There is a point in the year where it feels like a loss will seal your season. This could be true for every conference, except for maybe the Pac-12. Their strength-of-schedule is so high at the end of the season, you could make up for it if the Gods are willing. But for other mere mortal, where division play is maybe not so strong, they are rather doomed for limbo. Not alive, not dead. Somewhere inbetween. This week is no different and it will be like this for the rest of the season. Every Saturday counts, no days off.

USC Trojans (10) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (21 ) (1.30 AM – NBC) (ND -2.5)

Trojans against Irish. One of the all-time classics when it comes to rivalry games. Last year we already did a deepdive into the rivalry. This year, it’s again one of those games you just have to see. Notre Dame is looking for revenge after last year’s 27-38 defeat. It was the game in which Caleb Williams flexed the Heisman pose. The Irish didn’t like it. The Caleb haters hated it. They still do.

A lot at stake. But maybe more for USC this year. They are still in contention for the play-offs. Notre Dame on the other hand is out of the race after a second loss last week against Louisville. The Irish are fighting for honour this weekend. And a chance to f*** over USC. A win for the for the troops of Marcus Freeman, would probably mean the end of the play-off hopes for USC. This is the stuff of week 7. Play-off conversations are the bread and butter of every news station and written magazines.

USC should have the upper hand this week. Caleb Williams is playing like the first pick in the draft, while also having one of the most electric skill positions groups you can have as an offense. MarShawn Lloyd is one of the best half backs in the league, with Brenden Rice, Tahj Washington and Mario Williams as receiver trio number one. Knowing they could add Zachariah Branch to that bunch, if healthy, is a scary thought. That’s the achilles heel of Notre Dame. Lack of pure WR talent. While Sam Hartman is playing like a Heisman finalist this year, he just lakcs that one WR with first round talent to change the game. RB Audric Estime is maybe the best in the country, but you need a WR to pull you over.

However, having Estime should already be enough today. This USC is dramatically bad, while still having enough talent. The coaching is just not dear. DL Bear Alexander is a beast, while S Calen Bullock is a top 5 safety in the upcoming draft. But if the coaching lacks, you’re in a difficult situation. That will be the key as well today. Can this USC defense hold their ground enough for the offense to blow a stout Notre Dame defense away?

Betting tip: combo Lloyd and Estime to score (3.70). Estime feels like a shoe in for a touchdown, but the Lloyd addition should spice it up to a pretty sick odd.

UCLA Bruins (18) @ Oregon State Beavers (15) (2.00 AM – FOX) (OSB -3.5)

What happens when you mix a QB who’s coming of his best game ever as a Beaver and a defensive Juggernaut from Cali? Well, we’ll know tomorrow what the result is.

DJ Uiagalelei had his best outing as a Oregon State QB last week against Cal. He threw five touchdowns in a winning outing. This is what we kind off hoped he would do at Oregon State. He had only had one game at Clemson in which he had this stat, in the famous shootout against Wake Forest last year. It was an outlier then, because his time at Clemson is not very memorable to say the least. Or memorable in the sense that he was HIM coming out of high school and proved to be average Jack in the end.

This year is different. His ‘bad’ performances are still there, but he’s mixing in this great performances. Having Damien Martinez in the backfield helps him a lot, but this time, he also has two decent WR options to throw the ball to. Silas Bolden and Anthony Gould are a duo that averages above 100 yards together per game, but the ball is distributed to a lot of receivers in this offense, which makes 100 yards pretty decent all of a sudden.

Tonight, he’s going up however against one of the best defenses in the country. They rank second in the country at PFF, behind Alabama, who’s been putting it together on defense this year. Laiatu Latu is probably the number one edge of the board in the upcoming draft, with Alex Johnson being a solid contributor in coverage. This defense is difficult to dismantle, especially in the run game, where the opposing running game averages below 65 yards.

If QB Dante Moore can figure it out, it will be one hell of a game. The UCLA defense will most likely hold up against DJ U. And if the freshman QB can have a performance we’ve seen him have against NC Central, watch out Beavers.

Betting tip: under 54 (1.89). You are counting on UCLA D to have one of their usual performances here, with Dante Moore being a moderate contributor.

Oregon Ducks (8) @ Washington Huskies (7) (21:30 – ABC) (WAS -3.0)

The border war between Oregon and Washington will kick off once again. The Ducks go to Husky Stadium and it promises to be a good one. The Huskies are number seven, the Ducks number eight and this duel could be the first of two deciding matchups for the CFP.

On the Oregon side we have Bo Nix with a 80.4% completion rate, fifteen touchdowns and only one interception. On the other side we have Michael Penix Jr. with his 74.7% completion rate, sixteen touchdowns and two interceptions. Both QB’s are outsiders for the Heisman Trophy and they find their respective receivers very well. Odunze, Polk & McMillan are the weapons on the Husky side (more than 1350 yards combined) and Franklin, Bryant Jr. & Johnson on the Ducks side (more than 950 yards combined). Add Irving, James and Whittington (ORE) to the mix and you get two explosive offenses facing off.

The Oregon defense is pretty good, ranking 17th in the nation. Maybe that’s where the key lays in this game. Washington’s defense is decent but not top tier, while Oregon has more tools to stop the Huskies. The game is in Washington so that plays into their advantage, but the defense could be their weakness.

It promises to be an epic matchup between these two rivals!

Betting tip: Oregon wins outright (odd 2.38). This odd is too high not to take the Ducks outright.

Miami Hurricanes (25) @ North Carolina Tar Heels (12) (01:30 – ABC) (UNC -3.0)

As the Hurricanes messed up the ending of last week’s game, they look to bounce back against the Tar Heels. UNC was looking good coming of their bye week against Syracuse. A preview for a trending down team against a trending up team in the ACC.

Drake Maye is not having an exceptional season but looking at the stats he is doing well. His TD/INT ratio is getting better and his performances seem to be more consistent, while they are racking up 325 yards per game. McCollum and Jones are his primary targets and will be a problem for the Hurricane defense. Devontez Walker is eligible and is a good third addition to this WR room.

That’s where the worries lie for the Tar Heels. Their defense is their biggest achilles heel but this year they seem to do a lot better. Tyler Van Dyke (QB) is the best QB they will have faced up until now, so they will get tested against Restrepo and the bunch.

But who will win this game? That is tough to say in a game where the best defense will probably decide the game. Counting that both do not have top tier defenses this will be a high scoring outing and a must watch for the people who love offensive matchups. One thing is for sure, if UNC wants a shot at the play-offs, they can not afford a loss here.

Betting tip: Over 57 (Odd 1.90) – As stated before, both teams have good offenses with mediocre defenses, this has everything to be high scoring.

Other games to watch

Away	home	time	broadcast	LINE
Texas A&M Aggies	Tennessee Volunteers (19)	9.30 PM	CBS	TENN -3.0
Kansas Jayhawks (23)	Oklahoma State Cowboys	9.30 PM	FS1	KU -3.0
Florida Gators	South Carolina Gamecocks	9.30 PM	SEC Network	SC -2.0
BYU Cougars	TCU Horned Frogs	9.30 PM	ESPN	TCU -5.0
Kansas State Wildcats	Texas Tech Red Raiders	1.00 AM	FS1	TT -1.5
Missouri Tigers	Kentucky Wildcats	1.30 AM	SEC Network	UK -2.5
NC State Wolfpack	Duke Blue Devils	2.00 AM	ACC Network	DUKE -3.5