Week 7 College Football Picks and Results

Predictions
Wednesday
Navy at Pittsburgh: With a week off to heal from injuries and two horrendous losses to Virginia and Connecticut, Pittsburgh should be able to rebound at home against the Midshipmen to even their record at 3-3.
Pittsburgh 31 Navy 24
Navy 48 Pittsburgh 45 2OT (0-1)

Thursday
Florida State at Wake Forest: Having now won three straight, with the game at home, and with their offense beginning to finally click, I'm giving a slight edge to Wake Forest. Florida State is ranked now anyway, right? So, that puts them at an immediate disadvantage right there for how things have transpired the past two weekends.
Wake Forest 27 Florida State 24
Wake Forest 24 Florida State 21 (1-1)

Friday
Hawaii at San Jose State: With or without Colt Brennan at quarterback, I feel that Hawaii has too much on offense for San Jose State to counter efficiently enough. But, is an upset completely out of the question? Nope, not at all.
Hawaii 48 San Jose State 28
Hawaii 42 San Jose State 35 OT (2-1)

Saturday
Central Florida at South Florida: USF realized this past weekend they can't take anyone for granted, as Howard Schnellenberger's Florida Atlantic club gave the Bulls all they could handle for four quarters. Jim Levitt's crew faces an even tougher school from the state of Florida this week, in George O'Leary's Golden Knights of Central Florida. If USF didn't receive their wake-up call a week ago, I may have been tempted to take UCF in this one, but I have a feeling Levitt won't allow his club to lose focus again, especially in Tampa this weekend.
South Florida 38 Central Florida 24
South Florida 64 Central Florida 12 (3-1)

Purdue at Michigan: While Michigan has looked anything but impressive the past couple weekends against the likes of Northwestern and Eastern Michigan, Purdue hasn't done much to impress me this year either. If it wasn't for a late 4th quarter score against the Buckeyes' scrubs this past Saturday, the Boilers would've been shut-out at home. In Ann Arbor, I have to give the slight edge to the Wolverines to win their 5th straight, including three in conference.
Michigan 34 Purdue 31
Michigan 48 Purdue 21 (4-1)

Minnesota at Northwestern: The battle of the two cellar dwellers of the Big Ten this year. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the game is at Northwestern and unfortunately for the Gophers, I happen to believe they are the true Big Ten doormat this year. The Wildcats win their second straight to improve to 4-3 on the season.
Northwestern 38 Minnesota 31
Northwestern 49 Minnesota 48 2OT (5-1)

Virginia Tech at Duke: Virginia Tech better be careful in this game. That sounds/feels wrong for me to say, considering it's against Duke, but the Blue Devils have been a pest this year. They lost to Virginia by 11, Wake Forest by 5, and Miami (Florida) by 10. But, with the defense ever improving, even with the absence of linebacker Vince Hall, I look for the Hokies to scratch and claw their way to a victory.
Virginia Tech 23 Duke 10
Virginia Tech 43 Duke 14 (6-1)

Rutgers at Syracuse: Syracuse is the ultimate Big East rebound team, or so they would seem. They played the role nicely this past weekend to West Virginia, following the Mountaineers' 21-13 loss to South Florida, and fell to West Virginia 55-14. They decided to play out of character earlier this year as they upset Louisville 38-35 following the Cardinals' tough loss to Kentucky. So, now it's Rutgers' turn, following two consecutive losses, to the likes of Maryland and Cincinnati. Call me a pessimist, but I think the Orange's best days of the season are behind them. The Scarlet Knights dominate.
Rutgers 38 Syracuse 10
Rutgers 38 Syracuse 14 (7-1)

Kent State at Ohio State: Ohio State certainly picked the year to play MAC schools. First it was Akron and now the Golden Flashes. Regardless of who they play in the MAC this season, the Buckeyes would win.
Ohio State 35 Kent State 6
Ohio State 48 Kent State 3 (8-1)

Eastern Michigan at Ohio: Frank Solich and his Ohio Bobcats are in trouble. The defending runner-up in the MAC has lost four straight games, including a 31-10 blow-out loss to Buffalo this past weekend. With the game at home, I'd hope that the Bobcats could end their swoon against EMU.
Ohio 24 Eastern Michigan 20
Ohio 48 Eastern Michigan 42 (9-1)

