10 Bold Predictions for Week 7 of College Football

The calendar has turned to October, and we are beginning to get a clearer picture of who the contenders are and who the pretenders are. Heading into the seventh week of the campaign, here are some bold predictions!

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1. South Florida Wins Big in Denton

The South Florida Bulls and North Texas Mean Green meet in Denton on Friday night on ESPN2 in a game that could go a long way toward deciding who meets for the American Athletic Conference Championship and, eventually, which Group of Five team could be selected for the College Football Playoff. North Texas is 5-0, but South Florida will present a level of athleticism and speed on both sides of the ball that the Mean Green have not encountered yet. Their wins are against Lamar, Western Michigan, Washington State, Army, and South Alabama. However, giving up 30 points to the WMU Broncos and 38 points to Army is a red flag, as they take on a very dangerous USF offense. North Texas is favored, but I think South Florida wins outright and does so comfortably.

Week 7: USF at North Texas (-1.5)

2. Ohio State Shuts Down Illinois and Wins Big in Champaign

Illinois is an excellent team, don’t let the blowout loss at Indiana make you think otherwise. Are the Illini elite? No. But that loss does not mean they are trash. The bounce-back wins over USC and Purdue were impressive, and I believe Luke Altmyer can perform at a high level if he is given time to operate. Here’s the catch this Saturday: Ohio State will not give him that time. The Ohio State Buckeyes have an overwhelming defense, and that “Silver Bullets" unit is going to dominate the Illinois offensive line and grind the Illini offense to a halt. In addition, I don’t think the Illinois secondary is anywhere near good enough to slow down the Ohio State receivers. This won’t be a 63-10 embarrassment, but Ohio State will cover comfortably.

Week 7: Ohio State (-14.5) at Illinois

3. Mason Heintschel’s Coming Out Party in Tallahassee

The Pitt Panthers have an excellent offense that was being held back by poor quarterback play. Pat Narduzzi finally made the difficult decision to bench Eli Holstein and turn to freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel as the Panthers played Boston College. He was rewarded with a 500-yard-plus performance from the attack. The nation might not be paying attention yet, but they will be after this Saturday as Heintschel takes on a Florida State defense that is reeling after two straight losses. Mike Norvell does not have a good history of getting a team to refocus and stay motivated after consecutive losses, and I think the Panthers will put up a very nice offensive showing on the road. 

Week 7: Pittsburgh (+10.5) at Florida State | Total of 58.5

4. Oregon Makes a Statement in Autzen Stadium

The Penn State Nittany Lions’ loss to previously winless UCLA had a bit of a trickle-down effect, in which some fans commented that maybe the Oregon Ducks’ overtime win against that PSU team was not as impressive, and perhaps Oregon is not one of the nation’s elite teams. That is nonsense, and Oregon will put an abrupt stop to it on Saturday afternoon in Eugene as they host the No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers in a top ten showdown. This has nothing to do with Indiana’s quality. The Hoosiers are a worthy top-ten team, and I still believe they will make the College Football Playoff. However, as impressive as Curt Cignetti’s squad has been over the past year and a half, they have yet to prove super competitive against an elite team on the road. The struggles of the offensive line against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium have me very concerned that they can hold up against the Ducks unless they use the bye week to devise a silent snap count solution that was not previously in place. I think Oregon wins somewhat comfortably and puts to rest any doubt that they are an elite team and a title contender.

Week 7: Indiana at Oregon (-8.5)

5. Oklahoma Racks Up 6+ Sacks and Upsets Texas

The Texas Longhorns are 3-2 after losing at Ohio State to open the season and then at Florida last weekend. Much of the attention surrounding the struggle has been focused on Arch Manning, which is to be expected. However, the offensive line is not performing nearly as well as last season’s unit did, and the receivers are failing to create any form of separation to help the embattled quarterback. For instance, Texas is surrendering a sack on 5.77% of dropbacks, tied with Nevada for 69th in the country. The one team you do not want to see while struggling on the offensive line is Oklahoma. The Sooners have, quite possibly, the nation’s best pass rush, and they lead the country with five sacks per game. OU dials up the pressure, Brent Venables confuses the Texas offense, and Oklahoma wins the rivalry game to all but eliminate Texas from College Football Playoff consideration.

Week 7: Texas (-2.5) vs. Oklahoma

6. Josh Hoover and Horned Frogs Go Big in Little Apple

The TCU Horned Frogs are 4-1 and right in the middle of a very crowded Big 12 race for second (behind Texas Tech), with the lone loss coming by three points at Arizona State. This Saturday, the Horned Frogs take their explosive offense on the road again to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. Josh Hoover is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and Kansas State is surrendering 26.8 points per game and an opposing passer rating of 123.65. Hoover has another game with four or more touchdowns, and TCU wins outright.

Week 7: TCU (-1.5) at Kansas State | Total of 57.5

7. Michigan Wins at USC

The Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans square off on Saturday at The Coliseum in a game that could conceivably end up having an impact on the College Football Playoff race. Both teams are 4-1 with defensible losses (at Oklahoma and at Illinois by two points), but Michigan certainly has the schedule that sets up more favorably for a strong record. Bryce Underwood is playing really well and beginning to find his rhythm as a passer, despite Michigan’s poor wide receiver room. That complements a powerful running game and defense, making Michigan a dangerous team, and they only have one more game against a ranked team. If Michigan wins this game and enters the Ohio State game in Ann Arbor at 10-1, they’d be an exciting case for the College Football Playoff Committee.

Week 7: Michigan at USC (-2.5)

8. Clemson’s “Get Right" Tour Continues

I wrote last week that the Clemson Tigers were going to thump North Carolina and then follow that up with another blowout win at Boston College before returning home to beat SMU and head into a bye week feeling much better about themselves without actually proving anything against a good team. Step one was a major check as they put up 35 points in the first half against the dreadful Tar Heels and threw for 399 yards, coasting to a 38-10 victory. Boston College has a porous secondary, and Clemson’s offense will go nuts again en route to an emphatic win over a bad ACC foe.

Week 7: Clemson (-13.5) at Boston College

9. South Carolina Stuns LSU in Baton Rouge

The South Carolina Gamecocks are coming off a bye week, but I think the week five victory over Kentucky was a big step forward and offers some real hope for Shane Beamer’s squad as they head to LSU. The defense only surrendered 2.6 yards per rush, and LaNorris Sellers looked healthy and accurate (11-14 plus 81 rushing yards) as they converted 8 of 15 third downs. LSU does not run the ball, and I think there is some genuine concern about whether this staff is the right fit. The heat gets turned up considerably on Brian Kelly as South Carolina wins outright at LSU.

Week 7: South Carolina at LSU (-9.5)

10. BYU Takes 1st Loss in Tucson

The BYU Cougars have been impressive thus far, starting the season 5-0 and winning four of their five games by double-digits. However, let’s take a peek at who they have beaten: Portland State, Stanford, East Carolina, Colorado, and West Virginia. None of those teams is remotely good. Arizona isn’t extraordinary, by any means, but the Wildcats are 4-1 and have an offense capable of putting up some points on a good BYU defense. The Cougars are unable to keep it going and reach 6-0, losing to Arizona in a close game and falling from the ranks of the unbeatens. 

Week 7: BYU (-1.5) at Arizona

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