10 Biggest Questions Facing Top 25 Teams Heading into Week 10
Brace yourselves, college football fans: Winter is coming.
But, more immediately, November is coming. The College Football Playoff selection committee has released its first top 25, but conference play will soon create a clearer separation of the contenders and pretenders.
There are particularly important games in the SEC (Auburn at Ole Miss), the Big 12 (TCU at West Virginia) and the Pac-12 (Utah at Arizona State and Arizona at UCLA). A lot is already on the line. The playoff field may get much thinner after this weekend.
Which storylines are the most important heading into Week 9? The answers are in the following slides.
The only criterion here is that one of the teams involved has to rank in either the Associated Press poll or the Amway coaches poll.
10. Is Florida State Really Entering a Trap Game Against Louisville?
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Florida State opened as an eight-point favorite for its road game at Louisville, according to OddsShark.com. That line has since shrunk to four.
That has to have been a result—at least in part—of the off-the-field story involving leading running back Karlos Williams, who was connected to a domestic battery complaint and a robbery. However, the alleged victim in the domestic battery incident has asked that the investigation be terminated and Williams' attorney has said Williams is not a suspect in the robbery incident.
Either way, Williams will play against the Cardinals on Thursday, according to head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Still, this has the makings of a trap game for the Seminoles. Will it actually be one? We'll find out soon enough.
The Seminoles have already been knocked off the No. 1 spot for, basically, not being as dominant as they were a year ago. There's no way Florida State would ever go undefeated and miss the playoff, but it would be interesting to see where this team would land in the next College Football Playoff standings if the game is close.
After all, Ole Miss, fresh off of a 10-7 loss to LSU, still came in at No. 4. The point being, everyone is still trying to figure out how the committee is viewing things.
9. Can Arizona Keep the Dream Season Alive?
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This is still baffling to think about: Arizona is one missed field goal away from being undefeated and, likely, deep in the heart of the playoff conversation. The Wildcats, after all, still have that win over Oregon in Eugene in their back pocket.
Instead, Arizona is 6-1 (which is still impressive) and traveling to Los Angeles to take on UCLA in a pivotal Pac-12 South showdown. Expect a shootout. Both teams average more than 35 points per game and give up at least four touchdowns a game.
With the exception of a 62-27 blowout over Arizona State, UCLA hasn't had one dominating game all season. The last two wins, against Cal and Colorado, have been by a combined five points. Similarly, Arizona has been a heart attack-inducing team. Before blowing out Washington State 59-37 in Week 9, every Pac-12 game for the Wildcats was decided by a touchdown or less.
In short, Arizona and UCLA are used to high-scoring nail-biters. The difference is that UCLA's playoffs hopes are basically kaput. Arizona, on the other hand, might still have a chance. The Wildcats' final three games of the season against Washington, Arizona State and Utah may be the toughest.
That would bolster Arizona's resume at the right time. Then again, it would mean little if the Wildcats lose. The Bruins are touchdown favorites, according to OddsShark.com.
8. Can Georgia Keep Relying on Freshman Running Back Nick Chubb?
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The good news for Georgia is that it finally got word on the suspension of running back Todd Gurley, who accepted money in exchange for signing memorabilia. The bad news is that Gurley will be suspended for two more games, according to a NCAA release on Wednesday.
That means Gurley will miss this Saturday's game against Florida and next week's game at Kentucky before being eligible to return against Auburn on Nov. 15. Georgia will appeal the decision, but odds of an early return for Gurley seem doubtful.
Georgia should—should—be fine in both of those games. Yes, Florida is a rivalry game, but the Gators are 3-3 and struggling once again on offense. The Bulldogs are already 2-0 without Gurley, and freshman Nick Chubb has been superb as his understudy, averaging 34 carries per game during that span.
Can Chubb come through again? Sony Michel and Keith Marshall are doubtful to play against the Gators, according to head coach Mark Richt. Again, that means Chubb will get a bulk of the carries. Coming off a bye week helps, but so will getting Gurley back.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Can Oregon Break Its Two-Game Skid vs. Stanford, Pull Away in Pac-12 North?
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It's no secret Stanford has had Oregon's number the past two years, holding the Ducks to an average of 17 points in a pair of wins. More specifically, the Cardinal have done an excellent job of limiting quarterback Marcus Mariota.
As Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com points out, Mariota's career completion percentage, normally 67.2 percent against other opponents, drops nearly 10 points to 57.7 percent against Stanford. Mariota also averages about three yards less per attempt and rush against Stanford than he does against other teams.
The Cardinal defense is still statistically stout, ranking No. 2 nationally in points allowed (12.5). The good news for Oregon is that Stanford's offense hasn't been great, especially in the red zone.
Another defensive showdown might be bad news for the Ducks. However, if Oregon wins, it creates an even bigger gap between it and the rest of the Pac-12 North. All other teams in that division will have at least three conference losses.
Stanford and Oregon have staged some great Pac-12 North games with major implications over the past several years. Interestingly, though, Oregon's bigger game might come the following week on Nov. 8 at Utah.
