College football Week 7: The 10 best games this week
Week 7 of the college football season already is upon us, and here’s some bad news: On paper, Week 7 might be the worst weekend of the entire season in terms of must-watch matchups.
Then again, as last week reinforced, this has been a season filled with chaos, so maybe we should expect another topsy-turvy Saturday.
There are a handful of good matchups this week, including a huge contest in the SEC East and important games in the Big 12 and Pac-12. Overall, though, Week 7 doesn’t look all that appealing.
Here are the 10 best games of Week 7; we also included a bonus game. All games are Saturday except where indicated, and all times are Eastern.
BONUS: Appalachian State (4-1) at Louisiana (4-1)
Time/TV: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
The buzz: A this-is-worth-watching Tuesday night game. This is one of the two biggest regular-season games in the Sun Belt this season. Louisiana doesn’t play Coastal Carolina; unfortunately for App State, it gets both Coastal and the Ragin’ Cajuns. App State RBs Nate Noel and Camerun Peoples have rushed for a combined 864 yards and nine TDs, and QB Chase Brice is averaging 272.0 passing yards per game. Louisiana hasn’t been quite as productive offensively as expected, and its vital the Ragin’ Cajuns get their rushing attack cranked up against the Mountaineers.
10. BYU (5-1) at Baylor (5-1)
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m., ESPN
The buzz: This game has lost some luster because BYU is coming off its first loss of the season. BYU prides itself on its physicality, but Baylor is plenty physical, too. There will be two good albeit underrated running backs on view in BYU’s Tyler Allgeier and Baylor’s Abram Smith. Both quarterbacks — BYU’s Jaren Hall and Baylor’s Gerry Bohanon — are dual-threat guys, though neither is a consistent passer.
9. Florida (4-2) at LSU (3-3)
Time/TV: Noon, ESPN
The buzz: It seems like a matter of “when,” not “if,” Ed Orgeron gets fired. LSU’s line play has been mediocre, and as a result, the Tigers have had trouble running the ball and stopping the run. That puts a ton of pressure on QB Max Johnson, and he hasn’t always been able to deliver. WR Kayshon Boutte’s injury robs Johnson of his best weapon. Florida figures to be able to run effectively, and that should be enough for the Gators to leave Baton Rouge with a win for the second time in the past six visits. Florida’s secondary is an issue, though, especially if star CB Kaiir Elam can’t go; he has missed the past three games. Florida’s pass rush needs to come to the fore.
8. Auburn (4-2) at Arkansas (4-2)
Time/TV: Noon, CBS
The buzz: Now that a few league games have been played, we’re in the part of the season where it’s time to start thinking about bowl bids. And in that vein, this is an important pecking-order game for both teams. Arkansas is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss in which its offense moved up and down the field, but its defense let the Rebels’ offense do the same. Auburn would prefer to control the game with its rushing attack, putting the onus on Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter to produce. The Tigers lost to Georgia this past Saturday; one good thing for Auburn is that it’s easier to run on the Hogs than on the Dawgs.
7. Ole Miss (4-1) at Tennessee (4-2)
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
The buzz: Lane Kiffin returns to Knoxville as a head coach for the first time, which should be fun for him. This game should feature a ton of points. Neither defense is all that good, the quarterbacks (Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker) can make big plays with their arm and legs and there is some nice skill-position talent. As with Auburn-Arkansas, this is a pecking-order game for both.
6. TCU (3-2) at Oklahoma (6-0)
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ABC
The buzz: Oklahoma is coming off an emotional win over Texas, and the Sooners can’t let that win impact their performance in this contest. One positive for the Sooners: They haven’t lost the game after the Texas contest since 2012. Caleb Williams looks like he’ll be the quarterback the rest of the way for OU, and you can bet Gary Patterson will have a few tricks for the true freshman. But TCU’s defense as a whole has been shaky this season, and maybe OU’s offense has found its stride. It’ll be interesting to see if Lincoln Riley leans on RBs Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray. TCU star RB Zach Evans has a minor foot injury that kept him out of the second half of this past Saturday’s win over Texas Tech; the Horned Frogs need a healthy Evans if they’re to pull the upset.
5. Alabama (5-1) at Mississippi State (3-2)
Time/TV: 7 p.m., ESPN
The buzz: Alabama is coming off a loss to Texas A&M; the Tide hasn’t lost two in a row since the 2013 season, when it lost the “Kick Six” game to Auburn in the regular-season finale, then fell to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. Mississippi State did beat Texas A&M, but the Bulldogs seem unlikely to beat the Tide unless they get some help in the form of turnovers and the like. Alabama didn’t have a sack against A&M and the Tide needs to make sure Mississippi State QB Will Rogers feels uncomfortable in the pocket. The Bulldogs have been stout against the run, so keep an eye on Alabama coordinator Bill O’Brien’s play-calling; he skewed heavy to the pass against A&M.
4. Arizona State (5-1) at Utah (3-2)
Time/TV: 10 p.m., ESPN
The buzz: Arizona State looks to be the best team in the Pac-12 South — and maybe even the league as a whole. This also looks to be the toughest road game left for the Sun Devils. ASU is the most physical team in the league and is coming off back-to-back wins over UCLA (by 19 points) and Stanford (18). Arizona State is a run-first offense; Utah has allowed the fewest rushing TDs in the league (three). But the two teams that made it a priority to run (BYU and San Diego State) were able to gash the Utes. Utah QB Cameron Rising is coming off a big game against USC (306 yards, three TDs) and needs another performance like that.
3. NC State (4-1) at Boston College (4-1)
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ACC Network
The buzz: NC State is unbeaten in ACC play; BC’s one loss is to Clemson, which NCSU beat. Both teams want to run, but in each team’s loss, they were unable to do so. Of note: NC State had some success on the ground vs. Clemson, BC did not. And NC State was more effective in stopping Clemson’s rushing attack than BC. Wolfpack QB Devin Leary has been steady this season; BC is using backup QB Dennis Grosel because starter Phil Jurkovec is injured.
2. Oklahoma State (5-0) at Texas (4-2)
Time/TV: Noon, Fox
The buzz: Is Oklahoma State the second-best team in the Big 12 (or even the best)? This should serve as a tell. Texas is coming off a gut-punch loss to Oklahoma, and now gets a physical Cowboys team. Oklahoma State is especially good up front on defense, which could make things tough for Texas RB Bijan Robinson. Texas’ run defense has been poor, so Oklahoma State RB Jaylen Warren could be in line for a big outing.
1. Kentucky (6-0) at Georgia (6-0)
Time/TV: 3:30 p.m., CBS
The buzz: Raise your hand if you had Georgia and Kentucky as the only two SEC teams that would be unbeaten heading into Week 7. Think of this as the de facto SEC East championship game. UK has added a semblance of a passing attack this season, but make no mistake: The Wildcats still are a physical running team, thanks to a good line and RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. Thing is, Georgia’s run defense is stifling. The Bulldogs have allowed just 399 rushing yards and surrendered their first rushing TD of the season in this past Saturday’s win over Auburn. Georgia also prefers to run it and has 12 rushing TDs in four SEC games. Kentucky needs to overcome a lot of history: This is an annual series and Georgia has won 11 in a row and 36 of the past 41 dating to 1980. But UK snapped some bad history against Florida two weeks ago, beating the Gators in Lexington for the first time since 1986. By the way, the last time UK beat Florida and Georgia in the same season? It was 1977.