Saturday Predictions: Week 7

Once a preseason favorite to win the SEC, Auburn's season
may quickly spiral out of control if they don't win in
Lexington on Thursday night. John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Now this is bound to be a very interesting weekend coming up. Thursday night's given not one, but two big matchups between power conference teams. In the first, Auburn meets Kentucky in Lexington. The Wildcats have won four of their five games, but have yet to defeat an opponent by more than eight points (including FCS team Eastern Kentucky, who took UK into overtime). Auburn has not been any more impressive, having only won three games. The Tigers were also taken into overtime by an FCS team (Jacksonville State). Home-field-advantage may be the deciding factor in Kentucky's favor. Eyes will turn towards Palo Alto to see the second big game of the night. UCLA plays Stanford in a major Pac-12 battle. Stanford is still undefeated in conference play, though could face a major challenge from Bay Area-rival Cal. UCLA already suffered a disappointing loss to Arizona State; another defeat may prove insurmountable in order to win the Pac-12 South. Stanford can control the game with their balanced rushing attack and good defense.

Friday features four games, though they may not interest everyone. In one of the more interesting games, BYU faces Cincinnati as both teams look to avoid a third loss. After that game begins, Boise State plays Utah State in a matchup between two of the Mountain West's best teams. The home-team Aggies will be underdogs, but have a shot if their defense plays to their full potential.

South Florida and UConn kickoff at noon, both teams desperate to avoid a fourth loss. The Bulls are hot after a 45-24 victory over Syracuse, but it's unknown whether they can repeat such a strong performance on the road. Northwestern will host undefeated Iowa in a clash of Big Ten West favorites. The Wildcats were shutout in Ann Arbor last week and hope to put up a better showing this Saturday. Iowa plays close against their best opponents, so one may expect a tight, low-scoring affair here again.

There'll be a big game in Liberty Bowl Stadium when Ole Miss comes to town. The Memphis Tigers are undefeated while the SEC power has just one loss. The Tigers have held on to win three straight close games against Bowling Green, Cincinnati, and USF, but have had an extra week to prepare for this game. The Rebels should have the talent to win and must avoid a letdown here. In Tallahassee, Florida State plays Louisville. For some reason, the unbeaten Seminoles are only favored by a touchdown over the three-loss Cardinals. Florida State's defense should prove to much for this Louisville offense.

Michigan State will not defeat their rivals without their best
performance of the year. Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

The 3:30 slate begins with Miami and Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes must return from an emotionally devastating loss last week, while the Hokies are coming off their best win of the season. Miami has all the talent necessary to win, but it has always been difficult in recent years for them to put those skills together and get a win. One of the biggest games Saturday will be held in College Station, where Texas A&M battles Alabama. The Aggies are undefeated, but are sure to face their biggest obstacle of the year in the Crimson Tide. If Alabama can avoid turnovers, they should probably win this game again.

Kansas State must follow last week's heartbreak with a game against Oklahoma. The Sooners may be even more frustrated than the Wildcats after their recent loss to rival Texas. K-State can rebound well with a win over OU. For the first time in years, Michigan and Michigan State play a game of major national relevance. Both teams are ranked in the Top 15, although the Wolverines are undoubtedly the hotter team, having won three consecutive shutouts. The Spartans, on the other hand, have struggled somewhat to greatly throughout the season. The Michigan defense should end MSU's undefeated season this week.

Neither team is expected to have a successful year, but the contest between Vanderbilt and South Carolina will be of certain note. The Gamecocks are playing for the first time in over a decade without head coach Steve Spurrier, who resigned Monday. The Gamecocks have the advantage of their home field, but should be challenged by a good Vanderbilt defense.

The most highly anticipated night game of the week will once again be held in Baton Rouge. There, the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers will both try to continue their undefeated seasons. This should be very difficult for both teams, but especially for Florida. The Gators are playing their second straight road game and their first game of the year without quarterback Will Grier, who is suspended for 12 months after failing a drug test. The Gators will instead employ sophomore Treon Harris at the position (Harris has a 5-2 record as a starter). LSU's star running back Leonard Fournette is impossible to stop. However, if the Gators manage to slow him down and play competent offense against a good Tiger defense, they should still be capable of winning.

Mizzou must find more consistency and balance on offense to
upset Georgia at Sanford Stadium. Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Notre Dame will host USC in their annual rivalry. The Trojans' head coach was fired this week, so they'll need to pull themselves together in order to challenge the Fighting Irish. The Irish should be expected to win again in South Bend. Despite their loss to Tennessee last week, Georgia is a big favorite over Missouri at home this Saturday. The Bulldogs are playing without star halfback Nick Chubb, who is out for the season due to injury, but could see a new running back step up to the plate. Missouri plays excellent defense, but need a better performance from their offense in order to pull the upset.

Many will watch Ohio State as they face Penn State in Columbus. The Buckeyes are the top-ranked team, although many now doubt that high appraisal. The Nittany Lions have been inconsistent, but still have five wins somehow. Despite Ohio State's weaknesses, Penn State may not have enough to knock off the Buckeyes this week.

Undefeated Utah gets another tough test in Arizona State late Saturday night. The Sun Devils are trying to ride the success they had against UCLA two weeks ago, but will meet the best defense in the Pac-12 in Utah. The Utes are coming off a huge win over Cal last week, but must be prepared to play the improving Sun Devils. Few expected Oregon could face the prospect of a losing record by Week 7, but that will come to pass if they don't get by Washington. The Huskies have now lost 11 in a row to the Ducks, but have the golden opportunity to end that streak in Seattle.

State of Florida:

• South Florida (2-3) over Connecticut (3-3), 24-20
• Marshall (5-1) over Florida Atlantic (1-4), 34-17
• Middle Tennessee (2-4) over FIU (3-3), 30-23
• 11 Florida State (5-0) over Louisville (2-3), 26-17
• Virginia Tech (3-3) over Miami (3-2), 20-17
• 8 Florida (6-0) over 6 LSU (5-0), 17-14
• Temple (5-0) over UCF (0-6), 42-10

Southeastern Conference:

• Kentucky (4-1) over Auburn (3-2), 28-21
• 13 Mississippi (5-1) over Memphis (5-0), 35-28
• Mississippi State (4-2) over Louisiana Tech (4-2), 31-21
• 10 Alabama (5-1) over 9 Texas A&M (5-0), 35-30
• South Carolina (2-4) over Vanderbilt (2-3), 17-13
• Georgia (4-2) over Missouri (4-2), 17-10
• Arkansas (2-4), BYE
• Tennessee (3-3), BYE

Top 25:

• 1 Ohio State (6-0) over Penn State (5-1), 28-27
• 2 Baylor (5-0) over West Virginia (3-2), 45-27
• 3 TCU (6-0) over Iowa State (2-3), 49-20
• 4 Utah (5-0) over Arizona State (4-2), 27-20
• 5 Clemson (5-0) over Boston College (3-3), 20-0
• 12 Michigan (5-1) over 7 Michigan State (6-0), 30-17
• 14 Notre Dame (5-1) over USC (3-2), 21-17
• 15 Stanford (4-1) over 18 UCLA (4-1), 28-24
• 17 Iowa (6-0) over 20 Northwestern (5-1), 13-10
• Kansas State (3-2) over 19 Oklahoma (4-1), 35-31
• 21 Boise State (5-1) over Utah State (3-2), 31-24
• 22 Toledo (5-0) over Eastern Michigan (1-5), 45-21
• 24 Houston (5-0) over Tulane (2-3), 35-21
• 16 Oklahoma State (6-0), BYE
• 23 California (5-1), BYE
• 25 Duke (5-1), BYE