Georgia Tech at Miami (Florida): There are more questions than answers pertaining to both clubs entering this game. Miami is coming off an embarrassing 33-27 loss to North Carolina, which showcased quarterback Kyle Wright tossing four interceptions. Tech is coming off a 28-26 loss to Maryland. With the game at home, I give a very slight edge to Miami, but to be perfectly honest, I have no idea what to expect out of either team.
Miami (Florida) 24 Georgia Tech 20
Georgia Tech 17 Miami (Florida) 14 (9-2)

Illinois at Iowa: For how crisp Illinois looks on offense and how porous Iowa's has been, I have to pick the Illini. A let-down is a possibility, though.
Illinois 31 Iowa 17
Iowa 10 Illinois 6 (9-3)

Texas at Iowa State: Need I even pick this game? Texas. There, I picked.
Texas 27 Iowa State 13
Texas 56 Iowa State 3 (10-3)

Alabama at Mississippi: Alabama has not looked too impressive following their 3-0 start. They scored 23 points against Houston in the 1st quarter this past Saturday, leading 23-0 heading into the 2nd and almost blew it, in their 30-24 win over the Cougars. It won't get any easier this weekend, but I see them doing just enough to squeak out a win in Oxford.
Alabama 24 Mississippi 17
Alabama 27 Mississippi 24 (11-3)

Oklahoma State at Nebraska: Okie State is coming off a heart-breaking 24-23 loss to Texas A&M in College Station and Nebraska is coming off a loss that wasn't so heart-breaking, in their 41-6 loss to Missouri in Columbia. With the game in Lincoln, I give the slight edge to Nebraska, but have to wonder if the Huskers will be hung-over at all after their embarrassing loss. A hang-over almost bit them earlier this year, as they fell to USC in Week 3 and had to come from behind to defeat Ball State 41-40 the week following.
Nebraska 35 Oklahoma State 28
Oklahoma State 45 Nebraska 14 (11-4)

Baylor at Kansas: Kansas better beware of the let-down following their big win in Manhattan this past weekend, but at home against Baylor? It probably won't matter. The Jayhawks improve to 6-0 on the season.
Kansas 52 Baylor 14
Kansas 58 Baylor 10 (12-4)

Toledo at Buffalo: Toledo comes into this game at 2-4 with their two wins coming by a combined two points, a 36-35 win over Iowa State and a 35-34 win over I-AA Liberty. With the game in New York and the Bulls actually coming off a very impressive 21-point victory over Ohio, I know I'll probably get burned for doing this, but I'm picking the Bulls!
Buffalo 35 Toledo 31
Buffalo 43 Toledo 33 (13-4)

Western Kentucky at Ball State: Western Kentucky may be coming off a bye, but I don't think any amount of preparation time would prepare them enough for a road game against Ball State. The Cardinals bounce back from last week's loss to beat the Hilltoppers.
Ball State 34 Western Kentucky 17
Ball State 35 Western Kentucky 12 (14-4)

New Mexico at Wyoming: How 'bout them Cowboys? Wyoming is now 4-1 following their 24-21 win over TCU this past Saturday and that includes a 20-point win over 5-1 Virginia. New Mexico is 3-2 and not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't see the Lobos winning on the road in this one. Cowboys improve to 5-1.
Wyoming 28 New Mexico 21
New Mexico 20 Wyoming 3 (14-5)

Tennessee at Mississippi State: The Vols have to be wary of a let-down in Starkville against the 4-2 Bulldogs following their 35-14 slaughtering of the other SEC Bulldogs (Georgia). But, even if that's the case, I think Tennessee's offense, led by Erik Ainge, will be too explosive for the Bulldogs' inconsistent offense to counter.
Tennessee 27 Mississippi State 17
Tennessee 33 Mississippi State 21 (15-5)

Bowling Green at Miami (Ohio): Anything's possible in the MAC this year. There isn't one stand-out club as in year's past. Like .500 ball clubs? Check out the MAC. Bowling Green comes in at 3-2 and Miami at 3-3. With that in mind, expect an average game with two average teams, but with Bowling Green, slightly above average, to squeak by.
Bowling Green 28 Miami (Ohio) 17
Miami (Ohio) 47 Bowling Green 14 (15-6)

