SEC WEEK 10: LOADED WEEKEND BRINGS PIVOTAL TESTS FOR PLAYOFF HOPEFULS
Things to watch this week in the Southeastern Conference:
Game of the week
No. 2 Georgia (7-1, 5-1 SEC, No. 2 CFP) at No. 12 Ole Miss (6-2, 4-2, No. 10 CFP), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
It is the teams’ third meeting in 13 months and the stakes are high again after Ole Miss won the last showdown, 39-34 at the Sugar Bowl to send Georgia packing in the playoff. Ole Miss has little margin for error with two losses while Georgia looks to remain atop a packed SEC race and hold its CFP seeding.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton didn’t have his flashiest performances in October, with a three-turnover outing in the Bulldogs’ loss to Auburn and a quiet but steady 101 passing-yard game in Georgia’s 27-8 win over Florida.
Trinidad Chambliss also had a three-turnover game in Ole Miss’ loss to Texas before leading the Rebels to a win over Auburn with a strong second half. He is likely to be without running back Kewan Lacy again this week and will rely on Makhi Frazier and Shekai Mills-Knight to spark the running game.
Georgia is a 3.5-point favorite.
The undercards
No. 8 Kentucky (7-1, 5-1, No. 6 CFP) at No. 16 Tennessee (6-2, 3-2, No. 13 CFP), 6:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
One of the conference’s biggest stunners this season, Kentucky faces a Tennessee just outside the CFP field in the initial rankings.
QB George MacIntyre has started the last three games for Tennessee after stepping in for Faizon Brandon, though coach Josh Heupel had not named his starter by midweek.
Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey has thrown for 1,755 yards and 14 touchdowns with one pick through eight games. The transfer from Notre Dame has helped the Wildcats to their best record since 2018 and a strong CFP slot.
Tennessee is a 6.5-point favorite.
No. 9 Alabama (6-2, 4-2, No. 5 CFP) at No. 15 LSU (6-2, 3-2, No. 14 CFP), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Similar to the Kentucky-Tennessee game, this one has a highly ranked CFP team in the Crimson Tide against an LSU team with a golden opportunity to burnish its own credentials with a win.
Alabama will look to return to its early-season form with several key players hopeful to return from injuries this week: Ryan Coleman-Williams, Zabien Brown, Racin Delgatty and Terrance Green.
LSU, which is favored by 5.5 points, should have TE Trey’Dez Green back after a knee injury, Whit Weeks has returned to the practice field and quarterback Sam Leavitt said he’s “running around 100%” after a lingering hamstring injury.
Impact players
— South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers as the AP Player of the Week after accounting for 397 yards of total offense and five touchdowns against Oklahoma. He ran for two scores two of his three touchdown passes were for 79 yards or longer.
— Georgia LB Chris Cole continues to make a strong case for a high first-round draft pick, leading the Bulldogs with nine tackles, a sack and a 66-yard scoop-and-score touchdown en route to a 27-8 win over Florida. It’s Cole’s second defensive touchdown of the season.
– Texas LB Rasheem Biles had eight tackles, four for a loss and a career-high three sacks and two forced fumbles to help the Longhorns to a 31-3 win over Mississippi State.
A look at the numbers
Six SEC teams enter this weekend with a 6-2 record and playoff hopes on the line. … Ten SEC teams are ranked in the AP Top 25: No. 2 Georgia, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 9 Alabama, No. 10 Texas, No. 15 LSU, No. 16 Tennessee, No. 19 Missouri, No. 23 South Carolina and No. 25 Florida. … The same 10 appeared in the initial CFP rankings, though largely in a different order: Georgia (2), Alabama (5), Kentucky (6), Texas (7) and Ole Miss (10).
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OHIO STATE AND OREGON ATTEMPT TO BOOST THEIR PLAYOFF HOPES IN BIG TEN’S SPOTLIGHT GAME THIS WEEK
Things to watch this weekend in the Big Ten:
Game of the week
Oregon (5-3, 3-2, No. 23 CFP ) at No. 11 Ohio State (6-2, 4-1, No. 12 CFP), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Oregon and Ohio State have reached the playoff each of the last two seasons, but both have plenty of work to do to get back there this year.
This is a clear elimination game for Oregon, and Ohio State also might not be able to afford another loss. Both teams have struggled after losing their starting quarterbacks – Oregon’s Dante Moore and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin – to injuries.
Ohio State is coming off a 30-18 loss at Southern California. Oregon had lost two of three before beating then-No. 20 Northwestern 34-26.
The undercard
No. 5 UCLA (8-0, 5-0, No. 8 CFP) at Minnesota (5-3, 3-2), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
UCLA puts its unbeaten record at stake at Minnesota, which is coming off an overtime loss at No. 6 Indiana (No. 4 CFP).
