Week 7 college football previews and predictions


Last week brought chaos to college football with five of the top eight teams in the country, and eleven of the Top 25 teams losing. This week also has the potential to match last week’s mania with plenty of more match-ups between ranked opponents, particularly in the SEC.

#2 Auburn (5-0, 2-0 SEC) at #3 Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0 SEC)

The big game of the weekend (and the site of College GameDay) will feature two SEC teams with very similar offenses, and arguably the two best quarterbacks in the conference. Dak Prescott (1722 total yards, 20 total TDs, 2 INTs) has been one of the biggest surprises of the season, vaulting the Bulldogs into playoff contention and establishing himself as a Heisman front-runner. Meanwhile, Auburn’s Nick Marshall (1147 total yards, 12 total TDS, 1 INT) has continued where he left off at the end of last season, establishing the Tigers as national championship contenders for the second straight year.

This game is likely to come down to the smallest advantage for either team. The Bulldogs have the advantage on the offensive side of the ball, but that advantage will be matched by the Tigers’ strong defense. It’ll be a great game that can go either way. Considering the Bulldogs will be hosting GameDay, are playing in front of their home crowd, and have the more productive quarterback, I’m leaning more towards them.

Prediction: Mississippi State 37, Auburn 31

#3 Ole Miss (5-0, 2-0 SEC) at #14 Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1 SEC)

It’s been a good year for football fans in Mississippi, as both the Bulldogs and Rebels are 5-0, coming off wins against top 10 SEC teams, and Ole Miss is ranked #3 in the polls. Rebel quarterback Bo Wallace (1522 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs) leads a squad that is really coming together on both sides of the ball with members of last year’s top-tier recruiting class stepping up and perform up to, or above, expectations.

Meanwhile, A&M will be looking to get the bad taste out of their mouth after last week’s 48-31 loss to Mississippi State. The game was a lot worse than the score would indicate though, as the Aggies scored two touchdowns in garbage-time late. Expect the Aggies to bounce back from that loss, especially at home, but the playmakers on Ole Miss’s side will keep A&M from pulling off the upset.

Prediction: Ole Miss 45, Texas A&M 35

#9 TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) at #5 Baylor (5-0, 2-0 Big 12)

TCU vaulted up 16 spots in the polls after upsetting then #4 Oklahoma, and looks to establish itself as a premier national-title contender against a Baylor team that many have as a playoff candidate. The Horned Frogs have always been known for having a stout defense, ranking 7th in points allowed with 13.5 per game, but thanks in part to the emergence of quarterback Trevone Boykin (1436 total yards, 13 total TDs, 2 INTs), they now also have the offense to go with it. TCU ranks 19th in the nation in passing yards (320.0 per game) and 12th in points scored (42.8 per game).

Meanwhile, the Bears, who come into this game leading the FBS in points scored with 51.0 per game, hope their 28-7 win against Texas last week isn’t a sign of things to come. While the defense, running game (thanks to Shock Linwood’s 148 yards and one touchdown), and special teams held their own, Baylor wasn’t helped by only 111 yards from quarterback Bryce Petty on 7-of-22 passing.  Not only is the Horned Frogs’ defense stronger than the Longhorns, but they also have the offense to keep up with Baylor, meaning it could be another sub-par offensive performance for Bryce Petty and the Bears. Unlike Texas, TCU can take advantage of a Baylor offense not firing on all cylinders.

Prediction: TCU 31, Baylor 27

#12 Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) at #18 UCLA (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12)

The Ducks and Bruins enter their matchup at the Rose Bowl with a lot of similarities. They both have Heisman-caliber quarterbacks in Marcus Mariota (1652 total yards, 19 total TDs, 0 INTs) and Brett Hundley (1432 total yards, 11 total TDs, 2 INTs), they both can put up a lot of points on offense, they each have porous offensive lines and they’re both coming off losses at home to unranked conference opponents.

Each team will be trying to get itself back into the playoff conversation, and a win this week would put either team back on the right track. Oregon has the better offensive playmakers to match up against the stronger UCLA defenders, have arguably the stronger quarterback, and are somehow less susceptible to giving up a sack (Hundley’s been sacked 22 times to Mariota’s 15). It’ll be a nail-biter of a game, and either team could come away with a win, but I’m leaning towards the Ducks.

Prediction: Oregon 38, UCLA 34

#13 Georgia (4-1, 2-1 SEC) at #23 Missouri (4-1, 1-0 SEC)

The Bulldogs have already suffered a huge loss prior to this game, as running back Todd Gurley (773 yards, 8 TDs) was suspended for violation of NCAA rules, reportedly for signing autographs for money. This will likely throw freshman running back Nick Chubb (224 yards, 2 TDs) into the starting role, as well as put more pressure on quarterback Hutson Mason (687 yards, 7 TDS, 3 INTs). Luckily for the Bulldogs, Chubb should be ready to handle part of Gurley’s workload, especially against a weak Missouri run defense.

There are questions, though, as to whether Mason can make up for Gurley’s absence, as the senior has yet to throw for more than 200 yards in a game this season, but he should still have enough of a running game to fall back on. The loss of Gurley hurts the Bulldogs, but not enough where I see them falling to the Tigers.

Prediction: Georgia 27, Missouri 24

USC (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) at #10 Arizona (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12)

Emotions will be running high in this contest with the Trojans having lost 38-34 to Arizona State last week on a last-second Hail Mary, while the Wildcats, the only undefeated team in the Pac-12 right now, are coming off a 31-24 win over then #2 Oregon at Autzen Stadium. Freshmen Anu Solomon (1741 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs) and Nick Wilson (574 rushing yards, 6 TDs) have helped to make the Wildcats a dark-horse playoff contender, leading an offense averaging just under 40 points per game.

USC, led by quarterback Cody Kessler (1380 yards, 10 TDs, 0 INTs) and running back Javorius Allen (826 total yards, 5 TDs), has the offensive potential to match Arizona point-for-point. However, the team has run into some issues with blocking, the same problem the Wildcats exploited to beat Oregon. Meanwhile, the defense has been wrecked both on the ground and in the air this season, as the Trojans gave up 452 rushing yards to Boston College and 510 passing yards to Arizona State, and the Wildcats’ offense is 7th in the nation in passing yards and 24th in rushing. It’s possible that the USC defense will rise up to the challenge, but, after last week’s debacle, I wouldn’t bet on it.

Prediction: Arizona 41, USC 31