2023 College Football Watch Guide - Week 7

Poor week 7. Last weekend was a tough act to follow and there are only a precious handful of games that turn heads. We may not have quite as many big name match ups as last week, or previous weeks but there are still plenty of great games on offer this weekend.

Let’s take a look at what I’m keeping my eye on in week 7.

West Virginia @ Houston and Stanford @ Colorado are the the biggest names on the weeknight slate, though Tulane @ Memphis could be sneaky entertaining. Colorado coach Deion Sanders was none too happy with the late kickoff time, calling 8:00 pm (Mountain Time) games “the stupidest thing ever in life” and wondered if networks even cared about ratings or the East Coast. It would be a bit easier to buy into this sentiment if this wasn’t one of the only power 5 games on Friday night and the fact that Sanders is an automatic ratings bonanza no matter what time the game kicks off.

Teams ranked 1-4 in the AP poll are all in action Saturday morning. You’d likely expect them to be in the afternoon or evening slots, but they’re all pretty underwhelming. #1 Georgia plays Vanderbilt, #2 Michigan hosts Indiana, #3 Ohio State goes to Purdue, and Syracuse visits #4 Florida State.

Michigan State @ Rutgers could provide a more even competition and Arkansas @ #11 Alabama has potential but there isn’t much in the morning that will make you sit up and take notice.

#8 Oregon @ #7 Washington - 2:30 PM - ABC

Now we’re talking. The Ducks and Huskies are two of the best teams in the country with two of the best quarterbacks leading them. But it’s not just the offenses that are making headlines, Oregon has the nation’s #5 scoring defense while Washington sits at #26. This is hands down the headliner of the day with conference championship and playoff implications at play.

Iowa @ Wisconsin - 3:00 PM - FOX

I mean, I have to pick it, right? It’s a weekly requirement. Iowa has had little luck in Madison in the last decade and this one sets up to be another grind it out slog. Both teams have great defenses and with Iowa’s offense as challenged as it is we may not see a ton of points. But Albert is on the line and you never know what can happen in rivalry games.

Honorable Mention: #23 Kansas @ Oklahoma State, Texas A&M @ #19 Tennessee

#10 USC @ #21 Notre Dame - 6:30 PM - NBC

If Oregon and Washington weren’t playing this would be the game of the day. It’s one of the sport’s best rivalries and this year’s iteration has plenty at stake. Despite high hopes at the beginning of the year, USC looks to be the same team it was last year: amazing offense with a crappy defense. They’re the anti-Iowa. The Trojans need to find a spine on defense if they want to make the playoff. With the Irish essentially eliminated from the CFP race they can still spoil their rival’s chances.

#25 Miami @ #12 North Carolina - 6:30 PM - ABC

I still can’t get over how Miami lost last weekend. Had they just taken a knee they’d be undefeated and this game would likely be getting more attention. As it stands, a bit of the shine has rubbed off but this should still be a fun one to watch. Tar Heels QB Drake Maye doesn’t get as much attention as Caleb Williams or Michael Penix Jr., but he’s quietly one of the better players in the game. Tez Walker’s return helped North Carolina amass 644 total yards last week so expect to see some fireworks here too.

Missouri @ #24 Kentucky - 6:30 PM - SEC Network

Missouri must be kicking themselves after going 5-0 and having LSU on the ropes last week. Mizzou jumped out to a 22-7 lead but with Jayden Daniels you can’t ever count out LSU. This game should be more evenly matched than both Missouri and Kentucky’s opponents last week.

Honorable Mention: #18 UCLA @ #15 Oregon State, Kansas State @ Texas Tech, NC State @ #17 Duke