No. 21 Iowa (6-2, 3-2, No. 19 CFP) at Northwestern (6-2, 3-2)
Northwestern ranks second in the Big Ten in yards per game (438.1) while Iowa ranks 12th in the FBS in yards allowed per game (275.5). Iowa has beaten Northwestern four straight times after going 1-4 in this series from 2016-20.
Things to watch this weekend in the Big Ten:
Game of the week
Oregon (5-3, 3-2, No. 23 CFP ) at No. 11 Ohio State (6-2, 4-1, No. 12 CFP), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Oregon and Ohio State have reached the playoff each of the last two seasons, but both have plenty of work to do to get back there this year.
This is a clear elimination game for Oregon, and Ohio State also might not be able to afford another loss. Both teams have struggled after losing their starting quarterbacks – Oregon’s Dante Moore and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin – to injuries.
Ohio State is coming off a 30-18 loss at Southern California. Oregon had lost two of three before beating then-No. 20 Northwestern 34-26.
The undercard
No. 5 UCLA (8-0, 5-0, No. 8 CFP) at Minnesota (5-3, 3-2), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)
UCLA puts its unbeaten record at stake at Minnesota, which is coming off an overtime loss at No. 6 Indiana (No. 4 CFP).
No. 21 Iowa (6-2, 3-2, No. 19 CFP) at Northwestern (6-2, 3-2)
Northwestern ranks second in the Big Ten in yards per game (438.1) while Iowa ranks 12th in the FBS in yards allowed per game (275.5). Iowa has beaten Northwestern four straight times after going 1-4 in this series from 2016-20.
Inside the numbers
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith has 15 career games with at least 100 yards receiving to tie Marvin Harrison Jr. for the school record. Smith has 3,625 career yards receiving. The Big Ten record is owned by John Standeford, who had 3,788 for Purdue from 2000-03. … UCLA’s 27-0 victory over Nevada was its first shutout since a 41-0 triumph over Oregon State in 2015. UCLA has a Bowl Subdivision-leading 26 takeaways and 10 fumble recoveries. The Bruins have intercepted 16 passes to rank second in FBS, behind No. 22 New Mexico (17). … Iowa has an FBS-leading 12 shutouts since 2018. … Indiana’s overtime triumph over Minnesota marked the first time in FBS history that each team had made a field goal of at least 60 yards in a single game. The field goals were made by Minnesota’s Luke Drzewiecki and Indiana’s Paddy McAteer. … Indiana’s Tobi Osunsanmi has a sack in a school-record eight straight games. … Illinois RB Javari Barnett’s 64-yard burst in a 20-17 win over Maryland was the longest touchdown run by an Illinois freshman since Ke’Shawn Vaun had a 78-yarder against Purdue in 2015. … Michigan hasn’t allowed an opponent to complete a second-half pass in its last two games, though the Wolverines did allow a touchdown pass in overtime in their loss to Indiana.
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NO. 1 MIAMI’S TRIP TO NO. 4 NOTRE DAME, VIRGINIA TECH’S TRIP TO SMU HEADLINE ACC’S WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
No. 1 Miami (8-0) at No. 4 Notre Dame (7-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
This one has been circled on the schedule all year, rooted in the Hurricanes beating the Fighting Irish last year in a game that ultimately swung a College Football Playoff bid to Miami instead of Notre Dame. And the Hurricanes rode that all the way to the CFP title game while the Irish opted out of playing in the postseason at all.
The Hurricanes have largely rolled through their schedule with the nation’s top-scoring offense (47.6), though receiver and Heisman Trophy candidate Malachi Toney suffered an ankle injury this week and is scheduled for surgery that will sideline him for multiple weeks. In addition, Miami is coming off a game in which its defense struggled to get off the field in a comeback win at North Carolina on Saturday.
The Fighting Irish suffered their only loss at No. 7 BYU on Oct. 17. This is the first of four straight against ACC foes to close Notre Dame’s schedule.
The undercard
Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-2 ACC) at SMU (6-2, 4-2), Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
The Mustangs are coming off a loss to Syracuse in a game that dropped them behind No. 14 Wake Forest in the chase to reach the ACC championship game. That put them in a logjam of two-loss teams in the standings, a group that includes the Hokies in James Franklin’s first season in Blacksburg. That makes this something approaching an elimination game.
Clemson (5-3, 3-2) at Syracuse (4-4, 2-4), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN2)
The Tigers have no margin for error at this point as part of that group of two-loss teams, with losses to Miami and Virginia Tech. Now they’re traveling to face the Orange, which started 0-4 in the league but edged North Carolina in overtime and then upset SMU last week.
Impact players
— N.C. State RB Davion Gause. With starter Duke Scott still sidelined by injury, Gause ran 19 times for 104 yards and a touchdown in the weekend win against California in the first game under interim coach Todd Goebbel. That was Gause’s best output for the Wolfpack since transferring from UNC and he is positioned for a role even when Scott returns.entering Saturday’s visit by Duke.
