Dan Mullen picks Red River winner, other pivotal Week 7 games

It’s the eve of another college football Saturday, and Week 7 has all the makings of a pivotal slate. And that means no shortage of juicy games to pick.

ESPN analyst and former SEC head coach Dan Mullen took a stab with his usual slate of six picks, covering high-powered Big Ten matchups to some SEC showdowns. And a few of his picks are perhaps eyebrow raising.

See them all below.

Oklahoma (+14.5) over Texas, Longhorns wins

Mullen isn’t picking against Texas in the win column. But in a game that’s been within a score most years in recent history, he’s also not taking the Longhorns plus the points.

Behind a stingy defense and perhaps some wrinkles for true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins to get going, Mullen is banking on the Sooners hanging around. Plus, most matchups between these teams lead to wild, unexpected twists and turns.

Florida (+14.5) over Tennessee, Volunteers wins

Another big line where Mullen is taking the underdog to at least cover, though he also has Tennessee getting the win at home. But Mullen is going with his former team to keep it close on the road.

Florida started slow but has shown a bit of life lately. And Tennessee, on the other hand, has gotten stuck in a lower gear than it’d like on offense — just enough for Mullen to think the Gators lose by two touchdowns or less.

Penn State (-3.5) over USC

The first of two Big Ten road favorites that Mullen picked, Penn State visits a USC team that likely cannot afford another loss and have it’s College Football Playoff hopes intact. And sitting at 3-2, USC is a home underdog to the undefeated Nittany Lions.

And Mullen thinks that’s for good reason. Penn State has shown off a versatile, deep run game and the usual stingy defense, and Mullen thinks that’s enough to get the job done on the West Coast.

Ohio State (-3.5) over Oregon

The marquee matchup of Week 7 brings together two top five teams in Eugene. And Mullen is again picking the road favorite in the über-talented Ohio State.

The Buckeyes haven’t really faced an opponent or environment the caliber of which it will see on Saturday night. But the breadth and depth of Ohio State’s talents will be too much for the Ducks, as Mullen sees things.

Pitt (-3.5) over Cal

Pitt, somewhat under the radar, is 5-0 and transfer quarterback Eli Holstein is putting in some sterling play. And they’ll face a feisty Cal team that’s made plenty of noise in its first year in the ACC.

And getting to host the Golden Bears is just the edge Pitt needs. Mullen has Holstein and Co. holding serve and getting to bowl eligibility with an unblemished record.

LSU (+3.5) over Ole Miss

Mullen is again picking the home team, going with LSU to win this rivalry matchup with plenty of implications beyond. The winner of this game has a relatively simple path to the SEC title game and/or an at-large CFP bid, while the loser likely gets boxed out.

In what will likely be a shootout, Mullen is going with the home favorite Tigers. And one thing seems for certain in this matchup is that plenty of points can be scored.