College Football Betting Preview: Week 7 picks

Each week during the college football season, theScore's Dane Belbeck will handicap the board and offer up a pack of picks.

Season record

Gold/Silver/Bronze: 10-6-2
Other: 10-8
Twitter picks: 5-2
Overall: 25-16-2

Oklahoma vs. Texas (+8)

For the first time since 1947, the Red River Rivalry will see two first-year coaches face off as Tom Herman and Lincoln Riley lead their respective programs to the Cotton Bowl. Texas comes in on a three-game winning streak while Oklahoma suffered a stunning loss at home to 31-point underdog Iowa State last Saturday. Expect a bounce-back performance from the Sooners, but Herman's record against ranked teams is absolutely incredible through three years as a head coach. Herman is 6-1 all-time against ranked opponents straight up, and a perfect 7-0 against the spread. That continues here as Texas gets its first signature win under its new coach. Texas 30, Oklahoma 28

Texas Tech at West Virginia (-3.5)

Both teams enter having dominated lesser opponents all season but have come up short when facing ranked foes. Both teams rank in the top-10 nationally for average points per game, so it's probably a safe bet that the scoreboard will get a workout in Morgantown on Saturday. While usually it's best to take the points in a high-scoring affair, West Virginia is the play for the early kickoff against Texas Tech. While both offenses can score, the Mountaineers defense is certainly the better unit and should make enough stops to get the home victory. West Virginia 42, Texas Tech 35

Texas A&M (+3) at Florida

Why is Florida favored in this game? The Gators have the 71st-ranked rushing defense in the country while Texas A&M is 23rd in the nation averaging 225 yards on the ground per contest. Florida's passing offense is already a mess and could be without Kadarius Toney and Tyrie Cleveland for the contest. Between suspensions and injuries the Gators roster has been decimated this season and the home field advantage won't be enough to get the win over an improving Aggies squad. Texas A&M 24, Florida 17

Other games of note

Vanderbilt at Ole Miss (-3)

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

It's been an ugly few weeks for Ole Miss as the Rebels have lost three straight road games by a combined 137-42 margin, but a return home could be just what the embattled program needs. Vanderbilt also comes in with three straight losses after a 3-0 start, and will try to slow down Shea Patterson with its swarming defense. Ole Miss undoubtedly has the more talented roster, and with the home crowd on its side, the Rebels will pull away from the Commodores late to cover the small number. Ole Miss 31, Vanderbilt 24

Purdue (+17) at Wisconsin

Wisconsin's defense has been dominant to start the season but they have yet to face an offense with the firepower of Purdue's. It would be absolutely shocking to see the Boilermakers storm in to Madison and get the upset win, but Jeff Brohm's system should be able to put up enough points to get within the number here. Wisconsin 31, Purdue 20

Utah (+12.5) at USC

Utah certainly can't afford to get in to a shootout with USC, but the Utes defense should be firm enough to keep this Pac-12 matchup close. The Trojans will be in tough to run the ball with Ronald Jones II against Utah's 20th-ranked rushing defense in the country, and it will likely be on Sam Darnold to get the job done. While he's certainly capable of doing so, the chemistry with his young receivers doesn't seem to be there yet. USC will get the home win but Utah will keep things close in Los Angeles. USC 28, Utah 24