2023 Week 6 Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 4/5 thanks to Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 2/5 thanks to Louisville and Wyoming
Overall picks – 6/10 and I’m above the mean
2023 All Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 25/30
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 12/30
Overall picks – 37/60 which means I’m steady but need to find another gear
Week 7 College Football Top 5 Games to Watch
5. Oregon vs. Washington
Afternoon kickoff (3:30 PM EDT) on 10/14/23 from Seattle, Washington. Biggest game of the weekend with PAC-12 implications and the 2024 CFP bracket. Ducks have quality wins over Texas Tech and Colorado. QB Bo Nix (1459 passing yards, 15 passing TDs, 1 rushing TD) is playing well, but being statistically lapped by the rest of the PAC-12 QBs. WR Troy Franklin (535 receiving yards, 7 TDs) has the skills to play on Sundays. Huskies have had an easy schedule to get to 5-0. Almost looked past Arizona in Week 6, before escaping the desert with a 31-24 victory. QB Michael Penix Jr. is still averaging 400 passing yards per game and scoring 46.0 points per game. This matchup will be a score fest and the fanbase with better fresh salmon selections will enjoy some home cooking.
Prediction: Entertaining game lives up to the hype and Washington wins by 4+ points.
4. Texas A&M vs. Tennessee
Afternoon kickoff (3:30 PM EDT) on 10/14/23 from Knoxville, Tennessee. Aggies hung around in Week 6 and made life difficult for Alabama, before losing 26-20. The entire country now knows about the Johnson brothers. QB Max Johnson (675 passing yards, 7 passing TDs) and TE Jake Johnson (176 receiving yards, 2 TDs), definitely have on field chemistry. Will their overrated head coach let them improvise and run an up tempo offense? Volunteers are still smarting from their Week 3 loss to Florida (29-16). QB Joe Milton III needs to limit turnovers, let RB Jaylen Wright do the heavy lifting to the red zone, and then throw a nut or two to WR Squirrel White. Head coach Josh Heupel needs to calm this emotional squad down and focus on the fundamentals.
Prediction: Choppy game that will be decided by turnovers and field position, which leads to a Tennessee victory by 4 points.
3. Miami vs. North Carolina
Evening kickoff (7:30 PM EDT) on 10/14/23 from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This blogger has seen too many football teams over the years, take one bad break or lack of effort, and use that as a crutch to start a downward spiral. Miami suffered the ultimate gag job in a Week 6 loss to Georgia Tech (23-20). Blame it on bad coaching, bad clock management, or a bad mindset. Hurricanes need to rally as a team quickly or this season will be a slippery slope. Tarheels are a quiet 5-0 and still looking up at Louisville and Florida State in the ACC standings. QB Drake Maye is slowly warming up. North Carolina’s defensive unit is much improved due to only allowing 335.2 yards and 19.0 points per game.
Prediction: North Carolina stretches the field vertically and wins by 10 points.
2. UCLA vs. Oregon State
Evening kickoff (8:00 PM EDT) on10/14/23 from Corvallis, Oregon. Tasty PAC-12 nightcap after the biggest game of the weekend is completed in Seattle, Washington. Bruins had a gut check road victory over Washington State (25-17) in Week 6. QB Dante Moore (1139 passing yards, 9 passing TDs) is starting to figure things out under center. Five deep WR/TE receiving corps will cause problems for all opposing defenses during the next two months. Beavers are riding a two game winning streak and have an easy schedule for the next four weeks. Transfer portal QB DJ Uiagalelei has fit like a glove on offense. Two RBs (Damien Martinez, Deshaun Fenwick) and two WRs (Silas Bolden, Anthony Gould) highlight a talented Oregon State squad. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, buy tickets now for the Civil War game on 11/24/23.
Prediction: Oregon State runs a ball control offense and wins by 7 points.
1. NC State vs. Duke
Primetime evening kickoff (8:00 PM EDT) on 10/14/23 from Durham, North Carolina. Wolfpack are a surprising 4-2 on the season and enjoy playing in close games. MJ Morris is an upgrade at QB over Brennan Armstrong. Freshman WR Kevin Concepcion (347 receiving yards, 4 TDs), is a one man show right now and needs help from a depleted RB corps. Blue Devils have had two weeks to get mad about losing to Notre Dame (21-14) in Week 5. QB Riley Leonard is due for a bounce back performance. Keep handing the ball to RBs Jordan Waters and Jaquez Moore, and let them move the chains. Duke will still make some noise in the ACC this season.
