NCAA Football 2019 Week 7 picks

Wed Oct 9
Appalachian State Mountaineers at Louisiana Ragin Cajuns:  Whoa!  I nearly missed my chance to pick one, as an illness delayed my post by two days.  Louisiana is having a great year, but getting past the Mountaineers is always an uphill battle.  I like their chances to keep this close, and maybe score the upset, but I'll pick the favorite.  APPALACHIAN STATE

Thurs Oct 10
Syracuse Orange at NC State Wolf Pack:  After a promising early season, Syracuse has dropped off.  NC State, however, remains a threat in the ACC.  NC STATE

Fri Oct 11
Virginia Cavaliers at Miami Hurricanes:  The Coastal-leading Cavs visit a Hurricane team breaking in a new QB.  Nice matchup; for them, anyway.  VIRGINIA

Colorado Buffaloes at #10 Oregon Ducks:  The Ducks should slaughter the "up and down" Buffaloes.  OREGON

Sat Oct 12
Top 25:
#2 Alabama Crimson Tide at Texas A&M Aggies:  Bama should prove why A&M is not in my Top 25.  ALABAMA

#3 Penn State Nittany Lions at #19 Iowa Hawkeyes:  This game will basically wipe Iowa out of divisional contention.  They can be tricky at home, but Penn State is the third most dominant team in the Big Ten (behind Ohio State and Wisconsin).  PENN STATE

 #22 Michigan State Spartans at #4 Wisconsin Badgers:  And speaking of those aforementioned Badgers, they face a team whose defense is historically tough, in a season when Wisconsin has a historical defense.  Can they produce a FOURTH shut-out?  I don't think so, but a victory shouldn't be hard.  WISCONSIN

Florida State Seminoles at #5 Clemson Tigers:  The Tigers may not be as dominant as the Big Ten teams in the Top Five, but beating a struggling Seminoles team should be a piece of cake.  CLEMSON

#11 Florida Gators at #6 LSU Tigers:  Whoops, Florida just finished a fabulous win and they will face a major challenge.  Still, if they keep this game close, they may not fall too far.  LSU

South Carolina Gamecocks at #7 Georgia Bulldogs:  This should be a fairly easy win for the Bulldogs.  GEORGIA

#8 Oklahoma Sooners at #13 Texas Longhorns:  Ooh, this should be good.  Texas upset Oklahoma last year in the Red River Rivalry, and Oklahoma wants revenge.  However, I'll bet Tom Herman and QB Sam Ehlinger have some surprises in store.  I'll pick the favorite, but don't be surprised if Texas wins again.  OKLAHOMA

USC Trojans at #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  USC might pull off the upset, but they still don't quite have it all together.  NOTRE DAME

Texas Tech Red Raiders at #12 Baylor Bears:  Depending upon the result of the Red River Rivalry, could Baylor end up the only unbeaten team in the Big XII?  Maybe.  BAYLOR

#15 Michigan Wolverines at Illinois Fighting Illini:  Oh, how I would LOVE my Alma Mater to pull off the upset here, but that ain't happening.  MICHIGAN

Ole Miss Rebels at #17 Missouri Tigers:  Missouri gets to spread their new Top 25 wings against an Ole Miss team that can't quite find their balance.  MISSOURI

#18 Utah Utes at Oregon State Beavers:  The Beavers are always dangerous at home, and often engineer at least one upset against a ranked Pac-12 team a year.  Could this be the week?  If so, let's leave it as an upset.  UTAH

#20 Washington Huskies at Arizona Wildcats:  Here's another Pac-12 game that could end up an upset, and upsets have been prominent in this conference this year.  Let's see, should I pick Arizona therefore?  Again, if an upset is to happen, let's keep it an upset.  WASHINGTON

Louisville Cardinals at #21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  Wake took an extra week to prepare for this game, and I'm not sure they really needed to.  Louisville is okay, but Wake is strong this year, and is preparing for a bout against defending National Champ Clemson.  WAKE FOREST

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at #23 Boise State Broncos:  Hawaii returns to the blue field of Boise leading the West division.  However, Hawaii is much stronger at home, and Boise is devastating at home.  BOISE STATE

 Nebraska Cornhuskers at #25 Minnesota Golden Gophers:  The Cornhuskers have a powerful offense that will stretch the Gophers defense, but Nebraska also has the third worst defense in the conference.  This should be an offensive showcase that Minnesota will eventually win.  MINNESOTA

Big Ten:
Maryland Terrapins at Purdue Boilermakers:  Purdue has the second worst defense in the league, allowing the Terrapins offense to run wild.  MARYLAND

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Indiana Hoosiers:  And Rutgers has the worst defense in the league.  Owners of the worst offense as well, Indiana should have a fairly easy time of it. INDIANA

Other Games of Interest:
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers:  How will Tennessee bounce back from their shellacking last week?  Not well, I'm afraid.  MISSISSIPPI STATE

Washington State Cougars at Arizona Sun Devils:  If the Cougars were hoping to get back into the Top 25, this game should shatter that.  While they could generate another upset for the Pac-12, Arizona State seems too strong to let that happen.  ARIZONA STATE

Cincinnati Bearcats at Houston Cougars:  Cincy is having a good year; Houston is not.  CINCINNATI

UConn Huskies at Tulane Green Wave:  Tulane is riding a wave (pun intended) of great plays.  They should wipe out UConn.  TULANE

UAB Blazers at UTSA Roadrunners:  An easy win for the Blazers.  UAB

Navy Midshipment at Tulsa Golden Hurricane:  The ground game of Navy will storm over the Golden Hurricane.  NAVY