Folks, this is a wild slate of games. There’s frankly little to get excited about at the very top of the polls, with Oklahoma idle and Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State and Penn State all favored by at least three scores. But fear not, the Zombie Pac-12 has delivered a pair of ranked matchups, headlined by a NOS-injected top-10 showdown. Last week’s Red River Rivalry gave us arguably the game of the season. Here’s hoping Oregon–Washington can similarly match the hype.
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And lest you accuse us of elitism, there’s quite the Group of 5 spread on deck as well. So let’s power-rank the top 11 (!!!) games of Week 7, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable Mention: No. 23 Kansas at Oklahoma State, Iowa at Wisconsin (over/under: 35), Arizona at Washington State, Auburn at No. 22 LSU, Kansas State at Texas Tech
(All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
T-10. Georgia Southern (4-1) at James Madison (5-0), Noon, ESPN2
T-10. Marshall (4-1) at Georgia State (4-1), 7 p.m., ESPN2
You get a bonus game this week with a pair of Sun Belt matchups that will have major implications on the East Division. James Madison is one of the best and most balanced G5 teams this year, despite being ineligible for the postseason in the second year of its FCS-to-FBS transition, and Georgia Southern likes to sling it, with Tulsa transfer Davis Brin attempting 47.4 passes a game. In the evening tilt, Marshall and Georgia State are both coming off their first losses of the season. Running backs Marcus Carroll (Georgia State) and Rasheen Ali (Marshall) are tied for second in the country at nine rushing touchdowns apiece, behind only Michigan’s Blake Corum (10).
Lines: JMU -6; Georgia St. -1
9. Tulane (4-1) at Memphis (4-1), 7 p.m. Friday, ESPN
Tulane, last year’s Cotton Bowl champ, was the only G5 team that was ranked in the preseason. The loss to Ole Miss without starting quarterback Michael Pratt hurt from an attention standpoint, but Willie Fritz and the Green Wave still have one of the best defenses in the conference, which should get tested by Memphis and its AAC-leading scoring offense (36.6 points per game). Even in a new-look league, the winner will remain in contention for a New Year’s Six bid.
Line: Tulane -4.5
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8. Wyoming (5-1) at Air Force (5-0), 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network
These Mountain West foes are the two best G5 teams, at least according to the top 25 polls, which essentially have Wyoming at 26th and Air Force at 27th based on votes received in both. The Cowboys have been tough as nails, with wins over Texas Tech, Appalachian State and a then-ranked Fresno State — not to mention a three-quarter-tie against Texas. So it’s interesting that Air Force is a double-digit favorite in this one. The Falcons are at home and have a top-six defense in all of college football at 4.27 yards per play, but Wyoming will be the best team they’ve faced by a decent margin.
Line: Air Force -10.5
7. NC State (4-2) at Duke (4-1), 8 p.m., ACC Network
Mike Elko and the Blue Devils are one of the best stories in college football this season, and they’re a last-minute loss to Notre Dame away from being undefeated. But all the attention right now is on whether quarterback Riley Leonard will be back, after Elko classified his ankle injury as “day-to-day” earlier this week. The Wolfpack made a change at quarterback last week, opting for true sophomore MJ Morris over Brennan Armstrong in the win over Marshall. Morris threw for 265 yards and four touchdowns but also three interceptions, which could spell trouble against a top-15 Duke defense.
Line: Duke -3.5
6. Missouri (5-1) at No. 24 Kentucky (5-1), 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
Both teams are coming off their first loss of the season, with Mizzou letting one slip away at home against LSU and Kentucky having had the misfortune of facing top-ranked, slightly disrespected Georgia in Athens. It’s weird to consider this a top-shelf SEC clash, especially in an East Division that feels like a foregone conclusion in favor of the Bulldogs once again. But in a down year for the conference overall, these two squads deserve their flowers, particularly Kentucky running back Ray Davis, who leads the SEC in rushing yards, and Mizzou wideout Luther Burden III, who leads the country in receiving yards.
Line: Kentucky -2.5
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5. Texas A&M (4-2) at No. 19 Tennessee (4-1), 3:30 p.m., CBS
The Vols are coming off an idle week and looking to keep pace with the Kentuckys and Missouris of the SEC East, but this one is really about Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher, who keep finding new ways to step in it. Last week, the Aggies had a chance to upset Alabama and move atop the SEC West, but a slew of curious and maddening decisions contributed to another crushing defeat. A&M’s two losses have been on the road at Miami and at home to Alabama, both of which are defensible, but it’s the way these losses occur that keeps Fisher’s name in the hot-seat discourse. The Aggies should have little trouble getting to bowl eligibility, but a loss to Tennessee will make an eight- or certainly nine-win season very tough to achieve.
Line: Tennessee -3.5
4. No. 18 UCLA (4-1) at No. 15 Oregon State (5-1), 8 p.m., Fox
Huge win for the Bruins last week, knocking off undefeated Washington State while holding the Cougars’ offense to a season-low 10 points. The early talk around UCLA was all about true freshman quarterback Dante Moore, who has admittedly cooled the past couple games. But the real headline is UCLA’s suddenly stout defense, which is up to third in Max Olson’s stop rate rankings and best in the country in terms of yards per play (3.74). The Beavers will look to put a dent in that after dropping 52 on Cal, with DJ Uiagalelei throwing five touchdowns in the win.
Line: Oregon State -3.5
3. No. 25 Miami (4-1) at No. 12 North Carolina (5-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC
Last week featured a stacked noon slate. This week, it’s the prime-time window, with seven of our top eleven matchups kicking off at 7 p.m. ET or later on Saturday. This one would have had a bit more sizzle to it had the Hurricanes simply taken a knee against Georgia Tech instead of imploding in spectacularly inexplicable fashion. (Props to our Manny Navarro, by the way, who has been all over the Miami disaster of last weekend.) What should have been an undefeated, top-15 matchup still features a UNC program that seems to be finding its stride at the right time and lurking as a College Football Playoff contender.
Line: North Carolina -3.5
2. No. 10 USC (6-0) at No. 21 Notre Dame (5-2), 7:30 p.m., NBC
I’m fascinated by this matchup. USC has the country’s top scoring offense and a defense that can’t stop a syrup pour. Notre Dame, which looks worn down since that crushing loss to Ohio State, has a top-15 defense but hasn’t scored above 21 points the last three games. I honestly have no clue how those battles will pan out, though I was slightly surprised to see Notre Dame favored, even at home against a phantom defense. The Trojans look bound to stumble at some point after sneaking by Colorado and Arizona and with a gauntlet in the back end of a schedule that still includes Utah, Washington, Oregon and UCLA. The Irish, on the other hand, have a much-needed week off on the horizon but will have to deal with Caleb Williams first.
Line: Notre Dame -3
GO DEEPER
Sampson: Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman must do more to help Sam Hartman
1. No. 8 Oregon (5-0) at No. 7 Washington (5-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC
Be still, my beating heart. The top two offenses in college football in terms of yards per game. Nos. 2 and 3 in points per game. Two Heisman-hopeful quarterbacks in Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. An Oregon defense that is third in the country in yards per play. A once-in-a-lifetime receiving corps at Washington. This one is an S-tier college football cage match. Everyone is expecting fireworks — the over/under is at 67, a full 32 points higher than Iowa–Wisconsin — but I’m excited to see how well two teams with great expectations keep their wits about them with Playoff hopes potentially on the line. Bless you for this one, Zombie Pac-12.
Line: Washington -3
(Top photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)