Week 6 sang to the rankings to ‘You Spin Me Round’ and then cranked the dial to eleven, as Oklahoma stunned No. 1 Texas 27–24 and Georgia slipped past Alabama 20–17 in Tuscaloosa. Kentucky edged LSU 35–34, UCLA knocked off Oregon 17–15, and by Sunday the Top 25 looked like somebody had shuffled it with oven mitts on. Now Week 7 serves up Ohio State–Indiana, Alabama–Tennessee, Missouri–Ole Miss, and a Florida State–Miami grudge match with enough heat to fry catfish on the hood of a 1976 Camaro. Buckle up—the season has reached the point where every contender has a résumé, every fan has a theory, and ZT is still trying to locate the receipt for last week’s predictions.
Pigskin Prognostication Accountability Update: Well….on Sunday Morning, ZT recalled a past sermon from the Padre on the dangers of Pride. At 2-7 in week 6 and recalling his “strutting gorilla” giphy by being in the lead (and ZT, only by 1 game!! ) for 2 weeks, it was time for deep reflection. ZT sat in Bulldog dung wearing a ref’s jersey this week as part of his penance. Humbly looking to a better week. Padre 40-23 ZT 39 – 24 for the 2026 season.
The Padre, much to the excitement of the readers, is back in the lead!!
CFB PICKS – WEEK 7
It took my Gators two weeks to go from unranked to #8…and then two weeks to go from #8 back to unranked. That kind of rise and fall is something even very recently former White House Press Secretary Kate Zacharia can admire.
HONEST CONFESSION: As I write this, I have been so disconnected that I have no earthly idea what Kate Zacharia sounded like or why she was let go. And, to be honest, watching the last two weeks of football makes me wonder if I should have done the same with my Gators.
So, with that in mind, let’s get my Gators out of the way — so I can rip the Band-Aid off immediately. Here we go…
Florida at Texas: Oh no. I ripped off that Band-Aid, and the wound is still gross. And oh no again — an angry, desperate Texas team just poured salt into it. Ouch. Please, just get this misery over with! The last time Texas hosted my Gators, it ended in a 49-17 beatdown on national TV. I may need to avert my eyes for this version of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I hope I am wrong, but I confidently fear I am right. Texas 50, Florida 16.
Mississippi State @ LSU Tigers: The brilliant minds at ESPN decided it would be a good idea to have Florida/Texas and Miss. St./LSU on at the same time as IU/Ohio State (which is on Fox). And the great game conflicts get worse at the 3:30 slot! I guess this is why God invented that multi-watch thing on YouTube TV. As for the game, Miss St is a fun story, but Lane and LSU are now desperate…and a desperate Kiffin and Tigers team may be more dangerous than former Miss St HC Jackie Sherrill around a bull or former Bama HC Mike Price in my hometown of Pensacola. (And if you are my age or older, you know what I am referring to. If you don’t know, then research it…but with both, for very different reasons, you may need to be careful what images you get on Google!). Angry Lane Train-41, Miss. St.-17.
Alabama @ Tennessee: Well, something happened last week that I NEVER EVER thought I would hear from football fans outside Tuscaloosa or Tuscaloosa-adjacent: “Bama got hosed!” Yes, I heard that over and over and over and over and over again this last week. And this was from people who cursed Bama’s existence for years! My thoughts? (1) It’s true. It was a horrible missed call. (2) I have no idea if Bama wins that game, but they have a real shot if it is called correctly. (3) I think Georgia is the best team in the country. (4) I also thought Peyton Manning and Steph Curry wouldn’t make it in the NFL/NBA — so I hope #3 is as inaccurate as my prediction on those two legends. Anyway, NONE OF THAT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS GAME. Back to this game. Simply put, I think Bama is better and now, like Kiffin, desperate. Neyland Stadium helps some, but the Tide still roll. Bama-30, Tennessee-20.
Auburn @ Georgia: By Saturday night, “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” will have become “The Deep-Fried Tiger Dinner” on the menu at whatever bar-type place Georgia students go to in Athens. (I wouldn’t know….I don’t like Georgia.) Georgia-37, Auburn-13.
