Ultimate viewers guide to college football Week 7: what to watch, when, and where

With the season now in the thick of conference play, big-time college football games proliferate the weekend slate. Here's a rundown on the must watch action of Week 7, again broken down for the recliner warriors looking to spend Saturday glued to the screen or the casual fan searching for one big game to tune in.

An early kickoff

There's even an interesting Friday game with No. 24 South Florida going to 5-0 North Texas. That's a 7:30 Eastern (all other times referenced will be Eastern) kickoff on ESPN2. Rutgers and Washington will battle at 9 PM on FS1 as well.

Early Saturday action

Two of the biggest games of the day go head-to-head at noon Eastern. Slight edge to No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri, which is on ABC. The 5-0 Tigers are a genuinely daunting opponent and this could be Ahmad Hardy's Heisman breakout moment... or a big win for the Tide. Only slightly less intriguing is the noon FOX kickoff, which is No. 1 Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois. The Buckeyes are a much heftier favorite, presumably based on Illinois being previously blasted by Indiana. But both are good matchups, albeit with OSU leaving a little more flip-around potential.

One flip-over option could be No. 4 Ole Miss's game with Washington State. That's a 12:45 kickoff on the SEC Network and a quarter or so will probably be enough to see the Rebel attack take care of the Cougars.

Afternoon highlights

John Mateer's potential return from injury in the Red River Shootout is another big afternoon game. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The two other epics of the day go head-to-head at 3:30. CBS has No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon, which offers a potential B1G title game or CFP preview with two of the three top Big Ten contenders battling it out. The Red River Shootout, No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas, is on ABC at the same time. The potential return of John Mateer for the Sooners ups the intrigue factor on this one.

There are a couple of lower-prestige options in the 3:30 window that could be intriguing. No. 22 Iowa State goes to Colorado on ESPN and a pair of 4-1 Big Ten teams face off as Nebraska goes to Maryland on the Big Ten Network.

Arkansas at No. 12 Tennessee kick off at 4:15 on SEC Network as a possible switch-over game from the afternoon action. Bobby Petrino calling plays could make this one a little wilder than anticipated. A late switch-over alternative is Florida at No. 5 Texas A&M at 7:00 on ESPN.

The evening games and the late games

The late slate isn't as strong as the afternoon, but No. 15 Michigan plays at USC at 7:30 on NBC in a battle of a pair of 4-1 Big Ten teams with CFP aspirations. The SEC matchup at that hour is No. 10 Georgia at Auburn on ABC. A potential 0-3 start in SEC could lead to a coaching change at Auburn.

There are a couple of slightly later starts worth keeping an eye on. South Carolina goes to No. 11 LSU in a 7:45 game on SEC Network and No. 18 BYU goes to 4-1 Arizona at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

The late, late show is No. 21 Arizona State facing Utah, with a pair of 4-1 Big 12 teams battling at 10:15 on ESPN. And football is always better with a truly late game. It's an 11:59 kickoff for Utah State at Hawaii, for those who just can't get enough football.

The game to see

Slight edge to Alabama/Missouri off competitiveness factors, but it's a close run with Oregon/Indiana in the afternoon slot (or the Red River Shootout for the hardcore SEC viewers). The good news is that both are easy to catch.

Underrated game of the week

That Florida/Texas A&M battle could end up being interesting. When Florida wakes up, the Gators can be dangerous and a potential CFP slot could be on the line for the Aggies. It's at least worth a half-hour lookover ahead of the later games.