FAVORITE TEAMS

The Pokes celebrate a major Bedlam win to send off Oklahoma (or subtly give them the boot) out of the Big 12 while tearing down the goal post and sending it into a nearby river or lake (sure, whatever. But congrats to Mike Gundy!). They can’t celebrate too much though as they have their very first meeting with UCF at Orlando. I’m not saying Oklahoma State will lose, but it’s best not to get too complacent being in a great position to play in the Big 12 championship. But I’ll tread the Florida waters and go for Gus Malzahn and those Knights.

MY PICK: UCF

Meanwhile back in Norman, the Sooners return home after another disappointing loss in back-to-back games (ESPECIALLY IN BEDLAM!!!). Coach Brent Venables is aware of the glaring issues and weaknesses that cost them a victory. However, they showed that they have plenty of opportunities to win those two games they lost. West Virginia is feeling great about their situation after everyone doubted them. They’re bowl eligible and confident in the roster that got them there. However, the Sooners are angry enough to ruin it this weekend.

MY PICK: OKLAHOMA

MY PICK: COLORADO

Both Wyoming and UNLV are bowl eligible together in the Mountain West for the first time in history. Makes no sense why the Pac-12 won’t give the conference more respect or attention? Anyway, both teams are actually alive for the second spot in the Mountain West championship. This is the first meeting since 2020, and I’m wondering if Wyoming’s aware of the Rebels’ major improvement thanks to Barry Odom and former head coach Marcus Arroyo for the 5-1 start last season. Wyoming is tough, gritty, and physical, and plenty is credited by the defense, quarterback Andrew Peasley, and Northern Illinois transfer running back Harrison Waylee. UNLV should win because they’re unbeaten at home while Wyoming’s currently 0-3 on the road.

MY PICK: UNLV

Alabama outlasted LSU in an evening thriller, and quarterback Jalen Milroe and the boys in the trenches do it again in the second half. They head to Lexington for the first time since 2020 against the Wildcats that almost upset Tennessee. Devin Leary played as well as he did, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback. However, they have a rare opportunity to spoil Alabama. They have a good defense and a good run game if they utilize Ray Davis more. It also comes down to quarterback Devin Leary carving out the Tide’s resurgent defense. I want to believe Leary gets the job done early, but the Tide eventually disrupts him and punishes the rest of the offense.

MY PICK: ALABAMA

Penn State has one more opportunity to show they’re serious playoff contenders. They have a well-balanced team on both sides of the ball with quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, linebacker Curtis Jacobs, and defensive end Adisa Isaac. They’re at home and should hope to high water Penn State has the chance. Michigan’s an unstoppable force and immovable object at the same time. No matter the off-the-field distractions, Michigan’s playing lights out thanks to their all-around defense and quarterback JJ McCarthy, running backs Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, and a series of pass catchers. It’s likely a defensive struggle, but Penn State’s in the same unfortunate position as they were against Ohio State. What sucks is that they’re at home this time. Former Penn State offensive lineman and Super Bowl champ AQ Shipley mentioned that it’s unfortunate the team can’t host a White Out game at night. He’s right. If they did, they have a shot. Unfortunately, they don’t unless Allar plays A+ football against one of the best defenses in the nation from start to finish.

MY PICK: MICHIGAN

Tennessee’s on a lifeline for an SEC East title. They already have two losses and Georgia’s a win away from taking the division again. All Tennessee could do is play their best football and hope Georgia somehow slips up against Ole Miss to set up a do-or-die matchup next weekend with Georgia. In the meantime, they face the Tigers and must defeat them to keep their SEC East title hopes alive while watching ESPN at 4pm to see how Georgia plays out against Ole Miss. The offense is stellar under coach Josh Heupel and Joe Milton III played well enough to escape the Wildcats’ clutches two weeks ago. With the weapons that Milton has, they mightily test the Tigers’ defense. Missouri’s defense has plenty on their plate, but their pass rush could be the difference against Milton and must be the impact if Missouri wants to upset the Volunteers. On offense, they go through quarterback Brady Cook, running back Cody Schrader, and receiver Luther Burden III. After their stellar performance in a loss to Georgia, they must feel confident going into this game. It’s likely a shootout, but honestly, Missouri feels confident enough to outplay the Volunteers at home. Tennessee struggled on the road and almost lost their third road game to Kentucky. Missouri should win by at least one-possession.

