive side of the ball.

Will Muschamp's team has shown the ability to lock teams down defensively at times, and they will display it again in this one just enough to eke out a win.

Tech Tees off

Georgia Tech might be the biggest surprise of the season if not for Clemson's resurgence.

The Jackets are absolutely dominating teams with their running game.

Virginia is looking like its usual self, the doormat of the ACC Coastal division.

Tevin Washington and crew are going to have a field day in this one after being held to just 21 points in their last outing.

Georgia Keeps Streaking

No, not as in Will Ferrell streaking, as in keep winning.

The Dawgs are quietly rolling along, nobody is paying attention to them, and they just keep bringin' in the "W."

After losing their first two games, they have now won four straight, and will make it five against Vandy.

The Commodores are looking semi-decent this season, but the Dawgs are just too balanced on offense in this one.

Keep an eye on these guys...

Clemson Will Score 40 Plus

Maryland managed to hold Georgia Tech and its one dimensional offense to only 21 points last week in their loss to the Jackets.

This week they face a whole different animal.

Clemson QB Tajh Boyd has been cleared to play in this one, and this Clemson offense is a juggernaut with him at the helm.

Maryland is in for a nightmare of a day.

Oklahoma Scores 70 Plus

The Sooners hammered hapless Texas, making a statement in the process.

Kansas is the worst defense in a BCS conference.

Uh-oh.

This game will demonstrate why there should be a mercy rule in college football.

Ohio State Will Lose...Again

Let us summarize.

The Buckeyes lost to Miami, almost lost to Toledo at home, and opened Big Ten play with a loss to Michigan State at home.

They followed up that debacle (in which they scored only seven points) with an absolute collapse against Nebraska.

Now they must travel to Illinois to face a resurgent Illini unit that has yet to lose a game.

Illinois is going to score, even against the Buckeye's stout "D," and OSu struggles to put points on the board.

0-3, anyone?

Texas Tech WIll Knock off K-State

Kansas State has quietly run their record to 5-0.

Texas Tech is sitting at 4-1.

The Raiders use their explosive offense to put up points and overwhelm opponents, while the 'Cats like to shut teams down with their stout "D".

Tech gets to host this one, and K-State will become the latest unbeaten to fall from the ranks.

Seth Doege is one of the best quarterbacks the Wildcats will have to deal with this season, and it's questionable whether they will be able to keep up with TTU's prolific offense.

Trent Richardson Will Have a Big Day

Richardson had some Heisman hype going into the year, and while he hasn't really done anything to hurt his case as yet, he has not done a ton to help it, either.

Saturday is going to be a big chance for him.

Ole Miss is absolutely atrocious, and the Tide need to win big going into the first week of the BCS polls.

Expect Richardson to pass 200 yards and score at least twice in this one.

Wisconsin Might Score Triple Digits

The Badgers hosted the Hoosiers last season, and by a scheduling fluke due to the conference realignment, they get the honor of hosting them against this season.

It won't be pretty.

Last season's final score was 83-20.

The way the Badgers' offense has been rolling with Russell Wilson, they are going to put up a ton of points on a woeful Indiana defense.

While triple digits might be a stretch, 70 plus is very likely.

Oregon Will Pound Arizona State

I like Arizona State, but they are out of their depth here.

This trip to Eugene is not going to be fun.

The Ducks' offense has been on a roll lately, and even without LMJ they have a plethora of weapons with which to exploit ASU's weaknesses.

This one will be close until half, but the Ducks will pull away.

Boise State Will Drop in the Polls

Look, any way you slice it, the Broncos schedule is weaker than their top five counterparts.

Without suffering a loss, Boise State has been passed in the Coaches' poll by both Stanford and Wisconsin, and the Badgers also leapfrogged over them in the AP.

They are currently sitting just two points ahead of Oklahoma State in the Coaches' Poll, and will drop behind them this weekend.

Okie Lite faces a ranked Texas squad, while BSU takes on lightweight Colorado State.

Complain all you want about the Broncos being slighted and weak BCS non-conference schedules; until they face some competition within the conference, they will not get respect.

Denard Has Multiple Turnovers

There is no denying that Denard Robinson is a phenomenal football player.

He is also a turnover machine.

The man has thrown nine interceptions to go with 10 passing touchdowns this season.

Not good.

Against Michigan State last season, he threw three picks, and did not look good at all.

The Spartans are not quite as stout on defense, but they still have playmakers and a dangerous secondary.

Expect Denard to serve up at least two interceptions for Sparty in this one...

Texas Makes It Two in a Row

The Longhorns almost made it all the way into the top ten before reality set in and they were curb-stomped by a team that actually deserves to be there.

This week, although it may not be quite so bad, the 'Horns are going to continue their losing streak.

Oklahoma State is absolutely crushing everyone with their high-powered offense.

And if you think you can make them one-dimensional, you would be wrong.

Though their passing game is obviously the bread and butter of the offense, they are averaging nearly 150 yards per game on the ground.

Texas may score a few more points than last week, but this one still won't be close.