College football’s week 7 has arrived as Ohio State and Wisconsin do battle in the Big 10, Alabama and Tennessee will do the same in the SEC, North Carolina and Miami look to bounce back from losses last week as they face each other, Ole Miss and Arkansas look to stay alive in the SEC west, and undefeated West Virginia travels to west Texas for a matchup against the high scoring Texas Tech Red Raiders. Steen Kirby, Yesh Ginsburg, John Bava, and Mike Loveall are on hand to offer previews and predictions.
#20 West Virginia at Texas Tech (Saturday 12:00 P.M.)
Line: West Virginia by 2* (Lines as of Tuesday afternoon)
Steen: West Virginia is undefeated and has narrowly won their last two games against Kansas State and BYU. Texas Tech isn’t a high quality opponent, but they have a high scoring offense and still stand a good chance of winning 3 or 4 more games and making a bowl. The Red Raiders have scored 30+ all season and lead the nation in passing offense. West Virginia is a more balanced team and they will need to establish the run in order to control the ball and keep it out of Patrick Mahomes hands. This will be a close contest, but I’ve been impressed by West Virginia and I see them staying alive in the Big 12 title race as one of the conference’s two undefeated teams. West Virginia 58, Texas Tech 49
Yesh: This line is close for a reason. We just don’t know enough about West Virginia. The win over BYU is good, but is that enough to trust the Mountaineers against a Texas Tech team that can score at will? This will be a shootout, but I’m gonna go with the home team.
Predictio Texas Tech 41, West Virginia 38
John: At first glance, this game has all the makings of a shootout. After all, both teams are top 20 nationally in passing offense including the home-standing Red Raiders who lead the nation with 544 yards per game through the air. But the Mountaineers may have the formula to at least slow down quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
West Virginia boasts the Big 12’s third best pass defense and has actually forced more interceptions (five) than allowed passing touchdowns (four). Senior defensive back Rasoul Douglas has two picks himself, including one he returned to the house against BYU. As good as this unit is, trying to bottle up this prolific “Air Raid” offense under head coach Kliff Kingsbury is a challenge unto itself.
The Mountaineers trailed 16-3 in the fourth quarter last week against Kansas State, only to escape with a 17-16 win. If they fall behind like that in Lubbock, they may not be as lucky in terms of remaining undefeated. Texas Tech 48, West Virginia 44
Mike: West Virginia is the most over-looked undefeated team in the nation. Still without a loss, the Mountaineers had a hard time cracking the Top 25. That’s even with out-of-conference wins against Missouri from the SEC and Independent BYU. This isn’t your normal Dana Holgerson team, though, as WVU is averaging less than 30 points per game. Texas Tech is in the midst of another up-and-down season. The Red Raiders have the always potent passing attack, led by Patrick Mahomes II. Defense is the problem in Lubbock, as they’ve yielded 38 or more to three of their four Power 5 opponents. The Red Raiders have played well at home this season. West Virginia doesn’t leave Texas undefeated. Texas Tech 45, West Virginia 38
North Carolina at #16 Miami (Saturday 3:30 P.M.)
Line: Miami by 7
Steen: Despite losing to FSU on a blocked extra point the Hurricanes are a better coached, and overall better team than they have been in recent years, and that much was made clear last week. Now it’s gut check time for Miami, who can still win the ACC Coastal if they can beat the other teams in the Coastal including the Tar Heels. UNC has close wins over Pitt and FSU, and losses to Georgia and Virginia Tech, two good, but not great teams. The Tar Heels will look to rack up yards around Ryan Switzer’s screens, while Miami will have to establish the run, as QB Brad Kaaya may not be 100%. I think the Miami defense is better than their Carolina counterparts, and thus I’m going with Miami at home. Miami 27, North Carolina 17
Yesh: I still don’t quite know what to make of Miami. The ‘Canes are talented and well-coached, and they have a great pure passer (who has some injury concerns), so they could be a legitimately good team this year. On the other hand, North Carolina looks pretty good too. The Tar Heels will want to prove themselves against the Hurricanes after coming up empty in a real hurricane last week. North Carolina 28, Miami 24
John: Both these teams are coming off disappointing losses. The Canes will look to shake off a 20-19 defeat to in-state rival Florida State where a blocked extra point proved to be the difference. The Tar Heels were manhandled at home by Virginia Tech, falling 34-3 in a game impacted heavily by Hurricane Matthew.
