COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 7: OHIO STATE-INDIANA AND NOTRE DAME-BYU AMONG SIX TOP 25 MATCHUPS
Week 7 of the college football season stacks up to be the best so far with six games pitting teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25, including a top-five showdown and another in the top 10.
No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 5 Indiana in a meeting of the last two national champions. The winner of this Saturday matinee gains the inside track for a spot in the Big Ten championship game and also will get a bump in College Football Playoff seeding consideration.
At night, No. 2 Notre Dame plays at No. 8 BYU in the first top-10 game in LaVell Edwards Stadium history. This game has significant playoff implications because of its resume-boosting potential. Neither team has played a difficult schedule so far.
No. 16 Mississippi State goes to No. 22 LSU, and a Bulldogs win would all but douse LSU’s hopes of making the playoff in Lane Kiffin’s first season. No. 6 Alabama will be looking to bounce back from its home loss to now-No. 1 Georgia when it goes to No. 14 Tennessee.
The quarterback matchup is intriguing for No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Mississippi. The Tigers’ Austin Simmons began last season as Mississippi’s starter and gave way to Trinidad Chambliss, who still holds the job in Oxford.
The other Top 25 game has No. 18 Oklahoma State at No. 20 Houston in the Big 12. The Cowboys were horrid the last two years and now, with 91 newcomers and first-year coach Eric Morris, have become one of the feel-good stories of the season after losing to Tulsa and starting their current four-game win streak with an upset of Oregon.
Best game
No. 4 Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) at No. 5 Indiana (6-0, 3-0), noon ET (Fox)
The Buckeyes have won four straight since their fourth-quarter meltdown at Texas. The defending national champion Hoosiers have won 22 straight after their fourth-quarter rally to win at Nebraska.
Ohio State was the reigning national champion and ranked No. 1 the last time the teams met. That was the Big Ten championship game last year, and Indiana’s 13-10 win was its first in 31 games in the series and it ended the Buckeyes’ 16-game win streak.
Lots of eyeballs will be on three of the best receivers in the country. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has put up prodigious numbers, and Indiana has the nation’s top tandem in Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh.
Heisman Trophy watch
Preseason Heisman favorite CJ Carr of No. 2 Notre Dame has done nothing to hurt his candidacy through six games. He has 16 touchdown passes against one interception and is averaging 229 yards passing per game on 70% accuracy.
The problem is he’s played a middling schedule, and he has slipped behind Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith and Miami QB Darian Mensah, at least in the wagering markets. Both have put up phenomenal numbers. Carr has an opportunity to make a statement going against BYU’s top-10 defense.
BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier has had to carry a heavier load since star RB LJ Martin got hurt against TCU on Oct. 3. Bachmeier passed for 329 yards and ran for 109 yards last week against Iowa State and is starting to enter the Heisman conversation. Like Carr, he gets the big stage, except Bachmeier will be going against what on paper is an even better defense.
Numbers to know
4 — Kicks or punts Vanderbilt has had blocked, most in the nation, after having none blocked the previous two seasons.
10 — Oregon State freshman Jesse Legree’s nation-leading receptions of 30-plus yards.
18 — Pittsburgh’s interceptions returned for touchdowns since 2020, most in the nation.
23 — Nebraska has held each of its first six opponents to this many points or fewer for the first time since 2010.
47.8% — Utah opponent pass completion rate, on track to be the lowest by a team since 2016.
106 — UTEP’s consecutive games since 2017 without its defense returning an interception for a touchdown, the longest streak in the country.
Under the radar
Northwestern (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) at Michigan State (2-4, 0-3), noon ET (Peacock)
It’s the Pat Fitzgerald Bowl. Fitzgerald bled Northwestern purple as a two-time consensus All-America linebacker during the halcyon days of the mid 1990s and for 17 as the program’s longest-tenured head coach.
