FAVORITE TEAMS

My college football takeaways from Week 10:

Whoever expected Baylor to crush West Virginia by 19 on the spread must’ve not watched much Big 12 football this season.

UCLA and Oregon State gain momentum in their division, Utah survives in Seattle, and Oregon dominates the Coliseum.

Appalachian State’s loss gives an AAC team a legitimate chance for a New Year’s Six Bowl spot.

The AAC also may have stamped their mark as the “Power 6” of college football. Give that conference some credit people!

Georgia won themselves back into the playoff conversation, but for how long???

Believe it or not, Auburn’s surprisingly still alive for a playoff spot like the 2017 team, but they must not lose anymore games and hope for a miraculous finish to be considered. Could Michigan also find themselves in that same situation?

Now that the committee’s running the Top 25 for the rest of the season, be prepared for some continuous shifting and chaos to loom in the last four to five weeks of the season.

5) #16 KANSAS STATE (6-2 OVERALL; 3-2 BIG 12) AT TEXAS (5-3 OVERALL; 3-2 BIG 12)

Kansas State’s in a great situation after an upset win over Oklahoma two weeks ago. They’re alive for a Big 12 conference title appearance too, but they need a little help getting there. The rest of their schedule becomes more difficult, but it’s also winnable. Their first task is defeating Texas and they could be the first Big 12 team this season to beat them and Oklahoma. Doing that most likely gets a team like that into a conference championship game. There’s not much left for Texas to do except win their way into bowl-eligibility with their sixth win. They still have an opportunity to finish their season strong, and a win over ranked Kansas State would be a start.

 

4) #19 WAKE FOREST (7-1 OVERALL; 3-1 ACC) AT VIRGINIA TECH (5-3 OVERALL; 2-2 ACC) – 12:30PM PT / 3:30PM ET [ACC NETWORK]

Wake Forest is nearly flawless this season and haven’t slowed down one bit. They’re proven to be one of the most lethal offenses in the ACC. The confidence of sophomore quarterback Jamie Newman, his talented trio receivers Scotty Washington, Kendall Hinton, and Sage Surratt, and the improved offensive line are what’s making Wake Forest so dangerous. Virginia Tech welcomes their ranked opponent to Blacksburg this weekend, and it’ll be a rowdy one. Wake Forest has won once against Tech in 2014, which ended in a 6-3 victory. Prior to that win, they lost the last five meetings. The last time they also won in Blacksburg was in 1983. And finally, Wake Forest’s last four wins against Virginia Tech all happened when both teams failed to score 20 points. If Wake Forest wants to play for a New Year’s Six Bowl someday, a road win in a very hostile environment would be a good way to start off November right!

3) IOWA STATE (5-3 OVERALL; 3-2 BIG 12) AT #9 OKLAHOMA (7-1 OVERALL; 4-1 BIG 12) – 5PM PT / 8PM ET []

The Sooners are reluctant to still be in the Top 10 and be in playoff contention after an upset loss at Kansas State. The Wildcats’ return to the Top 25 right after that win two weeks ago was very helpful to their cause. The Sooners now have the toughest finish to their schedule since the playoff era’s existence. In comes Iowa State, the peskiest Big 12 team for the past few seasons. Their offense improved under the leadership of sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy and the refined, experienced offensive line. Freshmen running back Breece Hall also made his name the past few weeks in the run game. Oklahoma struggled against Kansas State’s offense early and it took until the fourth quarter to do anything right. Also two seasons ago, Iowa State caused a chaotic upset in Norman, Oklahoma. If Oklahoma struggles again early against the Cyclones, this could be their curtain call for their playoff and conference title hopes.

 

2) #4 PENN STATE (8-0 OVERALL; 5-0 BIG TEN) AT #17 MINNESOTA (8-0 OVERALL; 5-0 BIG TEN) – 9AM PT / 12PM ET

Who would’ve expected this matchup to occur between two undefeated teams? Penn State’s consistent on both sides of the ball while Minnesota took advantage of an early light schedule to build their confidence up to this point. Penn State’s definitely favored because they played a beefier schedule over Minnesota’s. However, Minnesota has played tough against Penn State the past few seasons, including upsetting them in 2013 and nearly coming away with another in 2016. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck and Penn State coach James Franklin both were successful against tough competition in the past. Minnesota’s win possibly sets them up for their own playoff run while Penn State’s win holds them firm in the Top 4 for another week.

1) #2 LSU (8-0 OVERALL; 4-0 SEC) AT #3 ALABAMA (8-0 OVERALL; 5-0 SEC) – 12:30PM PT / 3:30PM ET [CBS]

Unfortunately, there’s no Game of the Century Part 2 for LSU and Alabama, but it doesn’t mean it’s not a gauntlet matchup of the season. LSU and Alabama have always been grea to watch whether you’re a fan of either or not. It primarily changes how the season will go for both the SEC and the rest of the nation. LSU looks ready to finally down the Tide that has overrun them for the last eight meetings. Their offense destroyed most of their opponents and also survived three Top 10 ranked opponents (Texas, Florida, and Auburn). They face their fourth and final Top 10 opponent in #3 Alabama. The Tide have cruised their way through an easy eight-game schedule with an offense accrued with firepower in their arsenal. But if quarterback Tua Tagovailoa plays, he won’t be 100%. However, if any true Alabama fan and people that know Alabama understands anything, is that their team isn’t solely relied on by a quarterback or one guy. They have enough four- and five-star talent to get things done. The only issue is the depth on Alabama’s defense due to injuries, which could play a factor in how they perform against LSU’s offense. LSU is also flawed on defense with a young roster. They allowed big plays against some of their toughest competition and also allowed more points than the average LSU team should give up, and it may happen against Alabama too. Whoever wins the defensive battle will most likely win the game and control the SEC West.