2006 Week 7 College Football Picks
Minnesota/Wisconsin
The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers square off in Big 10 play this Saturday. Wisconsin has sneaked into the top 25 with a 5-1 start to the season and a 2-1 Big 10 record with its only loss coming at Michigan. Minnesota is yet to record a Big 10 win as they are 0-3. The Gophers did play Michigan to a 14-point game, which is all the better than Minnesota could do against the Wolverines, and they nearly beat the Nittany Lions last week. However, I like the Badgers running attack led by P.J. Hill Jr. The Gophers have been giving up way too many yards against the run at 164.3 per game. I like Wisconsin with our college football picks in this one at home by 10-14 so lay the 8.5 if you’re tackling this matchup.
Iowa/Indiana
The Iowa Hawkeyes rolled the Purdue Boilermakers last Saturday in Iowa’s homecoming game. They’ll head to Bloomington to take on the Hoosiers this Saturday. Iowa finally got its running game going last week rushing for a season-high 286 yards. Oddly enough, Iowa’s best rushing game this season cam when last year’s Big 10 rushing leader, Albert Young, was sidelined with a strained knee. Indiana’s defense is giving up an astonishing 172 yards per game and they won’t have the luxury of trying to sit on Iowa’s run or else Drew Tate will torch them through the air. My small lean when looking at the football odds is on the Hawks -19.5. Iowa takes this one by at least three touchdowns.
Iowa State/Texas
The Cyclones will have the misfortune of taking on Oklahoma in Norman with the Sooners coming off a tough loss to rival Texas. Iowa State’s offense has the ability to put some points on the board through the air as Meyer is a good quarterback and Todd Blythe is a top notch receiver. However, I question the Cyclones play calling and the offense hasn’t been able to play a complete game. Oklahoma has the country’s elite tailback and Iowa State is bad against the run giving up 145.3 yards per game. With the emotional factor of Adrian Peterson’s dad seeing him play his first college game and with the Sooners coming off a loss, when making our college football predictions my lean was to lay the points.
Missouri/Texas A&M
Missouri’s 6-0 start has the Tigers in the national rankings much to the surprise of the national media. It won’t be easy for them to make it to 7-0 as they travel down to The Lonestar State to take on the Aggies. Texas A&M is 5-1 on the year with its only loss against Texas Tech two weeks ago. The Aggies are very accustomed to playing at home as they have had just 1 game on the road this season. I’m not sure if it’s the home field advantage or not but A&M is averaging 203.3 rushing yards per game. Missouri’s defense is giving up just 72.7 yards per game on the ground and only 255 yards total. This one is going to come down to which team win the battle of the trenches. Will Texas A&M be able to run over another opponent or will Missouri be the force that stops the Aggies ground attack. Jimmy Boyd has Saturday’s big ABC matchup covered. Don’t touch this Big 12 showdown without seeing who Jimmy Boyd is playing first.
Mississippi/Alabama
The Rebels head to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide in an SEC matchup on CBS. The Tide come in as 15-point favorites against the 2-4 Rebels. We knew headed into this season not to expect much from Ole Miss, but with a solid showing last week in a victory over Vanderbilt and with just a 9-14 loss to 10th ranked Georgia, the Rebels are exceeding expectations. A lack of a passing attack has really hurt the team that Eli Manning used to air it our for. The Rebels are averaging just 117.7 pass yards per game which has translated into a very predictable offense. Alabama has also had it’s problems putting the ball in the end zone, as the Tide have scored just four more touchdowns than the Rebels, but Alabama’s defense has been very solid. Will a strong defensive effort out of the Tide be enough to cover the points in this one. Jimmy Boyd has all your answers for Saturday’s Big SEC matchup.
Ohio State/Michigan State
The number one ranked Buckeyes travel to Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans in Saturday’s Big 10 battle. The Buckeyes come into this one with the longest winning streak in the nation with 13 straight wins. They began this streak last season with a come from behind win over the Spartans. After a solid victory over the Hawkeyes in Iowa City in a Saturday night game, the Buckeyes had a vacation last week against Bowling Green. Michigan State has no such vacation as they were handled by conference and in-state rival Michigan. Even if Michigan State plays a perfect game this week at home, I think they still lose by two touchdowns. I know Ohio State has a huge target on its back and teams are gunning for the Buckeyes, but I really believe that Ohio State is head and shoulder above the rest this season. On the road though, this play on the Buckeyes isn’t nearly as strong. But the Buckeyes are still my small lean in this one for our free football picks.
UCLA/Oregon
UCLA and number 18 Oregon both head into Saturday’s matchup 2-1 in Pac 10 play. Oregon is coming off a poor performance last week versus Cal in which the Bears crushed the Ducks. UCLA on the other hand is coming off a solid 27-7 victory over Arizona. If the Ducks play like they did last week taking the 8.5 points that UCLA is getting is an easy call, and that’s where I’m leaning in this one. UCLA’s stingy defense gives up just 50 yards rushing per game and only 171.6 through the air. We all know that Oregon has a high-powered offense averaging nearly 200 yards per game on the ground and 273.2 through the air, but UCLA sees an opportunity to leapfrog the Ducks in conference play and the Bruins will leave it all out on the field in this one. If you’re playing this matchup, I suggest taking the points.
Baylor/Texas
Baylor is undefeated in Big 12 play. Did I stutter? That will all end against the Longhorns this Saturday, but can the Bears keep this one within the number? Jimmy Boyd will lead you to an easy as pie winner in the Big 12 matchup. Texas’ defense doesn’t give up much, but Baylor’s air it out and see what happens philosophy makes the Bears hard to prepare for and puts a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. Will we see another 62-7 rout by the Longhorns or have the Bears closed the game? Take Jimmy Boyd’s winning angle in this one to the bank.
Florida/Auburn
The 2nd ranked Florida Gators butt heads with the 11th ranked Auburn title in a high profile SEC matchup. The bookmakers have made the Gators 2.5 point favorites on the road, but my small lean is that Auburn spoils Florida’s unbeaten season this Saturday. We knew the Gators had great offensive potential and they have lived up to it, but no one could foresee such a strong defense. However, Auburn appears to have the defense to match and the Tigers are very good against the pass giving up just over 150 yards passing per game. I like the Auburn Tigers at home.
Arizona State/USC
USC is a perfect 5-0 this season and 3-0 in the Pac 10 to extend its Pac 10 winning streak to 26 straight games. However, you got the sense last week, with just a 26-20 win over Washington, that someone is close to having USC’s number. The Sun Devils are 0-2 in conference play getting blown out by Cal and Oregon in consecutive weeks. Arizona State gets pumped up to play the Trojans. They went ahead of Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and company 21-3 last season before losing 38-28. USC doesn’t have as high powered of an offense this season and I’ll lean toward taking the Sun Devils +18.5 in this one when I do my football betting.
Michigan/Penn State
After a lackluster season by Michigan standards, the Wolverines have responded by getting out to a 6-0 start and it looks as though we are headed toward a Michigan/Ohio State undefeated showdown to decide the Big 10 championship. But we can’t underestimate Joe Pa’s ability to prepare his teams and I think home field advantage for the Nittany Lions will be key in this one. Penn State must run the football well to be effective and I just can’t see the Lions running it well enough against Michigan’s top notch defensive front giving up just 40.3 rush yards per game. The Wolverines can be susceptible through the air, but I don’t think quarterback Anthony Morelli is ready to beat a team of the caliber of Michigan. I’m laying the points on the Wolverines.
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