Unless Stanford pulls the upset, that is.
6. Can Utah Slow Down Arizona State Quarterback Taylor Kelly?
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At 6-1, Utah is a real player in the Pac-12 South. However, the Utes have also been winning by the skin of their teeth. In the last three games, Utah has won by a total of 11 points.
Utah has another challenge in Week 10, heading on the road to Arizona State. The Sun Devils have been cruising along with one of the most potent offenses in the country (No. 25 in points per game, No. 19 in passing yards). However, Arizona State was limited to just 24 points in a win over Washington last Saturday. Quarterback Taylor Kelly, returning from a foot injury, had a pair of touchdowns, but obviously wasn't able to break loose running the ball.
The Utes have one of the better defenses in the Pac-12, ranking second in points allowed and against the run.
Keeping games close has been a specialty for Utah in conference play. Though Travis Wilson looks like he's finally taking off with the starting quarterback job, that simply hasn't been the strength of the team this year.
Once again, Utah may have to rely on its defense to stay in a crucial divisional game.
5. Who Will Have the Better Day: Kevin White...or Kevin White?
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Ah, yes. The classic name-on-name face-off.
When TCU and West Virginia play on Saturday, the best matchup could be Horned Frogs cornerback Kevin White against Mountaineers receiver Kevin White.
It wouldn't be such a surprising anomaly, given that those are two common names, but this case they are actually both quality players. TCU's White has a pair of interceptions and is tied for the team lead with four pass break-ups.
WVU's White leads the team 1,047 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, and he is on the fringe of the Heisman conversation. Until last week's game against Oklahoma State, White had at least 100 yards receiving in each game.
White vs. White may not be an every-down thing, but it should be fun to watch all the same.
4. Will Ole Miss' Offense Open Things Up?
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Ole Miss' 10-7 loss to LSU in Week 9 was about as poor of an offensive performance as the Rebels have had all year. Quarterback Bo Wallace was especially rough, completing just 42 percent of his passes for 176 yards.
With Auburn and its No. 15 scoring offense coming to Oxford in Week 10, Ole Miss may need to be ready for a shootout.
At the very least, Wallace wants to be less conservative.
"Hopefully, we can be more aggressive (than) last week," Wallace said (via Hugh Kellenberger, The Clarion-Ledger), "but I'm going to run the plays that are called and that's all I can do."
Ole Miss' defense has been the cornerstone of the team's success, but LSU ran for nearly five yards per carry. Auburn runs for nearly six yards a rush. The Rebels are banged up on defense, too. Linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche will miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle. Defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche and safety Cody Prewitt also missed some time against LSU with injuries.
Ole Miss may not have any choice but to open it up.
3. Does Trevone Boykin's Heisman Chatter Heat Up?
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TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin isn't just the nice story of a guy having a solid year. No, Boykin has transformed from a player who was predicted to move to wide receiver in the offseason to someone throwing for seven touchdowns against Texas Tech.
Granted, the Red Raiders defense is terrible, but it's eye-popping all the same.
West Virginia's defense is statistically average—such is life in the Big 12—but there has also been an obvious improvement from the past two years. The Mountaineers kept Baylor to 27 points and held Oklahoma State's struggling offense to 10 points.
Neither of those things would have happened even a year ago.
Will Boykin have another big day? If he does, it will be on the road in a tough environment against a quality opponent. That would be enough to elevate him—Boykin is currently sixth in ESPN.com's Heisman watch—up a few spots.
2. How Will Ohio State Quarterback J.T. Barrett Look Against Illinois?
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Here's what we know about Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett ahead of the Buckeyes' game against Illinois: He has a sprained MCL and has been limited in practice. However, head coach Urban Meyer did say, "He's getting treatment and he's going to play." (h/t
Barrett has run the ball at least 14 times in four games this season, including a 20-carry performance last Saturday against Penn State. There's almost no way Barrett carries the ball that much, if at all, against the Illini.
The good news for Ohio State is that Illinois' rush defense gives up over five yards per carry. That means feeding time for Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott. Ohio State's offensive line has to be up to the challenge, too, by protecting Barrett.
If the Buckeyes get off to a big lead, it wouldn't be surprising to see Barrett's day end soon thereafter.
1. Whose Playoff Dreams Will Be Shattered: Ole Miss or Auburn?
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The first College Football Playoff standings were revealed on Tuesday, and Auburn and Ole Miss came in at No. 3 and No. 4.
For anyone freaking out about three SEC West teams—Mississippi State, Auburn and Ole Miss—being in the top four, fear not. Many of these teams still have to play each other. In fact, the Tigers and Rebels face off Saturday in what could be a de facto elimination game.
Both teams had wild finishes last Saturday. Auburn held on to beat an upset-minded South Carolina, while Ole Miss fell to LSU in Death Valley. There are enough challenges in each team's remaining schedule to make this game a must-win.
Auburn still has to face Georgia and Alabama on the road. Ole Miss ends the season at home against Mississippi State.
The playoff picture is going to get a lot clearer in the coming weeks. It starts on Saturday with these two teams.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
