Welcome to Week 7 of The Courier Journal's college football picks!
Louisville bounced back last week against ACC punching bag Florida State and will travel to Syracuse this Saturday hoping to extend that good fortune. Will Stein's Kentucky Wildcats secured an epic overtime win for the second time in two weeks. This Saturday, UK heads to Oklahoma fresh off the Sooners' rivalry win over Texas.
Western Kentucky heads to Sam Houston. And to round out our slate, we'll predict the Ohio State-Indiana game, as well as Notre Dame vs. BYU.
Here's a look at this week's picks. As is our custom, predictions are straight-up winners and losers (not against the spread), with rankings based on the latest US LBM Coaches Poll. All times listed are ET, and all odds listed are per DraftKings as of Tuesday, Oct. 12.
Louisville at Syracuse
How to watch: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ACC Network
The picks: Eight for Louisville
Betting line: Louisville -14.5, over/under 55.5 points
Fresh off a palette-cleansing win over FSU at home, UofL heads to Syracuse. The Orange have a lot of uncertainty at quarterback, with the top three passers on the depth chart dealing with injuries.
No. 17 Kentucky at Oklahoma
How to watch: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
The picks: Six for Kentucky, two for Oklahoma (Ryan Black, Jason Frakes)
Betting line: Oklahoma -6.5, over/under 43.5 points
Both of these teams are coming off huge victories. Kentucky toppled then-No. 10 LSU in overtime, and Oklahoma knocked off top-ranked Texas with a walk-off field goal. The Wildcats are in contention for the conference championship, and a win over the Sooners would only help their case. This game may come down to who's able to better handle their recent success.
Western Kentucky at Sam Houston
How to watch: Wednesday, 8 p.m., ESPN
The picks: Six for WKU, two for Sam Houston (C.L. Brown, Josh Connelly)
Betting line: WKU -1.5, over/under 53.5 points
Another short week for the Hilltoppers as they head to Texas to take on the Bearkats. WKU is fresh off its first conference win of the season and looking to get its first road victory of the year. Sam Houston has lost and allowed 82 points in three Group of Six games this season, so things are looking good for a Western Kentucky team that scored 34 points and had 464 total offensive yards against Missouri State last week.
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Ohio State
How to watch: Saturday, noon, FOX
The picks: Eight for Ohio State
Betting line: Ohio State -3.5, over/under 50.5 points
Another year, another top-10 matchup between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes. Ohio State undoubtedly wants revenge for the Big Ten championship game last year, which it lost to Indiana, a casualty of IU's perfect season. OSU is armed with indisputable Heisman favorite Jeremiah Smith. Indiana looks good, but not as dominant as last year's team. The Athletic called this "arguably the biggest game in Memorial Stadium history." Should be a fun one in Bloomington this weekend.
No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU
How to watch: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ABC
The picks: Eight for Notre Dame
Betting line: Notre Dame -10, over/under 47.5 points
It's a battle of the unbeatens in Utah Saturday night. So of course ESPN's "College GameDay" will be there. The Fighting Irish have won six games by 198 total points this season, but they've dropped seven consecutive road contests against top-10 teams. Many in college football consider this to be Notre Dame's first test of 2026. It could provide extra insight ahead of the College Football Playoff rankings as to how much of a contender the Irish could be this season.
Standings after Week 6
1. Jason Frakes – 22-8
2. Alaina Morris – 21-9
3. Brooks Holton, Ryan Black – 19-11
5. Alexis Cubit, Josh Connelly – 18-12
7. Payton Titus, C.L. Brown – 17-13
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25. Subscribe to her "Full-court Press" newsletter here for a behind-the-scenes look at how college sports' biggest stories are impacting Louisville and Kentucky athletics.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Our college football picks for Louisville-Syracuse, Kentucky-Oklahoma, more
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