College Football Cheat Sheet: Week 7

The weekend everyone has been waiting for since schedules became public has arrived. There are numerous blockbuster matchups on the slate. October is ready to deliver the goods.

KSR’s College Football Cheat Sheet is back to set the table. Full schedule, top games, matchups to watch, and much more.

Let’s football.

The Slate

Northwestern at Maryland	8:00pm ET (Friday)	FS1
UNLV at Utah State	9:00pm ET (Friday)	CBS Sports Network
No. 16 Utah at Arizona State	10:30pm ET (Friday)	ESPN
Georgia Tech at North Carolina	Noon ET	The CW
No. 21 Missouri at UMass	Noon ET	ESPN2
Wisconsin at Rutgers	Noon ET	Big Ten Network
South Carolina at No. 7 Alabama	Noon ET	ABC
UAB at Army	Noon ET	CBS Sports Network
No. 10 Clemson at Wake Forest	Noon ET	ESPN
Washington at Iowa	Noon ET	FOX
Toledo at Buffalo	Noon ET	ESPNU
Ball State at Kent State	Noon ET	ESPN+
Miami (Ohio) at Eastern Michigan	2:00pm ET	ESPN+
Old Dominion at Georgia State	3:30pm ET	ESPN+
Memphis at South Florida	3:30pm ET	ESPN+
California at No. 22 Pittsburgh	3:30pm ET	ESPN
Cincinnati at UCF	3:30pm ET	ESPN2
Akron at Western Michigan	3:30pm ET	ESPN+
San Jose State at Colorado State	3:30pm ET	TruTV
No. 4 Penn State at USC	3:30pm ET	CBS
San Diego State at Wyoming	3:30pm ET	CBS Sports Network
Stanford at No. 11 Notre Dame	3:30pm ET	NBC
Purdue at No. 23 Illinois	3:30pm ET	FS1
No. 1 Texas at No. 18 Oklahoma	3:30pm ET	ABC
Northern Illinois at Bowling Green	3:30pm ET	ESPN+
Louisville at Virginia	3:30pm ET	ACC Network
Ohio at Central Michigan	3:30pm ET	ESPNU
Arizona at No. 14 BYU	4:00pm ET	FOX
Mississippi State at No. 5 Georgia	4:15pm ET	SEC Network
Southern Miss at ULM	5:00pm ET	ESPN+
Arkansas State at Texas State	7:00pm ET	ESPN+
North Texas at Florida Atlantic	7:00pm ET	ESPN2
Air Force at New Mexico	7:00pm ET	TruTV
Washington State at Fresno State	7:00pm ET	FS1
Florida at No. 8 Tennessee	7:00pm ET	ESPN
UTSA at Rice	7:00pm ET	ESPN+
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon	7:30pm ET	NBC
No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU	7:30pm ET	ABC
Oregon State at Nevada	7:30pm ET	CBS Sports Network
Appalachian State at Louisiana	7:30pm ET	ESPN+
Vanderbilt at Kentucky	7:45pm ET	SEC Network
Syracuse at NC State	8:00pm ET	ACC Network
Marshall at Georgia Southern	8:00pm ET	ESPNU
No. 11 Iowa State at West Virginia	8:00pm ET	FOX
Minnesota at UCLA	9:00pm ET	Big Ten Network
No. 18 Kansas State at Colorado	10:15pm ET	ESPN
No. 17 Boise State at Hawaii	11:00pm ET	CBS Sports Network

Top Games

1. No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon
2. No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU
3. No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma
4. No. 4 Penn State at USC
5. No. 11 Iowa State at West Virginia
6. No. 16 Utah at Arizona State
7. Florida at No. 8 Tennessee
8. No. 18 Kansas State at Colorado
9. Washington at Iowa
10. Arizona at No. 14 BYU

College Football Gambling Corner

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A true blockbuster in Eugene

Many scoffed when the Big Ten doubled down on their westward expansion and added Oregon plus Washington to the conference to join USC and UCLA. But those programs were added to create prime-time matchups. Now Oregon will look to follow Washington’s path after Jedd Fisch‘s program knocked off Michigan in Seattle last week.

Chip Kelly is returning to Autzen Stadium and will wear Ohio State colors in this matchup of top-five teams in the Big Ten. In what could be a preview of the Big Ten Championship, we should learn a lot about both teams on Saturday night in Eugene.

Ohio State’s defense is legit. Can offensive coordinator Will Stein and quarterback Dillon Gabriel find ways to move the ball and score points? Just how good can this Ohio State offense be with Will Howard at quarterback? NBC gets a huge game in a big window.

It’s very likely both of these teams could make the College Football Playoff. The winner might be considered a lock.

Our first big Tiger Stadium game

There is nothing like a big LSU game at night in Death Valley. We will get the first one of the season in Week 7, and the Bayou Bengals will be a rare home underdog. This one might have the goods.

Ole Miss remains in the top 10 despite the loss to unranked Kentucky and responded in Week 6 with a workmanlike road win against South Carolina. Lane Kiffin‘s identity is a spread-tempo offense, but the defense in Oxford seems like the best unit on that football team. Meanwhile, LSU has major defensive worries, but the Tigers appear to have found another stud quarterback. Garrett Nussmeier has replaced a Heisman Trophy winner and is dealing (69.7% completion rate, 8.3 yards per attempt, 17 total touchdowns).

In a game that features two fan bases that do not like each other, Tiger Stadium could give us quite the moment for two teams with SEC title and playoff expectations.

A different kind of game at Red River

Texas and Oklahoma will meet as SEC foes for the first time at the Texas State Fair where the Cotton Bowl will host this neutral-site rivalry. Steve Sarkisian‘s squad enters the game as the best team for the third year in a row, but a shootout will not be the expectation.

