Week 10 Preview

Week 10 already? That isn’t fair. It feels like I was in Auburn just a couple weeks ago. This week I will be headed to Starkville for the Razorback’s matchup with the top-ranked Bulldogs. This week has already got off to an interesting start with Louisville almost upsetting Florida State. The ‘Noles were able to make a comeback and win. Perhaps the biggest game of the weekend is 3Auburn at 4Ole Miss, but the game with the biggest playoff implications is probably 7TCU at 20West Virginia. The Mountaineers have been great this season, especially at home. A WVU win might hurt the Big 12 overall. They have the potential to play themselves out of the playoff.

Notable Games
Arkansas at 1Mississippi State After an easier week against non-conference opponent UAB, the Hogs will travel to Starkville to play top-ranked Mississippi State. I am lucky enough to be going to this game, and I can’t wait to hear the cowbells. (I’m sure I will get annoyed quickly, but it is an SEC tradition I’m excited to get to be a part of.) Most say Arkansas doesn’t really have a chance this weekend. I think they have a chance, but a slim one. Mississippi State has proven themselves on the field game after game. To win this game, or at least keep it close, Arkansas needs to incorporate their TEs. The Bulldog secondary isn’t that great and the Razorbacks need to take advantage of that. They also need to continue to run the ball efficiently. Everyone knows Arkansas is a run first team, but sometimes they don’t follow that plan, and it leads to 3-and-outs. Arkansas needs to do what they do best to win the game. The defensive line has a huge task is trying to stop Heisman frontrunner Dak Prescott. This QB can and will do it all. The Hogs need to play smart and not hurt themselves. Coach Bielema’s first SEC win looks like it might have to wait a couple more weeks.

2Florida State at 25Louisville (Thurs) This game has the potential for a major upset. I think Florida State is the better team, but don’t sleep on Louisville. The Cardinal’s head coach knows how to run an offense, but I don’t think he has enough talent in place to surprise the champs. Jameis Winston and the Seminoles got by Notre Dame by the skin of their teeth. If they come into this game lazy or too cocky, there is a real chance for an upset. This one might be close for a while, but I think by the time the 4th quarter comes around, Florida State will have the game under control. I am picking Florida State by 7-14 points.

3Auburn at 4Ole Miss How about this for regular season game? This game is hard to pick. Both teams are coming off tough games. Auburn beat South Carolina by a TD and Ole Miss became another victim of LSU in a night game at Death Valley. I am giving Auburn the edge because of Nick Marshall. Bo Wallace didn’t have a great game against LSU, and this week won’t be much easier. I think Auburn will be able to outscore this Ole Miss team if they played like they did last weekend. I think this one comes down to either the last play or an amazing play. Does Auburn still have some of that miracle magic from last year? I am picking Auburn by 3-7 points.

7TCU at 20West Virginia This should be a high scoring affair. There have been some interesting games in the Big 12 this season. I think both of these teams are very good, but I think the Horned Frogs are the better team. But that might not be the defining factor in this game. West Virginia has been great at home this year, so expect this to be a very close game. I don’t know if this will be another 61-58 game, but I’d be a little surprised if either team scores less than 35. I am picking TCU by a TD.

Florida vs 11Georgia (Jacksonville) Florida needs to start doing something different. While they allowed only 119 yards of offense to Missouri a couple weeks ago, they still lost 42-13. Georgia might not have Todd Gurley, but they have Nick Chubb, who is doing very well. (Gurley will be eligible to play against Auburn on November 15.) The only reason I think there might be a chance to be a close game is because of the rivalry. If you have watched any ESPN this season, you have seen the College Football Playoff commercials. It starts off with a Georgia fan saying “getting into the playoff is just going to come down the Florida game,” followed by a Florida fan saying the same thing about Georgia. Rivalry games usually bring out the best in teams, no matter what the game should look like on paper. Even with that, I don’t think this game will end close. I am picking Georgia by at least 2TDs.

12Arizona at 22UCLA For some reason I have a feeling Arizona is going to win this game. It isn’t a reason I can explain, just a gut feeling. This will probably be another one of those instant classic Pac 12 games of this season. I think this will be a high scoring game. This is also a very interesting QB matchup: the freshman from Arizona, Anu Solomon, against the veteran from UCLA, Brett Hundley. Both have been very good this season. Should be a good game out west. I am picking Arizona by a TD.

17Utah at 14Arizona State The Pac 12 has brought us some of the most exciting finishes of the season. Like all of the other matchups, this game also has the potential. Utah has been very competitive this season and I expect this game to be no different. I don’t really expect tons of fireworks by either team, but it won’t be a low scoring game either. It will be interesting to see how the Sundevils use their QBs. Taylor Kelly is back from injury, but his backup, Mike Bercovici, did very well. Utah has been a solid team and has counted on the leg of one of the countries best kickers. Andy Phillips has been extremely important in the Ute’s success this season, but I don’t he will be enough to get Utah the win on the road. I am picking Arizona State by 10 points.

Top 25
2Florida State 42 25Louisville 31 (Thurs)
Stanford at 5Oregon
Oklahoma State at 9Kansas State
10Notre Dame at Navy
Kansas at 13Baylor
Purdue at 15Nebraska
Illinois at 16Ohio State
18Oklahoma at Iowa State
23East Carolina at Temple
24Duke at Pittsburgh
*Rankings reflect the College Football Playoff Committee

Other Games
Georgia Southern 42 Troy 10 (Thurs)
Cincinnati at Tulane (Fri)
Tulsa at Memphis (Fri)
New Mexico at UNLV
Northwestern at Iowa
Maryland at Penn State
Wisconsin at Rutgers
ULM at Texas A&M
North Carolina at Miami (FL)
Boston College at Virginia Tech
Washington at Colorado
Western Kentucky at Louisiana Tech
North Carolina State at Syracuse
Virginia at Georgia Tech
Indiana at Michigan
Kentucky at Missouri
USC at Washington State
South Alabama at Louisiana-Lafayette
Colorado State at San Jose State
Old Dominion at Vanderbilt
Tennessee at South Carolina
Texas at Texas Tech
Southern Miss at UTEP
California at Oregon State
San Diego State at Nevada
Wyoming at Fresno State