Last weekend resulted in a massive shakeup in the top ten thanks to Oklahoma’s big win over Texas and Louisville’s upset victory over Notre Dame. Week 7 will feature even more rivalry matchups, including a top-ten showdown between two PAC-12 rivals. Let’s break down the top five college football matchups for week 7.
5. Missouri (5-1) at No. 24 Kentucky (5-1)
When: Saturday, 7:30 pm ET
Where: Kroger Field, Lexington, KY
Where to watch: SEC Network
Spread: Kentucky (-2.5)
One of the top SEC matchups of Week 7 features two teams that took their first losses last weekend. Kentucky is coming off of a blowout loss against Georgia, where the Dawgs shut down Ray Davis on the ground and held quarterback Devin Leary to 128 yards with only a 38% completion percentage. Luckily, they won’t be facing a defense that good again.
Missouri got into a shootout with LSU and fell just short when quarterback Brady Cook threw a pick-six during a potential game-winning drive. While Missouri’s defense isn’t great, they still have a clear advantage under center and offensively in general. Despite his costly interception, Brady Cook has been one of the top QBs in the country. He has 1,879 passing yards, good for 5th in the nation, and is tied for 6th in passing touchdowns. Despite my optimism with Mizzou, Kroger Field is a tough place to play at night and I think we’ll be seeing the Wildcats bounce back.
4. No. 18 UCLA (4-1) at No. 15 Oregon State (5-1)
When: Saturday, 8:00 pm ET
Where: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR
Where to watch: FOX
Spread: Oregon State (-3.5)
The first of our two PAC-12 matchups for week 7 goes to a couple of one-loss teams fighting for 2nd place in the conference. The PAC-12 is so good this year that these two teams sit at 4th and 6th in the conference with only one loss each. UCLA has been the bigger surprise of the two, emerging as a team on the rise with quarterback Dante Moore. The true freshman struggled last week against unbeaten Washington State, but their defense did a great job by forcing multiple turnovers. This is the third straight ranked opponent UCLA will face.
Oregon State is coming off a 52-40 victory over California. They’ve shown they can beat teams in a number of ways. Their defense may lack the consistency it had last season, but they can still play at an elite level like they did against Utah. They took a big step forward offensively thanks to DJ Uiagalelei, who threw 5 touchdowns last weekend. I think the Beavers are a more well-rounded and established team than UCLA, and they will add another quality win to their record this weekend.
3. No. 25 Miami (5-1) at No. 12 North Carolina (5-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 pm ET
Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
Where to watch: ABC
Spread: North Carolina (-3)
One of the best ACC matchups of week 7 should have been a rivalry game between two unbeaten teams, but Coach Mario Cristobal decided that wasn’t going to happen. Poor Miami, as a Florida fan they are one of my biggest rivals, but even that loss stung for me. I’m really not sure how the Canes locker room regroups from that as they head into this game, which is part of the reason I’m so interested in this matchup. Another reason I’m interested is because these are two legitimately good ACC teams that have a shot to face FSU in the conference championship. Believe it or not, Miami and Oregon are the only two teams to be top ten in both total offense and defense, which just makes that choke job hurt even more.
Boy, what I would give to see FSU and Miami FINALLY face off in an ACC championship. They’ll get one step closer to doing that if they can take down UNC, but that’s a tough task when the Tarheels have Drake Maye under center. The Tarheels matchup nicely with Miami, they have a high-powered offense of their own sitting at 9th in the country. They’re no slouch defensively either, holding Syracuse to 7 points last week. As much as I dislike the Canes, my heart wants to see them bounce back on the road, but my brain is telling me UNC all the way.
2. No. 10 USC (6-0) at No. 21 Notre Dame (5-2)
When: Saturday, 7:30 pm ET
Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
Where to watch: NBC
Spread: Notre Dame (-2.5)
This was another rivalry matchup that I was hoping would be between two unbeatens, but we’ll have to settle for this instead. While Notre Dame’s playoff chances are shot, they can still play spoiler against USC, who have gone through a chaotic three-game stretch in the PAC-12. The Trojans haven’t played a ranked opponent yet, but only won their last two games by a single possession. Arizona took them to triple overtime and would have beat them if it wasn’t for Caleb Williams being the best player in the country.
USC and LSU are a lot alike this year, both teams sit in the top 5 offensively and have defenses that rank outside the top 100. We know this isn’t a winning strategy since LSU is already at two losses, so could USC finally meet their match in Notre Dame? Honestly, I’m a little surprised to see Notre Dame favored here, even though both teams are admittedly struggling. Notre Dame is the better football team, but I think Caleb Williams is just too good and will put together another spectacular performance in a classic win over the Irish.
1. No. 8 Oregon (6-0) at No. 7 Washington (6-0)
When: Saturday, 3:30 pm ET
Where: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
Where to watch: ABC
Spread: Washington (-3)
The PAC-12 showdown we’ve been waiting for is finally here. It’s just great to see this conference be so relevant in college football again, and it’s thanks to the resurgences of programs like USC, Oregon, and Washington. This has everything you are looking for in a rivalry game. It will be the 115th matchup but the first-ever game where both teams are ranked inside the top ten. Washington sits at first in the country in total offense, and right behind them is the Ducks, so expect a lot of points to be scored. I believe Oregon is one of the most complete teams in the country with the sixth-ranked defense, but they have faced nobody of significance aside from Colorado. The same can be said for Washington, who have faced zero ranked teams until now. A game like this is a total coin flip for me, but I’m rolling with Oregon since they have looked like the most dominant team in college football all season.
Honorable Mentions:
Texas A&M (4-2) at No. 19 Tennessee (5-1)
Wyoming (5-1) at (6-0) Air Force
Auburn (3-2) at No. 22 LSU (4-2)
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All odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook