Week 7 College Football Preview
Written By; Shane Coleman
Buckle up college football fans, week seven of the 2022-23 season is here and Saturday is loaded with a solid slate of ranked teams playing each other. This week consists of six games of Top 25 teams going at it and we’re going to give you a little breakdown of some of the best ones to help you make the best picks possible to win some money on Saturday.
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#10 Penn State Nittany Lions vs #5 Michigan Wolverines
· Spread: PSU +7 (-114) (57%) | MICH -7 (-106) (43%)
· Moneyline: PSU (+215) (23%) | MICH (-265) (77%)
· Over/Under: 49.5 | Over (-110) (60%) | Under (-110) (40%)
The first big matchup kicks off at noon EST and it consists of two Big Ten teams, #10 Penn State and #5 Michigan. Throughout the season, the J.J. McCarthy-led Wolverines have dominated their opponents on both sides of the ball, scoring an average of 43.0 points per game and only allowing an average of 11.3 PPG. On the other hand, Penn State has shared similar numbers with scoring an average of 34.4 PPG and only allowing 14.8 PPG to their opponents. With the defensive presence shown for both teams through seven weeks of college football, it seems like the main deciding factor of this game will come down to star Junior running back, Blake Corum, who’s totaled 735 rushing yards on the year with 11 touchdowns. The Nittany Lions have been good so far in regards to containing opponents run game as they average 79.8 yards allowed on the ground, so Corum will definitely be a testament to Manny Diaz’s defense. Expect a clash between these two Big Ten East rivals in The Big House to kick off an exciting day for college football.
My personal pick: I can definitely see this game being decided by one score, so I’d sprinkle some money on Penn State +7.
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#3 Alabama Crimson Tide vs #6 Tennessee Volunteers
· Spread: ALA -8.5 (-105) (32%) | TENN +8.5 (-115) (68%)
· Moneyline: ALA (-320) (20%) | TENN (+255) (80%)
· Over/Under: 66.5 | Over (-105) (83%) | Under (-115) (17%)
Next game in this amazing slate consists of another game with two top ten SEC teams, #3 Alabama and #6 Tennessee. Both teams come off two different win situations, Tennessee comes off of a dominant 40-13 win over #25 LSU and Alabama outlasted Texas A&M on the final play to close out a 24-20 victory. Both teams match pretty evenly in terms of offensively and defensively as the Crimson Tide has scored 44.3 PPG while allowing 12.5 PPG and the Volunteers have scored 46.8 PPG while allowing 17.8 PPG. Keep notice that Tennessee has 44.1 more yards per game than Alabama and the Crimson tide has allowed 145.8 yards less per game. Expect to this to be a clash between two teams from different sides of the division in the SEC with potential playoff implications on the line.
My personal pick: With both teams showing heavy presence defensively throughout the first seven weeks of the season, my most favorable pick in this game is under 66.5.
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#8 Oklahoma State Cowboys vs #13 TCU Horned Frogs
· Spread: OKST +4.5 (-115) (53%) | TCU -4.5 (-105) (47%)
· Moneyline: OKST (+162) (52%) | TCU (-200) (48%)
· Over/Under: 68.5 | Over (-110) (98%) | Under (-110) (2%)
Playing at the same time as #3 Alabama and #6 Tennessee, the Big 12 has two teams who have been off to a great start so far this season playing each other, #8 Oklahoma State and #13 TCU. The Horned Frogs seem to have the edge over the Cowboys as they just came off a thrilling come from behind victory over #19 Kansas. TCU presents a threat offensively as senior quarterback Max Duggan has been on a tear recently throwing for 1,305 yards, 14 touchdowns and a QBR rating of 88.3. Oklahoma State shouldn’t be taken lightly though as they won some big games these past two weeks which included a road win over #16 Baylor. Look for this game to be an offensive shootout as both teams average 46.4 points per game and show a little bit of struggle on the defensive side. Last year between these two teams, we saw a 63-17 blowout victory for the Cowboys, expect a lot of changes for this afternoon Big 12 contest.
My personal pick: Even though TCU presents itself as the hotter team, I like Oklahoma +4.5 and maybe throw some money to even win the game outright.
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#7 USC Trojans vs #20 Utah Utes
· Spread: USC +3.5 (-114) (59%) | UTAH -3.5 (-106) (41%)
· Moneyline: USC (+132) (71%) | UTAH (-162) (29%)
· Over/Under: 64.5 | Over (-115) (34%) | Under (-105) (66%)
The last big game that should be highlighted for tomorrow’s slate consists of two Pac 12 teams, #7 USC and #20 Utah. As of right now, the Trojans look to be the heavy favorites to win the Pac 12 and be the only hope for a team from that conference to make it to the college football playoffs. The deciding factor for this game resides on the sophomore quarterback transfer, Caleb Williams. So far in six games this season, Williams has thrown for 1,590 yards and 14 touchdowns with only 1 interception. If the Utes want to pull a major upset in terms of rankings, they must find a way to shut down the Trojans passing attack which has put up an average of 40.2 points per game and 461.8 yards per game. This late-night west coast game could be huge for USC in terms of making the college football playoffs.
My personal pick: I’ve been a big fan of the Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley tandem year one at USC, so I think the Trojans will overcome some road adversity and win the game outright, throw some money on USC moneyline.