San Diego State at Utah: Utah is a bit bipolar this year. They have crushed UCLA by the final of 44-6 and beat Louisville this past week, 44-35, but they've also been shut-out by UNLV, 27-0. As could be expected, they have a 3-3 record to show for it. With the game in Salt Lake City and the Utes coming off a big nationally-televised win, I'm picking them to win, but won't be surprised if they get shut-out again.
Utah 28 San Diego State 17
Utah 23 San Diego State 7 (16-6)

Arizona at USC: What is it with USC and Pac-10 games these past couple years? They may breeze by non-conference foes such as Nebraska and Notre Dame, but when conference opponents come a-calling, the Trojans put their cars in neutral. They almost fell to Washington two weeks ago, in their 27-24 victory and then lost to Stanford 24-23 this past weekend. How about losing to the two potentially worst teams in the conference in back-to-back weeks? Just as I couldn't see last week's loss to Stanford, I can't see this loss to Arizona. I'm going with USC, but tentatively, for how poorly they're playing.
USC 35 Arizona 10
USC 20 Arizona 13 (17-6)

Boston College at Notre Dame: Congrats to the Irish, in their first win of the season, a 20-6 victory over UCLA. They've shown some improvement over the past 2-3 weeks. With the game in South Bend and the improvements the Irish have displayed of late, I could see an upset here, but am having a hard time picking against 6-0 Boston College. Although, with how top ten teams have fared of late, I should just pick against the Eagles for that fact alone. But, regardless, I'm going against the logic of this season and am going with the 4th ranked and unbeaten Golden Eagles.
Boston College 27 Notre Dame 20
Boston College 27 Notre Dame 14 (18-6)

LSU at Kentucky: If Kentucky's defense was worth a darn, I may have taken the 'Cats in this one at home, but that's not the case. LSU should be able to run all over the 'Cats' defense and should be able to contain Andre Woodson enough to ensure the victory.
LSU 34 Kentucky 17
Kentucky 43 LSU 37 3OT (18-7)

South Carolina at North Carolina: This would have looked like a pretty rotten match-up a couple weeks ago, but with SC's big win against Kentucky this past week to improve them to 5-1 and North Carolina's big upset of Miami this past weekend, it looks a bit more intriguing, especially with it being played in Chapel Hill. But, even though I have a gut feeling the Tar Heels may come through in this one, I just can't pick against Spurrier's Gamecocks against an ACC foe. The game is closer than many may project, but the favored Gamecocks still come out victorious to improve to 6-1.
South Carolina 31 North Carolina 24
South Carolina 21 North Carolina 15 (19-7)

Wisconsin at Penn State: This is a huge Big Ten game, with Penn State coming in at 4-2 and those two losses coming to Big Ten opponents (Illinois and Michigan) and Wisconsin coming off a conference loss to Illinois. Even with the game in Happy Valley, I think the Badgers should be able to do what they tend to do and win ugly. PSU suffers their third conference loss.
Wisconsin 24 Penn State 20
Penn State 38 Wisconsin 7 (19-8)

Rice at Houston: Rice "earned" their first victory of the season this past week, by beating Southern Miss 31-29. I put "earned" in quotes because Southern Miss handed the ball to the Owls not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, not five times, not even six times, but on seven different occasions. At home, Rice shouldn't expect Santa Claus to arrive for the second time before December. Houston ends their losing skid to even out at 3-3.
Houston 38 Rice 24
Houston 56 Rice 48 (20-8)

Connecticut at Virginia: Many complain about 5-0 UConn's schedule thus far and with good reason, although their schedule hasn't been as weak as Hawaii's and is slightly weaker than the likes of Kansas and Cincinnati. Here's a golden opportunity for the Huskies to prove the nay-sayers wrong. Unfortunately, with the game being in Charlottesville, I don't see that happening. Virginia improves to 6-1 on the season.
Virginia 24 Connecticut 20
Virginia 17 Connecticut 16 (21-8)

Army at Central Michigan: Central Michigan is 3-0 in the MAC and in impressive fashion and just as unimpressively, are 0-3 out-of-conference. But, I think that trend will change this weekend at home. The Chippewas appear to be clicking on offense again, as was demonstrated this past weekend when they scored 58 points against Ball State.
Central Michigan 31 Army 21
Central Michigan 47 Army 23 (22-8)

