Saturday, October 17, brings six top-25 matchups for college football, including matchups in the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12 — ensuring an action-packed day of football.
Several of these matchups should have season-shifting impacts, including Heisman Trophy hopefuls in big-time games, like Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (1.72x) and Notre Dame QB CJ Carr (9.09x) — who have the shortest and third-shortest payouts to win the Heisman Trophy on PrizePicks.
Below, we’ll identify the best Saturday college football picks for today, focusing on DFS options for player picks on PrizePicks. Which players will shine and make headlines for Week 7’s college football slate?
Make your Saturday college football picks on PrizePicks now!
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Best College Football Picks Today for DFS on PrizePicks – Saturday, October 17
We’ll start with Saturday’s top matchup between #4 Ohio State and #5 Indiana at 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX. Florida vs. #7 Texas is also drawing attention on the noon slate, followed by #6 Alabama vs. #14 Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Finally, #2 Notre Dame and #8 BYU collide under the lights in the second top-10 battle of the day.
For these top matchups, what are the best Saturday college football picks for DFS on PrizePicks? Today’s CFB predictions are headlined by RB Bo Jackson, QB Keelon Russell, and more.
Ohio State RB Bo Jackson vs. Indiana: 76.5 Rush Yards
- As 2.5-point favorites on the road for the spread on PrizePicks, #4 Ohio State has a tough test ahead at #5 Indiana. And that’s even more of the case with arguably the Buckeyes’ top pieces in the run game out: RB Ja’Kobi Jackson and OG Austin Siereveld.
- After being listed as questionable early in the week, third-string RB Isaiah West is off the injury report, providing some relief. West did not take a rushing snap last week, though, while true freshman RB Legend Bey tallied 4 rush snaps and has only 11 snaps on the season.
- Jackson is the only trustworthy ball carrier with proven experience in big games, and he comes off 23 carries for 107 rushing yards (4.7 YPC) and 2 rushing TDs vs. Maryland.
- When Jackson has reached 15 or more rushing attempts, he’s posted 83.7 rushing yards per contest in a three-game split this season.
- Game on Paper ranks Indiana sixth out of 138 FBS teams in rush success allowed, but the Hoosiers give up a concerning 1.13 big play rate against the run (10th percentile), via Fourth and Short.
- Jackson tallied 4 10+ yard runs over his last two games, carrying solid 22.9% and 23.4% breakaway yard shares since Week 5, per Pro Football Focus.
Pick Bo Jackson + Ohio State to win on PrizePicks.
Texas WR Cam Coleman vs. Florida: 64.5 Receiving Yards
- Few Power Four defenses have struggled like Florida, which allows 0.22 EPA per play (eighth percentile) and a 49.7% success rate (10th percentile).
- After last week’s frustrating 27-24 loss vs. Oklahoma, this is a nice bounce-back opportunity for Texas — especially for the passing game.
- While QB Arch Manning has been up and down, he totaled 260 passing yards last week, and Cam Coleman took advantage in his best game as a Longhorn with 10 targets, 5 receptions, 110 receiving yards, and 1 receiving TD.
- Coleman’s 3.24 yards per route run was his top total of the season by a mile, surpassing his previous high of 2.41 in Week 1. This wasn’t against a slouch either, with Oklahoma fourth nationally in pass success rate allowed (33.3%).
- Florida, meanwhile, allows a 51.5% pass success rate (ninth percentile) and 7.8 yards per passing attempt (33rd percentile).
Add Cam Coleman to your PrizePicks lineup.
Alabama QB Keelon Russell vs. Tennessee: 0.5 Anytime TDs
- A top-15 matchup in Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium? It doesn’t get much better than that. But the Volunteers could be in trouble with an angry Crimson Tide coming to town following last week’s 20-17 loss vs. Georgia.
- Alabama may look to abandon the run at times, as Tennessee’s defensive line is anchored by one of the nation’s best, DT Xavier Gilliam. Among qualifying SEC DTs, Gilliam touts an 18.6% run stop rate (second) and an absurd 16 run stops (first) — the second-highest is only 10 run stops.
- With that said, if Alabama features more dropbacks — and this is a team with a low 45.30% pass play rate (37th percentile) — QB Keelon Russell should have more scramble opportunities.
- Russell has 1 rushing TD in four of six games, featuring three straight contests from Week 3 to Week 5.
- The Vols allow 1.3 second-level yards per rushing attempt (eighth percentile), and PFF ranks Tennessee 71st nationally for tackle grade (64.8). That only adds to Russell’s explosiveness as a ball career in the open field.
Pick More or Less for Keelon Russell’s Anytime TDs on PrizePicks.
BYU QB Bear Bachmeier vs. Notre Dame: 181.5 Pass Yards
- BYU is a team that typically loves to run the rock with a 58.58% rush play rate (82nd percentile). However, top RB LJ Martin (344 rush yards) remains out due to injury.
- In the Cougars’ first full game without Martin last week, they totaled 30 passing attempts and 31 carries (50.82% rush play rate).
- QB Bear Bachmeier’s 30 attempts and 329 passing yards were both season highs in the 24-10 win vs. Iowa State.
- Frankly, BYU cannot be one-dimensional against #2 Notre Dame’s defense that yields only 11.0 PPG (second nationally).
- The Cougs could also be in a negative game script as 10.5-point underdogs for the spread on PrizePicks.
- Notre Dame ranks 28th nationally in pass success rate allowed compared to fourth in rush success rate allowed. Backed by volume, Bachmeier could surpass this projection. He’s totaled 206.6 passing yards per game this season.
Add Bear Bachmeier to your PrizePicks lineup.
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Make Saturday College Football Picks on PrizePicks
For Saturday’s top-10 matchups, Bo Jackson and Bear Bachmeier draw attention due to potential high volumes. Meanwhile, Cam Coleman and Keelon Russell make our top college football picks thanks to favorable matchups today.
Don’t wait until kickoff — make college football picks on PrizePicks now. Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders — now available in 36 states!
Keep it here with the Playbook for continued CFB picks, predictions, futures, and more all the way through the 2026 College Football Playoff.
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