Week 7

The Professor is back! I'm back on my winning ways with a 3-2 Week 6. My picks of Michigan, Washington, and Georgia won, while my picks of Western Kentucky and Army lost. I got some help in the Georgia game when, the Bulldogs' Terry Goodwin grabbed the South Carolina onside kick in the closing minute and returned it for a touchdown, thus unlikely covering the spread (which resulted in a disappointed Brent Musberger).

That winning week put my overall record this season at 15-14-1. It's nice to be back above 0.500, but I'd like to have some more cushion between me and that mark.

So, let's increase that cushion. Here are my Week 7 picks:

Once again, all betting lines come from the Westgate Las Vegas and are posted on ESPN.com: http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/17770335/college-football-full-list-week-7-odds-westgate-las-vegas-superbook and all times are Eastern Time Zone

N.C. State +17 at Clemson (Saturday at noon)

Clemson proved that they are one of the top teams in the country and the team to beat in the ACC with their win over Louisville, and, a week after beating one of the top offensive teams in the country, the Tigers put up 56 points on Boston College, one of the top defensive teams in the country.

In addition to Deshaun Watson, an elite dual threat quarterback, running back Wayne Gallman has added another potent weapon to the Clemson offense. Plus, the game is in Death Valley, a place that is as ominous for opponents as it sounds,where the Clemson Tigers are 19-0 over the past three seasons.

While the Clemson offense gets a lot of publicity, their defense was key in their win over Louisville. They rank in the top ten in the FBS in third down defense and scoring defense.

N.C. State has a good offense with quarterback Ryan Finley and running back Matthew Dayes, but the strong Clemson defense should be able to stop them on most of their drives. N.C. State has put up good stats so far, but have not faced any really tough opponents (yes, I consider Notre Dame a mediocre team this year).

I think Clemson continues their regular season winning streak in decisive fashion.

I'm taking the Tigers over the Wolfpack in the battle of the beasts!

Kansas +35 at Baylor (Saturday at 3:30 P.M.)

While Baylor is sitting at 5-0, they have not put up the insanely high scores that they had been doing for the past couple years. They are averaging 42.6 points per game with an average margin of victory of 23.6 points per game. Their opponents have a combined record of 8-20, and only one of those teams has a winning record.

Kansas, while sitting at 1-4, has faced opponents with a combined record of 16-11, and four of those teams have winning records. The Jayhawks are averaging 15.2 points per game.

While I don't think the game will be close, with the numbers being what they are and the spread being this large, I have to go with Kansas.

Rock, chalk, Jayhawk!

Alabama -13 at Tennessee (Saturday at 3:30 P.M.)

There is no team in the country like Alabama. They demonstrate week in and week out why they are the top team in the nation.

Alabama dominates on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Their offensive and defensive lines both control the line of scrimmage. Alabama is among the leaders in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The tide have given up fewer than 16 points per game while scoring almost 45 points per game.

If that were not enough, the Crimson Tide have scored an FBS-leading nine non-offensive touchdowns this season (seven on defense and two on punt returns).

Tennessee has fallen behind in every game this quarter, and, despite a miraculous strip of the ball to save what would have been a game-sealing touchdown against Texas A&M this past game to force overtime, the comeback magic ran out as they lost their first game of the season.

The Volunteers have turned the ball over in all six of their games, including seven turnovers against Texas A&M. Alabama is much to strong of a team to either fall behind or turn the ball over to.

Alabama has a margin of victory of over 23 points in their three games against ranked opponents this year. I think their success in big games will continue, as will their FBS-leading 18 game winning streak.

Roll, Tide, Roll!

Connecticut +19 at South Florida (Saturday at 7 P.M.)

This week's matchup between to non-Power 5 Conference teams (which I have not been doing well in so far) features two teams from the American Athletic Conference.

The Bulls of South Florida have been quietly putting up an impressive season. They are 5-1, with their one loss coming against Florida State. With their leading passer, rusher, and receiver from last season returning, the Bulls have the 8th highest scoring offense in the FBS, with 44.5 points per game.

The Bulls have over 200 yards both passing and rushing in their two American Athletic Conference games. They have a +4 turnover margin in those games. The South Florida defense has given up just over 23 points per game and has forced 11 turnovers.

Connecticut is 3-3 but doesn't have any impressive wins. Their quarterback has five touchdowns and four interceptions. Their three wins (including the opener against Maine have come by an average 5.7 points.

In their three losses, UCONN has given up an average of 34 points and 443 yards. Those losses came against strong offensive teams. Facing another strong offensive team in South Florida, I don't think the Huskies will be able to keep this one close.

I'm running with the Bulls!

Arizona State +13.5 at Colorado (Saturday at 8 P.M.)

Arizona State is a spread football team whose strategy to win has been to put up enormous offensive numbers and give up slightly less enormous numbers on defense. They are 5-1, so that strategy has been working pretty well so far.

The Sun Devils' starting quarterback suffered a knee injury in this past week's game against USC. The backup came in and suffered a season-ending foot injury. They also lost a quarterback to a knee injury during fall camp. Manny Wilkins the starting quarterback is questionable for this game. He has not been taking first team reps in practice, and, even if he does play, he won't be close to 100%.

So it looks like they will be starting a fourth-string true freshman who threw one pass in the USC game, which was intercepted. For an offense that relies on chucking the ball all over the field for success, this is a pretty devastating blow.

Colorado is a solid team which is averaging over 42 points a game while only giving up an average of around 17 points per game. They have five rushers with over 100 yards for the season, and their running game should wear down the Sun Devil Defense.

So, while I feel for the pressure that has been put on the young quarterback, Dillon Sterling-Cole, I have to take this opportunity to go with the Buffaloes.

I'm running with Ralph!

Game I would most like to see live: Ohio State at Wisconsin

I'm still staying out of the SEC. The Big 10 (I can't make my "IG" look like a 10) is looking like the top conference this year.

Both teams play physical football. The Buckeyes are looking to continue their undefeated season, and the Badgers are looking to rebound from their loss to Michigan last week.

A Big 10 Conference game in Camp Randall Stadium, with two of the top teams in the country, should be quite the environment on Saturday.

There you have it: Tigers, Jayhawks, Crimson Tide, Bulls, and Buffaloes. Is it Saturday yet?