If Ty Montgomery is the only John Carroll wide receiver you've heard of, allow us to introduce you to Kenneth Rawls, with 30 catches for 357 yards and seven touchdowns on the season so far. John Carroll athletics by Jose Figueroa

As the weeks roll on the stakes get higher. For some programs, the surroundings are still a little new. Week 7 features a mix of familiar rivalries and fresh territory, including a top-flight clash between DePauw and John Carroll as the Blue Streaks continue their first tour through the NCAC.

It's Sun vs. Surf crossover week in the SCIAC and we're ready to soak it up. Elsewhere several of the nation’s top defenses and passers look to stay sharp. Our Quick Hits panel is here to break it all down from upset alerts and under-the-radar games to which new-conference team makes themselves most at home this weekend.

Our regular crew is Greg Thomas, Patrick Coleman, Logan Hansen of Hansen Ratings, Riley Zayas of True to the Cru, Carlo Guadagnino of Dingo Talk, and Kobe Manzo of D1 Rejects.

— Greg Thomas

Which game is the Game of the Week?

	Greg's take: No. 14 John Carroll at No. 11 DePauw. In another week with a pair of WIAC Top 25 showdowns, it’s the NCAC contest that steals the show for me this week. John Carroll can all but wrap up the NCAC championship with a win, while DePauw can take a major step to a fifth consecutive championship. It’s been a long, long time since the NCAC had a pair of teams with the pieces to win in the playoffs- it’s great to see this level of competition return to the NCAC.
	Patrick's take: No. 14 John Carroll at No. 11 DePauw. There are other games between ranked teams but this is the big measuring stick for John Carroll in its new conference and it's also the first competitive game DePauw should have all season. How good are the Tigers, really, after all of last year's graduations?
	Logan's take: No. 14 John Carroll at No. 11 DePauw. This is the sort of heavyweight matchup we haven't seen in the NCAC in at least a decade, back when Wabash and Wittenberg were Top 25 regulars, and it has all the hallmarks of a wire-to-wire finish. Both defenses rank in the top 10 nationally in total yards per game (DPU: #1, JCU: #4) and rushing yards per game (DPU: #1, allowing -7 yards per game; JCU: #6), while both offenses also have All-American caliber receivers (DPU: Robby Ballentine, JCU: Ty Montgomery) and average over 40 points per game.
	Riley's take: No. 14 John Carroll at No. 11 DePauw. This game, in all likelihood, will decide the NCAC title. JCU is staring down its last “big” test of its inaugural NCAC season, while DePauw is facing its first true challenge of conference play. For as much as the DePauw run defense has garnered attention (and rightfully so), the Tiger pass defense has been pretty effective in its own right. And it needs to be if DePauw aims to slow down Nick Semptimphelter and JCU’s highly-efficient passing attack. After all, Semptimphelter has been red-hot through the air, throwing for 754 yards and 12 TDs over the last three weeks.
	Carlo's take: It’s a battle in the WIAC, No. 4 UW-La Crossse at No. 13. UW-Platteville. Platteville is looking to bounce back after a loss, La Crosse is looking to stay perfect!
	Kobe's take: No. 4 UW-La Crosse at No. 13 UW-Platteville. Janus and Munz have deep ties and these teams have produced incredible endings in recent history. We can't wait to be on site!

Which Top 25 team is most likely to be upset?

	Greg's take: No. 3 Johns Hopkins. Hear me out. In a week where the matchups very, very heavily favor the ranked teams against their unranked opponents, you’ve got to stretch a bit. Hopkins, coming off of an emotional comeback win last week against Carnegie Mellon, might get caught mid exhale by an Ursinus squad capable of pulling an upset. In a week of not-at-all-likely upset opportunities, this is the one I’m going with.
	Patrick's take: No. 23 Cortland. I mean, it's "most likely" to get upset, and I don't think it's very likely, but I feel obliged today to pick one.
	Logan's take: None. After several weeks with many Top 25 upsets, I don't know that I feel good about any of them this week. Outside of the three matchups between Top 25 teams (UWL/UWP, UWW/UWS, DPU/JCU), every other Top 25 team has at least a 85% chance of winning this week, with Whitworth over Linfield (14%) being the best upset potential. That means there's about a 56% chance that every Top 25 squad playing an unranked opponent wins this week, and last I checked, 56% is a bigger number than 14%.
	Riley's take: There isn’t a high probability for upsets on this week’s slate, but I think we could find No. 24 Linfield on upset alert Saturday afternoon. Whitworth has looked better in all three phases coming out of the Redlands loss and the ensuing bye week, which gives me some confidence the Pirates could pull this off. Linfield’s offense has been underwhelming at times, and with the strength of Whitworth’s defense, the Pirates path to victory lies in forcing a few turnovers and keeping this one low-scoring.
	Carlo's take: No Upsets.
	Kobe's take: No. 9 UW-Whitewater. This Stout offense has really rebounded, and although they have to do it in a tough environment, I honestly don't see many others on this weekend's slate that speak to me.

Among the teams playing in a new conference this season, which wins by the biggest margin this week?

