Week 7 of the college football season is right around the corner, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best weeks yet. We’ve got some great games all day long, but a few in the early window really stand out.

No. 4 Ohio State hits the road to face No. 5 Indiana, No. 16 Mississippi State travels to Baton Rouge to face No. 22 LSU in a must-win game for both squads, an explosive Florida offense travels to Texas as the Longhorns try to rebound after a tough loss to Oklahoma, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Today, we’re going to go through some of those early morning matchups and predict which teams will come out on top.

(4) Ohio State at (5) Indiana

One of my least favorite things about the Big 10 is Big Noon Kickoff. Why does the biggest game of the week have to be played at 12 pm ET? Do what the SEC does and put your big ranked matchups under the lights. But I don’t make these decisions, and I guess they don’t want to have to compete with the SEC for views.

We’re getting a top-five matchup to kick off our Saturday morning, and it should be a good one. Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Co. will travel to Bloomington, Indiana to face the reigning national champions, who, despite boasting a top-five ranking, haven’t always looked the part. The Hoosiers still have an elite defense, and Josh Hoover has 17 touchdowns to zero picks, but they hardly beat Northwestern and had to claw their way back to beat Nebraska this past weekend. Meanwhile, Ohio State has dominated everyone outside of Texas, and if it weren’t for one bad quarter, they’d be the No. 1 team in the country right now.

I think Ohio State marches into Bloomington and beats Indiana by double digits. And if it’s not double digits, it’s because Indiana gets a late score to make it seem closer than it really is.

Final Score: Ohio State 31, Indiana 20

(16) Mississippi State at (22) LSU

The LSU Tigers are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Kentucky, but now they return to Death Valley in a must-win game against No. 16 Mississippi State. This game was shaping up to be very, very interesting, but it looks like Mississippi State’s star quarterback Kamario Taylor could miss the game with a foot/ankle injury.

Vegas currently has LSU at -15.5, which suggests Taylor is unlikely to play. There’s still a chance; he hasn’t been ruled out yet, but if Vegas feels comfortable putting out a line that big, it’s because they feel very confident Taylor won’t play. And if he does, they think he won’t be close to 100 percent.

If Taylor plays, this game could be close, but I think LSU takes it pretty easily if he’s out. The Tigers have been excellent on defense most of the season, so I trust them to shut down a backup QB at home.

Final Score: LSU 34, Mississippi State 17

Florida at (7) Texas

Three weeks ago, people were comparing this Florida team to 2019 LSU just because they knocked off Ole Miss coming off the biggest game in their program’s history. Two weeks later, they’ve dropped back-to-back games to Missouri and South Carolina, neither of which were close, and now have to travel to face No. 7 Texas, who is coming off a big loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry.

The Gators are successful when they can run the ball down their opponent’s throats. That’s why they beat Ole Miss, who has the 104th-ranked rushing defense in football. Missouri and South Carolina, who have held them under 20 points the last two games, have the 6th- and 34th-ranked rushing defenses in the country.

I got bad news for Florida fans. Texas ranks 17th in rushing yards allowed per game. If Florida can’t get the ball moving on the ground, they don’t have a shot at winning this.

Final Score: Texas 29, Florida 14

UVA at (24) SMU

UVA came into the season with high expectations. After a 34-8 win over N.C. State in the season opener, they jumped into the top-25 and were expected to be contenders in the ACC, but have dropped games to West Virginia and Florida State, so they’re currently sitting at 4-2 with a road trip to No. 24 SMU coming up tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the Mustangs’ only loss of the season has come at the hands of Louisville. They’re 4-1, are coming off a bye and get to play at home. This game should be fairly close, but it feels like SMU gets it done.

Final Score: SMU 27, UVA 21

Florida Atlantic at Army

Florida Atlantic will travel to West Point to face a tricky Army team in an American conference showdown. FAU are 4-1 through their first five games and are 4-0 since their season-opening loss to Florida. Meanwhile, Army is 3-2, but just took down Tulane, 20-17.

FAU has a pretty high-powered offense, scoring 35+ in three games since their Week 1 loss to Florida, and defensively, they haven’t allowed more than 17 in three weeks. The Army’s offense isn’t as explosive, but their under-center, triple-option game plan makes it difficult for opponents to game-plan against them.

This should be a tight game, but I’m giving the edge to the FAU, who enter as 2.5-point dogs.

Final Score: FAU 23, Army 20

Georgia State at James Madison

The Georgia State Panthers are off to a strong start this season. Through five games, they’re 4-1 and coming off a 32-point win, but now they run into the juggernaut that is JMU, and they have to go on the road to face them. That’s not an easy task.

JMU is 6-0 to start the year with an average point differential of 26.7 points. They aren’t just beating their opponents; they’re dominating them, and they’ve been doing that ever since they jumped up to the FCS level.

Georgia State has a small chance of pulling off the upset, but I’m not betting on them to win this game.

Final Score: JMU 36, Georgia State 28

Charleston Southern at Clemson

Clemson hasn’t been great this year, and it could spell the end of Dabo Swinney’s time with the Tigers, but this is a game they should win handily. Charleston Southern is 3-3, and they haven’t faced a team close to Clemson’s talent level. Easy win for Clemson.

Final Score: Clemson 55, Charleston Southern 10

Citadel at Texas A&M

It feels like SEC teams play their cupcake games early in the season or in November, so it’s a bit strange to see one scheduled in October, but that’s what’s happening here. Texas A&M will host the Citadel in a game that shouldn’t be remotely close, even with the Aggies’ struggles.

Final Score: Texas A&M 50, Citadel 7