CFB Week 7 Betting Report: ‘Ohio State Has Done A Lot For Bettors Lately’

In the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Indiana was a go-to for the public betting masses.

The Hoosiers were 9-4 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) in 2024. Last year, while going a perfect 16-0 SU and winning the national title, Indiana went 10-6 ATS.

That included a 3-1 ATS mark in the College Football Playoff, with back-to-back blowouts of Alabama and Oregon.

But it doesn’t take much for the public to switch allegiances. 

Indiana is 6-0 SU this season, but just 1-5 ATS, which has the masses going the other way for Saturday’s huge Big Noon Kickoff vs. Ohio State.

“I think it’s results-based. Indiana was covering, and the Over was coming in every week,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. “But bettors are fickle. It’s what have you done for me lately?

“And Ohio State has done a lot for bettors lately.”

Bookmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on that massive matchup, along with Notre Dame vs. BYU and more in college football Week 7 odds.

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No. 5 Indiana got a huge scare last week at Nebraska, trailing 17-6 with 12 minutes remaining. But the Hoosiers put up two touchdowns in the next five minutes, then held on for a 20-17 victory.

Indiana was a 9.5-point favorite and failed to cover for the fifth time in six games.

Meanwhile, No. 4 Ohio State is 5-1 SU and a profitable 4-2 ATS. And the Buckeyes almost got to 5-1 ATS last week, routing Maryland 45-16, just shy of covering the hefty 31.5-point spread.

For Ohio State-Indiana, Caesars Sports opened the Buckeyes as 4-point road favorites, then backtracked to -3.5/-3 in short order on Sunday, with sharp play on Indiana +4. But the line then stabilized at Ohio State -3.5, where it remained on Wednesday night for Saturday’s noon ET kick on FOX.

“Indiana got a little bit of a scare last week. That was maybe a spot where they were looking ahead to this one,” Feazel said. “On the other side, Jeremiah Smith could be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.

“Correlated with all that, it’s been one-way action. We’ve seen mostly Ohio State money come in.”

So far, it’s been one-way action on the Buckeyes ahead of their matchup with the Hoosiers (Getty Images).

Feazel said there could be some interest in Indiana moneyline by game day, especially if the line returns to Buckeyes -4, making the Hoosiers’ moneyline price slightly more attractive than the current +147.

“But we still anticipate more action on the Buckeyes,” he said. “For sure, the need is gonna be Indiana to cover, and probably even to win, with the moneyline parlays going to Ohio State.

“Plus, we’ll need the Under for sure.”

The total toggled between 50.5/51.5 a couple times so far this week, and it was 50.5 on Wednesday night.

Last week, college football betting expert Paul Stone had Houston +2.5 at Kansas State. Stone got there with ease, as the Cougars rolled to a 35-16 outright victory.

In college football Week 7 odds, Stone is already involved with the marquee matchup of Ohio State vs. Indiana. He expects points to be at a premium for the Big Ten showdown.

As such, he recommends Under 51 on the total. Stone pointed to a compelling statistic: Starting with Ohio State’s 14-7 win vs. Texas to open the 2025 season, the Under is 7-0 when the Buckeyes face a ranked opponent.

“Indiana couldn’t consistently run the ball last week at Nebraska. So I don’t see the Hoosiers having much success against Ohio State on the ground,” Stone said. “I think the Hoosiers are ultimately going to have to throw the ball, and I see the Buckeyes forcing Josh Hoover into some costly mistakes.”

No. 2 Notre Dame has been a minimum 21.5-point favorite in every game this season, going 6-0 SU/4-2 ATS. That’s finally not the case this week, but the Fighting Irish are still laying double digits at No. 8 BYU (5-0 SU and ATS)

Caesars opened the Irish as 11.5-point road favorites and quickly went to -10.5. That was due to sharp action on BYU +11.5 on Sunday.

Since then, the line has bounced between Notre Dame -10.5/-10 a couple times, and it was -10.5 on Wednesday night.

“This is an interesting one. It’s the first real test for Notre Dame. BYU is a tougher opponent,” Feazel said. “So we’re seeing what’s shaping up to be a classic Super Bowl middle game.

“The only need is Notre Dame to win by 1-10 points. People are gonna be betting Notre Dame on the spread or playing BYU moneyline.”

The big home underdog certainly has an attractive moneyline price, at +320. A $100 bet on a Cougars outright upset would profit $320 (total payout $420).

Can the Cougars keep it close against the highly-touted Irish? (Getty Images)

Of course, there are key matchups in the SEC this week, just like almost every week. For starters, there’s Florida (4-2 SU/3-3 ATS) vs. No. 7 Texas (4-1 SU/1-4 ATS) at noon ET Saturday.

The Longhorns are coming off a 27-24 upset loss as 7.5-point favorites vs. Oklahoma. And just two weeks ago, the Gators were the flavor of the season and ranked No. 8, but are now unranked.

That’s what happens when you get whacked by Missouri and South Carolina on back-to-back weekends.

Caesars opened Texas as a 10-point home favorite vs. Florida. On Wednesday night, the Longhorns were up to -11 (-105).

“It’s a great matchup, but it’s overshadowed in this time slot by Ohio State-Indiana,” Feazel said. “Right now, we’re taking two-way action, with a little more on Texas. And I think that’s where the public is gonna go, treating this as a get-right game for Texas.

“We’re gonna need Florida to cover.”

At 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, it’s No. 6 Alabama (5-1 SU/4-2 ATS) vs. No. 14 Tennessee (5-1 SU/3-3 ATS). Alabama opened -6.5 (-115) at Caesars and got to -8.5 early in the week, then went to -7.5 (-114) on Wednesday night.

Last week, the Crimson Tide fell to Georgia 20-17 as 2.5-point home favorites. But oddsmakers aren’t holding that against the Tide at all, and neither are bettors.

“That loss hasn’t stopped the public from coming in on Alabama. People are still on the Alabama train,” Feazel said.

A key factor to watch: Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon (shoulder) is questionable, after sitting out last week’s 24-17 win at Arkansas.

“We’ll see this number get to 10 if Brandon doesn’t play,” Feazel said. “We’ll need Tennessee to hang around in this game.”