It will be almost impossible for Week 7 to come close to Week 6.
Last weekend, four top 10 teams lost on the road. No. 1 Alabama lost at Vanderbilt, No. 4 Tennessee fell at Arkansas, No. 9 Missouri was eliminated at No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 10 Michigan lost its national title rematch in Washington.
We’re going to go out on a limb and say that four top-10 teams won’t lose this Saturday, but that doesn’t mean Week 7 is going to be mediocre. It features the first matchup of the season between teams ranked in the top three, and the No. 1 team in the country plays in a famous neutral-site rivalry game. The day should be feisty.
Here are the five games we’re most looking forward to in Week 7. All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.
Time: 3:30 pm | Television: ABC | Line: Texas -14.5 | Total: 50.5
Both teams enter their Cotton Bowl rivalry game after weeks off. The Longhorns moved up to first place in the AP Top 25 after the Alabama loss and Quinn Ewers appears poised to regain his spot in the starting lineup. Ewers has been sidelined since leaving the Longhorns’ Week 3 game with an abdominal strain. He was replaced in the starting lineup by backup QB Arch Manning.
Ewers was very good before getting injured. He had completed 58 of 73 passes for 691 yards and threw eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He had also taken only one sack. Although Manning played well in relief of Ewers, it’s not a big controversy that the senior is reclaiming his spot.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, will start true freshman Michael Hawkins for the second straight game. He earned his first career start at Auburn after replacing Jackson Arnold against Tennessee. Hawkins has thrown 65 fewer passes than Arnold this season, but he is completing a higher percentage of his throws and averaging three more yards per attempt than Arnold before being benched.
If the Sooners are going to pull off an upset, Hawkins has to be fantastic and the running game has to get on track. Oklahoma is averaging less than four yards per carry, while leading rusher Jovantae Barnes has 57 carries for just 199 yards.
Time: 3:30 pm | Television: CBS | Line: Penn State -5.5 | Total: 50.5
This game lost some luster a week ago when the Trojans lost at Minnesota when Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer snuck into the end zone on fourth down with less than a minute left. That loss dropped USC out of the top 25 and significantly hurt the Trojans’ chances of winning the Big Ten.
However, this could still be a dangerous game for Penn State. It’s just the second road game of the season for the Nittany Lions after they opened the year with a 34-12 win at West Virginia.
Penn State’s offense has looked much better so far in 2024 after an offseason coordinator change, and the defense has allowed 12 points or fewer in four of its five games. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined to rush 127 times for 775 yards so far.
The 17 points USC scored against the Gophers were the fewest the Trojans have scored all season. Miller Moss threw for just 200 yards on 38 attempts and also threw two interceptions. USC’s offense has been much better at home than on the road so far this season, and if it doesn’t turn around, USC is likely off to a 1-3 start to life in the Big Ten.
Time: 7:30 pm | Television: NBC | Line: Ohio State -3.5 | Total: 52.5
The marquee game of the weekend should be fantastic. Both offenses have been among the best in the country, and Ohio State’s has been on another level. The Buckeyes are averaging 7.7 yards per play through five games as defenses have failed to solve OSU’s two-headed rushing attack and a passing game that features freshman Jeremiah Smith.
RB TreVeyon Henderson is averaging eight yards per carry and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins is right behind at 7.8 yards per carry. Smith already has 23 receptions for 453 yards, while Emeka Egbuka operates as the underlying threat with a team-high 30 receptions.
If the game comes down to quarterback play, Oregon could have the advantage. Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard has been solid for the Buckeyes, completing 72% of his passes for 1,248 yards and accounting for 16 TDs. Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel leads the country in completion percentage at 77.8% and has thrown for 1,449 yards. Ohio State will likely look to slow down Oregon’s quick passing game and we’re intrigued to see if Oregon charges into Ohio State’s running game to force Howard to make plays and win the game.
Time: 7:30 pm | Television: ABC | Line: Ole Miss -3.5 | Total: 63.5
This game has all the characteristics of a shootout. The Rebels enter averaging 44 points per game, while LSU scores over 35 per game. The Tigers have not scored fewer than 34 points since the season-opening 27-20 loss to USC.
Ole Miss got back on track after its Week 5 loss to Kentucky in Week 6 with a dominant win over South Carolina. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has already thrown for 2,100 yards and is averaging more than 12 yards per attempt through the first six games of the season. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier is following 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels nicely, throwing for 1,652 yards and 15 TDs in five games.
The Tigers were off in Week 6 and we’ll see if the bye week helped solidify the defense. LSU is giving up 5.9 yards per play so far as opposing quarterbacks have completed 66% of their passes. We like LSU’s well-balanced passing attack against the Rebels’ defense. We’re just not so sure LSU’s defense can hold up its end of the deal.
Time: 22:15 | Television: ESPN | Line: Kansas State -4 | Total: 56.5
This game feels a lot like Colorado’s Week 4 trip to Oregon a season ago. The Buffaloes came to Eugene as the talk of college football after a 3-0 start and were quickly defeated en route to a 1-8 season finish.
Kansas State is unlikely to beat Colorado on Saturday night, but the Wildcats are a good measuring stick for what appears to be an improved Buffaloes team. The team has already matched its 2023 win total and is just two wins away from bowl eligibility.
The biggest test for Colorado will be defense. Teams average over 150 yards per game against the Buffaloes and KSU RB DJ Giddens and QB Avery Johnson each average 7.3 yards per carry. Kansas State will look to keep the ball away from the Buffaloes and may not test Travis Hunter much. Only two Wildcat receivers have more than seven receptions so far this season.
Other games to see
South Carolina at No. 7 Alabama (noon, ABC): How will the Crimson Tide bounce back from their loss at Vanderbilt? South Carolina is already 1-2 in the SEC and scored just three points at home against Ole Miss in Week 6. This could be a right game for the Crimson Tide.
Cal at No. 22 over Pitt (3:30 p.m., ESPN): The Panthers become bowl eligible with a win over a Bears team that lost its first two ACC games after a 3-0 start. Alabama transfer Eli Holstein has been very good in his first season as Pitt’s starter, throwing for 1,564 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
Arizona at #14 BYU (4 p.m., Fox): The Cougars have a rare noon home game as Arizona heads to Provo. The Wildcats already won in Utah this season against the Utes, but lost at home in Week 6 to Texas Tech. The Cougars have a 4.5-point lead, but an Arizona win wouldn’t be unexpected and would further show the parity of the big 12.
Vanderbilt at Kentucky (7:45 p.m., SEC Network): Vanderbilt is 3-2 overall and four of those games were decided by one possession. Kentucky is also 3-2 and has a 13-12 loss to Georgia and a 20-17 win over Ole Miss. We have a feeling this will be a close game.
No. 11 Iowa State at West Virginia (8 p.m., Fox): The undefeated Cyclones head to Morgantown after West Virginia beat Oklahoma State on the road to leave the Cowboys off to an 0-3 start in Big 12 play. Opposing teams average more than four yards per carry against the defense from Iowa State and WVU’s offense is run-based. The Mountaineers average more than 42 rushing attempts per game.