College Football Picks Week 10: Predictions and Odds for Top 25 Schedule
Another wild week of college football is fresh in the books, but it's never too early to take a glance ahead to an enticing Week 10 slate.
That's right, it's already Week 10. Freak out accordingly.
The precious gift that is the college football season is already two-thirds of the way through, and that's a crazy thought. But alas, the last month of the season will be the best yet with a number of College Football Playoff-impacting showdowns starting in Week 10.
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Many of the nation's elite face their toughest tests in the coming weeks, but we've learned over and over in 2014 that the unforeseen can and will happen every weekend.
Here are the odds and some predictions for the Top 25 games in Week 10.
| Thursday, Oct. 30 | |||
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 2 Florida State at Louisville | FSU -8.5 | FSU 38-31 |
| Saturday, Nov. 1 | |||
| 12 p.m. | No. 19 Oklahoma at Iowa State | OU -16.5 | OU 44-20 |
| 12 p.m. | No. 21 East Carolina at Temple | ECU -7.5 | ECU 38-35 |
| 12 p.m. | No. 24 Duke at Pittsburgh | PITT -2.5 | DUKE 28-27 |
| 3:30 p.m. | Florida at No. 9 Georgia | UGA -10 | UGA 38-20 |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 10 TCU at No. 20 West Virginia | TCU -4 | TCU 40-35 |
| 3:30 p.m. | Purdue at No. 17 Nebraska | NEB -24.5 | NEB 48-14 |
| 4 p.m. | Kansas at No. 12 Baylor | BU -33.5 | BU 51-13 |
| 7 p.m. | No. 4 Auburn at No. 7 Ole Miss | MISS -3 | AUB 27-24 |
| 7:15 p.m. | Arkansas at No. 1 Mississippi State | MSU -14 | MSU 31-17 |
| 7:30 p.m. | Stanford at No. 5 Oregon | ORE -12.5 | ORE 38-20 |
| 8 p.m. | No. 6 Notre Dame at Navy | ND -13.5 | ND 41-24 |
| 8 p.m. | Oklahoma State at No. 11 Kansas State | KSU -12.5 | KSU 45-14 |
| 8 p.m. | Illinois at No. 13 Ohio State | OSU -28.5 | OSU 48-28 |
| 10:30 p.m. | No. 14 Arizona at No. 25 UCLA | UCLA -4.5 | UCLA 38-35 |
| 11 p.m. | No. 18 Utah at No. 15 Arizona State | ASU -2.5 | ASU 28-21 |
Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated Oct. 27 at 12 a.m. ET
Top Matchups in Week 10
No. 4 Auburn at No. 7 Ole Miss
The cutthroat SEC West just keeps producing premier matchups, which shouldn't be a surprise with four teams squarely in the CFP hunt. But recent reality checks and the calendars flipping to November have Auburn and Ole Miss desperate for a win entering Week 10.
The Tigers will head to Oxford, Mississippi, to face the Ole Miss Rebels in yet another Top 10 SEC showdown, only this one promises to have arguably the biggest implications of them all.
Another defeat following the LSU loss would crush the Rebels' still-very-much-alive playoff hopes. Auburn no longer controls its destiny in the SEC West, and another loss would plummet the Tigers from the playoff picture.
While certainly dispirited, Ole Miss can look at Auburn—which lost two weeks ago but is still No. 4—for proof that it can turn things around, and FanSided's Patrick Schmidt noted there's still plenty of football left:
But having Auburn come to town is a recipe for disaster and exactly the matchup Ole Miss doesn't need with its offense struggling mightily.
The Rebels only manufactured seven points and were outgained by nearly 100 yards against a LSU team that conceded 41 to this very Auburn team a month ago. Ole Miss' stingy defensive front will make things tough for Auburn early, but the Tigers' speedy playmakers will get to the edge enough times to make the difference.
Bo Wallace should have somewhat of a bounce-back performance against a struggling Auburn secondary, but his offense isn't clicking enough to match the Tigers on the scoreboard. Nick Marshall will keep his team ahead until late and make the difference with a clutch, game-winning drive.
Prediction: Auburn 27, Ole Miss 24
No. 10 TCU at No. 20 West Virginia
Who would've thought that entering Week 10, a pair of purple-clad teams would be on top of the Big 12?
Well, that's precisely the case with TCU and Kansas State only combining for one loss so far in conference play. But the Horned Frogs will have to prove their worth again on Saturday with a tough trip to face No. 20 West Virginia.
The Horned Frogs have absolutely exploded on offense as of late, going for 82 points against Texas Tech last weekend. That came after games against Oklahoma State and Baylor in which they amassed a combined 100 points.
Traveling to Morgantown, West Virginia, has proven brutal for the Big 12 elite, however. Baylor was knocked off as the nation's fourth-ranked team there, 41-27, back in Week 8.
West Virginia's defense will be a big step up from Texas Tech but will still be no match for TCU's potent offense. Trevone Boykin is gashing every opponent he faces, and he'll go off once again to outscore Clint Trickett and Kevin White.
Prediction: TCU 40, West Virginia 35
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