College Football Week 7 Odds & Picks: Best Early Bets (2024)
We nailed Washington and Arkansas against the spread last week with our early picks. Let’s keep that momentum going with two more early picks for Week 7 in college football.
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College Football Top Early Week Picks (Week 7)
(Odds courtesy of DraftKingsFanDuel Sportsbook)
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. USC Trojans
The Penn State Nittany Lions will face the USC Trojans on the road as the nation’s No. 4 team. Penn State has had its hiccups on offense, but its defense has been absolutely admirable.
Penn State has held its first five opponents to 11.40 points per game, including quality opponents like West Virginia, Illinois, and UCLA. Ultimately, Penn State has played FBS opponents in all five games and has still been able to put up these defensive numbers. The passing game has allowed only 157 yards, and the run defense has given up just 76.40 yards per game.
Meanwhile, USC’s offense has taken a step backward. After an inspiring showing against LSU and a dominant win against Utah State, USC is 1-2 in its last four games and has scored no more than 24 points in two of the three games.
On the other hand, USC has limited its opponents to just 18.40 points per game. At home, the defense should be dominant. The run defense needs some work, but the passing defense has limited teams to just 157.60 yards per game. Neither team will have breakout plays in the air.
I’ll take the Under 48.
Pick: Under 48 (-112)
Kansas State vs. Colorado
The Kansas State Wildcats have been hard to figure out. This team has added a road win against Tulane, a dominant win against Arizona, and a defeat of Oklahoma State by 22. It also lost to BYU on the road, 38-9, and looked completely lost in that game.
That said, looking through each game, Kansas State earned a tight win against Tulane on the road and was creamed by BYU on the road. Those were the only two road games. Clearly, Kansas State isn’t playing its best football on the road this season.
Conversly, Colorado looked the most complete we’ve ever seen them after earning a road win against UCF, 48-21. Sheudeur Sanders added 290 yards passing and three touchdowns, and the defense earned four turnovers against them. Ultimately, the secondary has played well behind Travis Hunter, and the run defense is better than the statistics might show.
If Kansas State is unable to run the ball effectively on the road, it will struggle to find consistent offensive success. This will be the hardest environment for Kansas State on the road to date. Avery Johnson already has four interceptions and four games with no more than 181 yards passing in any of them. Kansas State can’t afford to trail, or it will struggle to win this game.
Colorado is actually improving weekly.
Pick: Colorado +5.5 (-112)