College Football Predictions & Best Bets for Week 7

A lousy half a point. That is what I was off by from sweeping the board on my college football picks in Week 6. Let’s hope the half a point is in our favor this weekend. For my college football predictions and best bets for Week 7, we’re off to the home of the champs, Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, and Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Let’s hit the gridiron!

College Football Predictions & Best Bets for Week 7

#4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs #5 Indiana Hoosiers

Start Time: Noon EST

We start things off with the premier matchup of the week, the #4-ranked 5-1 (3-0 Big Ten) Ohio State Buckeyes heading to the home of the defending champions, Bloomington, to face the #5-ranked, 6-0 (3-0 Big Ten) Indiana Hoosiers. This is a rematch of last season’s Big Ten Championship Game, when the Hoosiers won 13-10, handing the Buckeyes their first loss of the season and keeping them out of the College Football Playoffs (they went on to lose in the Cotton Bowl).

So revenge will be on the visitors’ minds on Saturday afternoon. Despite already dropping a game this season (by one point at Texas), Ohio State is ranked ahead of the undefeated defending champions in the national polls and in advanced stat rankings because of their stronger strength of schedule.

However, I’m still going with the Hoosiers in this matchup. While it’s unknown who will suit up come Saturday, the Buckeyes are entering this game with quite a few banged-up (or absent) key players. Plus, after crunching the numbers, my line is Indiana -1, so I’m taking the Hoosiers on the spread as the official play.

Best Bet: Indiana +3.5 (-110)

Virginia Cavaliers vs #24 SMU Mustangs

Start Time: Noon EST

Next, we’re checking in on some ACC action, with the 4-2 (2-1 ACC) Virginia Cavaliers facing the #24-ranked, 4-1 (2-1 ACC) SMU Mustangs. The Mustangs are coming off an off week, while the Cavaliers scraped out a three-point win over the Syracuse Orangemen. Virginia has had an inconsistent season, swapping wins with losses over the past few weeks (I guess that’s actually consistent) after starting the season ranked.

Other than a Week 3 loss at Louisville, it’s been all systems go for SMU. Plus, they’ve never lost to Virginia on the gridiron. Sure, they’ve only met once before, but still, a win’s a win.

Despite this, I’m in on the road dogs this weekend in Dallas. The Cavaliers have a stouter defense, and the advanced stats like them more than the Mustangs, even considering the home-field advantage. After diving into my top-secret numbers (strength of schedule, home-field advantage, blah blah blah, etc.), I’ve calculated the spread as SMU -3.5, so the Cavaliers as a dog on the official spread is my play for Saturday.

Best Bet: Virginia +9.5 (-112)

2025/6 College Football Overall Record: 6-6 (50%)
Profit (based on $100/bet): -($63.56)
Return on Investment: -5%