Until last week, UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky had yet to throw an interception. The conditions may have played a part in the fact he threw two against the Hokies while managing just 58 yards passing. That shouldn’t be a problem in South Florida. Instead, he will have to be wary of a Canes secondary who have forced six picks thus far.
Trubisky (160.34) and Miami signal caller Brad Kaaya (160.24) have an almost identical quarterback rating, both of which are in the top 15 nationally. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes Saturday will put their respective team in the most favorable position to rebound from last week’s setbacks. Miami 31, North Carolina 17
Mike: Speaking of up-and-down seasons, North Carolina is a team that can’t decide if it wants to be good or wants to be bad. After beating FSU two weeks ago, the Tar Heels followed that up by getting crushed by Virginia Tech. Miami will get their shot at Virginia Tech – and the coastal lead – next week. But before that, they’ve got to contend with this North Carolina team. This is where we see whether the Mark Richt hire was the right fit for the Hurricanes. Can they come out focused and take care of business? Miami 35, North Carolina 27
#1 Alabama at #9 Tennessee (Saturday 3:30 P.M.)
Line: Alabama by 12.5
Steen: Tennessee marched back against Texas A&M only to have their dreams for an undefeated season extinguished in overtime on a Josh Dobbs INT. The Vols are a bit banged up after a brutal trip to College Station though, and now the physical Crimson Tide are in town. Alabama was once again left unbothered as they took control early against Arkansas and the final score was closer than the reality of the matchup. Alabama is a really strong team in all facets, and if they execute, Tennessee isn’t going to have much of a chance. The Vols have gotten into a bad habit of falling behind, and they will turn it over enough for Alabama to roll and get those cigars. Alabama 35, Tennessee 21
Yesh: Tennessee keeps turning the ball over and Alabama’s defense keeps scoring touchdowns. Still, the Volunteers are coming off a tough loss and finally have the talent to push Alabama. If they can get a full 60 minutes of quality play, I think they can pull the upset. But that’s too big an if. I also don’t know if Tennessee can really stop this powerful Alabama offense. Alabama 28, Tennessee 20
John: It’s hard to argue that Tennessee is the most exciting team to watch in college football. In four of their six games, the Vols trailed in the fourth quarter only to come back and win three of them. Two went to overtime, including last week’s game at Texas A&M. It was in College Station, however, where Tennessee’s luck seemed to run out in a 45-38 double overtime loss.
The ninth-ranked Vols return to Knoxville Saturday to face number one Alabama in their second straight top-ten matchup. Reminiscent of UT’s struggles with Florida until this season, the Crimson Tide enjoy a significant win streak (nine) in the series. If Tennessee want to reverse that trend, they’ll need to limit mistakes against a ball-hawking Bama defense.
Both teams have forced a total of 13 turnovers. However, Alabama have given up just five compared to Tennessee’s 16. Vol quarterback Josh Dobbs has thrown eight interceptions on the year compared to just two by Bama’s Jalen Hurts. That could be the difference this weekend. Alabama 38, Tennessee 24
Mike: Alabama has won nine straight against the Vols. But Tennessee has made a name for themselves this season by making late comebacks and ending streaks. Bama’s defense is outscoring some offenses, and Tennessee has turned the ball over ten times over their last two games. The Tide are coming off a big road win against a Top 25 opponent, while Tennessee is coming off a tough road loss to a Top 10 team. Interestingly, this line has moved 5 full points in the first three days of the week. Remember, the Vols led Alabama late in the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa last season. If the Vols can put together four full quarters, they can beat anyone. But are they healthy enough to hang with Alabama? Alabama 31, Tennessee 28
#12 Ole Miss at #22 Arkansas (Saturday 7:00 P.M.)
