College football Week 7 schedule: 5 underrated games die-hard fans will love

The college football Week 7 schedule is loaded with marquee matchups, but don’t sleep on these underrated games that promise to be great.

With another busy weekend in college football up ahead, there’s plenty to be excited about with this week’s slate of games. There’s the Red River Rivalry going on over in Dallas while Florida and LSU get things underway down in Baton Rouge. But there’s plenty of other intriguing games out there to keep you busy this weekend.

If you’re looking for some chaos, or teams that are often the victims of chaos, then I have just the list for you. We’ve got mediocre teams with second-year head coaches competing against each other. This week there’s high-scoring offenses matching up against dominant defenses. There’s a little bit of everything in games that are flying under the radar. And you should really check these games out.

No. 5: Maryland vs. Purdue

Neither Maryland nor Purdue truly appear to be all that great this season, but both teams have plenty of potential to score a bunch of points in any given game. And that could make this contest a blast to watch. If Maryland’s offense is operating the way it was to start the season (when the Terps were scorching folks for 60-plus points a game) and Purdue’s Rondale Moore is healthy enough to play this week, this matchup has the chance to become a high scoring one.

That said, Maryland hasn’t been scoring at that high of a rate lately and there’s no guarantee that Moore, even if healthy enough to play, would be healthy enough to make a significant impact in this game. If neither offense is able to move efficiently, then this game should still be close, but it probably won’t be as entertaining as it could be.

No. 4: BYU vs. South Florida

BYU has been one of the weirdest teams in all of college football this season. The Cougars have been blown out by rival Utah, upended Tennessee on the road and USC at home, were bulldozed over by Washington, and then most recently lost to Toledo. The Cougars probably aren’t a good team, but they’ve had one heck of an entertaining ride so far this season. And that’ll probably continue as the Cougars head down to South Florida.

Charlie Strong and the Bulls could really use a win. Strong took over USF and inherited a developing program that had a high ceiling. Things haven’t gone so well during his time in Tampa and this year, USF sits at 2-3 and has a loss to an abysmal Georgia Tech team. Fortunately for South Florida, this game will be at home, which will at least keep the Bulls playing in a place that they’re familiar with. And there’s a chance that the heat and humidity in South Florida wear on BYU’s players.

BYU will almost certainly be without quarterback Zach Wilson in this game, but USF’s Blake Barnett is dinged up as well. Whichever team is able to have more success on the part of their backup quarterback will win. That’s not an enviable position for any head coach to be in.

No. 3: Mississippi State vs. Tennessee

Mississippi State and Tennessee are both in the second year of their new coaching regimes and there’s a ton of Bulldogs and Vols unhappy with the way things are going. Joe Moorhead is struggling to maintain the success that Dan Mullen left behind in Starkville. Meanwhile, Jeremy Pruitt is having difficulties getting Tennessee out of the crater that Butch Jones, Derek Dooley, and Lane Kiffin put it in.

Mississippi State has shown some potential this season, but issues at quarterback with Tommy Stevens being dinged up has led to MSU starting a true freshman. While Garrett Shrader can be exciting, playing a true freshman on the road in the SEC can be dangerous. Shrader and the Bulldogs had difficulties playing at Auburn prior to their bye week, but, that said, Tennessee’s defense isn’t as imposing as the Tigers’.

No. 2: Washington vs. Arizona

Arizona, by no means, is a good, consistent team. That said, the Wildcats are on a four-game winning streak and have very quietly earned a 4-1 record this season. Sure, Arizona has a loss to Hawai’i. Yes, the Wildcats had difficulties beating Texas Tech, UCLA, and Colorado. And okay, Kevin Sumlin‘s team gave up 41 points to Northern Arizona. But, that four-game winning streak still stands as Arizona heads into its game against Washington.

Washington has taken a pretty notable step back from where the Huskies were last season. The Washington Huskies have had their pride wounded after losing to California and Stanford. They’re no longer definitively best team in the Pac-12 North and they’ve suffered too many losses to make it back to the College Football Playoffs. Sure, Washington can still get double-digit wins, as it has the past three seasons under Chris Peterson, but the Huskies are far from where they want to be.

And that sets this game up to be an intriguing one. Sumlin and Arizona are working to rebuild. The Wildcats have plenty to prove this season. A win over a dejected Washington team would go a long way towards that goal of improving. For Washington, the Huskies need to win out to salvage this season. Arizona’s offense will be matched up against a stout Washington defense. Stay up late and keep an eye on Tucson Saturday night.

No. 1: Louisville vs. Wake Forest

Wake Forest has yet to be beaten in 2019. The Demon Deacons have made it through nearly half of this season undefeated. That’s pretty impressive. Dave Clawson’s team, led by a thrilling offense, has the perfect opportunity to make a statement in a chaotic ACC this season. Quarterback Jamie Newman is throwing for over 300 yards per game and has scored 16 total touchdowns so far this season. On the surface, this game doesn’t look like it’d be close.

But Wake Forest’s defense is fairly vulnerable to getting beaten up by a competent passing attack. And right now, Louisville’s offense is carrying plenty of confidence after the Cardinals’ win over Boston College. Wake Forest gives up 245.6 passing yards per game. Louisville averages a little more than that at 254.6 passing yards per game. But against Boston College, two different Cardinals quarterbacks combined to throw for 428 yards.

Louisville has had some injury issues at quarterback this season, but Scott Satterfield’s team has proven it can still move the ball, regardless of who is taking the snaps. Assuming that the Cardinals can get their passing attack going, Louisville has a real shot at challenging Wake Forest and forcing the Demon Deacons into a high-scoring shootout, in this game.