2018 Week 10 Preview

The road was a tough place to play last week for ranked teams. Eight ranked teams fell in road games last week, all eight to unranked teams. This week features 4 ranked vs ranked matchups and two top 10 matchups (both in the SEC). The game of the year is slated to be played in Death Valley on Saturday night at Alabama faces off against LSU. We should finally learn how good Alabama is. The CFP rankings have started and we are in the home stretch now that the calendars have turned to November.

How I fared: 3-3 last week, 29-25 overall

Notable Games
1Alabama at 3LSU
What a game this is shaping up to be. This should be the first real challenge for the Tide. LSU has already knocked off then-second ranked Georgia in Death Valley this year. This is by far the best defense that Alabama has faced this year, but I don’t think that will be enough. I don’t see LSU being able to score enough points to win this game. I think it will be closer than Alabama’s other games, but they will come out on top once again.
I am picking Alabama

14Penn State at 5Michigan
Michigan is coming off a bye week and some rest while Penn State is coming off a hard fought win over Iowa. Penn State isn’t as good as I thought they would be, but they are still a good football team. Michigan has improved immensely since their loss to Notre Dame. They are the better team in this matchup and I think they will show it. Penn State has the ability to compete with Michigan and could pull a huge upset this weekend, but to do that they would need to slow down Michigan’s offense.
I am picking Michigan

6Georgia at 9Kentucky
The second top 10 matchup of the week is another good one. Georgia beat Florida last week and it was never really in doubt. Kentucky had to score a TD on an untimed down to beat Missouri 15-14. The Wildcat offense has struggled over the last 3 games, where they have failed to score more than 15 points. Kentucky has been a very good team at home, but I think Georgia will be too much for them. Still, don’t be surprised if UK pulls the upset in a close one.
I am picking Georgia

13West Virginia at 17Texas
This is a difficult game to pick. Texas got outplayed last week at Oklahoma State. West Virginia had no trouble with Baylor. There should be a ton of points scored in this game. Texas’s defense has to step up in order to win this one. I am giving Texas the edge in this one because they are the home team. This should be a great game.
I am picking Texas

20Texas A&M at Auburn
Another hard game to pick. Neither of these teams have shown they can be good week to week. Texas A&M lost to Mississippi State last week and Auburn had a bye. The Tigers are one of the biggest busts on the season. I think Texas A&M is the better team with the better offense and that will be the difference in the game. I think this one will be sloppy and close.
I am picking Texas A&M

Stanford at Washington
These were two teams that had high hopes in the beginning of the season. Both have dropped off. Washington lost a weird one to California last week 10-12. Jake Browning got benched in the 3rd quarter and his backup promptly threw a pick six. Stanford was in a battle with Washington State but couldn’t come out with the win. Honestly, neither of these teams gives me much confidence, but I know Browning is a good QB. Maybe last week was a wakeup call.
I am picking Washington

Top 25
1Alabama at 3LSU
Louisville at 2Clemson
4Notre Dame at Northwestern
14Penn State at 5Michigan
6Georgia at 9Kentucky
7Oklahoma at Texas Tech
California at 8Washington State
Nebraska at 10Ohio State
Missouri at 11Florida
Temple at 12UCF (Thursday)
13West Virginia at 17Texas
15Utah at Arizona State
16Iowa at Purdue
Louisiana Tech at 18Mississippi State
19Syracuse at Wake Forest
20Texas A&M at Auburn
Florida State at 21NC State
22Boston College at Virginia Tech
23Fresno State at UNLV
24Iowa State at Kansas
Pittsburgh at 25Virginia (Friday)

Other Games
South Carolina at Ole Miss
Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina
Duke at Miami
Florida Atlantic at FIU
Utah State at Hawaii