Week 10 of College Football is here, and some games mean a little more than others this weekend. Here are the top five games that fans should keep an eye on as the playoffs approach.
5 – No. 22 Texas vs. West Virginia
The 22 ranked Texas Longhorns are hitting on all cylinders after their tremendous upset over the then No. 6 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, putting themselves in control of their own destiny once more. Texas’s stellar quarterback Sam Ehlinger put the team on his back with 169 passing yards and 3 touchdowns against the best defense in the BIG 12. The West Virginia Mountaineers are also feeling good about their performance last week in their 37-10 beatdown of the then No. 16 Kansas State Wildcats. Quarterback Jarret Doege had a great performance in the upset with 301 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. West Virginia running back Leddie Brown also put in a solid performance with 24 carries with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown. Vegas sports book has the Longhorns as a -6.5 point favorite. If the Mountaineers have any hope of having another upset, they must repeat their offensive success from last week’s game against Kansas State and hope their defense can contain Sam Ehlinger and the top offense in the Big 12.
4 – No. 13 Indiana vs. No. 23 Michigan
What if I told you before the BIG 10 season started, that coming into their game against Michigan, Indiana would be ranked 13 and tied with Ohio State for first place in the BIG 10 East? To some, this would come as a shock. What head coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers have been able to accomplish in the first two weeks of the BIG 10 season has been nothing short of impressive. Upsetting the then No. 8 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions 36-35 in Overtime has given this team incredible momentum, so much so the Hoosiers were able to defeat the much improved Rutgers squad last week. They are facing a very difficult task this weekend. Michigan started the season off very strong dismantling Minnesota 49-24 but was stunned by rival Michigan State last weekend. The Wolverines chances at a BIG 10 Title hang in the balance. Last year’s meeting saw the Wolverines roll over the Hoosiers 39-14 in Bloomington. Vegas Sportsbook has Michigan as a -3.5 favorite in this year’s matchup. If Indiana has any hope to keep this momentum going, they need to have their star quarterback Michael Penix Jr lead the team the way he did in their upset win over Penn State.
3 – No. 9 Brigham Young University vs. No. 21 Boise State
Credit Athlon Sports
BYU has been one of the most dominant teams in the nation so far this year. Many question whether they deserve the No. 9 ranking, but their statistics back that ranking up. BYU has been outscoring its opponents by an average of 31 points. To put that into perspective, top ranked Clemson is outscoring its opponents by one whole point less. BYU will face its toughest challenge this season thus far against No. 21 Boise State. BYU opens as a -3.5 favorite over Boise State. If BYU is able to sneak by Boise State, they might have a legitimate chase at being the first University not from the Power Five Conferences to make the College Football Playoff.
2 – No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
This weekend’s matchup between Clemson and Notre Dame could likely be due for a rematch in the ACC Championship. Clemson has been outstanding with Trevor Lawrence starting at quarterback, but last week, Lawrence tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, causing him to sit out of the game vs Boston College. Clemson looked sloppy in their comeback win over BC, trailing by as much as 15 points. If it wasn’t for the fantastic play of star running back Travis Etienne, Clemson could have found themselves on the wrong end of the final score. On the other hand, Notre Dame looks like they are finally hitting on all strides. Ian Book has been tremendous passing the football for the Irish along with his partner in crime Kyren Williams running the ball. This could be Notre Dame’s chance at taking a stranglehold of first place in the conference. As it stands right now the sportsbooks have the Tigers as -5 point favorite over the Irish.
1 – No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 8 Florida
Quite simply put, whoever wins this game will take control of the SEC East, allowing them to control their own destiny to try and earn a shot at the SEC Championship game. Both teams come into this game having already lost one game. Barring a crazy ending to the season, a loss in this game could be a College Football Playoff eliminator. Florida has looked very impressive this year. Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts have been a top duo in the nation. If Georgia is not able to slow them down it might be a long night for that Bulldogs defense. Florida and Alabama have very similar playing styles which could give Georgia an advantage in the scouting game, seeing that they have already played Alabama. Florida likes to stretch the field with deep throws to their athletic tight ends. The one area where the Gators have been struggling has been their defense. In their one loss to Texas A&M, the Aggies offense was able to put up monster yards and eventually proved to be too much for the Gators offense. If Georgia can keep up with Florida’s offensive and get stops on defense, they have a solid chance at winning. As it stands right now Vegas has the Bulldogs as a -3.5 favorite over their division rivals. It all goes down at 2:30 CT on CBS.