We’re almost halfway through the 2023 college football season, and the one Power Five conference that may not make it to 2024 remains in focus. Yes, the Pac-12 has been the best league in sports this season, boasting a trio of top-10 teams in standout games and three Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterbacks who will all compete on Saturday.
In the game of the day – and possibly one of the best games of the regular season – No. 7 Washington hosts No. 8 Oregon. The Huskies’ Michael Penix Jr. has been a standout this season, more so than the Ducks’ Bo Nix, who was the focus of a concerted Heisman campaign in the preseason. However, the duo will speak for themselves on the field on Saturday. While the focus will be on Penix versus Nix early in the game, Oregon in particular has proven to be extremely deep on both sides of the ball, while Washington’s playmakers have done a great job of blowing away their opponents.
In the nightcap, reigning Hesiman champion Caleb Williams of No. 10 USC visits a No. 21 Notre Dame team that desperately needs a win after already suffering two losses this season. The Trojans came close to getting their first L against Arizona last week (ultimately a 43-41 win in three overtimes) after struggling more than most expected in Colorado the week before. This is a golden opportunity for Notre Dame to change the tone of its season while USC can skip a few difficult weeks and get back on track before the extremely difficult final half of its schedule.
Not to be overlooked in all of this is an enormous SEC-on-CBS doubleheader. No. 1 Georgia visits Vanderbilt for its final test before taking a week off before the Florida-Georgia game; The Gators defeated the Commodores 38-14 last week. Then Texas A&M visits No. 19 Tennessee, which has played every opponent except Florida this season and has won 13 straight home games since 2021.
Be sure to stick with CBS Sports all day Saturday for college football coverage starting with the opening game. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the best plays in Week 7.
Odds via SportsLine Consensus | Always east
No. 1 Georgia at Vanderbilt
lunch | CBS, Paramount+ with ShowtimeCBSSports.com, CBS Sports App — Georgia covered once against an FBS opponent, and that was Kentucky. Is this the start of a new trend or the exception to the rule? It will be the latter. Georgia will hit the brakes early in the third quarter after building a lead, and the Commodores will do enough to at least keep it within four touchdowns. Simply put, there is no reason for Georgia to even attempt to hedge. Considering Kirby Smart likes to pull his starters when he’s three touchdowns ahead, the possibility of backdoor coverage is significant. Pick: Vanderbilt +31.5 – Barrett Sallee
No. 3 Ohio State at Purdue
lunch | Peacock — Ohio State’s rushing attack isn’t in full swing yet, and those struggles have prevented the Buckeyes’ offense from finding any consistency against power conference opponents. Playing on the road with Penn State on top, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan Day did whatever it took to simply win the game, which makes sense to defeat the upset Boilermakers and take a nearly 20-point lead. Pick: Purdue +19.5 – Chip Patterson
Texas A&M at No. 19 Tennessee
3:30 p.m. | CBS, Paramount+ with ShowtimeCBSSports.com, CBS Sports App — The encounters in the cross-departmental showdown are fascinating. For example: Texas A&M’s run defense is elite, but Tennessee’s running game is statistically one of the best in the country. The Aggies secondary is exploitable, but the Volunteers struggled to connect on deep passes. Both teams are among three power conference schools that average more than nine tackles for loss per game, and they are great at pressuring opposing quarterbacks. In such an even game, the advantage goes to the team with home advantage. Selection: Tennessee ML (-175) – David Cobb
No. 8 Oregon and No. 7 Washington
3:30 p.m. | ABC, fubo (Try it for free) — Michael Penix Jr. was better and far more explosive than Bo Nix, but Oregon seemed to be the more complete team. The Huskies are explosive, but the Ducks have greater consistency. This will be one of the top matchups of the season and it could go either way. But home-field advantage and a Heisman Trophy-level day from Penix get UW over the finish line. Selection: Washington -3 – Shehan Jeyarajah
No. 10 USC at No. 21 Notre Dame
7:30 p.m. | NBC, fubo (Try it for free) — The weather forecast for this game is important. When they get going on Saturday evening it is expected to be cold, wet and windy. These are not typically the weather conditions that lead to high scoring events. It will be interesting to see if USC is forced to rely on its ground game more than usual — and if that impacts its ability to move the ball. Combined with Notre Dame’s tendency to play conservatively in big spots, I think the smartest play in this case is the sub. Selection: Under 60.5 – Tom Fornelli
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 7 and which underdogs will clearly win? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread – all using a proven computer model that has returned more than $2,000 in profit over the last seven-plus seasons – and find out.