Missouri @ Ole Miss: If we’re doing the whole “transitive property” thing, that “Team A beat Team B, who beat Team C” thing (Florida is “B” in this scenario), then obviously Mizzou is going to whip the Rebs in Oxford. But nobody told me there would be math. I am more of the philosophical type. So I’ll take the Rebs. Ole Miss-27, Mizzou-26.
Florida State @ Miami: To show my age, I remember when Deana Carter’s then new song went, 🎶 “I still remember, when 30 was old.” 🎶 Well, the same is true for this game. I still remember when FSU-Miami was THE game of all games…and now I am really old, and 30 seems like a baby. Personally, I wish both schools would disappear through global warming or whatever. (Too much from a pastor? I promise it’s just a Gator joke 😇 — and I am not Shane Gillis 🤣.) But I do remember those great games. Man, they had some battles! But, man again, Miami is MUCH better in 2026. The Canes are in Category 5 Hurricane Mode, while FSU is in Tropical Depression Mode. Canes-44, FSU-17.
Kentucky @ Oklahoma: OU is riding high after a massive upset of Texas. Kentucky is riding high after two straight “go for two” classics. Something has to give…and I think this week, it is Kentucky. OU’s defense stops UK on a late fourth down, robbing us all of another “go for two” ending. Darn you, you fake-SEC Sooners! OU-27, UK-20.
Notre Dame @ BYU: Ah, the rare Notre Dame game ABC has that forces all the other games to be on at the same time. Forget “Catholics vs. Mormons.” This is “Notre Dame annoying all of college football!”….wait, that’s every single year. Well, they may annoy us all, but their campus is beautiful, and their team is better than BYU. Irish-33, BYU-23.
Oklahoma State @ Houston: (Bad Dad Joke Warning) I can be a man of many words….but not with this game. I know about as much about these teams as I know about Mr. Walter Mascorder. And I know nothing about him, and neither do you, because I just made him up. I’ll take the team that upset Oregon for the mild upset here. That’s all I know! Okie St-37, Houston-31.
Ohio State Buckeyes @ Indiana: During my last sermon, I spoke about how we all love the underdog….until they take down Goliath and hoist that trophy (I won’t remind the reader what David actually held up after he won…let’s just say it wasn’t a bronze trophy bought in a shop). Then they lift that trophy and remind you they’re #1, while your team hasn’t won it all since BlackBerry was on top of the smartphone world. Thankfully for Indiana, everybody outside Ohio hates the Buckeyes! Unfortunately for Indiana, Ohio State’s football team couldn’t care less what we “haters” think. They’re rich, and their “student-athletes” are now rich as well. Therefore, I will take the Buckeyes. Ohio State-27, Indiana-23.
That will do it for me and what I now call “The Two Decade Florida Re-Building Project Team”.
Gator
ZT consumed more foods with antioxidants this week. Believes he has consumed more Blueberries than Veruca Salt ( the character not the band! ) did in Wonka’s factory. All in an effort to get his brain cleared for Week 7.
