Week 7 College Football Predictions: Picks for 7 Best CFB Games This Weekend

While we’re still months out from the College Football Playoff, the matchups on the Week 7 college football schedule will have massive ramifications for both how teams are seeded and potentially how future rematches are viewed. Saturday’s slate kicks off with Ohio State vs. Indiana and Mississippi State vs. LSU, and that’s just the start of a jam-packed day of ranked-on-ranked battles.

Let’s dive into our Week 7 college football predictions for the top matchups this weekend.

Ohio State Buckeyes 24, Indiana Hoosiers 21

Make no mistake, neither the Ohio State Buckeyes nor the Indiana Hoosiers are as good as the teams we saw last season. Indiana (6-0) needed to fight just to beat Northwestern and Nebraska, while Ohio State has already lost to Texas. Our big question with this matchup is how frequently Indiana can pressure Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin. Back in Week 2, Sayin was pressured 12 times by the Longhorns and completed just 4 of 12 attempts for 43 yards. It was the first time, but far from the only instance this season, where he looked shaky with bodies around him, and he certainly wasn’t great in the Big Ten title game last season against Indiana. With that said, Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover (23.1 percent completion rate and 4.3 yards per attempt) hasn’t been good under pressure this year either. Ultimately, we think Heisman front-runner Jeremiah Smith is talented enough to deliver the game-changing play that decides this one. However, even one interception in this game from Sayin could be all Indiana needs to win at home.

Mississippi State Bulldogs 31, LSU Tigers 28

The LSU Tigers are a two-touchdown favorite at home in Week 7 against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. As great as that atmosphere is, it is better on a Sunday afternoon, and fan support would be even stronger if Lane Kiffin’s program hadn’t lost two games in the last month. We do think Mississippi State (3.6 yards per carry allowed, 32nd in FBS) will be able to keep the Tigers’ ground game in check, forcing Sam Leavitt (4.6 percent interception rate with 10 sacks taken) to win this game with his arm. LSU’s defense did keep Marcel Reed (-13 yards on 10 carries) in check, but Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor is a superior dual-threat player. We’ve seen enough from Taylor to believe he will be the best quarterback on the field Saturday, and with how defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s unit has been up and down as of late, give us Mississippi State to pull off the upset in Baton Rouge.

Alabama Crimson Tide 35, Tennessee Volunteers 21

Of the best college football games this weekend, this feels like the one that could become the most lopsided. The Tennessee Volunteers are an 8.5-point underdog on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. Why? Because this team barely escaped with victories over Auburn and Arkansas, winning by 17 combined points, and the actual games were much closer than that. We would anticipate George MacIntyre is the Volunteers’ starting quarterback in Week 7, meaning there is a pocket passer behind an injury-depleted offensive line against a front seven that ranks in the top 10 among Power 4 defenses in sack rate (8.85 percent). The one hope for Tennessee in this game is running back DeSean Bishop having similar success to what Georgia’s ground game (206 yards and 5.3 yards per carry) just experienced against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Our issue is that we just do not have faith in the Volunteers’ passing game if this one gets out of hand, and Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell can make that game script happen, as his legs could be a big problem for the Vols. We think, thanks to an early interception, Alabama jumps out to a 14-point lead early and Tennessee plays catch-up mode the rest of the way.

Missouri Tigers 34, Ole Miss Rebels 31

Revenge games are more of a rarity for players in college football, but that is one of the major storylines in this Week 7 matchup between the Missouri Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels. On one side, we have Rebels running back Kewan Lacy getting to face the team where his collegiate career began. Meanwhile, Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons could get some payback against the program that benched him. We have all the confidence in the world in Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss putting up points against a Mizzou defense that allowed 360 passing yards to Kamario Taylor and 122 rushing yards to Fluff Bothwell. However, Tigers running back Jamal Roberts can also exploit an Ole Miss defense that has allowed 176.4 rushing yards per game (104th in FBS) this season. Give us Missouri to come out on top in Oxford, with Roberts rushing for over 150 yards and two scores while Austin Simmons records a pair of touchdowns in a high-scoring game.

UCLA Bruins 21, Wisconsin Badgers 20

It took the Oregon Ducks turning it over seven times this past week for the UCLA Bruins (5-0) to win by two points in Eugene. So there is absolutely a viable scenario where the Wisconsin Badgers show up to the Rose Bowl and take down the 12th-ranked Bruins. It also helps Wisconsin’s case that its run defense, allowing 104.8 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry, has been very good this season. With that said, the Badgers’ comeback victory over Penn State has lost a lot of its luster a few weeks later, and Wisconsin’s entire offense is centered around Colton Joseph. We think UCLA’s defense can force Joseph into a turnover, especially if it is during a critical moment in the game. That, paired with the great coaching from the Bruins, will prove just enough of a difference to stay undefeated.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 27, BYU Cougars 14

This matchup would be a lot more fun if running back LJ Martin could suit up on Saturday night. Unfortunately, it will once again have to be a one-man show for this BYU Cougars offense. Sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier has had some remarkable moments this season, and he has proven he can shoulder the load for this rushing attack with 175 rushing yards in the last two weeks. However, Notre Dame excels at taking the ground game away (2.1 yards per carry), and that is one of the many reasons why this defense has allowed the fewest red-zone drives per game (1.8) in the Power 4. Provo provides an unmatched home-field advantage on nights like this, and BYU’s defense will get some stops. We just believe the Cougars’ offense is too short-handed to keep pace with CJ Carr and a Fighting Irish offense that now has an explosive ground game to pair with its aerial attack.

Oklahoma State Cowboys 38, Houston Cougars 35

If you have multiview on YouTube TV or can just have a way to watch two games at once, keep an eye on Saturday night’s Big 12 clash between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Houston Cougars. Houston (5-1) lost a heartbreaker to Texas Tech in Lubbock a few weeks ago, while Oklahoma State rebounded from a stunning season-opening loss at Tulsa by defeating the likes of Oregon and West Virginia. This can be a season-defining win for either program on Saturday night in Houston.

The Cougars’ defense has experienced its issues defending the pass, surrendering a 134.9 QB rating (69th in FBS) with a 62.3 percent completion rate (66th) and 7.4 yards per attempt (71st) to opponents this season. Drew Mestemaker is easily the best quarterback Houston will have faced to this point in 2026, and he is coming off four consecutive games with 300-plus passing yards and at least three total touchdowns. So, the Cougars are going to need Conner Weigman to keep pace in a shootout under the lights. In a high-scoring game, we will take the team with the superior quarterback and running back (Caleb Hawkins) to come out victorious.