Washington State at Oregon: Following a bye week to recover from the very difficult home loss to Cal, the Quack Attack should be back and ready for the Cougars at home, who are themselves coming off a very difficult three-point loss to unbeaten Arizona State.
Oregon 34 Washington State 17
Oregon 53 Washington State 7 (23-8)

Texas A&M at Texas Tech: Two words - Michael Crabtree. If you haven't seen the freshman Red Raider wide out, I recommend watching this game. He and the rest of Mike Leach's gang in Lubbock should be too much for Franchione's ever so inconsistent offense.
Texas Tech 42 Texas A&M 28
Texas Tech 35 Texas A&M 7 (24-8)

Western Michigan at Northern Illinois: Oh, how the mighty in the MAC have fallen. Just ask Northern Illinois, who had been a perennial bowl contender the previous few years. This past weekend, they fell to MAC newbie Temple. I have a hard time seeing that same club beaten these Broncos.
Western Michigan 24 Northern Illinois 10
Western Michigan 17 Northern Illinois 13 (25-8)

TCU at Stanford: This has all the makings of a let-down for the Cardinal. Stanford was 1-3 heading into their battle with then #2 ranked USC this past Saturday, before upsetting the Trojans 24-23. TCU has been struggling to score many points all year, but with how high Stanford has been flying since Saturday night's victory, I have to pick the road team in this one to send the Cardinal crashing back down to earth again.
TCU 24 Stanford 17
TCU 38 Stanford 36 (26-8)

Fresno State at Idaho: The young Bulldogs are improving as the weeks move along and even if they don't show the same level of progression in this game as they have the past couple weeks, Fresno should be able to beat the Vandals.
Fresno State 38 Idaho 20
Fresno State 37 Idaho 24 (27-8)

Air Force at Colorado State: The Rams are 0-5 with their worst loss (in terms of margin) being by 12 points to TCU. Unfortunately, for Rams' fans, I see the same trend continuing this Saturday.
Air Force 24 Colorado State 21
Air Force 45 Colorado State 21 (28-8)

Georgia at Vanderbilt: I want Vandy to win. I'll be rooting for them on Saturday. But, in knowing that Vandy won just a season ago and Georgia is coming off a very embarrassing nationally-televised loss to Tennessee on Saturday, I have a difficult time believing that Mark Richt will allow his team to get upended in this one.
Georgia 24 Vanderbilt 17
Georgia 20 Vanderbilt 17 (29-8)

Temple at Akron: Well, they did it. The Temple Owls won a game to improve to 1-5 on the season. Now that they did that, I'd say their year's work is done. Akron wins at home to improve to 4-3.
Akron 28 Temple 13
Temple 24 Akron 20 (29-9)

Missouri at Oklahoma: Both teams have the potential for a let-down, so I don't think either team will hold an advantage in that respect. But, with the game in Norman, and until this past Saturday, Missouri's defense being ranked 93rd in the country, I'm giving the edge to the Sooners.
Oklahoma 38 Missouri 24
Oklahoma 41 Missouri 31 (30-9)

Tulane at UAB: A battle of the 1-4's in Birmingham. Both teams just seem to find ways to lose in the end. UAB fought hard with Mississippi State this past weekend until they collapsed in the 4th. Tulane played LSU tough for 2 1/2 quarters, until LSU finally awoke from their slumber. Being that these two clubs seem so evenly matched, I'm giving the edge to the home team.
UAB 28 Tulane 21
UAB 26 Tulane 21 (31-9)

Oregon State at California: With a week to relax and prevent a potential let-down, the Cal Bears should up-end the Beavers in Berkeley.
California 45 Oregon State 27
Oregon State 31 California 28 (31-10)

Indiana at Michigan State: The Spartans have collapsed in the second half of the season the past few years. They're attempting to head down a similar path this year, following their 48-41 overtime loss to Northworstern and with a loss to Indiana this weekend, that'll set MSU back to 4-3 with three consecutive conference losses.
Indiana 38 Michigan State 31
Michigan State 52 Indiana 27 (31-11)

Marshall at Tulsa: Winless Marshall should stay that way after falling to the Golden Hurricane this weekend. Tulsa rebounds from a tough 48-47 loss to UTEP.
Tulsa 49 Marshall 24
Tulsa 38 Marshall 31 (32-11)

Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas: I've made an ode not to pick North Texas this year. I'm sticking to that this week and am going with Louisiana-Monroe.
Louisiana-Monroe 27 North Texas 20
North Texas 31 Louisiana-Monroe 21 (32-12)

Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas State: Arkansas State rebounds from a rough setback this past Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe to defeat the Rajun Cajuns at home.
Arkansas State 31 Louisiana-Lafayette 17
Arkansas State 52 Louisiana-Lafayette 21 (33-12)

Louisville at Cincinnati: This is not a good match-up for the Louisville Cardinals. Cincinnati has a very tough defense and should limit the Cardinals' usually explosive offense to less than average output and Louisville's defense has a rough time slowing anybody down. Cincy improves to 7-0 on the year.
Cincinnati 45 Louisville 24
Louisville 28 Cincinnati 24 (33-13)

New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech: With Aggies' star quarterback, Chase Holbrook, questionable for the game on Saturday, I have to go with the Bulldogs at home.
Louisiana Tech 31 New Mexico State 21
Louisiana Tech 22 New Mexico State 21 (34-13)

SMU at Southern Mississippi: So long as Southern Miss doesn't turn the ball over seven times again like they did against Rice this past week, they should even their record at 3-3 with a win over the 1-4 Mustangs.
Southern Mississippi 30 SMU 13
Southern Mississippi 28 SMU 7 (35-13)

Auburn at Arkansas: Auburn has been playing much better since their two losses, to South Florida and Mississippi State. They defeated defending champ Florida 20-17 two weeks ago and then blew-out Vanderbilt 35-7 this past weekend. Riding that momentum, I see the Tigers winning again, against the very one-dimensional Razorbacks' offense.
Auburn 24 Arkansas 17
Auburn 9 Arkansas 7 (36-13)

Middle Tennessee at Memphis: The Blue Raiders have been playing much better over the past couple weeks. They gave Virginia all they could handle this past weekend, before falling 23-21 to the Cavaliers. With the improvements being shown here over the past couple weeks or so, I look for MTSU to ride that into this Saturday and win in Tennessee.
Middle Tennessee 31 Memphis 24
Middle Tennessee 21 Memphis 7 (37-13)

East Carolina at UTEP: Like defense? Then you may have trouble watching UTEP this year. Two weeks ago, they defeated SMU 48-45 in overtime. This past Saturday, the beat Tulsa 48-47 in regulation. East Carolina has bounced back from an early season struggle to win two straight, including an impressive 52-38 victory over then 3-1 Central Florida this past Saturday. I look for Skip Holtz to lead his team to a third straight victory with a big conference win on the road.
East Carolina 45 UTEP 35
East Carolina 45 UTEP 42 OT (38-13)

Colorado at Kansas State: I think Kansas State is a solid club, but I also think that Dan Hawkins finally has his kids believing in he and his system/philosophy. This was displayed two weeks ago in Colorado's 27-24 upset win over Oklahoma and then again this past weekend, as Colorado scored 43 points against Baylor. I think the Buffs will continue their winning ways in Manhattan this weekend with a huge conference win against the Wildcats.
Colorado 24 Kansas State 21
Kansas State 47 Colorado 20 (38-14)

BYU at UNLV: Brigham Young has shown some improvements as the year has progressed and following a bye week to rest, I look for them to improve to 4-2 on the year with a win in Las Vegas. UNLV falls to 2-5.
BYU 34 UNLV 20
BYU 24 UNLV 14 (39-14)

Washington at Arizona State: If the game were played in Seattle, I'd go with the Huskies, but with it being in Tempe, I have to pick Dennis Erickson's Sundevils to improve to 7-0 on the season.
Arizona State 31 Washington 24
Arizona State 44 Washington 20 (40-14)

Sunday
Nevada at Boise State: The Broncos are improving by the week, as Hal Mumme's New Mexico State Aggies can attest to, in BSU's 58-0 pummeling of the Aggies this past Sunday. Nevada is talented, but inexperienced, and will have a hard time with BSU.
Boise State 38 Nevada 21
Boise State 69 Nevada 67 4OT (41-14)

Week 7 Record: 41-14 (.745)
Overall Record: 222-90 (.712)