Prediction: Duke gets a workmanlike win by 10+ points.
Week 7 College Football Top 5 Upsets that might happen
5. Iowa State vs. Cincinnati
Cyclones have two solid Big 12 wins over Oklahoma State (34-27) and TCU (27-14). Throw out a bad loss to Ohio (10-7), and this is a mid-tier Power 5 team. Welcome to parity in college football. Fantasy football players have already started tracking freshman QB Rocco Becht (1223 passing yards, 10 passing TDs), as the next version of San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy. Bearcats are riding a bad three game losing streak, despite playing Oklahoma (20-6) and BYU (35-27) tough. Transfer portal QB Emory Jones needs to audible more at the line of scrimmage and get his teammates involved and motivated. Iowa State will be in this game into the fourth quarter despite being a 5.0 point road underdog.
4. Kansas vs. Oklahoma State
Jayhawks had a dominating bounce back victory over UCF in Week 6 (51-22). Backup QB Jason Bean will start in place of injured QB Jalon Daniels for the third straight game. Kansas will rely on their three stud RBs (Devin Neal, Daniel Hishaw Jr., Dylan McDuffie), to chew up big chunks of yardage and hit paydirt in the red zone. Cowboys don’t have an identity at 3-2 and are still wondering how they lost to South Alabama (33-7) in Week 3. QB rotation is a mess with Alan Bowman and Gunnar Gundy. Passing game is average, running game is non-existent, defense is a work in progress, and special teams are solid. Perfect recipe to pull of a home upset as a 3.0 point underdog in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
3. BYU vs. TCU
Cougars are just getting warmed up in Big 12 conference play after beating Cincinnati (35-27) in Week 6. QB Kedon Slovis (1240 passing yards, 10 passing TDs) continues to be a game manager at the line of scrimmage. RB LJ Martin (289 rushing yards, 4 TDs) is the only guy carrying the rock. Receiving corps goes five players deep. Horned Frogs are realizing that 2023 is not the magical 2022 season. Two game losing streak against West Virginia and Iowa State has TCU sitting at 3-3. QB Chandler Morris won’t start this game due to a knee injury. Redshirt freshman QB Josh Hoover will get his first official start to run a sputtering offensive unit. BYU won’t be fazed as a 5.0 point road underdog as they take care of business.
2. Kansas State vs. Texas Tech
Fourth straight Big 12 matchup? This blogger might need a new dartboard or likes putting all of his eggs in one basket. Not a good strategy to go through life. Wildcats are in a lose-win-lose trend heading into Week 7, so they are due to win if you like A-B patterns. QB Will Howard had a bad game against Oklahoma State in Week 6 (152 passing yards, 3 INTs), and will light up the statistical sheet. RB DJ Giddens (488 rushing yards, 4 TDs) has the potential to be a big star in 2024 and beyond.
Red Raiders have quality losses against Wyoming and Oregon. On a two game winning streak due to beating Houston (49-28) and Baylor (39-14). QB by committee is barely working right now, but senior RB Tahj Brooks had a monster game in Week 6 (17 rushing yards, 1 TD). Kansas State typically plays well on the road and won’t pay attention to being a 1.5 point underdog.
1. USC vs. Notre Dame
Trojans enter this annual rivalry game at 6-0, but are leaking critical oil on the defensive side of the ball. Last three games against Arizona State, Colorado and Arizona have shown that USC will continue to rely on their high scoring offense (523.3 yards and 51.8 points per game). Head coach Lincoln Riley will ride QB Caleb Williams to either the 2024 CFP or a mid-tier bowl game. Currently the biggest risk vs. reward situation in all of college football.
Fighting Irish appear to be wearing down physically after playing Ohio State, Duke and Louisville. QB Sam Hartman and RB Audric Estime continue to play hard, but the receiving corps and defensive front seven are out of gas and not in sync with their teammates. Expect Notre Dame to pull out their historical green jerseys for this game to wind up the fan base and promote the NBC broadcast. No idea how USC is a 3.0 point road underdog and they’ll blow right past that betting line.
Storylines to follow heading into Week #8
- Crank up the hype machine for Penn State vs. Ohio State
- Can Tennessee waltz into Alabama and get a road victory?
- Who is the Heisman Trophy front runner after Week #7?
Same bat time, same bat channel next week. I’ll review the results of College Football Top 5 Week #7 and try again in Week #8.
Never walk away from the table when you’re on a heater in Vegas!
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