Play of Week 10: "Air Jackson"
Iowa absolutely dominated Ohio State in Iowa City last Saturday. The offense put up 55 on the vaunted Buckeye defense, and the defense picked off J.T. Barrett four times, including the incredible one-handed grab by Josh Jackson.
(Mis)Play of Week 10: "Gage Balls Out"
I've mentioned the hurdling trend in college football, and LSU's Russell Gage tried to get in on the trend last week against Alabama. He tried to hurdle Alabama defender Minkah Fitzpatrick and ended up taking a shot right to the groin. Remember, hurdling looks cool, but there are major risks involved.
Performance of Week 10: Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
24-36, 598 yards passing, 5 TD, 2 INT; 1 rushing TD
On a day when J.T. Barrett and Saquon Barkley struggled, Baker Mayfield asserted his dominance and took the lead in the Heisman race. In a shootout with Oklahoma State, Baker threw for nearly 600 yards and accounted for six total touchdowns, getting the last laugh in a 62-52 victory at Oklahoma State.
Picks:
Record
Last Week: 12-5 vs. Spread: 6-10-1 O/U: 6-11
Season: 143-36 vs. Spread: 78-76-2 O/U: 71-85
(Home Team Listed Last) (All Times Eastern)
#12 Michigan State 24, #13 Ohio State 38 (Noon, FOX)
Line: OHIOST -17 O/U: 53.5
The Spartans shocked Penn State last week, while the Buckeyes got shocked by Iowa a week after shocking Penn State. These two teams are currently tied for first place in the Big Ten East (both at 7-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play), so this is a huge game. I think Ohio State will bounce back from last weekend's ugly loss with a big conference win in the Horseshoe.
Rutgers 3, #14 Penn State 42 (Noon, BTN)
Line: PSU -31 O/U: 52.5
After starting the season 7-0, the Nittany Lions have suffered two close losses in a row. The Lions are still in the Big Ten East race, but they can't afford another loss. They shouldn't be too concerned about the possibility of a third loss in a row against the 4-5 Scarlet Knights in Happy Valley Saturday. Rutgers has only won one road game so far this season (October 14 at Illinois).
#15 Oklahoma State 45, #21 Iowa State 35 (Noon, ABC/ESPN2)
Line: OKLAST -6.5 O/U: 60.5
A big weekend in the Big 12 starts at noon on Saturday, when two conference contenders coming off hard-fought losses meet in Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones will look to bounce back from a loss to Will Grier and West Virginia, but they'll have to beat Mason Rudolph and an Oklahoma State team that put up 52 points in a loss to Oklahoma. I think the Cowboy offense will propel them past Iowa State.
Connecticut 14, #18 UCF 62 (Noon, ESPNU)
Line: UCF -40.5 O/U: 64
There are five remaining unbeatens in college football (Georgia, Alabama, Miami, Wisconsin, and Central Florida), and I think the the Knights are the least likely to suffer their first loss this weekend. They host the 3-6 UConn Huskies, who own the second-worst defense in the FBS (554 yards allowed per game). UCF owns the fifth-best offense in the FBS (540 yards per game).
#23 NC State 35, Boston College 24 (Noon, ABC/ESPN2)
Line: NCST -3 O/U: 52
This will be a matchup of two teams going in different directions. The Eagles have won their last three games, while the Wolfpack have lost their last two. But, to be fair, those two losses were to Notre Dame and Clemson. NC State has to be careful on the road against the streaking Eagles, but I think the Wolfpack will leave Massachusetts with a victory.
Arkansas 10, #24 LSU 28 (Noon, ESPN)
Line: LSU -17 O/U: 55
LSU became the latest team to run into the Alabama buzzsaw last weekend, losing 24-10 to the Tide in Tuscaloosa. This weekend presents a much easier situation, as the Tigers host 4-5 Arkansas. After getting demolished by South Carolina, Bama, and Auburn, the Razorbacks have won their last two games by two points combined. This one won't be as close.
#17 Virginia Tech 30, Georgia Tech 24 (12:20 PM, ESPN)
Line: VATECH -3 O/U: 50
Virginia Tech couldn't keep up with the Canes in Miami last Saturday, and the Hokies face another tough test Saturday afternoon at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets, who almost beat Miami earlier in the season, are looking to get back on track following two straight losses. They might do that against Virginia Tech, but I think the Hokies prevail on the strength of their defense.
