College Football Week 7 Opening Lines, Odds & Best Bets: Fireworks in Houston

After a chaotic Week 6 in college football, we’re on to a massive Week 7 with ample headline matchups. Maybe matchups like Texas vs. Florida and Nebraska vs. Oregon lost some of their lure due to losses in Week 6, but there’s still plenty to be excited about like Ohio State vs. Indiana, Missouri vs. Ole Miss, Notre Dame vs. BYU and Oklahoma State vs. Houston. 

Believe it or not, we’re at the halfway point of the college football regular season. By now, we have a solid understanding of what most teams are and what their ceiling is, which means the market is becoming sharper and sharper. When that happens, finding key numbers and odds becomes increasingly critical to sustain profitably. With that said, it’s time to analyze the early lines and odds for Week 7 of college football and find ourselves another best bet after a no-sweat winner on the Iowa Hawkeyes last week. Don’t forget to check our CFB predictions for tips and picks on every FBS matchup this season.

2026 College Football Week 7 Early Lines and Odds

Odds courtesy of bet365 and available at the time of publishing.

Tuesday, October 13

• Delaware -2.5 (-113) @ Middle Tennessee; Total 48.5 (Under -112)
• Jacksonville State -3 (-108) vs FIU; Total 43.5 (Under -111)

Wednesday, October 14

• Kennesaw State -3 (-118) @ Missouri State; Total 51.5 (Under -115)
• Western Kentucky -1.5 (-112) @ Sam Houston State; Total 51.5 (Over -114)

Thursday, October 15

• East Carolina -4.5 (-110) @ UAB; Total 49.5 (Under -112)
• Georgia Southern -3.5 (-112) @ Old Dominion; Total 47.5 (Under -113)
• Texas State -13.5 (-109) vs Colorado State; Total 68.5 (Under -112)

Friday, October 16

• Memphis -6.5 (-117) @ Tulane; Total 53.5 (-110)
• App State -1 (-112) @ Coastal Carolina; Total 51.5 (-113)
• Purdue -3 (-114) vs Washington; Total 52.5 (-110)

Saturday, October 17

• West Virginia -1.5 (-110) vs Cincinnati; Total 63.5 (-110)
• Texas -10 (-108) vs Florida; Total 52.5 (Over -112)
• Army -2.5 (-114) vs FAU; Total 55.5 (-110)
• James Madison -11.5 (-112) vs Georgia State; Total 58.5 (Under -115)
• Kansas State -6.5 (-106) vs Kansas; Total 55.5 (Over -111)
• LSU -11.5 (-107) vs Mississippi State; Total 58.5 (Over -112)
• Northwestern -8.5 (-108) @ Michigan State; Total 48.5 (Over -113)
• Ohio State -3.5 (-112) @ Indiana; Total 51.5 (Over -114)
• SMU -8.5 (-110) vs Virginia; Total 52.5 (Over -112)
• Alabama -7.5 (-110) @ Tennessee; Total 53.5 (Under -112)
• Texas Tech -14 (-109) vs Arizona State; Total 48.5 (Over -113)
• Virginia Tech -9.5 (-112) vs Georgia Tech; Total 55 (Over -113)
• Ole Miss -6 (-108) vs Missouri; Total 59.5 (Over -110)
• Duke -3.5 (-106) vs North Carolina; Total 47.5 (Under -113)
• Michigan -6 (-108) vs Penn State; Total 42.5 (Over -111)
• Toledo -5.5 (-109) @ Eastern Michigan; Total 52.5 (Over -114)
• Vanderbilt -6.5 (-106) vs Arkansas; Total 50.5 (-110)
• Miami -21.5 (-108) vs Florida State; Total 56.5 (-110)
• Baylor -6 (-107) vs TCU; Total 49.5 (Over -111)
• Oklahoma -7 (-105) vs Kentucky; Total 43.5 (Over -113)
• Louisville -13.5 (-109) @ Syracuse; Total 56.5 (-110)
• Notre Dame -10.5 (-108) @ BYU; Total 47.5 (-110)
• Houston -4.5 (-106) vs Oklahoma State; Total 61.5 (Over -112)
• UCLA -3.5 (-103) vs Wisconsin; Total 46.5 (Under -111)
• Oregon -7 (-109) vs Nebraska; Total 52.5 (Under -112)

CFB Week 7 Early Best Bet: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Houston Cougars over 61 (-110)

Odds available at Fanatics Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Playable to 63.5 (-110). 

Despite being a ranked matchup, this game may fly under the radar relative to the other games on the schedule, but it shouldn’t. This game could go a long way in deciding who plays for a Big 12 conference championship, and I’m expecting fireworks that keep the scoreboard operators busy.

Originally, I leaned to Houston, but then I realized the Cougars haven’t seen many pure passers to the ilk of Drew Mestemaker. He’s the best-graded deep passer in the conference per PFF, which could be difficult for Houston to contain. The Coogs rank 84th in PPA per pass, 69th in pass success and 93rd in pass explosiveness outside of garbage time, and Mestemaker has led the Pokes to a least 39 points in every game except Week 1 – that includes road wins at Oregon and West Virginia. Conversely, Houston is outside the top 80 in third-down conversion rate and passing downs PPA allowed (CollegeFootballData), so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Cowboys extend multiple drives that lead to scoring opportunities. Oh, and the Cowboys love to play fast given their top-25 mark in seconds per play – that always helps an over. 

The Coogs should comfortably move the ball, too. Behind QB Conner Weigman, Houston is top-12 in PPA per play and success rate, while they’re elite on standard downs and third downs. That combination leads to long drives and ample scoring opportunities, which Houston typically cashes in on. 

Oklahoma State and Houston both rank top-15 in total scoring opportunities outside of garbage time. Moreover, both offenses are top-10 in red-zone attempts, while Houston has the second-most red-zone touchdowns in the country and has come away with points in any fashion in 30 of their 35 attempts. Oklahoma State hasn’t been as efficient at finding the end zone once they are deep in opposing territory, but they’ve put points on the board 25 of their 29 red-zone attempts. I expect both of these scoring trends to continue against these defenses, as the Cowboys and Cougars have collectively surrendered touchdowns on 20 of their opposition’s 28 red-zone possessions.