CFB: Week 7 Predictions

Week 6 was another eventful Saturday in the 2016 college football season, that included; No. 1 Alabama taking down No. 16 Arkansas, No. 4 Michigan demolishing Rutgers 78-0, No. 5 Washington blowing out Oregon 70-21, No. 8 Texas A&M surviving No. 9 Tennessee's upset bid in double-overtime, No. 23 Florida State storming back to win it's 7th straight against No. 10 Miami (FL), No. 6 Houston losing its first game of the season at Navy, and No. 24 Virginia Tech stomping No. 17 North Carolina 34-3.

Week 7 is not expected to have as good of matchups as Week 6, let alone Week 1 or Week 5, but the days that are least expected, always seem to have a shocking upset or instant classic. Fellow journalist Blake Stoll and I combined our rankings once again, releasing a joint Top 25, with five questions regarding Week 7. I also gave my predictions for October 15th's games, with my top-five Heisman candidates at this point in the season.

Composite Rankings:

1. Alabama (6-0) 2. Ohio State (5-0) 3. Clemson (6-0) 4. Michigan (6-0) 5. Washington (6-0) 6. Texas A&M (6-0) 7. Louisville (4-1) 8. Wisconsin (4-1) 9. Baylor (5-0) 10. Nebraska (5-0) 11. Ole Miss (3-2) 12. Florida (4-1) 13. Florida State (4-2) 14. Miami (FL) (4-1) 15. Tennessee (5-1) 16. Houston (5-1) 17. Boise State (5-0) 18. Virginia Tech (4-1) 19. Utah (5-1) 20. Oklahoma (3-2) 21. West Virginia (4-0) 22. North Carolina (4-2) 23. Auburn (4-2) 24. Colorado (4-2) 25. North Dakota State (5-0)

Just Missed the Cut:

Georgia (4-2) Arizona State (5-1) TCU (4-2) Maryland (4-1) Wake Forest (5-1)

Will Lamar Jackson throw for 300+ vs. Duke?

Post: Duke's defense (21.5 points and 218.3 passing yards allowed per game) has actually been pretty good, but Lamar Jackson (325.0 passing yards per game) has been better. I expect Jackson to go for 300-350 yards, toss for a few touchdowns, en route to a 56-7 Cardinals victory. Jackson has been the best player in the country over the first six weeks of the season and I don't see the Blue Devils being able to contain him.

Stoll: The Cardinals are heavy favorites against the Blue Devils; Louisville is coming off of a bye week following their heartbreaking loss to No. 3 Clemson, and they are looking for vengeance. I believe that Lamar Jackson is a lock for 315 yards in the air and 100 yards on the ground.

Does Oklahoma win its third straight, vs. Kansas State?

Post: The Sooners have been on quite a ride in the first half of the regular season; losing to No. 15 Houston and No. 2 Ohio State, before winning at No. 21 TCU and taking down rival Texas. Even though Oklahoma is sitting at 3-2, I believe they are one of the top-15 teams in the country and have a good chance of winning out. Oklahoma's quick-striking offense (40.6 points and 528.4 yards per game) is led by QB Baker Mayfield (1,456 yards, 12 touchdowns). Kansas State is also 3-2 but I don't see the Wildcats being able to go into Norman and upset Oklahoma; Sooners roll to their third straight win.

Stoll: No. 19 Oklahoma won a big matchup in the highest scoring game in Red River Showdown history against rival Texas. The Sooners and QB Baker Mayfield will win the game as long as their struggling defense can hold off the lowly Wildcats' offense.

How does Tennessee respond after first loss?

Post: No. 9 Tennessee lost its first game of the season last weekend on the road at No. 8 Texas A&M, and even though I believe the Volunteers are one of the best teams in the SEC, I do not project them being able to take down the mighty Crimson Tide. No. 1 Alabama is led by Jalen Hurts (1,242 yards, 9 touchdowns) and Calvin Ridley (412 yards, 4 touchdowns), who are one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in the country. Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee's quarterback, is extremely dynamic, but he can also be loose with the ball (averages 1.6 interceptions per game). Alabama (+29.0 point differential) is simply better than Tennessee (+7.1 point differential). Tide roll to 7-0.

