College Football Week 7 Upset Predictions

Can Fresno State knock off Boise State this Saturday?

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<p> College Football Week 7 Upset Predictions</p>

College football's week 7 slate features a handful of games with upset potential. Athlon's editors predict Boise State will fall to Fresno State, while Wisconsin will score a key victory on the road against Purdue. It's never easy predicting which upsets will happen each week, but keep an eye on these games this Saturday:

College Football's Week 7 Upset Picks

Dave Bartoo (@CFBMatrix [15]), CFBMatrix.com [16], Oregon State Beavers +6 at BYU
When I picked this game in March in favor of the Beavers I saw this as a very clear pick as they have a significant talent and coaching advantage in the Matrix charts. In my opinion, the Beavers should be the favorites. For those that want more details keep the following in mind: BYU has not played anyone this year near the OSU talent levels. BYU is struggling to score against inferior teams. Their #1 and #2 QBs are hurt or out. Oregon State is a run first, defensive minded team. While the loss of their starting QB takes away a dimension, it is my opinion that is the third most important one for Beaver team. Better coaching, better talent = Week 7 Upset Alert

David Fox (@DavidFox615 [17]): Temple (+5.5) over Connecticut
I didn’t think Temple could be all that competitive in the Big East in its first season in its second stint in the league. The win over USF didn’t totally change that outlook, but I still like this matchup with Connecticut. The Huskies’ defense hasn’t been the same in the last three games since defensive end Jesse Joseph was lost for the season. UConn’s run defense has been vulnerable the last two weeks, which creates an interesting matchup against Montel Harris, who had his breakout game of the season last week. And with UConn’s sputtering offense, Temple won’t need much on offense to score the upset.

Braden Gall (@BradenGall [18]): Wisconsin (+3) at Purdue
The de facto Leaders Division championship game will take place in West Lafayette this weekend (Get excited!). And a field goal point spread doesn't exactly scream upset, but Wisconsin feels like the better team. Joel Stave has stabilized the quarterback position and the ground game is starting to show signs of life behind Montee Ball. After the Boilermakers got torched on the ground by Denard Robinson last week (235 yards rushing), Danny Hope's squad faces another physical test this weekend against the thick and burly Badger warriors. I'll take UW to outscore the Steamers with a trip to Indianapolis on the line in Ross-Ade Stadium.

Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven [19]): Fresno State (+7) at Boise State
Winning at Boise State has been nearly impossible for the visiting team. The Broncos are 76-3 at home since 2000 and have defeated Fresno State by a combined score of 108-7 in the last two meetings. The Bulldogs’ last victory in Boise came in 1984, but I think that streak ends on Saturday. Boise State had a ton of talent to replace coming into this season and has been unimpressive in wins over New Mexico and BYU. The Broncos demolished Southern Miss last week, but the Golden Eagles are a disaster right now. New coach Tim DeRuyter has brought some much-needed energy to Fresno State, and the defense has shown significant improvement since last season. The Bulldogs have two of the nation’s most underrated offensive players in quarterback Derek Carr and running back Robbie Rouse. Boise State’s defense is allowing 182.4 rushing yards per game and even though it’s a new season, this secondary was vulnerable to big plays last year. The Broncos will get better as the season goes along, but this is a very winnable game for Fresno State. I never doubt Boise State on the blue turf, but the Bulldogs are the better team right now.

Mitch Light (@AthlonMitch [20]): Oregon State (+4) at BYU
Oregon State received a dose of bad news early this week when starting quarterback Sean Mannion was ruled out indefinitely after hurting his knee in the Beavers’ win over Washington State last week. The next man up is junior Cody Vaz, who hasn’t thrown a pass since his redshirt freshman season in 2010. With the inexperienced Vaz taking snaps, expect to see the Beavers lean on tailbacks Storm Woods and Marcus Agnew. That sounds like a solid plan … until you realize that BYU is ranked No. 1 in the nation against the run. The schedule hasn’t been too difficult, but the Cougars are only allowing 59.6 yards per game and 1.93 yards per rush through six games. Boise State (116 yards) and Weber State (115 yards) are the only two teams that have rushed for more than 100 yards on Bronco Mendenhall’s team. That won’t be the case after the Beavers take care of business in Provo this weekend. Oregon State 24, BYU 14

Mark Ross: UTSA (+3) over Rice
Pop quiz — what do Ohio State and UTSA (Texas-San Antonio) have in common? The answer is both teams are undefeated and won't be playing in a bowl game this season. Actually, the Roadrunners have a chance, albeit very slim, at going to the postseason, although they will need a lot of help to get there. Regardless, the same can't be said for the banned Buckeyes. However, there's no debate regarding which team is getting more attention, as very few college football observers are paying attention to Larry Coker's squad, which has won its first five games and has out-scored opponents 189-78. Even though they won't be a full-fledged FBS member until 2014, the Roadrunners have already beaten two FBS schools (South Alabama and New Mexico State) and still have four WAC games remaining. Before that, however, is Saturday's trip to Houston to take on Rice, a C-USA school whose only victory so far is a one-point win over a Kansas team that also has only one victory (and that came against a FCS school). The Owls are ranked 117th in the nation in total defense, 114th in scoring defense and they are coming off of a deflating 14-10 loss to Memphis last week. UTSA has done a much better job on defense (allowing less than 270 yards, 16 points per game) and has a balanced offensive attack that's averaging more than 400 yards per game. UTSA may be the new kids on the block in the FBS, but they are going to treat Rice just like Wile E. Coyote from "Looney Tunes." Meep Meep!

Patrick Snow (@AthlonSnowman [21]): Iowa State (+6.5) over Kansas State
Bill Snyder’s club has played excellent football this season, with Heisman contender Collin Klein leading the Wildcats to a perfect 5-0 start. However the Cyclones are known for upsets at Jack Trice Stadium, and KSU may be ripe for a surprise with next week’s showdown at West Virginia looming. ISU has played solid defense this season, but the challenge of stopping Klein and the K-State running attack will be a tough one. The Cyclones offense got a lift from quarterback Jared Barnett against TCU, as the sophomore threw three touchdown passes in the 37-23 victory. I’ll take Iowa State to rally around the home crowd and shock the undefeated Wildcats, 27-24.