Texas is good on offense. Oklahoma is not. Both sides have top-15 defenses. Could we have a grinder with limited possessions? That certainly seems possible.

The only way Oklahoma wins this game is if the winner is in the teens or low 20s. That could create a different type of pacing in a game that is often a track meet.

Penn State’s first big test

Ohio State is not the only Big Ten brand heading west for their first test of the year. Undefeated Penn State will roll into Los Angeles with an undefeated record to take on a USC team that has dropped both of its Big Ten road games.

This is a big one for both sides.

Despite having that LSU win, Lincoln Riley has seen his team lose twice as favorites, and the offense isn’t exactly humming against Big Ten competition. Without a win in this spot, the Trojans will likely be out of the College Football Playoff race and will receive a ton of criticism. For Penn State, a win means the Nittany Lions could very well be 7-0 when Ohio State rolls into Happy Valley in November. The path to an automatic bid is easy to see for Penn State with a victory on the West Coast. A Big Ten Championship Game berth is also easy to see with a win in Week 7.

James Franklin has received criticism for never making the playoff. That could change in a big way on Saturday afternoon. Riley’s USC tenure doesn’t have the best vibes, but that could change with a win and a very manageable remaining Big Ten schedule.

We’ve got some stakes at the Coliseum.

Degenerate Under: Minnesota at UCLA Under 40.5

Minnesota has a good defense but ranks sub-80 in offensive EPA/play. UCLA has a bad defense and a bad offense. Neither team wants to hit the tempo gas pedal. That could create a ton of punts at the Rose Bowl.

UCLA had arguably their best performance of the year in a 16-point road loss to Penn State in Week 6, and Minnesota is fresh off beating USC where QB sneaks were the No. 1 play in the red zone for P.J. Fleck‘s Gophers.

Expect some punts in the other Big Ten game played in Los Angeles.

The rest of the college football card

— The Big 12 is littered with intriguing games this week, and one of the biggest can be found in the after dark window on Friday. Arizona State has won three one-possession games and is building some momentum. Cam Rising is set to return at quarterback for Utah after a tough home loss to Arizona. This is a big game for both teams.

— The Luke Fickell era is off to a rocky start, and his team will hit the road in Week 7 after a blowout win over hapless Purdue. Rutgers could not finish drives against Nebraska, and that led to a tough road loss. This could be a swing game for each team’s season in this Big Ten nooner. Wisconsin’s schedule gets tricky starting now.

— What will Alabama do following embarrassment? South Carolina rolls into Tuscaloosa having lost consecutive conference games, but has a defense that could really challenge Kalen DeBoer‘s offense. Would a slow start turn into boos at Bryant-Denny Stadium?

— Iowa hosts Washington in a Big Ten nooner where both teams have one conference loss. The Hawkeyes are against struggling to move the football, but the defense is excellent. Washington has excellent advanced numbers and could be a sneaky team in this conference. The path for Iowa to get to 10-2 is possible with a win at Kinnick Stadium.

— Pittsburgh puts a 5-0 record on the line at home against California in an afternoon ACC contest. The Golden Bears have a tough turnaround after a brutal loss to Miami. A win for Pat Narduzzi‘s squad makes the path to 9-0 with Clemson coming to town on Nov. 16 easy to see. Offensive coordinator Kade Bell looks like a star and one outstanding hire by Narduzzi.

— Cincinnati and UCF both have two losses early. After tough Big 12 debuts, things could get ugly for Scott Satterfield or Gus Malzahn with another loss. Saturday in Orlando could get one program on track and the other completely off the track. The fan base that takes the loss here will be extremely upset with the direction of their football program.

— Louisville has dropped two games in a row and is facing a 4-1 Virginia team. The Hoos only lost to Maryland because of a minus-four turnover margin. The Cardinals have dropped two in a row, are dealing with offensive line injuries, and have a bunch of defensive problems. Things could unravel with a third consecutive loss for this transfer-heavy roster. This is one that Jeff Brohm needs to win.

— BYU is quietly 5-0 with an impressive road win over SMU. “Big Noon Kickoff” will broadcast live from Provo. Arizona is 3-2 and completely unpredictable. But the Big 12 is unpredictable. The Cougars have offensive issues, and Arizona has offensive firepower. Do not be surprised if you see an upset here in the chaos conference.

— There are ghosts for Tennessee in the Florida series. The Vols return home and are laying two touchdowns in this SEC matchup, but Josh Heupel‘s tempo-spread offense is struggling. The Gators have defensive issues but will be the best offense Tennessee has seen. There could be some nervous energy in Neyland Stadium if Billy Napier‘s team can hang around.

— Syracuse is 4-1, and Ohio State quarterback transfer Kyle McCord should probably get some Heisman Trophy buzz. NC State has lost four consecutive power conference games dating back to last season and has a bunch of issues. Yet, the Orange are laying just a field goal. NC State needs a win to save this season from turning into a disaster.

— West Virginia dropped non-conference games to Penn State and Pittsburgh, but both of those teams look top-20 caliber. A blowout road win over Oklahoma State has created a big stage in Morgantown. Undefeated Iowa State rolls into town in a battle between two teams at the top of the Big 12 standings. Neal Brown‘s team could become a clear conference title contender with a big home win.

— Speaking of interesting Big 12 games, No. 18 Kansas State heads to Colorado to face a team that has some real momentum. The Wildcats have not been good away from home and cannot afford another conference loss. The Buffs, meanwhile, will reasonably have a place in the playoff conversation with a win. This is a big one in the after dark window.