Entering week seven of the college football season, multiple squads are in position to make some headway up the Big Ten Conference standings. In the first highlighted matchup of this breakdown, the Washington Huskies travel to Iowa for a showdown with the blue-collar Hawkeyes. The Huskies are coming off a fantastic drubbing of Michigan, 27-17, at home while Iowa is looking to shake off a tough loss at the hands of Ohio State, 35-7. In the other big game of the day, the Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Los Angeles for a showdown with USC at the Coliseum. Both squads are in a fantastic spot to perhaps make a run up the Big Ten rankings and in the case of USC, rebound from a tough loss and get some mid-season momentum.
In this report, SBS will explore what to look for from each of these teams, along with a predicted matchup winner in both contests and even more notes about college football wagering and more.
| NCAA Football Week Seven Games | The Pick |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington at Iowa | Washington ML | +130 | +130 | +130 |
| Penn State at USC | Penn State ML | -215 | -215 | -215 |
Team Spotlight: Washington Huskies
In a huge matchup, Washington knocked off Michigan in a rematch of last year’s national championship. In the contest, Huskies quarterback Will Rogers had an outstanding game with 271 passing yards and two scores. Additionally, running back Jonah Coleman notched 80 rushing yards to go along with a score on the ground against the Wolverines. Rogers has been excellent this season passing the football, notching 1,625 passing yards to go along with 12 scores to date. Meanwhile, receiver Denzel Boston has been a great target for the Huskies, pulling in 35 receptions for 492 yards. Washington’s only losses this year have been at home against Washington State and on the road at Rutgers.
Team Spotlight: Iowa Hawkeyes
Noted above, Iowa is coming off a blistering loss at the hands of Ohio State, 35-7 this past weekend. This season, the Hawkeyes have looked strong at times, scoring impressive wins over Minnesota on the road, Illinois State (a 40-point shutout), and also Troy (double-digits). If quarterback Cade McNamara can put together some consistent drives, then he should have Iowa rolling. The former Michigan starter and Damonte Ranch (Reno, Nev.) product will be critical to helping the Hawkeyes score the victory at home. His backfield mate, running back, Kaleb Johnson has had a strong year to date with nine rushing scores on the season. Of course, Iowa is typically known for a strong defense and special teams so if this game is low-scoring, advantage the Hawkeyes.
An excellent contest, the Huskies have the narrow edge here given their amazing upset victory over Michigan this past week showing their true ceiling. If they can avoid mistakes, they should be able to upend the Hawkeyes.
Team Spotlight: Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State enters this contest as a top-five team in the country with a perfect record of 5-0. Led by a fantastic passer in quarterback Drew Allar (1101 yards and nine scores), the Nittany Lions have certainly been impressive this season. They are most recently coming off a slow, but methodical dismantling of UCLA at home, 27-11. Running back Nicholas Singleton has been very efficient on the ground, running for 408 yards to go along with three rushing scores. While Penn State is perfect, this could be their toughest contest yet as they take on the battle-tested Trojans on the road.
Team Spotlight: USC Trojans
Coming into this game, USC has had some narrow defeats and is most recently coming off a loss at Minnesota, 24-17. Having played one of the more difficult early season schedules to date, the Trojans also fell at Michigan, 27-24, in a classic battle. That said, they were able to knock off LSU 27-20 to kick off the season and have looked very sharp at times with an unblemished record at home. Quarterback Miller Moss has looked the best at times of any signal-caller on this list with nearly 1,400 passing yards in five games and nine passing scores.
This game could go down to the wire, but the Nittany Lions have the slight edge again given their high ceiling and consistent level of play. Let’s see if they are rattled by the bright lights of Southern California.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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