Week 7 is in the books, and we have some shuffling around atop the rankings. With their win over Ohio State, the Oregon Ducks moved to number two while the Buckeyes fall to 4. Penn State is now ranked third after their big win on the road against the USC Trojans. The Big Ten now have the second, third and fourth ranked teams in the nation. My Week 7 picks garnered a 4-4 record and now my overall mark is 28-15. My winning percentage dips from 68.6% to 65.1%. Arizona State defeating Utah last Friday Night was my first defeat. In the game of the year, the Oregon Ducks beat Ohio State 32-21 for my second loss. Kansas State took down Colorado in a close one for my third loss. My fourth and final loss came when Iowa State beat West Virginia.
The big game this week will see 5th ranked Georgia heading to Texas to face the top-ranked Longhorns. The 7th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will head to Knoxville and face the 11th ranked Tennessee Volunteers. I’ll be picking another eight games for Week 8. Let’s check out Trav’s Week 8 College Football Picks below.
We kick things off with the 5th ranked Georgia Bulldogs heading to Austin to face the top-ranked Texas Longhorns. This game has a lot riding on it for the Bulldogs seeing they loss to Alabama earlier in the season. Georgia is coming off a hard fought win over Mississippi State at home. Georgia hasn’t looked like the title contender we all thought they were after their first game. Can Carson Beck have the game of his career and lead the Bulldogs to an upset? Texas has been the best team in the nation all season. They have blown out every team this season and the defense is the best in the country. This will be the biggest game of Quinn Ewers’s career. The Longhorns will need to rely on their run game to be more efficient on offense. I’m picking the Longhorns to win in a close one. Texas Win 38-28
We stay in the SEC as the 7th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide head to Tennessee to face the 11th ranked Volunteers. Alabama almost dropped their second game in a row against South Carolina. The Tide haven’t looked great in their last two games since they defeated Georgia. This is the beginning of a 3-gme stretch where the Tide face Tennessee, Missouri and LSU. With both teams already having one loss, this could potentially eliminate one from playoff consideration. Tennessee and their offense calmed down a lot after their first three games. They are averaging less than 21 points per game over their last three games. The defense continues to be one of the best in the country. They rank in the top five in scoring, but can they handle the Tide offense? I’m going with the Tide in this tough matchup on the road. Alabama Win 31-30
The third and final matchup between two top 25 teams is a Big Ten Conference critical game. The 24th ranked Michigan Wolverines head to Illinois to battle the 22nd ranked Fighting Illini. Michigan dropped their second game of the year when they fell to Washington on the road. The defending champions back is against the wall for the remainder of the season. After this game, they still have Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio State on their schedule. Can they pick up this tough road win? Illinois has surprised a lot of people this season. They have only one loss and that was against Penn State. This game will be their fourth against a ranked opponent. Illinois is coming off a 50-49 win over Purdue. They had a 24-point lead but relinquished it before finally winning. I’m picking the Wolverines to pick up the tough road win. Michigan Win 27-23
We have the 6th ranked Miami Hurricanes heading to Louisville to face the Cardinal in a critical ACC matchup. Miami made a miraculous comeback against California in their last game. The win kept Miami’s playoff and ACC championship hopes alive. The Hurricanes are one of four teams in the ACC to remain undefeated in conference play. Unfortunately, the other three teams aren’t on their schedule. Miami currently sits atop the nation in points scored and passing yards per game. Louisville just had their two game losing streak snapped last week in Virginia. Before that, the Cardinal fell to Notre Dame and SMU in close games. Louisville is one of those teams that can play with anybody and upset a few in the process. In a tough one, I’m picking the Hurricanes to leave with a hard fought win. Miami Win 34-30
We stay in the ACC as the Virginia Cavaliers head to Clemson to face the 10th ranked Tigers. Virginia is coming off a tough loss to Louisville a week ago. This will be the first game against a ranked opponent for the Cavaliers. Anthony Colandrea will have to have the game of his life against the Tigers defense. The Cavaliers are averaging almost 28 points per game but will likely need to score more to contend with Clemson. This will be the first big test for the defense, how will they handle it? Clemson has been one of the hottest teams in the country following their opening weekend loss to Georgia. They rank 12th in the nation in scoring and that’s including them putting up three points in their opener. The Tigers should continue to roll over the Cavs. Clemson Win 34-21
We head to the Big Ten as the Nebraska Cornhuskers will head to Indiana to face the 16th ranked Hoosiers. Dylan Raiola gets a lot of attention for Nebraska, but the defense is what’s keeping them going. The Cornhuskers defense ranks in the top 10 in scoring by giving up a little over 11 points per game. The only loss they have came against then 24th ranked Illinois. Can Nebraska head into their game next week against Ohio State with only one loss? Indiana enters this game undefeated and sitting atop the Big Ten with Oregon and Penn State. They haven’t had a tough schedule at all, so are they legit or is it the schedule? The Hoosiers are hoping to keep pace with the Ducks and Nittany Lions. Nebraska is hoping not to drop their second conference game. I’m going with the Hoosiers to get by. Indiana Win 26-24
We have the 12th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish heading to Atlanta to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. If Notre Dame didn’t have that hiccup against Northern Illinois they would be undefeated. The Fighting Irish would be a top 5 team and with their favorable schedule, the playoffs would be secured. Notre Dame enter this game with a top 20 rush offense and top 10 scoring defense. Can this defense slow down the high powered Yellow Jackets offense? Georgia Tech enters this game with a 5-2 record. Georgia Tech is a team on the rise and a win against Notre Dame would be huge. Bobby Dodd Stadium will be crazy seeing Notre Dame come into town. If this was a night game, this would be a candidate for a major upset. In a close game, I’m taking the Fighting Irish to leave with the win. Notre Dame Win 30-27
We head back to the SEC as the 8th ranked LSU Tigers travel to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks. LSU is coming off a tough come from behind win over Ole Miss. LSU have one of the best pass offenses in the nation. They have been without a good portion of their receiving core, but still able to win games. The Tigers have one of the worse run games in the SEC, but it will be needed in this one. Arkansas is a tough place to play at night. They pulled off the upset of Tennessee a couple weeks ago. Taylen Green will need to have a mistake free game against this Tigers team. Can the Razorbacks pull off another upset of another top 10 SEC team? I’m still riding with this Tigers to team to squeak by the Razorbacks. LSU Win 31-30
What do you think about my Week 7 college football picks? Any upsets happening? Leave some feedback below about anything related to my Week 7 college football picks. Below are my top 5 teams entering this weekend.
Trav’s Top 5 College Football Teams
- Texas Longhorns
- Oregon Ducks
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Miami Hurricanes