He was fired shortly before fall camp opened in 2023 amid a hazing scandal. He filed a $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit, and the two sides settled last summer with Northwestern acknowledging it could not establish Fitzgerald was told by players about the hazing or that he directed or condoned it.
Fitzgerald restarted his college coaching career in December when Michigan State hired him. David Braun, who joined the Northwestern staff as defensive coordinator seven months before Fitzgerald’s firing, is now head coach and has the Wildcats out to their best start in six years.
Hot seat
Rutgers’ Greg Schiano was listed here five weeks ago on the heels of an embarrassing 37-21 season-opening home loss to UMass. Maryland’s Mike Locksley was here two weeks ago after a 51-point home loss to UCLA. Things haven’t gotten better for either team. The Scarlet Knights’ only win during a 1-4 start was against Howard. The Terrapins are 2-4 with wins over Hampton and UConn.
Locksley is the only coach on a hotter seat than Schiano, according to rankings by CoachesHotSeat.com and a host of other observers. Neither athletic department wants to pay a buyout and do a coaching search, but it appears imminent for one and probably both. Locksley would be owed $9.7 million and Schiano about $18 million, according to media reports.
Rutgers visits Maryland on Saturday. May the best coach win.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS: OHIO STATE’S RYAN DAY IS AN OLD HAND WHEN IT COMES TO TOP-FIVE MATCHUPS
Ohio State coach Ryan Day should be getting used to these top-five matchups by now.
The No. 4 Buckeyes’ game at No. 5 Indiana on Saturday will be Day’s second top-five matchup this season and 13th since he took over as Urban Meyer’s successor in 2019. Only Georgia’s Kirby Smart has coached in more of these games over that span (14).
Indiana is still new to this. This weekend’s Big Ten showdown will be the first top-five matchup ever played at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
It will, however, be the Hoosiers’ fourth such game overall, and third against the Buckeyes, since coach Curt Cignetti began his incredible run in 2024. The first was a 38-15 road loss to the Buckeyes in his debut season. Last season, the Hoosiers beat Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game and then Oregon 56-22 in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
Day is 5-8 in top-five matchups, according to Sportradar. He likely believes he should be 6-7 after his team blew a 20-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 24-23 loss to Texas last month. Eight of the 13 games were decided by seven points or less, including all four of the true road games.
The picks, with rankings and betting lines. All games are on Saturday:
Auburn at No. 1 Georgia (minus 20 1/2)
The Tigers have lost nine straight in Athens and haven’t beaten the Bulldogs anywhere since 2017. Georgia packs too powerful a punch, especially against Auburn’s shaky offensive line.
Pick: Georgia 42-21.
No. 2 Notre Dame (minus 10) at No. 8 BYU
BYU QB Bear Bachmeier has put the offense on his back since RB LJ Martin got injured. That will be too much for Bear to bear against the nation’s No. 1 defense.
Pick: Notre Dame 26-14.
Florida State at No. 3 Miami (minus 21)
The Seminoles surrendered 35 straight points against Louisville last week, and they don’t have enough to slow the roll of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney and the rest of the Hurricanes.
Pick: Miami 44-19.
No. 4 Ohio State (minus 3 1/2) at No. 5 Indiana
The Buckeyes have been hankering for this one since the Hoosiers beat them in the Big Ten championship game on the way to the program’s first national championship. Indiana has lived on the edge against good teams, and this is where its 22-game win streak ends.
Pick: Ohio State 24-20.
No. 6 Alabama (minus 8 1/2) at No. 14 Tennessee
Was Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon injured or benched, and will he or George MacIntyre start against the Crimson Tide? Stay tuned.
Pick: Alabama 28-14.
Florida (plus 10 1/2) at No. 7 Texas
The Longhorns should have plenty of reasons to be motivated. There’s last week’s loss to Oklahoma, which bounced them from No. 1 in the rankings, and there is last year’s season-ruining loss at the Swamp.
Pick: Texas 26-17.