MY PICK: MISSOURI

Texas may have another tough matchup on their hands. TCU hasn’t been great due to injuries, inconsistencies, and working with whatever available players they have, but they’re still playing their best out there. Luckily, they’re at home and will put the Longhorns in a vice. However, there was recent news that Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is good to go for Saturday. The team desperately needs him because it was a difficult stretch with backup Maalik Murphy. With Ewers back, the team overall has a chance to overcome a road environment out in Fort Worth. With the unit Texas has across the board, including receiver Xavier “X-Men” Worthy, running backs CJ Baxter and Jonathan Brooks, and company, it’s hard to stop the Longhorns. It’s likely a shootout even with TCU’s backup quarterback Josh Hoover, but Texas outlasts them to keep their Big 12 title and playoff hopes alive.

MY PICK: TEXAS

Utah either outplays their opponents outright or gets stomped out by them (twice this season). It all depends on the opponent and who Utah has available. On the other hand, Washington looks virtually unbeatable. Quarterback Michael Penix played lights out in the majority of their games thus far. However, there’s a scary suspicion that Utah will make this game very interesting against Washington. Despite their losses to Oregon and Oregon State, their only losses were to the state of Oregon. They drummed up some victories by way of things going the right way offensively or the defense making life difficult for opposing offenses. Washington’s great and all, but their defense struggled in most games since stepping into Pac-12 play. They allowed 28.6 points per game which gives Utah every opportunity to attack their defense. Washington must play a flawless, turnover free game against Utah or things could get ugly. Another thing that is scary suspicious is Washington’s subtle struggles at home. They allowed 32 points to Cal, almost lost on two occasions to Oregon, and struggled horribly on offense against Arizona State. I’ll gamble with this pick and favor Utah. Their only two wins ever in this matchup was at Seattle under coach Kyle Whittingham, and a loss is eventually coming to the Huskies.

MY PICK: UTAH

Here comes another test for Georgia, and the Rebels are here to spoil their SEC East and playoff opportunity. This season, Ole Miss gave plenty of good SEC teams fits and won most of those battles except Alabama. Their offense is balanced, dangerous, and similarly imposing like Missouri but more physical with running back Quinshon Judkins. If Missouri can attack Georgia’s defense for most of the game, there’s a possibility that Ole Miss could do the same as long as quarterback Jaxson Dart follows through on his last name efficiently. Georgia’s in for a rather tougher test against Ole Miss, but they’re curious to see how well Ole Miss can familiarize themselves with Georgia. Ole Miss doesn’t play Georgia as much as Missouri does, so the offense hasn’t seen this type of defense nor have they faced an offense with multiple capabilities. There’s very little chance that Brock Bowers returns but not possible that he’ll play this weekend, so we move on. The offense has other weapons for quarterback Carson Beck like receivers Ladd McConkey and Dom Lovett, and running back Daijun Edwards and company. Ole Miss should attack Georgia early, but the Dawgs will eventually be too much for them to keep up just like the Alabama game. Georgia should win convincingly.

MY PICK: GEORGIA

WEEK 10 RESULTS: 8-2

TOTAL RESULTS: 51-29

Feeling good and back on the horse. I’m still miffed over the OU loss to Oklahoma State, but I’ll move. Not too many moving parts in the Top 25, but a few shifts in the Top 10 makes sense. People will be upset, but there’s still three weeks, including conference championship week. Still some great football left, and I can’t wait for more.