College Football Predictions: JD PicKell picks the best games of Week 7

Get ready for more college football predictions for the biggest games of Week 7 of the 2024 season, as On3’s JD PicKell has brought us the must-watch games.

There are some big headlines, but also some absurd lines. Nobody here at On3 will still be afraid to make a choice, even if it’s on lines that might make you look twice.

PicKell broke down the weekend’s biggest games on The Hard Count and made his predictions. Let’s dive in.

PicKell: “Who is Oregon, man, because… it was a very, very public discussion about what was expected of them in the preseason and what they were up to this point of the year, those first two games, man, it was like that , I don’t know it. Maybe Oregon has a potato allergy that none of us know about because they struggle against teams in Idaho. Things looked very, very lackluster against Idaho in the first game of the season. When you say, “Okay, first game of the season,” you’re putting it on them to figure things out on the fly. Okay, cool. Next game: Boise State, another team from Idaho puts them in trouble until the end. Oregon needs a last-second field goal to win the football game

“So the concern starts to grow. We give them credit for the last three games they played. Destroyed Oregon State, disbanded Michigan State, disbanded UCLA, not necessarily in that order. I think this is now a chance for Oregon to make a statement about who it is in 2024.”

Oregon needs to stop the run in this game with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson in the mix. That’s a big key. On the other hand, Will Howard has a big task ahead of him: playing on the road and trying to establish himself as a big-time player for Ohio State. According to PicKell, he needs to make some big plays to make a difference.

PicKell will win the road game with Ohio State and the Buckeyes will cover the spread. This may just be Round 1 of this matchup.

PicKell: “This rivalry now has an SEC sticker. I think that’s a good thing, not that it’s that important. I don’t think it affects the rivalry per se, but I have to say that this game has always brought forth the highest level of passion… This is one of those games that you sign up for as a college football fan, right? These two logos should be a little more reminiscent of a crisp October. I don’t know if this will necessarily be the case in Texas, but it’s crisp October here in Nashville.

“The nice thing about college football is that when you have these logos together or in a rivalry game, you have to take common sense with a grain of salt because common sense tells you, ‘Hey, Texas, they should roll two.’ “Oklahoma is playing a true freshman quarterback as a touchdown favorite, as it should be, right?” I don’t know. I don’t know. History would tell us that regardless of what either team has done up to this point in the year, this game will have more than just a shot at it.”

The biggest question for Texas is whether Quinn Ewers or Arch Manning will start in this game. Of course, it wouldn’t drastically change Texas’ chances of beating Oklahoma. It looks like Ewers will return from injury.

On the other hand, Oklahoma starts true freshman Michael Hawkins. A great place for the young buck. Overall, it’s difficult for PicKell to prevail against the Longhorns here. However, it will not touch the spread. 14.5 is an “idiot bet,” as he put it. However, if you want to bet on the moneyline, go with the Longhorns. PicKell picked Texas 33-20, close to that margin!

PicKell: “I can’t figure out the Big 12 right now. Like the previous season, we had Texas Tech as a team in the Big 12 title game. Right now, Texas Tech is undefeated. BYU is also undefeated and speaks to both teams in conference play. So we’re on the same page. Like Colorado, they are undefeated in Big 12 play. Kansas State, they are coming off a loss in Big 12 play. So I think we’re getting a little more information now about where this conference is going to end. Spoiler alert, I think it will continue in the style of The Hunger Games as it progresses. I don’t think there is more than one Big 12 team in the College Football Playoff.

“With that in mind, man, if you’re from Colorado, this is your opportunity. And we’ve been saying the same thing about Colorado in recent weeks. When they go out there, we say, ‘Hey, this is your chance, Colorado.’ Make a statement. Win the game. Make a statement.’ And now I think the test has worked to this point where Colorado is back to having no losses in Big 12 games, you’ve got a team there that I think would actually be, if you let me pick today, Kansas State is the best team in the Big 12.”

PicKell caught Kansas State to win the game, but Colorado covered. He can imagine the Buffaloes hanging around, but the Wildcats win this game 30-27. He was smart, he predicted, just so the Colorado fans wouldn’t come after him!

A win for Colorado means Deion Sanders and his team are real Big 12 contenders. According to PicKell, this is the game to make a statement.

PicKell: “This game should be treated like a playoff game. If you’re an LSU fan, there should be a playoff atmosphere.” Should bring playoff-level juice. Why? Because you have suffered a loss. You still gotta play Bama. There is still a lot ahead of you. If you hand this game over to Ole Miss, your chances of playing in the postseason aren’t great. All right, you’re home. I think the message internally at LSU is “defend home game.”

“As for Ole Miss, LSU remembers this game. LSU remembers your team and your fans storming the field after you beat them last year. We talk a lot about Ole Miss and Ole Miss talks a lot about their professional mindset, which you hear all the time about: ‘Pro mentality, be a professional.’ That’s what Ole Miss has built their culture on. If you want to have a professional mindset. This will be the biggest test we’ve seen yet for Ole Miss.”

Whoever manages to minimize field goals and end up scoring touchdowns in the red zone will win in the end. It may sound simple, but it’s all about taking advantage of your opportunities.

PicKell will win this road game with Ole Miss 28:21. This will provide cover for the rebels on the move. A bold decision, but Ole Miss is getting back on the right track.

PicKell: “USC man, back to the wall. Okay, the back is very close to the wall. The Minnesota game. Say what you want about this game’s ending and location, it is what it is. They called it a touchdown, got into the end zone and took the loss. If you want a chance to still make the College Football Playoff, you have to have this. I have to have that because after three defeats you’re out. 10-2, but with a win over a top-five Penn State player and a win the rest of the way… All I’m saying for USC now is, “Hey, we’re a little bit in fight or flight mode here, baby.” .’ And I think everyone in LA knows that.

“Penn State, they’re coming out of last weekend’s carnage ranked No. 4 in America. Like, if you’re from Penn State, you’re like, ‘Okay, cool.’ Yeah, I guess we’re the number four team in America. You don’t apologize for it. But they definitely benefited from the madness that took place across the landscape last week and actually over the last two weekends. But if Georgia loses, they don’t apologize for it… I think if they manage to beat USC, you’ll probably expect Ohio State to be your toughest test, but otherwise you’ll feel pretty good about yourself if you’re Penn State.”

PicKell mentioned that USC is more likely to win a shootout in this game. So scoring up to 30 points will force Penn State to keep up with the Trojans.

On the other hand, keep it simple. Stay grounded, Penn State! PicKell mentioned that this will be Lincoln Riley’s most aggressive game yet, at least this year. This is USC’s last stand.

Penn State is definitely more aggressive and physical compared to the last few weeks. PicKell said that would be the difference, as the Nittany Lions would win at odds of 31-23, covering the spread.