#1 Georgia 21, #10 Auburn 24 (3:30 PM, CBS)
Line: UGA -2.5 O/U: 47
This weekend, Georgia faces it's toughest challenge since it beat Notre Dame by one point in South Bend early in the season. It won't be easy when the Bulldogs travel to Auburn to play the 7-2 Tigers. This will be a defensive battle (Georgia's defense ranks 4th in the nation, while Auburn's ranks 13th), and I think the battle-tested Tigers will pull of the upset at home Saturday afternoon.
Florida State 13, #4 Clemson 32 (3:30 PM, ESPN)
Line: CLEM -16 O/U: 46
Florida State's season went off the rails after the Seminoles lost quarterback Deondre Francois in the first week of the season, and Clemson's Playoff hopes almost went off the rails last week against NC State. Jimbo Fisher's team will try to play Clemson tough, but I don't think the host Tigers will have to sweat nearly as much as they did last weekend.
#20 Iowa 31, #8 Wisconsin 28 (3:30 PM, ABC)
Line: WISC -12 O/U: 46
The unbeaten Badgers face their first real test of the season when they host Iowa Saturday afternoon. The Hawkeyes are coming off a dismantling of Ohio State, and, while most of their wins have come at home, they did beat Iowa State on the road. Wisconsin is a talented team, but I think this strong Iowa team will give Wisky its first loss of the season this weekend.
#11 USC 40, Colorado 21 (4:00 PM, FOX)
Line: USC -12.5 O/U: 64.5
After looking real shaky in their first eight games, Sam Darnold and the Trojans have looked a lot better in wins against Arizona State and Arizona. This week, they leave the state of Arizona (and California) to play Colorado. After starting the season 3-0, the Buffaloes are 2-5 in their last seven games. They'll have a tough time keeping up with the surging Trojans on Saturday.
#19 Washington State 24, Utah 27 (5:30 PM, PAC12N)
Line: WASHST -1 O/U: 52
Both the Cougars and Utes have fallen off a bit after strong starts to the season, but both teams are coming off wins. A week after losing to Arizona, Washington State held on to beat Stanford last Saturday, while Utah snapped a four game losing streak with a rout of UCLA last Friday. I think the host Utes will ride their defense to an upset victory Saturday evening.
#2 Alabama 30, #16 Mississippi State 21 (7:00 PM, ESPN)
Line: BAMA -13.5 O/U: 50.5
The Crimson Tide also face a tough test this weekend (or at least what appears to be a possible tough test) when they travel to Starkville to battle Nick Fitzgerald and the Bulldogs. I think Mississippi State could keep it close with Alabama (something only Texas A&M has done this season), but Nick Saban's team just has too much firepower.
Purdue 20, #25 Northwestern 34 (7:00 PM, ESPN2)
Line: NWEST -4.5 O/U: 48.5
Northwestern has found its way into the CFP rankings following four straight wins (two of them against teams that are currently ranked), but if the Wildcats want to stay there, they can't take 4-5 Purdue (a team that's lost four games by eight points or less) for granted. I don't think Pat Fitzgerald's team will take Purdue for granted Saturday night in Chicago.
#3 Notre Dame 28, #7 Miami 27 (8:00 PM, ABC)
Line: ND -3 O/U: 57.5
The last two (ranked) games of the day should be fun ones. On ABC, we have the reboot of "Catholics vs. Convicts", as the one-loss Irish travel to Miami to face off with the unbeaten Canes. I could see this going either way, but Notre Dame has looked more dominant than the Hurricanes, who have come dangerously close to losing on multiple occasions.
#6 TCU 32, #5 Oklahoma 42 (8:00 PM, FOX)
Line: OKLA -6.5 O/U: 61.5
Over on FOX, Heisman favorite Baker Mayfield and the Sooners face their second highly-ranked opponent in a row. Both TCU and Oklahoma have one loss, and both of those losses came at the hands of Iowa State. This will probably be another shootout for Oklahoma, but as we saw last week, Baker and company excel in shootouts.
Stats and Information via ESPN.com
Lines and Over/Unders via SportsLine.com
Lines and Over/Unders are as of Friday Morning
To stay up to date on the newest Head in the Game articles (and general sports commentary), follow @headingameblog on Twitter (you can also find me on Twitter @G_Tingley)
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