Week 7 of the college football schedule is here and now it's time to make our betting picks against the spread for the top games
ATS college football picks for Week 7
No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan (-7). Both teams can run the ball well, and though Penn State owns the statistical edge when defending against the rush, how trustworthy are those numbers when considering the quality of opponents? Michigan has been holding its own in these close Big Ten games thanks to its consistent ground attack. ATS pick: Michigan by 5, doesn't cover
Related: Michigan vs. Penn State preview, prediction
No. 19 Kansas at Oklahoma (-9.5). This line has moved steadily in the Sooners' favor since the open, up from 7, despite its porous defensive output the last three weeks, allowing almost 47 points per game in that stretch. KU doesn't have Jalon Daniels at quarterback going forward with a shoulder injury, but Jason Bean more than held up his own in reserve last week, going snap for snap with TCU's elite offense in a close loss that came down to the last play. OU still enjoys a distinct edge when judging for pure athleticism, but there's no denying the paltry product it's put on the field recently. ATS pick: Oklahoma State by 7, doesn't cover
Auburn at No. 9 Ole Miss (-14.5). Analysts have been saying Bryan Harsin will be getting fired these last four weeks now, but Auburn has won the last 6 against the Rebels. This year could be the exception, owing to Ole Miss' excellent output on the ground, stacking up 242 yards per game, and preserving the gains it made on defense from last season. The Rebs take another big step towards staying undefeated in the SEC West chase. ATS pick: Ole Miss by 17, covers
Related: College football Week 7 betting lines, point spreads
Iowa State at No. 22 Texas (-16.5). Don't say the B-word, but there's no denying that Texas is a whole different football team with Quinn Ewers on the field. He sliced OU's defense in half last week and was on his way to giving no less than Alabama the same treatment before his injury. Iowa State is playing good defense and there's always a risk that Texas could take its foot off the gas after an emotional Red River Shootout. ATS pick: Texas by 13, doesn't cover
No. 3 Alabama (-7) at No. 6 Tennessee. If not this year for the Vols, then when? This is by far the best chance UT has to finally knock off the Tide, something it hasn't done since Nick Saban arrived on the scene. Hendon Hooker commands college football's No. 1 offense and its No. 2 scoring attack and there are questions around if Bryce Young will be able to play after injuring his shoulder. Even so, Bama has the power on the ground to control the clock and enough in the air to push the Vols' back seven out of position. ATS pick: Alabama by 3, doesn't cover
Related: Alabama vs. Tennessee preview, prediction
Minnesota (-6.5) at No. 24 Illinois. A battle of elite Big Ten running backs as the Gophers' Mo Ibrahim is set to return this week, and Chase Brown leads college football with 879 total yards. It's strange to see Illinois not favored as the ranked home team, signaling some trepidation about its defense against Minnesota's 1-2 punch offensively. Tanner Morgan has the clear edge moving the ball in the air here, but can UM get its defense off the field lining up against Brown? ATS pick: Minnesota by 6, doesn't cover
No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah (-3.5). The Utes play a physical brand of football at both lines and can test the Trojans' backs by closing down those inside running lanes. But UCLA revealed the blueprint for how to work your skill threats into space and behind Utah's secondary, and USC has better targets. ATS pick: USC by 7, upsets
No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 13 TCU (-4). OSU has held things down defensively just enough and is getting solid output from Spencer Sanders, but the Horned Frogs own college football's 2nd most efficient passer and total offensive production. Plus, TCU is 4-0-1 against the spread this season. ATS pick: TCU by 8, covers
Vanderbilt at No. 1 Georgia (-38.5). Will the Bulldogs slip into neutral again against an overmatched SEC foe? Georgia is 3-0 against the spread when the line is under 30 and 0-3 when it's over 30. That's a reliable-enough trend to stick with. ATS pick: Georgia by 23, doesn't cover
No. 4 Clemson (-3.5) at Florida State. Pretty close for the ACC favorites, who have passed important tests and are still improving each week offensively. The Seminoles are over 200 yards rushing per game, but Clemson is a brick wall against opposing backs. ATS pick: Clemson by 11, covers
No. 16 Mississippi State (-6) at No. 22 Kentucky. UK lost to the Gamecocks without Will Levis, but its defense hasn't allowed more than 24 points yet. Will Rogers is the SEC's record holder in completions and leads an offense that scored 40-plus the last three times out. ATS pick: Mississippi State by 7, covers
No. 15 NC State at No. 18 Syracuse (-3.5). Potentially no Devin Leary for the Wolfpack here as he deals with a shoulder ailment, and the Orange will have a very hard time moving the ball on the ground against NC State's stout interior run stop. ATS pick: NC State by 6, upsets
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