Who Will Cover: Week 7 College Football Picks

Image via Complex Original

So we had a losing record last week, but last time we went 2-3 the next two weeks the overall record was 9-1. Let's start this weekend off right with the Battle for the Paul Bunyan trophy and finish it off on the west coast for a high powered offensive match up in the Pac-12.

The action starts right away this weekend when Michigan heads to Michigan State at 12 p.m. for an in state rivalry game where Denard Robinson hopes to bounce back from a 3 interception game last weekend against Northwestern. The other major game at twelve is a Big 12 matchup between Baylor and Texas A&M, a game that should have a combined scoring total of over 80 points. After those two games finish up LSU travels to Neyland stadium to take on the Vols for the SEC game at 3:30 while Oklahoma State heads to Austin to battle the Longhorns. The final game we're covering for the weekend is a late west coast start at 10:15 between Pac-12 favorites Arizona State and Oregon.

Last week (2-3)

Overall (18-7)

All spreads are from Covers and could change at any time leading up to kickoff. Follow me on Twitter (nrestivo) to get my insight during all the action this weekend. Good luck to all.

Michigan @ Michigan St (Saturday, 12 p.m., ESPN)

Spread: Michigan St. (-2)

So you’ve probably heard of Denard Robinson and his absurd ability to escape the pocket, run for big gains on the ground and his arm. Last weekend Michigan went into Northwestern, Robinson threw three interceptions in the red zone and the Wolverines still won by almost three touchdowns. Now this week a tougher test with in state rival Michigan State to claim bragging rights for this year. Michigan State is a tough team to make of this year, with a loss to Notre Dame and a sleeper of a win against Ohio State. They’re a tough team to gauge which is why Michigan is the pick. They obviously have a ton of offensive fire power this year and the defense is playing better than last season which isn’t saying much. Rivalry games between these two are usually close, take Michigan here if Robinson can keep his turnovers down.

Baylor @ Texas A&M (Saturday, 12 p.m., FX)

Spread: Texas A&M (-9)

I’m sure you’ve probably heard of Robert Griffin III by now. The quarterback who has nearly a 100% completion percentage and doesn’t turn the ball over. Baylor is a fun team to watch and when they head into College Station this weekend we’re bound to see the ball in the air a ton. Texas A&M has been shaky since their loss to Oklahoma State a few weeks back. This is the type of game where the last possession or the fourth quarter will decide the winner. I have a hard time believing that A&M will pull ahead by more than ten at any point in the game, take the Bears as a dog here and hope they can match touchdown for touchdown with the Aggies.

Oklahoma St. @ Texas (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN)

Spread: Texas (+7.5)

What did we learn last week from Texas when they got smoked by the Sooners? They’re very young, their two quarterback system does have flaws, and they really haven’t played any exceptional talent. Hopefully the Longhorns got over their loss rather quickly because the sixth ranked Cowboys come into Austin looking to hand Texas another loss. The Cowboys come into this game scoring 51 points per game, and if Oklahoma told us anything last week about Texas is that they can’t stop the no huddle spread offense. This game should be highly competitive but Texas is still about a year or two away from returning to a national power. I like Oklahoma State here behind the arm of Brandon Weeden and hands of Justin Blackmon.

LSU @ Tennessee (Saturday, 3:30 p,.m., CBS)

Spread: Tennessee (+16)

Of course, I’m highlighting another LSU game this week. This team is tough and their defense is the best in the country. The main reason to pick LSU this weekend is the loss of Vols’ quarterback Tyler Bray to a thumb injury that he suffered against the loss to Georgia last weekend. Many were concerned with the LSU offense this year and they’ve quieted their haters by running the ball with Spencer Ware all over opposing defenses and passing off of play action when necessary. This game opened up with a spread of +13 and has already risen to +16, get it while you can and take the Tigers large.

Arizona St. @ Oregon (Saturday, 10:15 p.m., ESPN)

Spread: Oregon (-15)

This game is the toughest to predict of the weekend. Oregon showed signs of let up last week in the first half against the Cal bears, but as their offense is designed to do they tired out the Bears' defense and came out on top. This week the Ducks are without the nation’s leading rusher LaMichael James which is obviously a significant blow to the team, but Oregon is deep at the running back position behind Sophomore Kenjon Barner.

The Sun Devils come in to Autzen stadium as the only unbeaten Pac-12 team behind the arm of 6’6” quarterback Brock Eisweiler. This battle will be a true test to see where both teams stand in terms of offensive production and who has the better pass defense since both teams like to sling the ball all over the field and get off as many plays as possible. 15 point is a lot but Oregon will be able to cover late and continue their dominance of the Pac-12.