Arizona State at No. 10 Texas Tech (minus 14 1/2)
Texas Tech RB Quinten Joyner figures to get more work with the injured Cameron Dickey out. The Sun Devils upset Tech in Tempe last year.
Pick: Texas Tech 31-14.
No. 11 Utah (minus 15 1/2) at Colorado
Utah is on a roll. RB Wayshawn Parker is averaging better than 10 yards per carry over his last two games, and QB Devon Dampier led three straight long second-half TD drives to blow out Kansas.
Pick: Utah 35-10.
Wisconsin (plus 2 1/2) at No. 12 UCLA
The Bruins will be without injured QB Nico Iamaleava, and they’ll be going against the toughest defense they’ve seen so far.
Pick: Wisconsin 23-20.
No. 13 Missouri (plus 6) at No. 9 Mississippi
Much will be made of the Austin Simmons-Trinidad Chambliss storyline, but here’s the key matchup: Missouri RB Jamal Roberts, coming off back-to-back 200-yard rushing games, vs. the SEC’s worst run defense.
Pick: Missouri 33-28.
No. 15 Kentucky (plus 7) at Oklahoma
The Sooners hope to use their Red River Rivalry upset of Texas as a springboard, but it’s hard to pick against Will Stein and the Wildcats right now.
Pick: Kentucky 27-24.
No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 LSU (minus 14)
A healthy Kamario Taylor is the Bulldogs’ best chance for an upset. Taylor’s status is uncertain after he left the Oct. 3 game against Alabama with a foot injury.
Pick: LSU 31-14.
No. 18 Oklahoma State (plus 4 1/2) at No. 20 Houston
It’s Drew Mestemaker vs. Conner Weigman. An old-fashioned shootout is a possibility in the first Top 25 matchup hosted by Houston since 1990.
Pick: Oklahoma State 45-42.
No. 21 Wake Forest (minus 9 1/2) at California
Wake Forest heads to the West Coast with its first ranking since 2022. Demon Deacons QB Gio Lopez has had a hand in nine touchdowns the last two games.
Pick: Wake Forest 36-24.
Virginia (plus 9 1/2) at No. 24 SMU
Kevin Jennings is capable of causing all kinds of problems for Virginia’s defense, which struggles against quarterbacks who can throw on the run and take off if protection breaks down.
Pick: SMU 29-21.
Bye weeks: No. 17 Iowa, No. 19 Southern California, No. 23 Boise State.
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BIG 12 HAS TWO SIGNIFICANT TOP 25 MATCHUPS: BYU HOSTS NOTRE DAME AND OKLAHOMA STATE IS AT HOUSTON
Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
Game of the week
No. 2 Notre Dame (6-0) at No. 8 BYU (5-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
It won’t count in the Big 12 standings, but this midseason matchup of undefeated teams, and the first two teams left out of the College Football Playoff last season, could have huge implications when this year’s 12-team CFP field is set in December.
BYU is hosting a top-10 game at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time. The Cougars are again without standout running back LJ Martin because of a lower-body injury. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for 329 yards and ran for 109 last week to beat Iowa State.
The Cougars were the Big 12 runner-up last season, when both their losses were to Texas Tech. Notre Dame has a 16-game winning streak and wants to leave no doubt about making the playoff this season. The Fighting Irish won 10 in a row last year after an 0-2 start with losses to top-16 teams by a combined four points.
The undercard
No. 18 Oklahoma State (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) at No. 20 Houston (5-1, 2-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.,m. ET (FOX)
The Cowboys didn’t win a Big 12 game in each of the past two seasons. They are now the league’s biggest surprise in coach Eric Morris’ debut. With Drew Mestemaker, the Big 12 passing leader after coming with his coach from North Texas, they have a four-game winning streak and scored at least 40 points in three consecutive games for the first time since 2018.
Houston, which has won three in a row, is hosting its first Top 25 matchup since 2015. A 10-win team last year, the Cougars have only 19 transfers for coach Willie Fritz in his third season.
