Arena Fanatic

College Football Week 7 Preview 

By Matt Hetler
Below are 15 games that are on my slate of games to watch. Tyler (Mr. Arena Fanatic) and I will give our predictions for each game. Here we go!

Tyler’s totals after week 6: 54/90 (60%)
Matt’s totals after week 6: 54/90 (60%)

Quick Hits:

Wake Forest @ 14 Florida State (-21)

Wake Forest is off to a surprising 5-1 start behind some tremendous defense. Defense has been the key to the Demon Deacons success. Wake is holding teams to 368 yards and only 119 rushing yards. Florida State bounced back with a win at Miami. Cook and Francois played well and the defense played a complete game. Wake’s turnaround is a great story but the Noles have too much firepower on offense.

Tyler’s pick: Florida State 28-17
Matt’s pick: Florida State 38-14

Tulsa @ 13 Houston (-21.5)

Houston can kiss the playoffs goodbye after a loss at Navy last week. It’s a big blow to the program but they still have plenty to play for. Greg Ward Jr. will have a bounce back game against an average Tulsa D. Tulsa is off to a 4-1 start and they are riding the legs of D’Angelo Brewer. Brewer has 706 yards on the ground early in the season. QB Dane Evans can air it out and has solid receivers. I expect Houston’s D to force Evans into making some poor throws that change the game. Lots of points in this one but Houston gets the W.

Tyler’s pick: Houston 42-27
Matt’s pick: Houston 45-33

Western Kentucky  @ Middle Tennessee (-2.5)

Defense will be optional when these two rivals clash this Saturday. It’s a huge game in C-USA play as WKU cannot afford another conference loss. Brent Stockstill and Richie James are in sync early this season for the Blue Raiders. MTSU’s passing offense is averaging 353 yards per game. For WKU, Mike White has been effective with 14 TD and only 3 INT. Taylor and Norris have been big for the WKU passing game and RB Anthony Wales is one of the best in the conference. A lot of points and I am picking WKU to get a big win Saturday.

Tyler’s pick: Middle Tennessee 37-36
Matt’s pick: Western Kentucky 48-45

Mississippi State @ BYU (-7.5)

BYU is a winner of two straight and has a rare home game against the SEC. Mississippi State was embarrassed by Auburn last weekend. Nothing seemed to go right the entire game for the Bulldogs and this is going to be a tough game for Miss State. Jamaal Williams has been a workhorse for BYU and I expect him to have a big game. Travel is an issue and BYU is starting to get hot which makes me lean BYU.

Tyler’s pick: BYU 28-20
Matt’s pick: BYU 24-21

Stanford @ Notre Dame (-3)

Stanford has been outscored 86-22 in the past two weeks. Stanford has been sluggish on offense the entire season and now visits Notre Dame. Notre Dame is struggling as well but they can score points. Kizer and the passing game is going to be the key for ND. Stanford hasn’t been able to defend the pass in the past two weeks. I have no faith in Stanford to win this game. As bad as Notre Dame has been, at least they can score points.

Tyler’s pick: Stanford 24-17
Matt’s pick: Notre Dame 28-17

24 Western Michigan (-11.5) @ Akron

Western Michigan is ranked for the first time in school history and they’ve earned it. The Broncos are hitting on all cylinders offensively. Akron struggles defensively so I expect Zach Terrell to exploit that weakness. Corey Davis is one of the best receivers in the nation. WMU’s run game is explosive with Franklin stepping in for Bogan. Thomas Woodson gives the Zips a chance in any game but WMU is just too good this season.

Tyler’s pick: Western Michigan 42-20
Matt’s pick: Western Michigan 38-23


10 Nebraska (-3) @ Indiana

This game has all the recipes to be a high scoring affair. Both offenses have been playing at a high level. I really like what the Huskers have been doing with Tommy Armstrong. In the preseason I wrote that Armstrong needed to cut down on his mistakes and he has with only 2 INT. Indiana will rely heavily on Devine Redding. Redding is one of the top backs in the B1G. Indiana will keep this game close but I expect the Huskers D to force a turnover or two.

