Week 6 was STRAIGHT CASH HOMIE. Texas knocked off Oklahoma, Florida stunned LSU, and Florida State covered, and really should’ve won, against Miami. Our two non-Power 5 picks hit beautifully. New Mexico was 9.5 point dogs against UNLV. They won 50-14. UAB, also 9.5 point underdogs, handled Louisiana Tech 28-7. Five out of seven correct, with four winning straight up. Not a bad week at all. Week 7? Let’s do this thing.
14 Florida (-7) at. Vanderbilt
Sleepy noon kickoff on the road following a huge upset win at home could be trouble for the Gators. Florida features one of the best defenses in the country, and I did pick them to knock off LSU last week. But like I said last week about LSU, I’m still not a big Florida believer. Feleipe Franks is not an answer at quarterback. Completing 54% of your passes isn’t enough to be a contender. I’ll tell you a quarterback I do believe in. Kyle Shurmur. The senior has a lot to play for in front of his home crowd this week, and if Vandy’s defense can give him enough chances, the Commodores have a shot at home. Florida goes from making the list as an upset team last week to being our first on the chopping block in Week 7.
7 Washington (-3) at. 17 Oregon
I’ve been wanting to believe in Washington all year. Jake Browning has been solid as always, but nothing that pops out. Myles Gaskin has been among the most exciting backs to watch in the country. But I really like backing the home team here. Oregon was a quarter away from knocking off Stanford and being a legit playoff contender. This is a big game for the Ducks to prove themselves. Look for Justin Herbert to have a huge game and redeem Oregon in front of their home fans. Oregon provides us with a Pac 12 upset alert in Week 7.
22 Texas A&M (-2.5) at. South Carolina
On paper, this is a very evenly matched game. Even the betting line supports this. Both teams have been solid, with their losses coming to ranked teams. A&M lost to Clemson and Alabama, South Carolina fell to Kentucky and Georgia. Stopping Trayveon Williams will be no fun for the Gamecocks, but if they can do it enough, home field gives them enough of an advantage. In a high scoring game, it’ll come down to which defense can make the last stop. I like South Carolina’s defense to prove something this week. Texas A&M finds themselves back in the Top 25 this week, but look for South Carolina to snatch the honors from them.
15 Wisconsin at. 12 Michigan (-9.5)
9.5 is a huge line for two teams so evenly matched. Wisconsin has a slight advantage offensively, where Michigan gets the slight nod on defense. But 10 points?? For a Jim Harbaugh-led team? I like the Badgers. Michigan has to have their playoff hopes completely decimated sooner or later, and I think it’s this week. Being at home even adds to the narrative. If the Badgers pound Jonathan Taylor all day long and use Alex Hornibrook effectively, Wisconsin is the better team. Watch out Harbaugh, the Badgers are hungry. Michigan is on upset alert.
19 Colorado at. USC (-7)
I picked against Colorado last week, so now I’m backing the Buffs. Colorado scores a lot and has a shutdown defense. USC doesn’t score a lot and has a pretty meh defense. Colorado has something to prove once again, as it still lacks respect. If you haven’t heard the name Laviska Shenault Jr, get used to it. Shenault has 51 catches for 708 yards and 6 touchdowns. Sheesh. No one has found the answer for him, and I don’t see USC figuring it out. I’d like to see Colorado run the table and cause some havoc in playoff talks. USC is on upset alert at home against the undefeated Buffs.
Rutgers at. Maryland (-24.5)
Rutgers is very bad at everything. Maryland knocked off Texas and gave Michigan some scares for a bit. But they also lost to Temple at home. I even ranked Rutgers as the second worst team in college football in a piece earlier this week. So why Rutgers? Yeah I have no good reasoning. Basically, Maryland is the last team Rutgers has any shot of beating. It’s okay to be crazy once in a while. Watch out Terps, the mighty Rutgers Scarlet Knights may have a shot this weekend.
Iowa (-5) at. Indiana
Both teams have something to prove this weekend. Iowa needs to stay in the hunt in the Big 10 West, and Indiana would love nothing more than to knock off the Hawkeyes at home. The Hoosiers have had a solid 4-2 season and fought Ohio State right down to the wire last weekend. Iowa’s defense has been solid, but Peyton Ramsey and Freshman RB Stevie Scott present a new challenge. Iowa shouldn’t feel too comfortable going into Bloomington. I like the Hoosiers in an upset bid to wrap up our Week 7 picks.