Picks to Click: Week 7

We roll into Week 7 with arguably the best slate of games so far this season.

Several games of national prominence headline the schedule, as we reach the midpoint of the regular season.

The spotlight game is surely a battle of unbeatens in the SEC, with defensive-minded Florida, fresh off an upset of Auburn last Saturday, heading into Baton Rouge to face the high-flying Tigers’ offense. One of these teams will escape with their playoff dreams still very much intact, while the loser faces an uphill battle with several tough conference games still ahead.

Elsewhere in the SEC, top-ranked Alabama heads to College Station, Texas, where Texas A&M has underwhelmed thus far. Can Jimbo Fisher cook up a surprising upset, or will Nick Saban’s charges steer clear of perhaps the only remaining roadblock before a Nov. 9 clash with LSU?

Playoff implications are on the line in the Big 12 for the latest edition of the Red River Shootout. Undefeated Oklahoma can solidify its resume as a true playoff contender, while Texas, which lost to LSU back in Week 2, could begin a push back into consideration with an upset this week at the Cotton Bowl.

Further north, Penn State takes its unblemished record on the road to Iowa for a sure-to-be defensive battle with the Hawkeyes. Iowa was unable to muster much offense last week at Michigan when it suffered its first loss of the year, but Kirk Ferentz’s teams often bounce back from tough defeats.

Outside of conference play, there is one marquee non-conference matchup. In South Bend, Ind., Notre Dame welcomes an up-and-down USC squad coming off a bye week. A win keeps the Irish in the playoff hunt as a 1-loss team, while a disappointing showing from the Trojans will further feed the rumor mill on Clay Helton’s job security.

If USC can pull a road upset, it will bolster the perception of the Pac-12, which currently lacks the playoff contender but has plenty of depth in both divisions.

The respective division leaders are Oregon and Arizona, and both are at home this week. The Ducks are heavy favorites over Colorado on Friday night, but the Wildcats are home underdogs against Washington (this game is not picked below).  The rest of the league has at least one loss in conference play, with plenty more to come as the heart of Pac-12 play kicks in.

Last week, the Picks went 11-5 overall, 7-9 against the spread and 13-3 against the total. The season records are 110-24 overall, 61-55-2 against the spread and 66-50-2 against the points.

The Week 7 Picks to Click are below.

Associated Press Top 25

#1 Alabama at #24 Texas A&M
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | CBS
Spread: Alabama, -16.5| O/U: 61
Pick: Alabama, 31-21

Florida State at #2 Clemson
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | ABC
Spread: Clemson, -27 | O/U: 60
Pick: Clemson, 38-17

South Carolina at #3 Georgia  
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: Georgia, -24 | O/U: 52.5
Pick: Georgia, 33-13

#3 Ohio State – Idle
Last Week: Won vs. Michigan State, 34-10
Next Game: Oct. 18 at Northwestern

#7 Florida at #5 LSU  
Saturday | 5 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: LSU, -13 | O/U: 55.5
Pick: LSU, 24-13

#6 Oklahoma vs. #11 Texas
Saturday | 9 a.m. | FOX
Spread: Oklahoma, -11| O/U: 75.5
Pick: Oklahoma, 48-40
Game played at the Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas)

Michigan State at #8 Wisconsin  
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | BTN
Spread: Wisconsin, -10.5 | O/U: 40
Pick: Wisconsin, 20-14

USC at #9 Notre Dame  
Saturday | 4:30 p.m. | NBC
Spread: Notre Dame, -10.5| O/U: 59.5
Pick: Notre Dame, 27-21

#10 Penn State at #17 Iowa
Saturday | 4:30 p.m. | ABC
Spread: Penn State, -3.5 | O/U: 41.5
Pick: Penn State, 21-13

#11 Auburn – Idle   
Last Week: Lost at Florida, 24-13
Next Game: Oct. 19 at Arkansas

Colorado at #13 Oregon  
Friday | 7 p.m. | FS1
Spread: Oregon, -21 | O/U: 58.5
Pick: Oregon, 38-27

Hawai’i at #14 Boise State  
Saturday | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN2
Spread: Boise State, -11.5 | O/U: 60
Pick: Boise State, 28-24

#15 Utah at Oregon State  
Saturday | 5 p.m. | P12N
Spread: Utah, -14 | O/U: 59
Pick: Utah, 34-17

#16 Michigan at Illinois  
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ABC
Spread: Michigan, -22.5 | O/U: 49.5
Pick: Michigan, 38-23

Washington State at #18 Arizona State  
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | P12N
Spread: Arizona State, -1| O/U: 60
Pick: Washington State, 34-31

Louisville at #19 Wake Forest  
Saturday | 4:30 p.m. | ACCN
Spread: Wake Forest, -6.5 | O/U: 65
Pick: Wake Forest, 31-27

#20 Virginia at Miami (Fla.)
Friday | 5 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Miami, -2.5 | O/U: 42.5
Pick: Virginia, 24-18

#21 SMU – Idle   
Last Week: Won vs. Tulsa, 43-37 (3 OT)
Next Game: Oct. 19 vs. Temple

Texas Tech at #22 Baylor  
Saturday | 1 p.m. | FS1
Spread: Baylor, -11 | O/U: 58
Pick: Baylor, 34-27

#23 Memphis at Temple  
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ESPN2
Spread: Memphis, 5.5| O/U: 50
Pick: Temple, 20-17

#25 Cincinnati at Houston  
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Spread: Cincinnati, -7.5 | O/U: 51.5
Pick: Cincinnati, 28-24

Notes:

• All times listed are PT
• Rankings from the Associated Press Top 25
• Point spreads/totals from http://www.sportsbetting.ag as of Thursday at 7 a.m.
• Pac-12 games shaded above in gray

2019 Record (Last Week)

All Games Straight Up: 110-24 (11-5)
All Games ATS: 61-55-2 (7-9)
All Games O/U: 66-50-2 (13-3)

Pac-12 Straight Up: 29-15 (1-2)
Pac-12 ATS: 18-18-1 (2-1)
Pac-12 O/U: 22-14-1 (2-1)

* Arizona games not included

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