— Louisville QB Lincoln Kienholz. The Cardinals can’t afford a stumble in Saturday’s trip to Georgia Tech. Kienholz has run for five touchdowns in Louisville’s current three-game winning streak.
Inside the numbers
Duke running back Nate Sheppard is No. 5 nationally in rushing (121.5) and third in rushing touchdowns (14) after going for five scores in a blowout of Boston College. … Florida State visits Boston College on Saturday in its first game under interim coach Rick Stockstill after the firing of Mike Norvell. … The Eagles had scored 27 points in a win against Pittsburgh and 49 points in a win at Georgia Tech, only to lose 47-2 last weekend to the Blue Devils. … North Carolina defensive line coach Bob Diaco returns to UConn on Saturday when the Tar Heels face the Huskies program he led as head coach from 2014-16. Diaco went 11-26 in those three seasons. … Wake Forest (5-1 ACC) steps out of ACC play to host Merrimack having scored 38 or more points in four straight games, including last weekend’s 51-7 win against Virginia. … California, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Virginia are idle this week.
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BIG 12’S HOLY WAR IS 1ST TIME UTAH AND BYU MEET WITH BOTH IN AP TOP 10
Things to watch this week in the Big 12 Conference:
Game of the week
No. 7 BYU (7-1, 4-1 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) at No. 3 Utah (8-0, 5-0, No. 3 CFP), Saturday, noon ET (ABC)
An early riser in Utah for a Holy War game that could have significant implications on who makes the Big 12 championship game and College Football Playoff. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. local time for the first meeting between the schools with both in the AP top 10.
Utah has a 14-game winning streak since losing 24-21 to BYU last season. That was BYU’s third win in a row against its instate rival — their football stadiums are only about 45 miles apart — after the Utes won nine in a row before that. Utah leads the series, which dates to 1895, 52-31-4.
The Utes, who last reached 9-0 in their undefeated 2008 season, are the lone remaining undefeated team in the Big 12. The conference’s last undefeated team was Texas for its 2005 national championship.
Devon Dampier is 18-2 as Utah’s starting quarterback. BYU sophomore Bear Bachmeier is 19-3.
The undercard
TCU (4-4, 2-3) at No. 24 Arizona (6-2, 3-2), Friday, 10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Wildcats receiver Isaiah Mizell has three consecutive 100-yard receiving games (21 catches for 499 yards) while quarterback Noah Fifita is the FBS active career leader with 11,664 yards passing and 92 touchdowns. Fifita’s streak of 21 consecutive conference games with a TD pass is the longest active FBS streak.
Arizona had its five-game winning streak snapped last week at No. 13 Texas Tech. The Wildcats’ other loss was at Utah.
The Horned Frogs have the Big 12’s top defense allowing 14.1 points and 287.6 total yards per game. They just beat Kansas 22-16, their highest-scoring game against a Power Four opponent this season.
Impact players
— In Baylor’s first game after coach Dave Aranda was fired, quarterback DJ Lagway threw for 319 yards on 16 completions. One of his career high-matching four TDs passing was a 77-yarder in the 41-9 win at UCF. The Bears (5-3, 3-2) host Iowa State (4-4, 2-3).
— Iowa State’s Aiden Flora is the Big 12 leader with 117.1 yards rushing per game. The former walk-on ran for 221 yards with TDs of 75 and 29 yards in a 51-49 win over Oklahoma State last week. He has the Big 12’s top three rushing games this season, also running for 212 and 194 yards.
— Colorado linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron had a career-high 15 tackles when the Buffaloes ended a nine-game conference losing streak with a 27-24 overtime win over Kansas State. Lampron is the Big 12 leader with 80 tackles (10 per game). The Buffs (3-5, 1-4) play at Arizona State (4-4, 2-3).
Inside the numbers
West Virginia is the only Big 12 team other than Utah currently with multiple wins in a row. The Mountaineers (5-3, 2-3) go for their third consecutive win Saturday night at No. 13 Texas Tech (7-1, 4-1, No. 15 CFP). The Red Raiders last week tied a school record with their 13th consecutive home win. … Houston (6-2, 3-2, No. 17 CFP) has scored a Big 12-high 49 points off takeaways this season. … Cincinnati (5-3, 2-3) is at Houston, its third Top 25 opponent in a row. The Bearcats split home games against Texas Tech and Utah. … The Big 12 has five ranked teams for the sixth week in a row, the first time that has happened since 2014.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS: NOTRE DAME OVER MIAMI IN WHAT SHOULD BE ANOTHER CLOSE TOP-5 MATCHUP
No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame on Saturday will be the season’s third matchup of teams in the top five of The Associated Press Top 25. If it’s like the first two, it will be close.
