Before any games had been played, the college football media machine was dominated by the news that the College Football Playoff will be doubling in size to 24 teams starting next season. More informed men than me have debated endlessly as to whether or not this is a good idea, but think of all that sweet TV revenue and ad space! Those network executive yachts won’t buy themselves. Little did we know that such insanity was just an appetizer.
Week Seven Recap
See, weekends like these are why I love this sport, despite all of the off-the-field drama and playoff shenanigans. For the first time in the history of the AP poll, five out of the top seven teams fell, including No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame. As a result, Miami and BYU are back on top, though recent events show that they might not want to get too comfortable. More ranked-on-unranked matchups wait for us this week, which means more chances for similar upsets to take place!
Top 25 Matchups
Rankings are from AP Poll, All game times EST
Saturday 10/24:
12:00-3:00PM
- #8 Texas Tech @ Cincinnati, FS1
- #18 LSU @ Auburn, ABC
- California @ #23 SMU, The CW
- Pittsburgh @ #1 Miami, ESPN
- Rutgers @ #24 Northwestern, Peacock
- #6 Indiana @ Michigan, FOX
3:30PM-6:30PM
- Texas A&M @ #13 Alabama, ABC
- #15 Iowa @ Minnesota, FS1
- #2 BYU @ UCF, FOX
- Michigan State @ #9 UCLA, CBS
- #11 Tennessee @ South Carolina, ESPN
- #21 Boise State @ Washington State, USA
7:00-10:30PM
- #16 USC @ Wisconsin, NBC
- Vanderbilt @ #12 Kentucky, SECN
- Iowa State @ #25 Arizona, ESPN2
- #7 Ole Miss @ #19 Texas, ABC
- #14 Houston @ #10 Utah, ESPN
Most Interesting Matchups
Pitt @ Miami: The Hurricanes are coming off an emotional overtime win over Florida State, are ranked No. 1 for the first time since the early 2000s, and on paper should make easy work of a Pitt team without their starting quarterback. What that means is that this is exactly the type of game that the Panthers can (and have) play spoiler in (see 2016 Clemson and 2017 Miami for reference).
Ole Miss @ Texas: Texas, Texas, Texas. When will you finally live up to potential and use the vast amount of recruiting talent to actually win games that matter? The schedule doesn’t get any easier this week against a Rebels teams that’s fresh off a blowout win over ranked Missouri. The Longhorns margin of error is down to zero, and Arch needs a good game to keep his starting role.
Houston @ Utah: With all the talk and chaos around BYU, their in-state rival Utah has quietly flown under the radar and gone undefeated over the first half of the season. Granted, that winning streak will now be tested against a Houston team who’ve been playing at a similarly high level. The winner of this one will be in prime position to challenge BYU and Texas Tech for the lead of the Big 12.
Virginia Tech @ Clemson: The Hokies have flamed out a bit after a hot start, while the Tigers are surprisingly still in the hunt for the top spot in the ACC. If Virginia Tech wants to say the same, this matchup versus the Tigers is a must-win situation for James Franklin’s squad.
USC @ Wisconsin: USC has made a habit of playing uncomfortably close games against teams they are supposed to beat, and Wisconsin has a habit of punching above their weight class, at least for a the first half. In short, expect this one to come down to the wire, especially with the Trojans as the away team.
FCS Game of the Week
North Dakota @ South Dakota 10/24, 2PM, ESPN+
The Fighting Hawks of North Dakota are fresh off a massive win over FCS #1 South Dakota State, so let’s see if they can make it two in a row against highly ranked teams from the Mount Rushmore State.
Selected Pick ATS
My Picks:
Last Week: 3-2 Season: 18-20
- Pitt (+20.5) @ Miami
- Ole Miss (+3.5) @ Texas
- Houston @ Utah (-6.5)
- Virginia Tech @ Clemson (-2.5)
- USC @ Wisconsin (+2.5)
Coin Flip Picks
Rules – Heads: Home Covers, Tails: Away Covers
Neutral Site: Heads picks the first team alphabetically
Last Week: 3-2 Season: 19-19
- Pitt @ Miami (-20.5)
- Ole Miss (+3.5) @ Texas
- Houston @ Utah (-6.5)
- Virginia Tech @ Clemson (-2.5)
- USC (-2.5) @ Wisconsin