Tyler’s pick: Nebraska 35-24
Matt’s pick: Nebraska 31-27

Kansas State @ 19 Oklahoma (-10.5)

Kansas State got a big win against Texas Tech on Saturday and the Sooners got revenge on the Longhorns. Oklahoma is rolling offensively right now behind Baker Mayfield and the passing game. Kansas State does have a solid defense so they may be able to slow down the Sooners. The Wildcats are giving up only 80 rushing yards per game so I expect the Sooners to throw all day long. Kansas State is really bad on the offensive side so unless a miracle happens I don’t see the Wildcats pulling out a win.

Tyler’s pick: Oklahoma 42-17
Matt’s pick: Oklahoma 35-14

UCLA @ Washington State (-6.5)

After starting 0-2 the Cougars have been rolling beating opponents 149-55. UCLA has been riding the roller coaster and is sitting 3-3, 1-2 in the PAC-12. UCLA was a favorite to win the South but with another loss, there is no way to win it. Luke Falk has been phenomenal in conference play. Josh Rosen is going to have to air it out and go shootout style to win this game. Shootouts are Washington State’s bread and butter, there’s no way UCLA wins that style of game.

Tyler’s pick: Washington State 42-30
Matt’s pick: Washington State 41-24

Arizona State @ Colorado (-13)

This is a big matchup between two surprise teams so far in the PAC-12. Arizona State is off to a 5-1 start and the Buffs are 4-2. Arizona State is going to have a tough time with a fluid Colorado offense. Arizona State is giving up nearly 500 yards of offense. Colorado is the better team but Arizona State has been surprising everyone.

Tyler’s pick: Colorado 30-28
Matt’s pick: Colorado 38-27

Iowa (-12.5) @ Purdue

This is game that Iowa cannot afford to drop. Purdue won a big game at Illinois last week giving them momentum for this game. Iowa has been poor on the offensive side of the ball. Purdue struggles defending the run allowing 244 yards per game. This game will be closer than the spread suggests, I can’t imagine Iowa blowing out anyone at this point.

Tyler’s pick: Iowa 20-19
Matt’s pick:  Iowa 23-17

North Carolina @ 16 Miami (-7.5)

Both teams will be looking for a better result this week. UNC was blown out at home by the Hokies and Miami lost a close one to FSU. UNC looked out of sorts a week ago and Mitch Trubisky looked awful. Miami’s defense has been impressive all season and really held the Noles in check. Miami needs to get Mark Walton rolling this week against a poor UNC rush defense.

Tyler’s pick: North Carolina 30-28
Matt’s pick: Miami 28-24

12 Ole Miss (-8) @ 22 Arkansas

Arkansas is looking for a bounce back after falling to Alabama last week. There are some troubling signs for the Razorbacks heading into this matchup. The defense for Arkansas has been poor against top talent. A&M and Alabama both scored more than 45 points. Offensively Austin Allen has been steady and the rushing attack is still a threat with Williams. Ole Miss is allowing 450 yards per game on defense so Arkansas should be able to put up plenty of points. Chad Kelly is still chasing a Heisman trophy and this will be a marquee game for him. Kelly has 13 TD to only 4 INT and nearly 1,600 passing yards. Evan Engram and the WR core for the Rebels will be explosive in this game. I wouldn’t be surprised if both teams put up 40+ points. This game will be one of the best of the weekend but I have to roll with the Rebels.

Tyler’s pick: Ole Miss 33-24
Matt’s pick: Ole Miss 45-38

2 Ohio State (-10) @ 8 Wisconsin

I’ve picked against Wisconsin quite a few times this year and my reason is the offense is terrible, which is true. However I keep getting beat by the Wisconsin defense. The Badgers rushing defense is one of the best in the country allowing only 90 yards per game. Ohio State will be the most athletic team this Badger D has faced thus far. As good as Wisconsin’s D has been the Buckeyes have been better. Ohio State is stacked with athletes all over the field. Malik Hooker is a ballhawk in the Bucks secondary. There is no way that Wisconsin will be able to pass the ball on Ohio State. I expect this to be J.T. Barrett’s show. Coming off of a sub-par game, Barrett needs to have a bounce back game. I predict that Ohio State will rush for over 200 yards this Saturday. I’m rolling with the Buckeyes and I’m going BIG!