	Greg's take: Western Connecticut (vs. Lycoming). After what we’ll call an educational experience at FCS New Haven last weekend, the Wolves return to Landmark play to host 1-5 Lycoming. It’s homecoming in Danbury and I like West Conn to put on a show for the home fans.
	Patrick's take: WestConn. I suspect we'll have lots of Carnegie Mellon choices here but I feel like WestConn wants to flush the taste of last week from their mouths and Lycoming has not had a lot of success this season.
	Logan's take: Carnegie Mellon. If this had the option of winning or losing by the largest margin, I would be a little more torn, with Gallaudet, Dean, Alfred State, and Castleton each drawing rough matchups this week. But Carnegie Mellon should have no issue putting up some impressive against a winless Gettysburg at home.
	Riley's take: Carnegie Mellon saw its 17-point halftime lead evaporate at Johns Hopkins a week ago, and back at home against a winless Gettysburg team, this is a “get-right” game for the Tartans. I don’t expect them to hold back, and with Gettysburg already allowing 43.8 points per game, there is potential for a 40-point margin of victory in this one.
	Carlo's take: Carnegie Mellon will be on a mission after last weeks disappointing loss at JHU. Look for the Tartans to let it fly!
	Kobe's take: Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans offense is solid... but it's the defense that will keep Gettysburg off the board and bring that margin up. They have only allowed 16 PPG through a schedule that has already featured 4 strong opponents with winning records and 3 Top-25 teams. Battle tested!

Which under the radar game are you following?

	Greg's take: Brevard at LaGrange. The USA South is wide open this year, and LaGrange currently holds the best record in the conference at 4-1 and are a perfect 2-0 in league play. Brevard comes in after handing Southern Virginia their first loss of the season. The Tornadoes are headlined by quarterback Ethan Beamish who will have to avoid a pesky LaGrange pass rush that registered eight sacks last week against Methodist.
	Patrick's take: Lewis & Clark at George Fox. It might slip under your radar because you may have thought you already saw this. That's because they've already played this season. Let's let this stuff end this season. No more need for this.
	Logan's take: Adrian at Calvin. A year ago these two went 2-8 (Calvin) and 6-4 (Adrian), but they're already a combined 9-1 so far this season. Calvin brought back almost their entire roster from 2024, which is the norm for most startups, but Adrian had the third most roster turnover in the country this season, behind only Mt Union and Hardin-Simmons. These different approaches to roster building have both yielded outstanding results, with Adrian being the 2nd most improved team in the country this year, and Calvin ranking 24th by the same metric.
	Riley's take: Geneva at Waynesburg. You have to dig back in the archives to find the last time Geneva started 4-1 in PAC play (2009, and it was unofficial because Geneva was still transitioning from NAIA). But in longtime head coach Geno DeMarco’s 33rd and final season at the helm of the program, the Golden Tornadoes are on the verge of doing exactly that. Waynesburg, coming off consecutive losses, stands in their way, and all indications point towards this being a down-to-the-wire kind of game.
	Carlo's take: My under the radar game has to be Misericordia at Stevenson. The Cougars are looking to get over the Stevenson hump and stay Unbeaten in MAC play.
	Kobe's take: Ripon at Chicago. The Maroons have won four straight in the MWC for the first time since 2000, and Ripon has the opportunity to go on the road and ruin the fun.

It’s a Sun vs. Surf crossover week in the SCIAC! Which division wins the most games?

	Greg's take: The Surf division are all on the road this week, but I’m picking the road teams to win two of three (Chapman, Pomona-Pitzer).  Surf Division to prevail in this SCIAC crossover week.
	Patrick's take: I'm going 2-to-1 for the folks in the Sun. If only those divisions titles actually meant something, but do you know how far Chapman is from the ocean? That's like 80 minutes or so.
	Logan's take: The Sun - I have all two of three Sun division teams favored this week.  Sun Division C-M-S as a virtual lock with Surf Division Chapman as a mild single-digit favorite. The Sun's Redlands is in nearly a pure tossup. I don't think they necessarily win all three games, but the Surf would need an upset to pull this off.
	Riley's take: Sun wins the crossover week thanks to wins from Redlands and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, though Surf avoids the sweep with Chapman’s win at Cal Lutheran. I fully expect Redlands’ duel with Pomona-Pitzer to be the deciding result in determining a division victor, as both defenses have been solid as of late, tied for the SCIAC lead in interceptions.
	Carlo's take: Sun.
	Kobe's take: Give me the Surf division with Chapman and Pomona-Pitzer carrying the torch.

Six teams have allowed two or fewer passing touchdowns all season. Which one gives up the most this weekend?

	Greg's take: St. John’s. The dam has to break at some point, doesn’t it? The Johnnies have to give up some points to somebody other than Bethel and I think it’ll happen this week, in a game where the score and time will dictate that the Cobbers go to the air. Why not MIT vs. Coast Guard? Sometimes the hits don’t make sense.
	Patrick's take: MIT. Not by a lot, but when you play Springfield and then hold Merchant Marine to six points, that's going to unnaturally suppress your passing TDs allowed total.
	Logan's take: MIT. The Engineers so far this year have played an overmatched Nichols squad, startup program New England College, and triple option offenses Springfield and Merchant Marine. This week? They play the team averaging the third most TD passes per game in the division, who also happened to put up 92 in a game this season. This feels like about as safe a pick as you can make.
	Riley's take: There’s really no doubt in my mind on this one. MIT may have faced some decent passing attacks this season, but the Engineers haven’t been forced to try to slow down Coast Guard’s Broock Desta or Matt LaBouliere in one-on-one coverage yet. Coast Guard, with 19 passing TDs, has a major advantage here with its innovative and effective passing game and will find the end zone at least three times through the air.
	Carlo's take: MIT.
	Kobe's take: MIT. This Coast Guard offense has not slowed down, and I expect Duncan to keep slinging the rock on Saturday.

Got picks? Put them in the comments!