Impact players
— Utah quarterback Devon Dampier has completed 71.8% of his passes (94 of 131) for 1,134 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is 14-2 as the starter for the No. 11 Utes (5-0, 2-0), who have an FBS-best streak of 11 games with at least 30 points. They play at Colorado (2-3, 0-2).
— Houston tight end Patrick Overmyer tied an NCAA single-game record for TD catches by a TE with four at Kansas State last week. The 6-foot-5 Texas native’s six TDs are the most nationally by a TE, and his 399 yards receiving rank second.
These instate rivals have been around for a long, long time
Two of the Big 12’s four protected annual rivalry games will be played Saturday.
Baylor (4-1, 2-0) hosts TCU (2-3, 0-3) in the 122nd edition of Revivalry, the most-played game in Texas and a series that began with a scoreless tie in 1899. The Sunflower Showdown between Kansas State (3-2, 0-2) and Kansas (2-3, 0-2) is being played for the 116th year in a row.
The other protected rivalry games are Arizona-Arizona State and BYU-Utah.
Inside the numbers
The Big 12 has five teams ranked in the top 20 in October for the first time since 2014. … West Virginia (3-3, 0-3) has played three consecutive games in which the teams combined for 1,000 yards of offense. The Mountaineers lead all non-service academy schools in rushing at 295.5 yards per game, but have the P4’s worst pass defense allowing 297 a game. They host Cincinnati (4-1, 1-1) … No. 10 Texas Tech (5-0, 2-0) and Arizona State (3-2, 2-1), who play Saturday in Lubbock, have split their two Big 12 meetings. The home team won both, but the loser went on to win the conference championship, the Red Raiders last year after the Sun Devils in 2024.
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LOADED BIG TEN SCHEDULE INCLUDES AN OHIO STATE-INDIANA MATCHUP OF THE LAST TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Things to watch this weekend in the Big Ten:
Game of the week
No. 4 Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) at No. 5 Indiana (6-0, 3-0), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
The first matchup ever between top-five teams at Indiana’s Memorial Stadium features the winners of the last two national championships. Defending national champion Indiana rallied from a 17-6, fourth-quarter deficit to win 20-17 at Nebraska last week.
This is a rematch of last year’s Big Ten championship game that Indiana won 13-10, snapping a 30-game skid in the series. Indiana has won its last 22 games, the longest such streak for any Bowl Subdivision team since Georgia won 29 straight from 2021-23.
Ohio State is a 3 ½-point favorite. The Buckeyes have beaten their last four opponents by an average of 31.3 points since losing 24-23 at then-No. 4 Texas.
The undercard
Wisconsin (4-1, 2-0) at No. 12 UCLA (5-0, 3-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
UCLA tries to remain unbeaten in its first full game since losing quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a knee injury. The Bruins will face a stout defense from the Badgers, who have won four straight games since the season-opening loss to Notre Dame.
No. 25 Northwestern (4-1, 1-1) at Michigan State (2-4, 0-3), Saturday, noon ET (Peacock)
Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald returns to his alma mater. Fitzgerald coached Northwestern to a 110-101 record from 2006-22 before a bitter exit. This also marks a homecoming of sorts for former Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles, who has thrown nine touchdown passes without an interception at Northwestern this season.
Impact players
— UCLA RB Wayne Knight is the first Bruin to have at least one rushing touchdown in each of a season’s first five games since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2005. Knight ran for 103 yards and a touchdown against Oregon.
— Purdue RB Fame Ijeboi, who transferred from Minnesota, rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns in the Boilermakers’ 41-13 blowout of his former team. According to Pro Football Focus, Ijeboi has forced 43 missed tackles to lead all FBS players.
— Indiana DL Tobi Osunsanmi has recorded a sack in five straight games.
— Penn State LB Tony Rojas is one of only nine Big Ten linebackers since 1956 to combine at least 22 career tackles for loss and six interceptions.
