NCAA College Football Week 7 Picks - Late Games
NCAA Week 7 Late Games
All times Eastern
2:30 pm Louisville at #4 Notre Dame (-17, 64) - Although they defeated Florida State, 42-26, the win wasn't as convincing as many would have liked. In other words, the Irish didn't cover the spread (-23). The Seminoles are probably quite improved from the start of the season, but Notre Dame's defense has many holes. State was able to run up and down the field on them, though the Irish stiffened in the red zone more than once.
Louisville, however, is another story. They're 1-3, with the only victory a 35-21 win over Western Kentucky, a real pushover. Last week's 46-27 loss to Georgia Tech included a 14-point blown lead and three fumbles. While the Irish may not be perfect, the Cardinals are far from it. Still, Louisville may slip in a late score to cover just barely cover here, because Notre Dame's defense can't hold up for an entire game.
Coin Flip: Louisville
Prediction: Fighting Irish 34 Cardinals 21
Coin Flip: Memphis
Prediction: Knights 42 Tigers 36
As for the Bulldogs, after whipping defending national champion LSU in their season opener, they gone south, with losses to Arkansas (21-14) and last week, at Kentucky, 24-2. The culprit has been the offense, which scored just two TDs against Arkansas, and was shut out by the Wildcats.
Teams are still developing throughout college football, and, if last week was any indication, only a couple have risen above mediocre to middling status. Take the points in hopes of a Mississippi State turnaround.
Coin Flip: Texas A&M
Prediction: Bulldogs 26 Aggies 24
Question #2, is Florida State better than their prior losses when James Blackman was quarterbacking, now that they have Jordan Travis behind center, or were the 26 points they put up in their loss to Notre Dame a fluke?
The evidence points to a positive change with the insertion of Travis at QB. In the two games he started, he threw for more yards than Blackman did in his two starts, plus, rushing yards practically doubled, suggesting that Travis opens up the run game with his passing expertise. Potential for an upset is large.
Coin Flip: North Carolina
Prediction: Seminoles 34 Tar Heels 30
Of teams playing two or more games, Georgia leads the country in yards allowed (236.7 per game) and is tied for fourth with Cincinnati in points allowed, at 12.3 per outing. Something's got to give and it's likely to be Alabama's defense, which has allowed an average of 30.3 points over three games, though they've won them all.
The Bulldogs have been scoring an average of 36 points a game, which isn't shabby, especially considering the quality of their defense.
No matter who comes out on top, this promises to be one of the highlight games of 2020. The last time these two met was in the SEC championship game in 2018. Alabama barely survived, 35-28.
Coin Flip: Georgia
Prediction: Bulldogs 32 Crimson Tide 29
Virginia Tech's 56-45 loss at North Carolina last week came when they were shot 15 players due to coronavirus benching. Some will be back, but the Eagles are probably better than the nearly two touchdown vig, even on the road. BC lost at home to UNC two weeks ago, and outlasted Pitt, 31-30 in overtime.
Both teams are 2-1, making this quite the contentious affair.
Coin Flip: Virginia Tech
Prediction: Eagles 28 Hokies 27
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Week 7 Early Games
3:30 pm UCF (-3 1/2, 75) at Memphis - Tough to get a reading on Memphis, as they've only played two games, a 27-24 win over Arkansas State and a 30-27 loss at SMU. They are probably an improving bunch, but it's likely they have some catching up to do on the Knights, who have won two and dropped one, a surprising 34-26 decision to Tulsa last week. Lopsided wins at Georgia Tech (49-21) and East Carolina (51-28) are more the rule than the exception for UCF, who haven't lost two straight games since November fo 2016. That's a stat upon which one can take a stand.
4:00 pm #11 Texas A& M (-6 1/2, 54 1/2) at Mississippi State - The Aggies held court at home last week, defeating heavily-favored Florida, 41-38. Not great on either side of the ball, but good enough, the agjgiesa are a threat to win any time they take the field.
7:30 pm #5 North Carolina (-13 1/2, 63 1/2) at Florida State - This game will answer some key questions. First, is North Carolina good enough to be ranked #5? Last week they beat a visiting West Virginia team that was without 15 players, many of them on defense, and they narrowly escaped, 56-45. The prior week's 26-22 win at Boston College was not impressive from an offensive standpoint.
8:00 pm #3 Georgia at #2 Alabama (-6, 57) - A fitting climax to week seven has the top two teams in the SEC meeting in what could be a possible peek at a national championship playoff game. Alabama's offense has been cooking, amassing 560.3 yards per game, good for third, nationally and holds the top spot in scoring, at 51.0 per game.
8:00 pm Boston College at #23 Virginia Tech (-13, 63) - BC's Isaiah McDuffie and Max Richardson are the #3 and #4 leading tacklers in the country, with 41 and 38, respectively, so the Hokies will know they've been in a football game when this one is concluded.
