College Football Week 7 Best Bets: Utah to Roll in QB Cam Rising’s Return?

After what looked like a light Week 6 slate in college football blew expectations out of the water with several massive upsets, Week 7 brings a Saturday that CFB fans have had circled on their calendars for months.

Two of the biggest Big Ten games of the year take place one after the other, as No. 4 Penn State travels to USC for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff (all times Eastern), followed by No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Oregon at 7:30 p.m.

Other notable matchups this weekend include the Red River Rivalry between No. 1 Texas and No. 18 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m.) and No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 13 LSU.

We’ll have in-depth betting previews of Penn State vs. USC and Ohio State vs. Oregon later this weekend, but our best bets of Week 7 include takes on the following matchups:

• No. 16 Utah vs. Arizona State (Friday, 10:30 p.m., ESPN)
• No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m., ABC)
• No. 10 Clemson at Wake Forest (12 p.m., ESPN)

Utah vs. Arizona State

Given the uncertainty around his health the last two years, it’s hard to blame anyone who’s waiting to see seventh-year Utah star QB Cam Rising actually take a snap before trusting that he’s truly healthy.

But college football insider Brett McMurphy’s Thursday afternoon tweet that Rising would start on Friday night is enough for me to like Utah in this game and beyond — assuming, of course, that Rising stays on the field.

Immediately after McMurphy tweeted that Rising would start this game, the line moved from Utah -4 to Utah -6 at most sportsbooks.

Arizona State features one of the most physical running backs in the country in Cam Skattebo (111 carries for 615 yards and six TDs this year), but Utah’s stout rush defense should be able to contain him.

On the other side of the ball, Rising figures to unlock a talented offense that features senior studs at RB (Micah Bernard), WR (Dorian Singer) and TE (Brant Kuithe).

There’s some risk in riding with the Utes after Rising missed the last three games with a hand injury, but we’re going with 4-1 (1-1 Big 12) Utah to not only win, but cover, against the 4-1 (1-1 Big 12) Sun Devils.

Best bet: Utah -5.5 (-115 at bet365)

Texas vs. Oklahoma

Predicting rivalry games is always a dicey proposition. Just see last year’s meeting between these teams, which the Sooners won 34-30 as 3.5-point underdogs, for a great recent example.

Texas is heavily favored (the Horns are laying 14-to-14.5, depending on the sportsbook) on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. While we recommend staying away from this spread, we do have a play we like in this matchup.

The Texas offense is potent, but the under strikes us as a safe bet for a couple reasons. The biggest one is the struggling OU offense, which made a change at QB from Jackson Arnold to Michael Hawkins Jr. midway through a 25-15 loss to Tennessee back in Week 4.

Hawkins made just enough plays for a close win over Oklahoma the following week, but the OU offense could be in for a long day against No. 1 Texas’s suffocating defense.

Slowing down Quinn Ewers and the Longhorns will be a challenge for the OU defense, but the Sooners are strong enough on that side of the ball to at least make life difficult for the Longhorns offense.

All signs point toward the under in a contest featuring two good defenses and only one offense (Texas) that has played well against good competition this year.

Best bet: Under 49.5 (-112 at FanDuel)

Clemson vs. Wake Forest

Clemson has flown under the radar since its Week 1 loss to Georgia. This team has more than taken care of business in four games since, though, with dominant wins over Appalachian State, NC State, Stanford and Florida State.

If not for some red zone struggles and a couple blocked field goals against the Seminoles last Saturday, the Tigers — who still posted a convincing 29-13 victory — could have won that game by a much wider margin.

Assuming Clemson, which has a strong running game led by Phil Mafah, can muster merely average red zone execution in this game, it should be able to hang 40 points or more on Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons’ D has given up 30 points or more to each of its last four opponents. If not for a late rally from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against NCSU last Saturday, Wake would be entering this game on a four-game losing streak.

Best bet: Clemson -20.5 (-110 at FanDuel, bet365)

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