Last Saturday, we were treated to some absolute madness in NCAA college football.

From the absolutely wild Oklahoma and Texas finish (the No. 4 Sooners outscored the No. 25 Longhorns 55-48) to a tight Michigan win over Nebraska, then No. 21 Texas A&M upsetting former No. 1 Alabama, it was one thrilling result after another on the Week 6 schedule.

The Crimson Tide, who fell to No. 5 this week, will look to bounce back this weekend after their 41-38 loss to the Aggies last Saturday as they head to Starkville to take on Mississippi State. I can imagine head coach Nick Saban was not a fun person to be around this week.

In other key matchups, Georgia, the new No. 1 team in the country, will host the upstart Kentucky Wildcats, who are a surprising 6-0. The Bulldogs and the No. 11 Wildcats are the last two undefeated teams in the SEC, so one team will end up with their first loss of the season on late Saturday afternoon.

Expectations for Kentucky are higher than they have been since the Andre Woodson era back in 2007. We will see Saturday if the Wildcats are up to the test facing this menace of a Georgia defence.

Here are my best bets for Week 7 in college football.

No. 20 Florida Gators at LSU Tigers

Spread: Florida -11.5

Total: 59

This season has been nothing short of a disaster for LSU. The Tigers came into the season ranked 11th in the nation, and now their 3-3 start has head coach Ed Orgeron on the hot seat. On top of their poor start, some of their best players on both sides of the football have suffered injuries, including cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and leading wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who was by far their best playmaker on offence but suffered an ankle injury last week and is out for the rest of the season. The LSU running game is virtually nonexistent (83.2 YPG). The Gators defend the run very well and have the third-best rushing offence in the NCAA (273.8), which will help them win the time of possession battle. The 2019 national title seems so far away now, and a blowout loss here might cost “Coach O” his job. Still, I like Florida laying the points here against a Tigers’ side that hasn’t shown much promise.

THE PICK: Florida -11.5

No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats at  No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs  

Spread: Georgia -23.5

Total: 44.5

It’s another week, and another poor offence has to take on the challenge of putting up points against the tough Bulldogs defence. Georgia has allowed an average of just 5.5 points per game through six contests, and has not allowed a touchdown in the first half of this season. The Bulldogs are being very tight lipped over whether quarterback JT Daniels will be back this week or Stetson Bennett will be the starter. Daniels provides much higher potential for the offence, as Bennett is much more of a game manager. Regardless, the hardest test here will be for QB Will Levis and the Wildcats offence to put some points on the board. They struggled to score against Florida and South Carolina in low-scoring wins, which is cause for concern. The number is low, but I do lean towards the under here, especially if Bennett gets the start for the Dawgs.

THE PICK: Under 44.5

Fresno State Bulldogs at Wyoming Cowboys

Spread: Fresno State -3.5

Total: 53.5

Fresno State got off to a really hot start with an upset win over UCLA, prompting some people to call them the best non Power Five team in the country. Since then, the Bulldogs were taken to the wire by a bad UNLV team and lost outright to Hawaii as a double-digit favourite. Wyoming has taken a somewhat similar path as they squeezed out a close 24-22 win against the winless Connecticut Huskies and lost by 10 points to Air Force last week. The Cowboys offence has tailed off, as they were averaging 38 PPG and scored a combined 38 points over the last two weeks. However, the offence has still been able to move the football. Fresno averages 39 PPG, led by quarterback Jake Haener. I think this low total is an overreaction to the recent struggles of the Wyoming offence. I’ll take the over in this one.

THE PICK: Over 53.5

No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide at Mississippi State Bulldogs

Spread: Alabama -17

Total: 58

Both of these teams will have to deal with the wrath of Nick Saban following a loss. In his tenure at Alabama, Saban is 10-1 coming off a regular-season loss. The Alabama defence, which garnered plenty of hype again going into the season, has struggled in 2021. While Mississippi State does not put up points the way we are accustomed to seeing from a Mike Leach offence, I do expect them to be able to move the ball here. That is why the 17-point spread worries me a bit. However, I would be surprised if Alabama does not score 40-plus points on their own here, so the over is the play for me again in this one.

THE PICK: Over 58

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at UTEP Miners

Spread: Louisiana Tech -6.5

Total: 56

There might not be a more surprising record in the FBS than the UTEP Miners being 5-1 this season. At the same time, it’s somewhat deceiving as their best win came over a 2-4 New Mexico team. The FBS opponents the Miners beat are a combined 5-20 this season. Meanwhile, UTEP’s lone loss was 54-13 blowout at the hands of Boise State. On the flip side, Louisiana Tech’s record is a bit deceiving for the opposite reason. The Bulldogs are 2-3, but have played a strong non-conference schedule, including suffering tight losses to Mississippi State, NC State and to SMU on a Hail Mary in the final seconds. Bulldogs quarterback Austin Kendall is a WVU transfer with some talent, and they have some playmakers on offence in wide receivers Smoke Harris and Montreal’s own Samuel Emilus. I think this will be a reality check for the Miners’ inflated record. I’ll take Louisiana Tech -6.5.

THE PICK: Louisiana Tech -6.5