Inside the numbers
Indiana hasn’t posted a negative turnover margin in 30 straight games, the longest such streak for any FBS team since at least 1995. … The crowd of 114,419 for No. 19 Southern California’s 31-23 victory at Penn State was the fourth-largest attendance for any college football regular-season game in history. … Northwestern is in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2020. … Ohio State enters Saturday’s game at Indiana owning a 29-4 road record since Ryan Day’s coaching tenure began in 2019. That matches Louisiana-Lafayette and Boise State for the highest total of road wins during that stretch. … No. 17 Iowa allowed limited Washington to minus-3 yards rushing in the Hawkeyes’ 41-24 triumph last week. It was the second time in coach Kirk Ferentz’s 28-year tenure that Iowa held an opponent to negative rushing yards. Kent State had minus-13 yards rushing in a 39-7 loss to Iowa in 2004.
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NO. 3 MIAMI HOSTS FLORIDA STATE, NO. 21 WAKE FOREST VISITS CAL TO HIGHLIGHT ACC GAME SLATE
Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
Florida State (3-3, 1-2 ACC) at No. 3 Miami (5-0, 3-0), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The third-ranked Hurricanes are red hot while the Seminoles are struggling. Miami is a whopping 21 1/2-point favorite.
The Hurricanes throttled Clemson 41-13 on the road before the bye week and haven’t really been challenged much this season as they looked to return to college football’s national championship game. With Darian Mensah at quarterback, Miami ranks first in the nation in offense (554.8 yards) and scoring (49.6 points) per game.
Florida State is looking to rebound from a 44-20 loss to Louisville last weekend.
The undercard
No. 21 Wake Forest (5-1, 3-1) at California (3-3, 2-1), Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Wake Forest cracked the Top 25 rankings this week and looks to retain sole possession of second place in the league. The Demon Deacons have won three straight after beating North Carolina State 38-14 last week behind 303 yards passing and three touchdowns from Gio Lopez. Cal is one win behind Wake Forest in the standings after a 25-20 come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech.
North Carolina (3-2, 1-1) at Duke (4-1, 1-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m ET (ESPN2)
Bill Belichick got his first win against a Top 25 opponent last week when his Tar Heels defeated then-No. 25 Pitt 21-17. Now the Tar Heels head over to Durham to face rival Duke. The Blue Devils should be plenty motivated as they look to rebound from a 28-25 loss at Georgia Tech.
Impact players
— Louisville RB Isaac Brown. The junior rushed for a career-high 235 yards on just 17 carries, scoring touchdowns from 97 and 68 yards in Louisville’s win over Florida State. He also returned a kickoff 71 yards to finish with 313 all-purpose yards.
— Cal QB Jackson Brousseau. The Colorado State transfer threw for 321 yards and one touchdown last week as Cal rallied to beat Virginia Tech. After trailing the Hokies for nearly the entire game, Brousseau led a six-play, 75-yard drive to give Cal the lead. Brousseau was declared the starter after Jeron-Keawe Sagapolutele was ruled out before the game with a concussion.
— North Carolina QB Billy Edwards Jr., who overcame two interceptions and some bad decisions by throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Shamar Easter in the second half to help UNC knock off Pitt on the road. Edwards completed 18 of 26 passes for 249 yards with two touchdowns.
Inside the numbers
Wake Forest QB Gio Lopez has accounted for 19 touchdowns this season, including 13 through the air. … Wake Forest’s Jack Foley’s 156 yards receiving yards were 30 more than any other ACC wide receiver recorded in Week 6…. North Carolina DL Xavier Lewis tallied a career-high 10 tackles in the win over Pitt. … Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grukenmeyer leads the ACC with 1,734 yards passing and has 12 TD passes with just two interceptions.. … Virginia P Daniel Sparks averaged 52.2 yards on six punts against Syracuse, including a long of 72 yards. He now has an ACC-leading 15 punts downed inside the 20. … The other conference matchups on Saturday include Pitt at Boston College, Virginia at SMU, Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech and Louisville at Syracuse.
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