Another weekend with SIX ranked matchups on the schedule. From the last two national champs to a top-10 showdown in Provo, Utah, this weekend has it all. Will No.
6 Alabama bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to No. 1 Georgia when it faces No. 15 Tennessee?
Plus, there’s a reunion in Eugene, with Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola facing his former team, Nebraska. There are some major matchups this weekend with massive conference and playoff implications, but here are five sleeper games worth watching — and wagering on — in a stacked Week 7 of college football. See how much you could win with this week’s parlay slip at the end.
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Spread: Oklahoma -7 Why This Game Matters: Kentucky has already shown it can win on the road in the SEC and keep pace with a high-powered offense like LSU’s, yet it is still an underdog against the Sooners. Oklahoma has a chance to climb back into the College Football Playoff conversation and change the national perception of its season by following a win over its biggest rival with a victory over a top-15 team at home. If the Sooners can string together back-to-back top-15 wins, they’ll be right back in the mix in the SEC.
The Outlook: Oklahoma was humiliated by Georgia two weeks ago, and its season looked all but over. But beating your most-hated rival, who also happens to be No. 1 in the country, can change a season in a hurry.
That’s exactly what the Sooners did last week, rallying from a 17-7 deficit against Texas to win on a walk-off field goal. The roles are reversed this week for Kentucky, which is coming off a stunning upset of its own. Just as it did against South Carolina, Kentucky won in overtime on a two-point conversion — this time against No.
22 LSU — extending its home winning streak against the Tigers. Spread: UCLA -2.5 Why This Game Matters: Don’t look now, but Wisconsin is 4-1, but is about to begin a stretch of three straight games against ranked opponents. If coach Luke Fickell wants to bring the Badgers back, it starts here.
The last time Wisconsin beat two top-15 teams in the same season, Jonathan Taylor was carrying the ball for them. The Outlook: UCLA did something last weekend it hadn’t done since 2004: beat Oregon in Eugene. The Bruins forced six turnovers to escape with a 17-15 win and snap an eight-game road losing streak against the Ducks.
Everything seemed to be lining up for a College Football Playoff berth, but then came a major blow: starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out for the season with a left knee injury. Now the focus shifts to Wisconsin, a team that already has a big upset under its belt. Since a Week 1 loss to Notre Dame, the Badgers haven’t allowed more than one offensive touchdown in any game, giving up just 10.5 points per game.
During that stretch, they stunned No. 13 Penn State in Happy Valley. This weekend, they get the same chance against another ranked opponent.
Spread: Duke -3.5 Why This Game Matters: These bitter rivals aren’t meeting on the basketball court just yet. First, they have to settle things on the football field. This rivalry doesn’t generate the same hype as the schools’ basketball matchups, but the animosity is still there, and Duke is looking for its third straight win over North Carolina.
If coach Bill Belichick wants to turn around his tenure in Chapel Hill, he can follow his first win over a ranked opponent with a victory over one of the Tar Heels’ biggest rivals. Meanwhile, Duke is still the reigning ACC champion. Even without quarterback Darian Mensah, the Blue Devils are fighting to defend their crown, with coach Manny Diaz keeping them right in the mix.
The Outlook: North Carolina coach Bill Belichick picked up his first win over a ranked opponent with the Tar Heels last week, beating No. 25 Pitt. North Carolina made stops at the right time, holding the Panthers to just seven points in the second half while forcing two turnovers.
Duke’s bid for a 5-0 start slipped away when a 33-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left in the final seconds against Georgia Tech last week. Even after their first loss, the Blue Devils remain one of five ACC teams with no more than one defeat, powered by a stingy defense and one of the best running backs in the country. Sophomore Nate Sheppard ranks fourth nationally with 743 rushing yards and has scored eight touchdowns.
Against Georgia Tech, he finished with 99 rushing yards, falling one yard short of his fifth straight 100-yard game. Spread: Baylor -6 Why This Game Matters: There are five ranked teams in the Big 12, and Baylor could join the list with another impressive performance this week. With a win, the Bears would start 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2019.
At 5-1, Baylor would be right in the mix in the Big 12 and even the College Football Playoff conversation. The Outlook: This is the most-played rivalry in the state of Texas, and this weekend marks the 122nd meeting between the Bears and Horned Frogs, with both teams coming off a bye week. Baylor is the only Power Four team that has yet to allow 20 points in a game this season.
That defense has spearheaded the Bears’ 4-1 start while their quarterback finds his footing. Transfer DJ Lagway is coming off his first five-touchdown performance in a 55-19 rout of Arizona State. The junior signal-caller threw for 306 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
On the other sideline, TCU is still searching for its first conference win this season after coming up short against No. 8 BYU in Fort Worth. Like Baylor, TCU has been tough to score against, allowing just 13.4 points and 255 yards per game, both second-fewest in the conference.
The Horned Frogs were two points away from joining the Bears as the only Power Four teams yet to allow 20 points in a game this season. Spread: JMU -12.5 Why This Game Matters: These are the top two teams in the Sun Belt, and they happen to share a division. Yes, the Sun Belt still has divisions.
The two rank first and second in most conference categories, and now they can settle on the field which is the better team. Can Georgia State end James Madison’s winning streak? The Outlook: Coach Billy Napier has returned to the Sun Belt and picked up right where he left off, losing just four conference games dating back to his time at Louisiana.
He has guided JMU to 17 straight regular-season wins, extending the run that Bob Chesney started last season. The Dukes average 41.8 points per game, which is 11th in the country. Meanwhile, Georgia State is off to its best start since 2023 but has never beaten JMU, losing all five previous meetings.
The Panthers fell short by seven points last season, but this year they look better positioned than ever to end the Dukes’ regular-season winning streak. Bet $10 to win $251.78 if:
