College Football Parlay Picks for Week 7: Quarterback Injuries Play Massive Role
Week 7 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in college football in recent memory, as there are three matchups on the same day involving teams with a record of 5-0 or better for just the second time ever. Read on for our best parlay picks for Week 7's college football action.
Of the many gargantuan college football games this weekend, highlighting the bill is 5-0 Penn State at 6-0 Michigan, 6-0 Alabama at 5-0 Tennessee, and Oklahoma State traveling to TCU in a matchup of 5-0 teams.
Below, we offer our parlay picks for Week 7 in college football (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook).
College Football Parlay Picks for Week 7
College Football Parlay Predictions
Kansas +9 (-110)
Kansas and Oklahoma are each coming off a disappointing loss, but the Sooners', in particular, could cripple them for the remainder of the season.
Oklahoma's 49-0 loss to Texas was its largest shutout and third-largest loss in school history. In addition, the 49 points allowed to the Longhorns were the most Texas has scored in the history of the Red River Showdown.
One can point to Dillon Gabriel's injury and the fact he missed the game with a concussion as reasons for the lopsided result, but the fact is that the Oklahoma defense has not grasped head coach Brent Venables' complex concepts.
Now, the Sooners will be without one of their best defensive players, safety Billy Bowman, who has already been ruled out for Saturday. In addition, the team has just four healthy scholarship linebackers available now that Shane Whittier is also out.
Regardless of Kansas' Jalon Daniels' injury status, we trust the experience of backup quarterback Jason Bean, who was a starter at North Texas and also has nine games under his belt with the Jayhawks. Even if Gabriel is active, the Jayhawks should score enough against a decimated Sooners defense.
Mississippi State -6.5 (-110)
Much like the Kansas-Oklahoma game, this matchup will be heavily impacted by quarterback health, namely Kentucky's Will Levis. In Levis' absence last week, the Wildcats totaled less than 300 yards, and their normally potent running attack was bottled up for 3.4 yards per carry. As a result, Kentucky's 14 points were its lowest scoring output since being held to 13 against Georgia last season.
Levis is considered day-to-day, but since he entered the stadium in a walking boot last week, we would not expect much mobility from him if he is active.
We have no such concerns about Mississippi State's Will Rogers. Rogers became the all-time leader in completions in the history of the SEC, passing Georgia's Aaron Murray. And, according to ESPN Stats & Info, Rogers needed just 28 games to break the record, while Murray took 52 games to set it.
The Bulldogs are one of five SEC teams averaging more than 38 points per game, so look for their offense to be too much for Kentucky to keep up with.
Minnesota-Illinois Under 39.5 (-105)
Illinois also has a quarterback injury to deal with. Tommy DeVito missed much of the team's 9-6 victory over Iowa with a lower-leg injury. In his place, Arthur Sitkowski averaged just 3.9 YPA and finished with a QBR of 28.3. Sitkowski's top receiving target, Isaiah Williams, also left last week's game with a concussion. Williams' 38 receptions are more than double all Illini receivers not named Brian Hightower (22 receptions).
On Minnesota's side, Mohamed Ibrahim still ranks fifth in the conference in rushing despite not playing since Sept. 24. However, though head coach P.J. Fleck expects him to be active after sitting out with an ankle injury, he should not be 100%.
Those injuries play right into the hands of two talented defenses that each rank in the top seven of the DFEI (Defense Fremeau Efficiency Index) ratings, according to Football Outsiders.
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College football parlay picks made 10/12/2022 at 5:55 a.m. ET.
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