Tyler’s pick: Ohio State 27-16
Matt’s pick: Ohio State 38-10

1 Alabama (-12.5) @ 9 Tennessee

The stakes are extremely  high in this rivalry game. Tennessee is reeling from a double OT loss at A&M on Saturday. A second consecutive loss will put them in danger in the SEC East title chase. Tennessee has been hit hard by injuries and the dismissal of DT O’Brien are hard to ignore. Josh Dobbs will have to play at his absolute best if the Vols are going to have a chance against Bama. Alabama’s rush defense in one of the best in the country. If Jalen Hurd isn’t going for the Vols, Tennessee will have a tough time beating that unit. Jalen Hurts is playing well for the Tide. Hurts isn’t turning the ball over which is key when playing QB for Alabama. Calvin Ridley could have a huge game with all the injuries in the Vols secondary. RB Damien Harris has been an explosive player for Nick Saban and the offense. I wish Tennessee wasn’t missing so many key guys for this game. The Vols have been playing from behind way too much and the injuries will catch up to them this week. Tennessee always plays Alabama well so I don’t expect a blowout or even a double digit win. That being said, I think Alabama controls the game from the beginning and Tennessee just comes up short.

Tyler’s pick: Alabama 36-24
Matt’s pick: Alabama 21-17

Matt's Top 25

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Michigan
5. Texas A&M
6. Washington
7. Tennessee
8. Louisville
9. Nebraska
10. Wisconsin
11. Baylor
12. Houston
13. Boise State
14. Florida State
15. Ole Miss
16. Virginia Tech
17. Western Michigan
18. Miami
19. Auburn
20. Utah
21. West Virginia
22. Florida
23. Arkansas
24. Oklahoma
25. Navy

​

Matt's Non-Power 5 Top 10

1. Houston (#12 nationally)
2. Boise State (#13 nationally)
3. Western Michigan (#17 nationally)
4. Navy
5. Toledo
6. Air Force
7. South Florida
8. Troy
9. Middle Tennessee
10. San Diego State

Top 10 Heisman

1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
2. J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State
3. Greg Ward Jr, QB Houston
4. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
5. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
6. Amba Etta-Tawo, WR, Syracuse
7. Chad Kelly, QB, Ole Miss
8. Jake Browning, QB, Washington
9. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State
10. Logan Woodside, QB, Toledo

Playoff and New Years Six

Peach Bowl:         4 Michigan vs. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl:         3 Clemson vs. 2 Ohio State
Orange Bowl:         Louisville vs. Nebraska
Sugar Bowl:          Tennessee vs. Baylor
Cotton Bowl:          Houston vs. Texas A&M
Rose Bowl:          Wisconsin vs. Washington

​

Tyler's Top 25

​1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson 
4. Texas A&M 
5. Michigan
6. Tennessee
7. Boise State
8. Washington
9. Lousiville 
10. Houston
11. Baylor
12. Nebraska
13. Florida State
14. Wisconsin
15. Utah
16. Ole Miss
17. Western Michigan
18. West Virginia
19. Virginia Tech
20. Oklahoma
21. Colorado
22. Auburn
23. Miami
24. San Diego State
​25. Navy

​

Tyler's Non-Power 5 Top 10

​1. Houston (#10 Nationally) 
2. Boise State (#7 Nationally)
3. Western Michigan (#17 Nationally)
4. San Diego State (#24 Nationally) 
5. Navy (#25 Nationally)
6. South Florida
7. Troy 
8. Air Force
9. Toledo
​10. MTSU

Top 10 Heisman

​1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville 
2. Greg Ward Jr, QB, Houston
3. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
4. J.T. Barrett, QB, Ohio State
5. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State 
6. Patrick Mahomes, QB, TTU
7. Davis Webb, QB, Cal
8.  Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU
9. Amba Etta-Tawo, WR, Syracuse
10. Trent Taylor, WR, La Tech

Playoff and New Years Six

Peach Bowl:    4 Texas A&M vs. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl:   2 Ohio State vs. 3 Clemson
Orange Bowl:  Lousiville vs. Wisconsin
Sugar Bowl:     Tennessee vs. Baylor   
Cotton Bowl:  Boise State vs. Houston
Rose Bowl:      Washington vs. Michigan

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