Biggest spread miscalculations from Week 7 in college football

It was a rough college football slate in Week 7 for oddsmakers, with nine games ending up off by over 30-point differentials from their pre-game odds. Major upsets like Northwestern over Penn State and Pittsburgh over Florida State don’t even make the Top 10 this week.

UTSA 61, Rice 13

It was an unwelcome visit to the Alamodome for the Rice Owls, who fell to a game below .500 after getting stomped by in-state rival UTSA on Saturday. Although the Roadrunners were the favorite going into the game, Vegas did not see a mismatch of this caliber. UTSA jumped on Rice early and posted 61 points in less than three quarters before calling off the dogs. Despite having dynamite running back Robert Henry Jr. suited up, it was the defense that accounted for most of the third quarter points for UTSA, with two touchdowns and a safety.

Gametime odds: UTSA -9.5

Difference: 38.5 points

Marshall 48, Old Dominion 24

One does not simply walk into Huntington, West Virginia and expect the Marshall Thundering Herd to lay down for them. Old Dominion found that out the hard way on Saturday, losing only their second game of the season to their Sun Belt Conference foe. After trading first quarter touchdowns, Marshall broke the game open in the second and third quarters, scoring a total of 34 points over those two frames. Syracuse transfer Carlos Del Rio-Wilson accounted for four of those scores, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more.

Gametime odds: Marshall +14.5

Difference: 38.5 points

Kent State 42, UMass 6

Kent State has been on the wrong side of some blowouts already this year, but it was the Golden Flashes that were dealing despair on Saturday. There was just one combined win coming into Saturday’s contest between these two schools, and none against FBS competition. While the expectations were not high for an expertly-played contest, it was expected to be a competitive football game. UMass, however, remains winless on the year after this trip to Ohio.

Gametime odds: Kent State -1.5

Difference: 34.5 points

Colorado State 49, Fresno State 21

Fresno State had trouble adjusting to the elevation at Sonny Lubick Field in Fort Collins Friday night, spotting their hosts 21 points in the first quarter that they were never able to recover from. The Bulldogs outgained Colorado State 469-334 on offense, including 350 passing yards from senior quarterback E.J. Warner, but Colorado State got three rushing touchdowns from three different backs, two of which came in the fourth quarter to seal the win for a Rams’ team that was considered an underdog to start the day.

Gametime odds: Colorado State +5.5

Difference: 33.5 points

UCLA 38, Michigan State 13

Tim Skipper is now 2-1 as UCLA head coach after taking over for DeShaun Foster midway through the 2025 season. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tim Skipper train keeps rolling out disappointment for Big Ten foes to start this new era for UCLA football. Whether Skipper’s interim tag is ever removed, or if the Bruins hire a different coach following DeShaun Foster’s dismissal, Skipper and new UCLA offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel are certainly bolstering their resumes with back-to-back wins over Penn State and Michigan State. Meanwhile, the Spartans have now lost three straight games after starting the season 3-0.

Gametime odds: UCLA +7.5

Difference: 32.5 points

Western Michigan 42, Ball State 0

One of Michigan State’s early wins was against Western Michigan in both schools’ season-openers, but the Broncos have bounced back nicely and are now on a four-game winning streak. That includes a perfect 3-0 mark and first place in the Mid-American Conference after Saturday’s blowout of Ball State at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo. Western Michigan’s defense held the Cardinals to just 88 total yards of offense across four quarters, forcing two turnovers and recording five sacks.

Gametime odds: Western Michigan -9.5

Difference: 32.5 points

Kennesaw State 35, Louisiana Tech 7

In just its second season at the FBS level, Kennesaw State is starting to find its way. The Owls improved to 4-2 on the season after hammering a Louisiana Tech team whose only previous loss had come against a Top 10 LSU team in Week 2. The Bulldogs were a 4.5-point favorite on the road against Kennesaw State and jumped out to a 7-0 first quarter lead, but that was all the scoring the Owls would allow on the day. Kennesaw State scored the next 35 straight points including four passing touchdowns from senior quarterback Dexter Williams II.

Gametime odds: Kennesaw State +4.5

Difference: 32.5 points

Iowa 37, Wisconsin 0

The Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin may be coming to an end after another embarrassing loss for the Badgers this past Saturday. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Luke Fickell era in Madison is not looking any brighter after Iowa handed Wisconsin its lunch, keeping the Heartland Trophy in Iowa City for another year. That makes it four straight wins for the Hawkeyes over the Badgers in this Big Ten rivalry game, including a 79-10 differential over the past two games. While Fickell deals with a quickly-warming seat, Iowa is quietly building a really nice resume. Their only losses came to ranked Indiana and Iowa State teams by just a combined eight points.

Gametime odds: Iowa -5.5

Difference: 31.5 points

Mississippi 24, Washington State 21

There was nothing on Washington State’s resume that suggested the Cougars were going to go down to Oxford and give No. 4 ranked Ole Miss much of a test this past Saturday. That was why the Rebels were 33.5-point favorites to start the game. Washington State quickly flipped the script, however, taking an early 7-0 lead, then reassuming a 14-10 advantage early in the third quarter. The Cougars got the ball back with just over a minute left in regulation with a chance to tie or take the lead, but could not pull off the upset.

Gametime odds: Ole Miss -33.5

Difference: 30.5 points

South Florida 63, North Texas 36

One of Washington State’s losses was an ugly 59-10 beating at the hands of North Texas back in Week 3. The Mean Green had been undefeated at 5-0 coming into an American Athletic Conference showdown with 5-1 South Florida on Friday. The Bulls were the early season darlings of college football after beating Florida and a ranked Boise State team in back-to-back games. Following a 49-12 loss to No. 2 Miami, South Florida has now posted three straight wins, including this one to give North Texas its first loss of the season.

Gametime odds: USF +2.5

Difference: 29.5 points

South Florida's Jonathan Echols quiets the crowd during the Bulls' upset of an undefeated North Texas team Friday. — South Florida tight end Jonathan Echols makes sure the college football world knows the Bulls are still making trouble for opponents in this 2025 season. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

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