It will be almost impossible for week 7 to come close to week 6.

Last weekend, four top-10 teams lost on the road. No. No. 1 Alabama lost at Vanderbilt, No. 4 Tennessee fell to Arkansas, No. 9 Missouri was blown out at No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 10 Michigan lost the national title game rematch in Washington.

We’re going to go out and say that four top-10 teams won’t lose this Saturday, but that doesn’t mean Week 7 is going to be lame. It features the first match of the season between top three teams, and the country’s No. 1 team plays in a famous rivalry game at a neutral venue. The day must be tough.

Here are the five games we’re most looking forward to in Week 7. All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.

Time: 3:30 PM | Television: ABC | Line: Texas -14.5 | Total: 50.5

Both teams will begin their rivalry game against the Cotton Bowl in the coming weeks. The Longhorns moved into first place in the AP Top 25 after losing to Alabama and Quinn Ewers is back in the starting lineup. Ewers has been sidelined since leaving the Longhorns’ Week 3 game with an abdominal strain. He was replaced in the starting lineup by backup QB Arch Manning.

Ewers was very good before he got injured. He had completed 58 of 73 passes for 691 yards and thrown eight touchdowns to two interceptions. He only brought one bag with him. While Manning played well in place of Ewers, it’s not much of a controversy that the senior will get his spot back.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, will start true freshman Michael Hawkins for the second straight game. He got his first career start at Auburn after taking over for Jackson Arnold against Tennessee. Hawkins has thrown 65 fewer passes than Arnold this season, but he is completing a higher percentage of his throws and is averaging over three more yards per attempt than Arnold was before he was benched.

For the Sooners to pull off the upset, Hawkins needs to be fantastic and the run game needs to get on track. Oklahoma is averaging less than four yards per carry, while leading rusher Jovantae Barnes has 57 carries for just 199 yards.

Time: 3:30 PM | Television: CBS | Line: Penn State -5.5 | Total: 50.5

This game lost some luster a week ago when the Trojans lost at Minnesota when Gophers QB Max Brosmer snuck into the end zone with less than a minute to go on fourth down. That loss dropped USC out of the top 25 and significantly reduced the Trojans’ chances of winning the Big Ten.

However, this could still be a dangerous game for Penn State. It’s only the second road game of the season for the Nittany Lions after they started the year with a 34-12 win at West Virginia.

Penn State’s offense has looked much better so far in 2024 after an offseason coordinator change, and the defense has allowed 12 or fewer points in four of five games. RBs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined to rush 127 times for 775 yards so far.

The 17 points USC scored against the Gophers were the fewest the Trojans have scored all season. Miller Moss only threw for 200 yards on 38 attempts and also threw two interceptions. The USC offense has been much better at home than on the road so far this season and if it doesn’t bounce back, USC is likely staring at a 1-3 start in the Big Ten.

Time: 7:30 PM | Television: NBC | Line: Ohio State -3.5 | Total: 52.5

The big game of the weekend should be a doozy. Both offenses were among the best in the country, and Ohio State’s was on another level. The Buckeyes are averaging 7.7 yards per play through five games as the defense has failed to solve OSU’s two-headed rushing attack and a passing game featuring All-Star freshman Jeremiah Smith.

RB TreVeyon Henderson is averaging eight yards per carry and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins is right behind with 7.8 yards rushing. Smith already has 23 catches for 453 yards, while Emeka Egbuka operates as the bottom threat with a team-high 30 catches.

If the game comes down to quarterback play, Oregon could have the edge. Former Kansas State QB Will Howard has been solid for the Buckeyes as he completes 72% of his passes for 1,248 yards and is responsible for 16 touchdowns. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel leads the nation in completion percentage at 77.8% and has thrown for 1,449 yards. Ohio State will likely try to slow down Oregon’s fast passing game and we are intrigued to see if Oregon takes on Ohio State’s run game to force Howard to make plays and win the game.

Time: 7:30 PM | Television: ABC | Line: Ole Miss -3.5 | Total: 63.5

This game has everything you need for a shootout. The Rebels are averaging 44 points per game while LSU is scoring over 35 per game. The Tigers haven’t scored fewer than 34 points since the season-opening 27-20 loss to USC.

Ole Miss got back on track after its Week 5 loss to Kentucky in Week 6 with a dominant win over South Carolina. QB Jaxson Dart has already thrown for 2,100 yards and is averaging over 12 yards per attempt through the first six games of the season. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier trails 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels nicely and has thrown for 1,652 yards and 15 TDs in five games.

The Tigers were off in Week 6 and we’ll see if the bye week helped shore up the defense. LSU is giving up 5.9 yards per play as opposing QBs have completed 66% of their passes. We like LSU’s balanced passing attack on the Rebels defense. We’re just not so sure LSU’s defense will be able to fulfill its end of the bargain.

Time: 10:15 PM | TV: ESPN | Line: Kansas State -4 | Total: 56.5

This game looks a lot like Colorado’s Week 4 trip to Oregon a season ago. The Buffaloes went to Eugene as the talk of college football after a 3-0 start and were promptly eliminated en route to a 1-8 finish on the season.

It’s unlikely that Kansas State will blow out Colorado late Saturday night, but the Wildcats are a good benchmark for what appears to be an improved Buffaloes squad. The team has already matched its 2023 win total and is just two wins away from making the bowl.

The biggest test for Colorado will be up front on defense. Teams are averaging over 150 rushing yards per game against the Buffaloes and KSU RB DJ Giddens and QB Avery Johnson are each averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Kansas State will try to keep the ball away from the Buffaloes and may not test Travis Hunter as much. Only two Wildcat receivers have more than seven catches so far this season.

Other games to watch

South Carolina at No. 7 Alabama (noon, ABC): How will the Crimson Tide bounce back from their loss at Vanderbilt? South Carolina is already 1-2 in the SEC and scored just three points at home against Ole Miss in Week 6. This could be a good matchup for the Crimson Tide.

Call Pitt 22 (3:30 p.m., ESPN): The Panthers will be eligible to bowl with a win over a Bears team that has lost its first two ACC games after a 3-0 start. Alabama transfer Eli Holstein has been very good in his first season as Pitt’s starter, throwing for 1,564 yards and 15 touchdowns already this season.

Arizona at No. 14 BYU (4 p.m., Fox): The Cougars have a rare afternoon home game as Arizona heads to Provo. The Wildcats already had a win in Utah against the Utes this season, but lost at home to Texas Tech in Week 6. The Cougars have a 4.5-point lead, but an Arizona win wouldn’t be unexpected — and it would further demonstrate the Big 12’s parity.

Vanderbilt at Kentucky (7:45 p.m., SEC Network): Vanderbilt is 3-2 overall with four of those games decided by one possession. Kentucky is also 3-2 and has a 13-12 loss to Georgia and a 20-17 win over Ole Miss. We have a feeling this is going to be a close game.

No. 11 Iowa State at West Virginia (8 p.m., Fox): The undefeated Cyclones head to Morgantown after West Virginia defeated Oklahoma State on the road to send the Cowboys to an 0-3 start in Big 12 play. Opposing teams are averaging over four yards per carry against Iowa State’s defense and WVU’s offense is tough. The Mountaineers are averaging over 42 rushing attempts per game.