Line: Ole Miss by 7.5
Steen: Both teams carry two losses and a third would bump them out of contention for a possible New Year’s six bowl if the SEC sends one or more teams to the CFB playoff, one of which would be its conference champion. Arkansas plays physical midwest style football, while Ole Miss prefers to air it out. The Rebels would be undefeated right now if they hadn’t played bad second halves against Florida State and Alabama. I can’t say the same about Arkansas, and they look overmatched. Ole Miss has been both good and bad this year, but on both sides of the ball they are a better team. Ole Miss 38, Arkansas 24
Yesh: I still don’t buy that Arkansas is really that good. Sure, the Razorbacks put up points on Alabama. But they did it with mid-range passes that Ole Miss should be much more adept at stopping. Maybe if the offensive line can get some real traction Arkansas can make a game of this, but I’m not seeing it right now. Ole Miss 42, Arkansas 17
John: Arkansas will be in search of their first SEC win of the season when they welcome Ole Miss to Fayetteville Saturday. Exceptional quarterback play should be on full display with the Rebels Chad Kelly and the Hogs Austin Allen the two highest rated passers in the conference.
The Razorbacks may be home dogs in this one, but here’s why an upset could be brewing. Ole Miss’ defense is leaky at best and downright porous at worst. They rank 102nd nationally in total defense (449.4 yards per game) and 105th in rushing defense (215.4 yards per game). In addition to Allen, Arkansas boasts running back Rawleigh Williams III who’s one of four SEC players averaging over 100 rushing yards per game.
If the Hogs can keep Allen upright (he was under duress quite a bit against Alabama) while allowing Williams to tote the rock against a suspect Rebel defense, the home team can pull off a surprise win out of this one. Arkansas 41, Ole Miss 38
Mike: Ole Miss is feeling surprisingly confident after a tough opening three weeks. The Rebels see a clear path to a New Year’s Six Bowl ahead of them, and can still figure in the SEC race if Alabama slips. That path to New Year’s starts stops in Fayetteville this weekend with a battered and bruised Arkansas team. Ole Miss still has talent across the board, and Arkansas is missing their run-first, beat ‘em mentality this season. For a change, Ole Miss is focused in the second half of the season and takes care of this one. Ole Miss 34, Arkansas 24
#2 Ohio State at #8 Wisconsin (Saturday 8:00 P.M.)
Line: Ohio State by 10
Steen: Ohio State has steamrolled decent Oklahoma and Indiana teams, and Wisconsin is now running into their buzzsaw, though Camp Randall is never an easy place to play. The Badgers beat LSU and Michigan State, before narrowly falling to Michigan last week in a defensive slugfest. Their run heavy attack and defensive focus will contrast with Ohio State, which has the best offense in the Big 10. A couple of defensive starters are out for the Badgers, and although they may hang for a half, Ohio State is better coached, and has better players, look for them to execute in this top 10 matchup. Ohio State 35, Wisconsin 17
Yesh: The Buckeyes are just better than Wisconsin. Wisconsin has no real offense, so Ohio State should have no trouble shutting that down. The Badgers have a strong defense, but it’s not one that matches up well against Ohio State. Ohio State’s receivers are just too fast and the offensive line will be able to set the edge at will. Ohio State 49, Wisconsin 7
John: The second-ranked Buckeyes face arguably their sternest test of the year up to this point, traveling to Madison for a prime-time showdown with Wisconsin. The Badgers are coming off a bye one week after giving Michigan all they could handle at the Big House. OSU had trouble passing the ball last week against Indiana, but were still able to pull away with a 38-17 win.
Both teams are demonstrably stout on defense. That’s visibly evident in the fact both teams are top four nationally in points per game allowed (Ohio State 10.8, Wisconsin 12.2). On paper, this has the makings of an old school, smash mouth Big Ten slug fest.
Keep in mind that this is the first meeting between these two schools since Ohio State routed Wisconsin 59-0 in the 2014 Big Ten Championship game. Expect a motivated Badger team looking to pull off the upset in front of what should be a raucous crowd at Camp Randall. Ultimately, though, Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett puts this team on his back and solidifies his standing as a Heisman Trophy favorite. Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 16
Mike: In a season considered to be a rebuilding season by many, all Ohio State has done is come out and dominant. Likewise, Wisconsin has surprised almost everyone by their strong play. Ohio State is far better, though, and they look to have a chip on their shoulder. This might be a preview to the Big Ten Championship Game, but it will look nothing like a championship matchup in the end. Ohio State 42, Wisconsin 17
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