FAVORITE TEAMS

10) #2 ALABAMA AT #20 ARKANSAS 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [CBS]

The last time Arkansas defeated Alabama was way back in 2006 in overtime. Last season, they were within distance of tying or possibly going for two to upset them. Despite escaping Missouri State and losing to Texas A&M, they welcome in Alabama in hopes of finally ending 15 straight losses. The key is taking away passing and running opportunities from quarterback Bryce Young. Can they do it without defensive back Jalen Catalon? we shall see.

MY PICK: ALABAMA

9) GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT COASTAL CAROLINA 1PM PT/4PM ET [ESPN+]

If you thought the James Madison/Appalachian State game was crazy, we could be seeing this matchup happen too. Coastal Carolina won the last two meetings after their foundation paid off, but Georgia Southern looks confident after upsetting Nebraska and plans make Coastal Carolina sweat for the win this weekend.

MY PICK: COASTAL CAROLINA

8) #17 TEXAS A&M AT MISSISSIPPI STATE 1PM PT/4PM ET [SEC NETWORK]

The Aggies are figuring out their offensive situation. As they inch closer to the epic Alabama/Texas A&M round 2 bout, they must deal with Mike Leach’s sneaky good Mississippi State team. The Bulldogs are expected to make A&M struggle for the majority of the game, but something tells me that they’ll struggle against A&M defensive coordinator DJ Durkin’s defense. He makes even great offenses struggle at times.

MY PICK: TEXAS A&M

7) IOWA STATE AT KANSAS 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [ESPN 2]

Kansas has every right to be up in the Top 10 of my post until I see a 21-point loss on their 2022 schedule. They’ve rode high in Lance Liepold’s second season, and I can’t say enough positive things about this dude! However, they haven’t beaten Iowa State since 2014. Once the Cyclones progressed in their foundation, they’ve owned Kansas since. Now the Jayhawks look to end their drought against the Cyclones and it’s possible they can with this newfound, high-flying offense.

MY PICK: KANSAS

6) #7 KENTUCKY AT #14 OLE MISS 9AM PT/12PM ET [ESPN]

This is an underrated and probably unusual ranked matchup between Ole Miss and Kentucky. Ole Miss is searching for their identity with transfers, but they are still an offensive team while Lane Kiffin’s the coach. Kentucky looks good and well-balanced but I’m wondering if their game against two MAC teams (Miami-Ohio and Northern Illinois) was just them saving plays for bigger games or something more suspecting. For now, Kentucky may kick down Ole Miss until the Rebels figure out who they are this season.

MY PICK: KENTUCKY

5) #15 WASHINGTON AT UCLA 7:30PM PT/10:30PM ET [ESPN ON FRIDAY]

Washington’s offense has new life. It’s been awhile since they were this good, and their new coach Kalen DeBoer earns plenty of credit along with Indiana transfer quarterback Michael Penix. He currently leads the nation in passing yards and has this offense humming. This plays in their favor against UCLA, which not many are mentioning about the Bruins being undefeated. UCLA had one hiccup with South Alabama, otherwise, they’re getting their warmup with experienced players and backups. Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the running back crew are taking it to their opponents with speed and physicality. Much like last season, UCLA is in the mix for the South division next to USC and Utah. DeBoer deals with UCLA again after an upset win last season when he coached Fresno State. This has the potential to become a high-scoring game, but expect UCLA to punish Washington with their speed and patience with their ground and pound game from their backs and quarterback.

MY PICK: UCLA

4) #4 MICHIGAN AT IOWA 9AM PT/12PM ET [FOX]

It’s one of those games that spells low-scoring game. Expect that and just take the under in your bets. Michigan understands that the offense runs through running back Blake Corum. They have a quarterback, or two, that are good enough to make plays, albeit the run game is heavily key. But defeating Iowa’s elite defense will take plenty of leverage and deceit. Everything that Iowa has done so far has mostly come from their defense and special teams. The offense has yet to have any success anywhere in the past few seasons. The quarterback is an issue and we have yet to see a running back have any success. Tight end Sam LaPorta is their best offensive player, but who will step up to throw to him? Michigan will probably win this matchup outright, but the game could be close if their offense struggles out the gate again.

MY PICK: MICHIGAN

3) #22 WAKE FOREST AT #23 FLORIDA STATE 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [ABC]

Wake Forest ended their seven-game losing streak against Florida State in 2019. Then they put a beatdown on them last year. Those last two meetings were at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This is their first trip to Tallahassee (if it’s safe to play there) since 2018 and Wake hasn’t won there since 2008. Since then, the Seminoles outscored the Demon Deacons 181 to 26 in Tallahassee. However, this is a new era, and both teams are different. Wake Forest is lethal offensively while Florida State is trying to restore their program after five struggling seasons. Wake Forest will bring the heat, but Florida State plans to hit back with quarterback Jordan Travis and the run game. It comes down to who has the defensive advantage. Florida State’s at home, they’ve punished Wake Forest there in the past, and the Demon Deacons’ defense has yet to be intimidating.

MY PICK: FLORIDA STATE

2) #9 OKLAHOMA STATE AT #16 BAYLOR 12:30PM PT/3:30PM ET [FOX]

Let me just say that Robert Griffin III left behind a foundation for Baylor’s recent success against Oklahoma State for nearly a decade. Since 2012, they won seven of the last 10 games and only lost one game to the Cowboys at Waco in 2020, when the Bears were hit with COVID in coach Dave Aranda’s first season. Despite the loss to BYU, Baylor is still Big 12 title contenders. Oklahoma State should be a Big 12 contender too with overall offensive improvement. Defense is figuring things out, but was the bye week enough to understand who they are under defensive coordinator Derek Mason? After last season’s meeting in the Big 12 championship, it’s possible that results will end the same. However, Oklahoma State struggled at Waco since Baylor’s uprising in 2012. With Ok State’s defense trying to find answers, Baylor has leverage on both sides of the field.

MY PICK: BAYLOR

1) #10 NC STATE AT #5 CLEMSON 4:30PM PT/7:30PM ET [ABC]

All eyes must be on this primetime game . We’re talking the Wolfpack herding in West South Carolina for this epic matchup to see who controls the Atlantic division and potentially the ACC. No one realizes how much credit NC State coach Dave Doeren deserves after building the program to compete with the ACC and maybe the country. The Wolfpack may be the best team since 2002 when they went 11-3. Like Wake Forest, this is their first trip to Clemson since 2018, but they’re better prepped for this situation. Clemson’s elite defense should be ready for quarterback Devin Leary after he dissected them for the majority of the game last season. They should have a better control to keep this game close. The Tigers’ offense looked good last week against Wake Forest, but they are now challenged by the 13th best defense in the nation. The Pack will likely get after the backfield and force quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to prove himself. If there was any indication on the game’s conclusion, it’ll probably come down…God help me…special teams to come through again, and it could likely be up to NC State’s kicker Christopher Dunn (who’s currently 100% on his kicks this season). This is by far the most difficult pick, but I’ll take Clemson to win on defense, but don’t be surprised if DJ’s exposed and NC State wins the close battle thanks to their defense.

MY PICK: CLEMSON