College Football Picks: Tom Collins' predictions for week seven

Do you want to place a Saturday night accumulator? College football expert Tom Collins has three picks and predictions for week seven.

Penn State Nittany Lions (+7) @ Michigan Wolverines (-7)

Kick-off: 5pm BST Saturday

Saturday’s action-packed slate begins with a hotly anticipated game between two unbeaten sides that boast a top 10 ranking. There is plenty on the line as the winner of this match-up between Penn State and Michigan will undoubtedly become the chief rivals of Ohio State in the Big Ten conference.

The Nittany Lions, who have recorded wins against Purdue, Ohio, Auburn, Central Michigan and Northwestern this year, will travel to the rapturous and sold out 107,601-seater Ann Arbor Stadium in Michigan. The last time they made the trip west, Penn State beat Michigan at Ann Arbor for the first time since 2009. 

However, despite boasting a solid defence and explosive rushing attack, the 10th-ranked side might have their work cut out on Saturday. Michigan has a similar modus operandi - they are excellent at running the football and are hard to score on - but they have just been slightly better at executing it all year.

Sophomore quarterback JJ McCarthy has performed to an extremely high level so far despite being without star receiver Keyshon Boutte, and he has been backed up by powerful running back Blake Corum, who already has 11 rushing touchdowns. Expect that number to tick up this weekend as Michigan maintains their unbeaten record and covers the spread.

Selection: Michigan -7 @ 1.94

Alabama Crimson Tide (-7) @ Tennessee Volunteers (+7)

Kick-off: 8.30pm BST Saturday

The Alabama Crimson Tide haven’t lost a regular season football game in over a year - their last defeat outside of bowl games came in a 41-38 shootout against Texas A&M on October 10, 2021. Prior to that, you have to go back to November 2019 to find the last time they lost.

Nick Saban’s third-ranked side almost succumbed to Texas A&M once again last week, but back-up quarterback Jalen Milroe led his team to a crucial 24-20 victory. The Crimson Tide now travel to Knoxville to face the improving Tennessee Volunteers, who have beaten both Florida and LSU, who were ranked 20th and 25th respectively, over the last two weeks.

The Vols currently rank seventh in passing yards per game, 23rd in rushing attack and sixth in points for, so will undoubtedly pose a new test for this stout and sturdy Crimson Tide defence. Senior quarterback Hendon Hooker is yet to throw an interception on the year, but that might change on Saturday.

Tennessee has lost 15 straight against Alabama - a trend that I don’t imagine will come to an end here. Leading signal caller Bryce Young will be a gametime decision for ‘Bama (if he plays, I’d be even more confident that they will cover the spread), but Jalen Milroe’s starting experience last week won’t go amiss otherwise. Expect running back Jahmyr Gibbs to carry the rock 25 times and take the road team to victory.

Selection: Alabama -7 @ 1.92

Oklahoma State Cowboys (+4) @ TCU Horned Frogs (-4)

Kick-off: 8.30pm BST Saturday

Who was anticipating TCU to be ranked 13th in the nation after five games? Not me. The Horned Frogs have made a fantastic start to the year and will return to Fort Worth, Texas, to face their third ranked opponent in as many weeks as the Oklahoma State Cowboys visit town.

TCU, who are led by sharp quarterback Max Duggan and NFL-bound receiver Quentin Johnson, hit the headlines with victories against the Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas Jayhawks over the last fortnight, but there are reasons to believe those results aren’t as good as they appear on paper.

Despite Oklahoma boasting an AP Polls ranking of 18 heading into their match-up with TCU, they have subsequently proved that their talent and coaching warrants nothing of the sort. The Sooners followed that defeat with a 49-0 loss at home to Texas and are now on a three-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks played the majority of their game against the Horned Frogs without starting quarterback Jalon Daniels, yet still only lost by seven points.

As good as TCU is, I believe they will need to step up this week against the Cowboys, who are unbeaten in five games (two-out-of-two in conference play) and have averaged over 45 points per game on offence. This has all the hallmarks of a shootout and I want senior quarterback Spencer Sanders on my side.

Selection: Oklahoma State +4 @ 1.91

Recommended college football picks

Michigan -7 @ 1.94
Alabama -7 @ 1.92
Oklahoma State +4 @ 1.91

Accumulator odds: 6.11 decimal, 5.11-1 fractional, +511 American