Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica’s 2024 College Football Week 7 ‘Bear Bytes’

College football Week 7 is here, and I couldn’t be more pumped. 

This means the next few days will be exciting for fans who love football and for bettors looking for fun ways to wager a few bucks.

I’ve already given you my best bets for Week 7 games, but now it’s time to have a little fun with my “Bear Bytes.”

These little “bytes,” as I call them, are just nuggets that give you some entertaining talking points to pull from as you watch the football festivities with friends and family or banter with your coworkers at the water cooler.

Here are the biggest nuggets that stuck out to me while doing my research.

(All times ET)

SATURDAY, OCT. 12

Washington @ Iowa (noon, FOX and FOX Sports app)

Dating back to 2015, Iowa has won 16 of its last 17 games in which it was favored by a field goal or less. The loss came earlier this year, when the Hawkeyes fell at home to Iowa State as 2.5-point favorites. 

Miami OH @ Eastern Michigan (2 p.m., ESPN+)

In its last 17 games as an underdog, Eastern Michigan is 13-4 against the spread (ATS), with eight outright wins. 

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Dating back to 1988, there have been 13 meetings with a double-digit spread in this rivalry. Underdogs covered 10 of the 13 and won five outright, including 2015, when Texas upset Oklahoma as a 16.5-point ‘dog. That was the last meeting with a spread this high. In the last two weeks, five undefeated top-10 SEC teams have lost. Will Texas add its name to the list on Saturday? Texas has held each of its opponents to 14 points or fewer. In each of its three games against Power Four opponents, Oklahoma has scored exactly two offensive touchdowns. The Sooners rank 117th nationally in offensive EPA and have a Power Four-worst 13 plays of 20-plus yards and 26.5% third-down conversion rate.

No. 4 Penn State @ USC (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Penn State has won 25 straight regular-season games when favored, dating back to a 2021 loss at Michigan State. This, however, will be just the fourth time in the streak that Penn State is less than a TD favorite. Over the last calendar year, since Oct. 12, 2023, SC is 5-7. That’s the same mark as Washington State and TCU. The Trojans are worse than Cal, UNC, Minnesota, Maryland, Virginia and Syracuse (among others).

Arizona @ No. 14 BYU (4 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports app)

BYU is the only team in the country with two wins over teams currently ranked in the AP Poll (No. 18 Kansas State and No. 25 SMU). The Cougars are 5-0 ATS this year, covering by an average of 16.3 points per game. 

Ole Miss @ LSU (7:30 p.m., ABC)

LSU has won seven of its last nine games as a home ‘dog against teams not named Alabama. 

No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 3 Oregon (7:30 p.m., NBC)

This is the first time since 2014, when No. 2 Auburn was a 2.5-point favorite at No. 3 Mississippi State, that a road team was favored in a top-three matchup. Eleven of the last 17 regular-season top-three matchups have been decided by double digits. This snaps a streak of 32 straight games at home in which Oregon was favored. The last time Oregon was a home ‘dog was in 2018. That time, the Ducks beat No. 7 Washington as 3.5-point underdogs. Ohio State has lost its last two and four of its last six games against top-10 opponents. The Buckeyes had been 14-3 in their previous 17 games vs. top-10 opponents. You have to go back to 2008-09 to find the last time Ohio State lost three straight games to top 10 teams. 

Vanderbilt @ Kentucky (7:45 p.m., SEC Network)

Do people understand how close Vandy is from being 5-0? The Commodores allowed a TD with 15 seconds left at Georgia State in a 36-32 loss, then lost in OT to Missouri. 

Syracuse @ NC State (8 p.m., ACC Network)

NC State has been outscored by 64 points in the first half this year. That’s the worst mark for a Power Four team by 11 points (UCLA -53). 

Iowa State @ West Virginia (8 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports app)

In its last 25 games as an underdog vs. a ranked opponent, West Virginia has pulled off one upset. That was in 2021 when it beat No. 22 Iowa State in Morgantown as a 7.5-point dog. Iowa State has a +45 points off TO margin this season, trailing only SMU and Tulane. 

Kansas State @ Colorado (10:15 p.m., ESPN)

This is the first time since 2016 that Colorado has not been an underdog of at least a touchdown against a ranked opponent. That spans a stretch of 24 games vs. ranked opponents. Colorado’s opponents have committed an FBS-high four red zone turnovers this season. 

Looking Ahead

Coming off big upset losses, both Alabama and Tennessee are big favorites ahead of their meeting in Knoxville next week. Illinois is a massive favorite over the worst team in the Big Ten (Purdue) with a home game against Michigan next week. Georgia is a five-TD favorite over the worst team in the SEC (Mississippi State) with a trip to Austin on the slate next week. Louisville, off two one-score losses the last two weeks, is a TD favorite at Virginia, with a home game against undefeated Miami next week. 

Chris “The Bear” Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an “occasional” wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He’s a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, “The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!” Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica.

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