College football picks against the spread: How to bet Week 7’s biggest games

College football picks against the spread for Week 7, including the big game between Alabama and Georgia with Nick Saban sidelined due to COVID-19.

This is the game bettors have been waiting for when college football returned this summer. It’s No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Georgia. Both teams have been beating everyone in their path, and now they will go head to head to see who’s the best in the SEC. The winner will have a real hold on who’s No. 1, even with Clemson staying undefeated.

The rest of the teams in the Top 25 are all facing unranked opponents. Two games have been postponed already (Oklahoma State vs. Baylor and LSU vs. Florida) due to COVID protocols. If you’re looking to make some bets in college football this weekend, here’s how you can cash in with our college football picks against the spread.

College football picks against the spread for Week 7

No. 17 SMU (-6.5) vs. Tulane (Friday, 6 p.m. ET)

SMU ended the long-shot dream that Memphis might be good enough to make the College Football Playoff. It wasn’t likely anyway, but the fact SMU beat Memphis like they did has them getting legitimate buzz. SMU is dealing with injuries, but when Tulane lost running back Tyjae Spears for the season, it knocked them down a few pegs. They can’t really afford that against an opponent like SMU. They are loaded at the positions that were hit by the injury bug (wide receiver and running back), and that depth will lead to a blowout win.

Pick: SMU (-6.5)

No. 14 BYU (-3.5) vs. Houston – Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET

This is a very bad matchup for BYU. Their pass defense has struggled to start the season. Houston and Dana Holgorsen are one of the more pass-happy offenses in the NCAA. BYU is getting a couple of pieces back on the offensive line, which will help them keep up with Houston, but this will be a high-scoring outing from both teams. Houston will keep the game within three, and there’s a very good chance they win this game outright.

Pick: Houston (+3.5)

No. 1 Clemson (-27) vs. Georgia Tech – Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Clemson completely destroyed Miami last weekend. It was the marquee matchup of the weekend. Georgia Tech is incredibly inconsistent. Jeff Sims is playing like a freshman quarterback who went to a lesser school so he could start right away. He’s averaging two interceptions per game. He had his best game of the season last week against Louisville, which is a good sign he’s learning from his mistakes. The issue here for the Yellow Jackets is they have to similar a team as Clemson on a much smaller level. Clemson can counteract every single thing Georgia Tech does. This won’t be pretty.

Pick: Clemson (-27)

No. 15 Auburn (-3) vs. South Carolina – Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Auburn has already been somewhat of a disappointment this season. After losing big to Georgia, they almost dropped the ball against Arkansas last week. Now, they go back on the road to South Carolina. Bo Nix led the Tigers on a game-winning drive last week, which hopefully leads to some confidence. South Carolina should not be in this game. They’ve been playing well to start the season, but Auburn has a lot bigger roadblocks that should be a bigger headache than this one.

Pick: Auburn (-3)

Kentucky vs. No. 18 Tennessee (-5.5) – Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

This is a scary matchup for Tennessee. Kentucky can be very good with its run game, hitting opponents with multiple different looks. Things were looking bleak for the Wildcats when they started 0-2, but a dominating win against Mississippi State proves Kentucky shouldn’t be ignored. Tennessee is coming off a loss to Georgia. They have every reason to come back and contribute here. Tennessee has the right formula to beat them (no turnovers, avoid big plays on the ground).
Pick: Tennessee (-5.5)

No. 8 Cincinnati (-4) vs. Tulsa – Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

It feels very strange that Cincinnati is ranked this high. Tulsa already broke the hearts of one AAC dream (they beat UCF two weeks ago), and now they are looking to do it again at home. To win this game, it will rely on the Bearcats offensive line. They have some great young talent, but can that compete with a defensive line that has averaged 12 tackles for loss per game. Cincinnati’s offense has struggled terribly. In three games, quarterback Desmond Ridder has four interceptions. This makes it a clear stay-away, but for the sake of the bet, it feels like taking the points is the smartest play here.

Pick: Tulsa (+4)

Pittsburgh vs. No. 13 Miami (-9.5) – Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Miami was just nowhere near ready to face an opponent like Clemson. They got destroyed last weekend. They look good against terrible opponents, but they beat down on bad opponents. This is something Miami has done in the past. Even during the height of the turnover chain, the Hurricanes fell short when facing top-tier opponents. D’Eriq King ruined his Heisman campaign, and he needs to bounce back this week to make something of the Hurricanes season. He needs to be better through the air and not rely totally on the ground. Pittsburgh has struggled the past two weeks against lesser opponents. This one is the hardest of the teams Pitt has faced. 9.5 is a lot of points, but Miami has an offense that is hard to stop.

Pick: Miami (-9.5)

Louisville vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (-16.5) – Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET

Louisville came into the season with expectations to get better, but it fell off the rails basically the second ACC play started. Now, they are on a three-game losing streak. There’s a reason a team that was once ranked is now facing the biggest odds of the week. The Cardinals made mistake after mistake last week. Notre Dame now has the inside track to make the College Football Playoff, but there are roadblocks in the way. This is one of them, as Louisville has a talented, if not mistake-prone offense. Notre Dame is a great team, but Louisville is a desperate one. Three scores is too many to put on this game.

Pick: Louisville (+16.5)

No. 11 Texas A&M (-6.5) vs. Mississippi State – Saturday 4 p.m. ET

Texas A&M was on the verge of losing their season, but a massive win against the Florida Gators showed they are capable of making a statement of a top-ten opponent. The Gators were on their way to College Football Playoff buzz with Kyle Trask leading the team, but now Texas A&M is back on the verge of the top ten himself. Mississippi State has been awful after their upset win against LSU. However, LSU might be bad this season. The Aggies have the talent to destroy the Bulldogs, and if they are going to prove they belong here, it needs to end in a blowout.

Pick: Texas A&M (-6.5)

No. 5 North Carolina (-10.5) vs. Florida State – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET

Florida State is still a mess. Mike Norvell is going to have some time to get things right in Tallahassee, but with the pandemic and the impacts of bringing in a new coach on a program overwhelming the program, this isn’t their year. North Carolina brings an explosive offense led by quarterback Sam Howell. Mack Brown will not let it play down to its opponent. This is the best bet on the board this week. One team is bad. Very bad. The other might be really good.

Pick: North Carolina (-10.5)

Boston College vs. No. 23 Virginia Tech (-10.5) – Saturday, 8 p.m. ET

Virginia Tech was unable to stop the North Carolina offense to the tune of 600-plus yards, but the offense was able to make a statement against a good team. Boston College is coming off a win against another ACC opponent in Pitt. The simple fact here is this is too many points. BC is not getting the respect they should, and this is going to be a back and forth game. Take the points and run.

Pick: Boston College (+10.5)