Texas-Ohio State and Ohio State-Indiana were decided by a total of five points, and seven of the last nine regular-season top-five matchups have been one-score games.
The average margin of victory in top-five regular-season games since 2000 is 11.9 points, according to Sportradar, with 25 of the 54 decided by eight points or less and the biggest rout being 44 points (No. 5 Oklahoma 65-21 over No. 2 Texas Tech).
Miami has won all four of its top-five regular-season matchups since 2000 and Notre Dame has lost two of three. The Fighting Irish need this one badly to make the College Football Playoff.
The picks for FBS vs. FBS games, with AP rankings and betting lines. All games are on Saturday unless noted:
No. 1 Miami (plus 5 1/2) at No. 4 Notre Dame
Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney and the Hurricanes meet their match in Notre Dame’s top-ranked defense. CJ Carr goes against a Miami secondary that’s given up over 300 yards passing in three straight games.
Pick: Notre Dame 28-24.
No. 2 Georgia at No. 12 Mississippi (plus 3 1/2)
Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss has been sharp in two previous meetings with the Bulldogs, passing for 635 yards and having a hand in five touchdowns. Georgia star CB Ellis Robinson got dinged up last week against Florida.
Pick: Mississippi 24-23.
No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah (minus 5)
Utah has turned over the ball twice in each of its last four games and the Utes coughed it up a total of five times in their last two meetings with BYU, losses decided by a total of four points. Utes win if they take care of ball.
Pick: Utah 26-20.
No. 5 UCLA at Minnesota (plus 5)
A UCLA win makes Bruins 9-0 for first time since 1998. If Gophers had some oomph on offense, it would be tempting to pick them at home.
Pick: UCLA 17-14.
No. 8 Kentucky (plus 6 1/2) at No. 16 Tennessee
QB George MacIntyre has the backing of his teammates, but Volunteers coach Josh Heupel hasn’t committed to him starting a fourth straight game. Vols are 5-0 against Kentucky under Heupel.
Pick: Tennessee 27-23.
No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU (minus 5 1/2)
LSU can force the CFP selection committee to re-think what many see as an inflated No. 5 initial CFP ranking for the Crimson Tide.
Pick: LSU 30-24.
No. 10 Texas at No. 19 Missouri (plus 3)
Tigers’ Austin Simmons has put up better numbers than Arch Manning and is 4-0 at home, and SEC rushing leader Jamal Roberts just went over 1,000 yards.
Pick: Missouri 26-24.
Oregon at No. 11 Ohio State (minus 7 1/2)
This was circled on calendar when Ohio State and Oregon were 1-2 to start season. It’s still a huge game because of the huge playoff (elimination) implications for the two-loss Buckeyes and three-loss Ducks.
Pick: Ohio State 31-20.
West Virginia (plus 16 1/2) at No. 13 Texas Tech
Mountaineers can score lots of points; their defense tends to give up more. Tech’s Thomas Castellanos is the type of mobile QB who causes all kinds of problems for a team like West Virginia.
Pick: Texas Tech 45-35.
Cincinnati (plus 11) at No. 17 Houston
Cougars used bye week to get key players healthy for a stretch run that will require them to win out and get lots of help to reach Big 12 title game.
Pick: Houston 33-27.
No. 20 Boise State (minus 17) at Colorado State
Broncos have lots to play for as the leading Group of Six team for the CFP. QB Maddux Madsen is day-to-day. Max Cutforth showed against Texas State last week he’s more than capable if called on.
Pick: Boise State 48-24.
No. 21 Iowa (plus 2 1/2) at Northwestern
Hawkeyes had success mixing short passing game with the run in first game without leading rusher Kamari Moulton and will test a Northwestern defense designed to prevent the deep ball.
Pick: Iowa 24-23.
No. 22 New Mexico at Nevada (plus 9 1/2)
Lobos will be playing as ranked team for first time in program history on Friday. They’ve held three of last four opponents under 200 yards, and Nevada’s struggling offense has had three starting QBs because of injuries.
Pick: New Mexico 21-17.
Texas A&M at No. 23 South Carolina (minus 7)
Gamecocks have won three straight since QB LaNorris Sellers stepped up his game. Aggies in danger of falling below .500 for first time since 2022 under Jimbo Fisher.
Pick: South Carolina 33-21.
TCU (plus 8 1/2) at No. 24 Arizona
Noah Fifita will be in bounce-back mode Friday night after fading in the fourth quarter against Texas Tech.
Pick: Arizona 27-22.
Oklahoma at No. 25 Florida (minus 6)
Jason Whitten takes over as Sooners’ play-caller and it’s not known whether John Mateer will remain starting QB. Gators high on their defense after strong second half against Georgia.
Pick: Florida 29-21.
Byes: No. 6 Indiana, No. 18 USC.
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