Stoll: No. 9 Tennessee has struggled for much of the first six weeks, yet always found a way to win until last week at No. 8 Texas A&M, reminding me of Auburn circa 2014. If they want their season to end the same way, Tennessee will have to upset No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. Although this is a must-win for the Volunteers, they will not celebrate this weekend; Alabama wins.

Can Arkansas upset Ole Miss at home?

Post: No. 12 Ole Miss is probably the most confusing team in the country, blowing 21-point leads against No. 4 Florida State and No. 1 Alabama. Both of those games showed how effective Chad Kelly (1,596 yards, 13 touchdowns) and company can be, but also showed their inability to put teams away. I think since the Alabama loss, the Rebels have figured it out. Austin Allen (1,632 yards, 15 touchdowns) has been great for Arkansas but the Razorbacks don't have enough talent to keep up with Ole Miss (+6.6 points and +42.1 yards per game compared to Arkansas). Watch out for TE Evan Engram (479 yards, 4 touchdowns) to continue his All-SEC season in an Ole Miss victory.

Stoll: No. 22 Arkansas will be attempting to find redemption at home against No. 12 Ole Miss after losing to No. 1 Alabama on its home soil. The offenses on both sidelines are fairly even, but Austin Allen and Arkansas are at home and that will give them the edge against Chad Kelly and the Rebels.

Does Wisconsin have a shot against Ohio State?

Post: No. 8 Wisconsin had a bye week after suffering their first loss of the season at No. 4 Michigan, 14-7. No. 2 Ohio State looked sloppy against Indiana, winning 38-17. The Buckeyes have proved to me over and over that they are the team to beat in the Big Ten, if not the country. I don't see Wisconsin being able to score with Ohio State (53.2 points per game, 10.8 points allowed per game) and QB J.T. Barrett (981 yards, 5 touchdowns). Wisconsin does not have as good of an offense (26.0 points per game) or defense (12.2 points allowed per game) as the Bucks. Unless there is an injury or the home crowd gives Wisconsin an incredible energy boost, No. 2 Ohio State is going to remain unbeaten.

Stoll: No. 8 Wisconsin holds a very slim chance to upset the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. What they need to do is as follows; protect the ball on offense, pressure J.T. Barrett in the pocket, avoid field goals, and find the end zone, something they struggled to do against No. 4 Michigan two weeks ago. They have a chance, but won’t get it done, unfortunately for Badgers' fans.

Week 7 Predictions: Duke 7, No. 7 Louisville 56. Arizona State 21, No. 24 Colorado 31. No. 19 Utah 30, Oregon State 17. NC State 14, No. 3 Clemson 38. Kansas State 17, No. 20 Oklahoma 42. No. 1 Alabama 31, No. 15 Tennessee 21. Wake Forest 14, No. 13 Florida State 41. No. 11 Ole Miss 56, Arkansas 42. Tulsa 10, No. 16 Houston 45. No. 2 Ohio State 23, No. 8 Wisconsin 16.

Week 6 Record: 7-3.

Overall Record: 44-16.

Read my full article; Predicting the 2017 College Football Playoff Teams.

No. 1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0)

No. 2 Florida State (4-2, 1-2)

No. 3 Ohio State (5-0, 2-0)

No. 4 Clemson (6-0, 3-0)

Heisman Rankings: 1. Lamar Jackson (Louisville QB) -- 1,625 Yards, 14 TDs. 2. Deshaun Watson (Clemson QB) -- 1,568 Yards, 18 TDs. 3. Jake Browning (Washington QB) -- 1,418 Yards, 23 TDs. 4. J.T. Barrett (Ohio State QB) -- 981 Yards, 15 TDs. 5. Jabrill Peppers (Michigan LB) -- 33 Tackles, 2.5 Sacks.

Photo Credit: Zimbio.com.