#4 THE Ohio State Buckeyes @ #5 Indiana Hoosiers 11am
Ohio State rolls into Bloomington with more hardware than a Home Depot tool aisle, but Indiana has been proving the naysayers ( like you ZT!! ) for weeks…… Just Google It!! The Hoosiers will hang around longer than a Journey power ballad, but the Buckeyes have too many ways to turn the volume up. Likely will be “Who’s Crying Now” playing at the end. Buckeyes 28 Boo Hoo Hoosiers 27
#16 Mississippi State Bulldogs @ #22 LSU Tigahs 11am
Mississippi State and LSU at 11am feels like serving gumbo before the coffee has finished brewing, but the hitting in this one will wake everybody up. The Bulldogs will bring the cowbells; Death Valley will answer like a stack of subwoofers playing Def Leppard. And somewhere Ed Orgeron is growling “Geaux Tigers” so deep the mud bugs are checking for thunderstorms. Tigahs 31 Bubba Bulldogs 21
Florida Gators @ #7 Texas Longhorns 11am
Florida heads to Austin hoping its offense travels better than potato salad in the July sun and likely without QB Philo. Texas has enough five-star talent to fill a Buc-ees parking lot, and the Longhorn defense should make the Gators work for every yard. Key to this one is which team can recover from unexpected losses in Week 6. ZT liking the Gators on a rebound but reptiles don’t bounce like a kangaroo so… Longhorns 30 Fancy belts for Christmas 20
#6 Bama @ #14 Tennessee Volunteers 230pm
Alabama–Tennessee is the kind of family argument where nobody remembers how it started, but everybody is ready to finish it! Neyland Stadium will be louder than a Lynyrd Skynyrd encore, yet the Tide usually keeps its head on when the mustard bottles start flying. Vols QB MacIntyre had a nice start vs the Hogs & RB DeSean “not the Pope but I am a” Bishop is so solid. Bama 31 Vols 28
Auburn Tigers @ #1 Georgia Bulldogs 230pm
Auburn arrives in Athens looking for answers, while Georgia has been collecting running backs like your grandmother collects Cool Whip bowls. The Tigers may show some fight, but the Dawgs should lean on them until the fourth quarter. It will feel longer than the extended version of “Free Bird.” Bulldogs host the officiating crew from the Bama game for a special halftime presentation. Tigers get a sideline warning during warmups….. Bulldawgs 24 Tiger Eagles 13
#13 Missouri Tigers @ #9 Ole Miss Rebels 230pm
Missouri’s best chance is to shorten the game before Lane Kiffin turns Oxford into a track meet—and before Eli Drinkwitz starts working the officials like a man disputing a Waffle House bill. If Ole Miss grabs an early lead, the Tigers may spend the afternoon chasing points and Hotty Toddy echoes. Upset Special Tigers 28 Rebels without a cause anymore 24
FSU Seminoles @ #3 Miami Hurricane 6:00pm
Florida State and No. 3 Miami renew their Sunshine State grudge match at 6:00, with the Seminoles trying to slow a Hurricanes offense carrying more juice than an Orange Blossom stand. Expect FSU to bring pressure and rivalry-game chaos, but Miami’s depth should take over late—right about the time everyone in South Florida starts blaming the traffic. Seminoles with a bye week coming up may give Norvell time to get packed up as tears are shed back in Tallahassee. Hurricanes 38 Lights Out Again 17
#2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ #8 BYU Cougars 6:30pm
Notre Dame at BYU sounds like a church softball tournament until two enormous offensive lines start moving people like shopping carts in a Walmart parking lot at closing time. Provo at night is sneakier than a raccoon around a fish-fry trash can, but the Irish have enough veteran muscle to survive it. ZT never trusted Provo since Fletch learned that Alan Stanwyk’s wife converted stock to cash to buy a ranch there ( ZT… the movie “Fletch” is 41 years old!!….did you recall this because you just had your prostate checked??? – if you know, you know! ). Upset Special Cougars 24 Pope’s Punks 23
#18 Oklahoma State Cowboys @ #20 Houston Cougars 630pm
For transparency, ZT missed this till Sat AM update…..likely best prognostication for ZT noting he flipped a quarter…. Cougars 35 Cow Pokes 28
#15 Kentucky Wild Cats @ Oklahoma Sooners 6:30pm
Kentucky takes its blue-collar football to Norman, where the Sooners will try to make the Wildcats chase points like a man chasing an ice-cream truck in flip-flops. Will Stein and Bret Venables look like a grandson showing Grandpa how to use the new remote—one keeps pushing buttons while the other swears the old defense worked just fine. This one may be uglier than a brown recliner in a wood-paneled den, but Oklahoma’s home field should be the difference. Sooners 24 Feral Cats 21
Dad Joke: In this political season, I recently took a pole. Found that 100% of the people in the tent were angry when it fell. ( take that Kalshi! )
Dad Joke Football: What’s the difference between a baby and a Notre Dame Fan? The baby will eventually stop whining.
Dad Joke October Bonus: Where does a ghost go on vacation? Mali-Boo
Padre and ZT back next week with more prognostications…Have a great weekend!!!
