College football Week 7 schedule: 5 sneaky good games of the week

The college football season continues in Week 7, with a crowded slate headlined by an Alabama-Georgia showdown sure to provide plenty of entertainment.

College football Week 7 is headlined by a potential SEC Championship Game preview, with No. 2 Alabama hosting No. 3 Georgia in a rematch of the 2018 national championship. While fans around the country will be sure to tune into this game, which figures to be an instant classic, there are plenty of other games on the weekend slate for fans to stay occupied with as they await Saturday’s must-see matchup.

UCF at Memphis (+3.5)

UCF fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last week after a loss to Tulsa, falling completely out of this week’s rankings despite previously coming in at No. 11. In Week 7, the Knights face a familiar opponent in Memphis, and with the Tigers also coming off of their first loss of the season, this one will be meaningful when it comes to the AAC standings.

Knights quarterback Dillon Gabriel has over 1,100 passing yards and nine touchdowns over his first three games, and a strong rapport with senior wideout Marlon Williams should keep the passing game rolling. Meanwhile, look for Tigers tight end Sean Dykes to build on his strong start to the season and try to help Memphis climb the conference standings.

No. 14 BYU at Houston (+5.5)

Houston finally kicked off its season last weekend after a slew of postponements, but the team’s performance looked like that of a squad in midseason form. The Cougars rolled to an 18-point victory over Tulane, but a stiffer test comes this week against undefeated BYU. With a September game against Army postponed, BYU still needs to prove that it can rise to the occasion against high-caliber competition.

While Houston has an admittedly small sample size, it currently sits atop the NCAA total defense rankings, with BYU close behind at fourth. Look for a low-scoring affair (and possibly some defensive touchdowns) in this one, with turnovers dictating which team comes out on top. BYU signal-caller Zach Wilson has shown an ability to take care of the ball through four games, and Houston’s Clayton Tune will need to avoid another two-interception performance to get the win.

Kentucky at No. 18 Tennessee (-6)

Tennessee has a golden opportunity to gain ground in the SEC East this weekend with Georgia facing Alabama and Florida’s game postponed, but the Volunteers cannot afford to look past a Kentucky team that has been quite difficult to properly assess. After a blowout loss to Auburn and a brutal overtime defeat against Ole Miss due to a missed extra point, the Wildcats dominated Mississippi State, leaving their place in the SEC in question.

As Kentucky’s leading rusher and passer, quarterback Terry Wilson will be the key to the Wildcats’ hopes, while the Volunteers will look to improve their solid start to the season on the defensive end and keep moving up in the rankings. Leaning on quarterback Jarrett Guarantano does not look like the formula for success, as the senior has not yet topped 300 passing yards in a game this season.

No. 15 Auburn at South Carolina (-3)

South Carolina’s brutal schedule continues this Saturday when it hosts No. 15 Auburn, but a dominant win over Vanderbilt last weekend should give Gamecocks fans reason for optimism. The Tigers, meanwhile, still have plenty to prove, with a blowout loss to Georgia and a narrow victory over Arkansas both reasons for concern.

The Gamecocks certainly have the advantage on the defensive end, and even Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said he is impressed by the group, per ESPN. The Tigers are the slight favorite, but without a standout performance from sophomore quarterback Bo Nix (who has underwhelmed this season), an upset could be in the cards.

Army at UTSA (+7.5)

UTSA is coming off of a loss to BYU that was not exactly as close as the 27-20 final score might suggest, but the Roadrunners will be motivated to break their two-game losing streak against a strong Army team. The Black Knights fell from the rankings a few weeks ago after a loss to Cincinnati, but two convincing wins since have them on the precipice of a 5-1 start to the season.

Both teams are run-heavy with mobile quarterbacks, and while Army’s option attack is more of a group effort (six players over 100 rushing yards this season), UTSA will lean on sophomore running back Sincere McCormick, who has racked up almost 600 rushing yards over the first five games. An elite Army defense likely makes all the difference here, but expect the Roadrunners to keep things close.

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