College football Week 7 picks against spread: Sooners bounce back against Horns

Noon, Saturday, ESPNU

The line dropped almost three points from its open, a sign there's faith in the Red Raiders heading to Morgantown. It's a tossup, but the Mountaineers have won the last three — we predict Will Grier outduels Nic Shimonek in a stat-stuffer.

West Virginia wins 45-41 and covers the spread 

Noon, Saturday, FS1

It's a road test for the last unbeaten team left in the Big 12, and the Wildcats have already lost two one-score games. Kansas State routed TCU 30-6 last year, and isn't a team that gets blown out often. They'll hang around in Manhattan before Kenny Hill makes the big play again.

TCU wins 33-30 but fails to cover the spread 

3:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC

Miami can't have a letdown at home against the Yellow Jackets, who are quietly in contention in the ACC Coastal Division. Losing Mark Walton doesn’t help either. Georgia Tech also had an extra week to prepare for this one. This is where we find out if Miami can handle success under second-year coach Mark Richt, who knows the Yellow Jackets well.

Miami wins 27-24 but fails to cover the spread 

3:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS

This begins a stretch of three straight road games for Auburn, and this one is against an LSU team that got its groove back with a victory at The Swamp. Auburn has not won at Death Valley since 1999. Could this really be another upset for Ed Orgeron? We wouldn't be surprised to see overtime here, but we can't quite pull the upset call.

Auburn wins 30-24 but fails to cover the spread 

7 p.m., Saturday, ESPN2

These two don't meet often, and the Gators won the last meeting in 2012 by a field goal. This line looks fishy because Texas A&M appears to be the better team, especially on offense. That’s the difference in this game. Kellen Mond makes the plays, and the Gators lose another ugly one in The Swamp. Don't act surprised when the Aggies and the New Year's Six converge in the same sentence soon.

Texas A&M wins 31-24 in an UPSET 

7:15 p.m., Saturday, ESPN

Nick Saban is talking about "rat poison," and the Tide is coming off a hohum performance against the Aggies. That’s a giant spread for an SEC West game, but the Razorbacks have allowed 49 points per game in losses to Texas A&M and South Carolina. How do you think this is going to go?

Alabama wins 45-10 and covers the spread

7:30 p.m., Saturday, FS1

The Buckeyes demolished the Huskers 62-3 last year and have routed four straight opponents since losing to Oklahoma. They are flat-out better than Nebraska, which is almost down to its last stand. Perhaps the Huskers rally for one of their patented primetime upsets of a Big Ten East foe. This might be right on the line.

Ohio State wins 42-17 but fails to cover the spread 

8 p.m., Saturday, ABC

It's a huge game in the Pac-12 South and a primetime redemption slot for Sam Darnold, who can climb back into the Heisman Trophy race with a big-time performance here. The Trojans have won the last two home meetings against the Utes by an average of 17 points.

USC wins 34-23 but fails to cover the spread 

11 p.m., Saturday, FS1

This used to be for much higher stakes, but now it's a battle between two-loss teams holding on to slim hopes in the Pac-12 North. Oregon isn't the same without Justin Herbert at quarterback, and Bryce Love will continue his run toward a possible Heisman with a big performance against an improved Ducks’ run defense. It’s worth staying up late for.

Stanford wins 38-27 and covers the spread 

3:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN

Interesting chapter in the Red River Rivalry with new coaches Lincoln Riley and Tom Herman, and we expect both teams to play like it. That means big plays all over the place, and perhaps some drama in the fourth quarter. Baker Mayfield gets the Sooners back on track in the Big 12 race. 

Oklahoma wins 42-31 and covers the spread