Week Ten means we’re over 70% through the season. Our College Football Preview Week Ten edition will get you up to speed with what you need to know heading into some huge games for both FBS and FCS Schools.

College Football Preview Week Ten – ACC

Clemson travels to Louisville in a game that could and hopefully will see Clemson score 30 or more once again. The Cardinals have a tough game ahead in facing the Clemson D but if the get a good day from Malik Cunningham then it should be a fun one. Virginia Tech heads on the road to visit a hapless Boston College. Justin Fuente will want another win to cool off his hot seat. Duke host Pitt in what should be a get right game for the Panthers. 

Miami are -10.5 point favourites against Georgia Tech in a game i think The Yellow Jackets could squeak a win after Miami beat Pitt last week. The Florida State Seminoles are slight underdogs to  NC State team that will want to keep winning to get to the ACC Championship game. 

ACC Game of the Week – Wake Forest @ North Carolina

The all ACC clash sets up to be a barn stormer. In an odd twist of contractual signings this conference clash actually doesn’t count as a divisional contest for wake so win or loose they will still head towards a spot in the ACC Championship game. The over/under is set at a blistering 76.5 and I can see it going over that by a fair way. We have two offences who can score on teams and a Wake side that plays by staying one score ahead. 

Funnily November has never been a goof month for Wake Forest under Dave Clawson. Wake have never won more than two games in the month of November but this team feels different this season. They have their highest ever ranking being ranked in the top ten after the playoff rankings were announced. Its hard to argue with the ranking as they are 8-0 and playing well. Its the schedule thats why they are not higher and they don’t face a ranked opponent in their final four games. That doesn’t help with a playoff push for Wake, neither does the three road games either. 

Sam Howell is setting records for North Carolina this season and only needs 239 yards to yet the all time yardage record for the School. He passed the all time leading passer record in the loss to The Fighting Irish and also holds the touchdown record now with 101. But this season hasn’t gone how NC would have hoped and Howell is now playing for his draft stock. Both teams need a win here. NC to ensure they play in a bowl game and Wake to keep pushing for the playoffs. This one is set up to be a classic shootout and I cant wait. 

Written by Stocks @5yardcollege

 

College Football Preview Week Ten – BIG XII 

The Slate

#11 Oklahoma State travel to West Virginia and will have to play well after the Mountaineers just showed what they are capable of by beating Iowa State. #12 Baylor take on a TCU programme still searching for a head coach in Fort Worth. Kansas play host to their in-state rivals Kansas State and will hope to be at least competitive after a drubbing from Oklahoma State last weekend.

Game of the Week – Texas @ Iowa State

Whilst the game features two unranked teams, Texas at Iowa State should be the closest and hard-fought match of the BIG XII slate this coming weekend. The Longhorns, yet again, surrendered a double-digit lead in their loss last weekend. If there’s ever a time a team needs an inspirational, all-round performance this is it. Their opponents, Iowa State also suffered a morale crushing loss on the road to West Virginia in a game they were favourites to win. So, you could call this game the ‘Destitute Bowl’, given there was considerable optimism surrounding both programmes in pre-season.

That’s what makes this game the ‘Game of the Week’, both teams desperately need a win or risk their seasons becoming busts and negative recruiting fodder for their rivals. Texas QB Casey Thompson needs to show improvement and not miss easy open throws, whilst the Texas receivers need to help him out by minimising the drops. Xavier Worthy and Bijan Robinson will be the main threats to stop for the Cyclones with both having dominant seasons so far for the Longhorns.

Time to cause Havoc

Matt Campbell’s Cyclones are 1-1 in big games at home this year, losing to Iowa but beating Oklahoma State. The pre-season potential playoff buzz for this team was extinguished pretty quickly. That doesn’t mean they can’t ruin a bunch of other seasons. This weekend they could start with Texas’ as a loss here would deeply hurt the Longhorns’ recruiting efforts as they try to build an SEC calibre roster. Breece Hall will need a strong game on the ground to give Purdy time on play action and pocket passing plays. He had no problem racking up over 160 yards last weekend against West Virginia, albeit in a loss. Brock Purdy will mostly look towards the Cyclones star Xavier Hutchinson. Their connection has proved huge for Campbell’s passing attack, with few other receivers stepping up to that level.

It’s a game that nobody has a strong beat on. Texas has the better offence, but Iowa State has the better defence. Both quarterbacks are capable of drastic mistakes, as well as clutch plays. Expect a close one in Ames.

Prediction Texas 23-20 Iowa State.

Written by Jake @dyanstybrit

 

College Football Preview Week Ten – B1G 10 

The College Football Playoff Committee released their CFP rankings this week and the Big Ten is well represented! 6 teams made the top 25 and they all need to be alert if they want to stay there. There’s plenty of upset opportunities in week 10.

It will be really interesting to see how Michigan respond to their first loss of the season. They face Indiana in the Big House and will want to show off their new passing attack to the home crowd. Ohio State go to Memorial Stadium to battle Scott Frost’s Cornhuskers. The Nebraska head coach may find the temperature of his already warm seat rising even further if they get blown out.

Minnesota were a surprise name in the CFP rankings and will look to justify their inclusion with another win. They need to eradicate Bowling Green from everyone’s memories, but need to keep a lid on Chase Brown on Saturday. The Illinois running back has lain waste to defenses up and drop in the country. Don’t expect too many passes in this one!

If Minnesota were a surprise, Wisconsin’s #21 rank feels like an admin error! A very generous reward for a meh season at best. Anything but a resounding win at Rutgers and they’ll be sliding out of the top 25. Penn State look to turn their season back in the right direction against Maryland. Can the Terps put up points against this Nittany Lions defense?

And Iowa get the tonic they so desperately need – a nice matchup against Northwestern. The Wildcats are much too accommodating to visiting teams, offering up touchdowns for fun! Iowa really need a win at Ryan Field or they will go from top dogs to the laughing stock of the Big Ten.

Game Of The Week – Michigan State @ Purdue

The undefeated Michigan State Spartans overcame the first big test of the season against Michigan last week. Kenneth Walker III led them to victory with 5 touchdowns and the Paul Bunyan Trophy was paraded around a euphoric Spartan Stadium. Now the question will be can they maintain their focus? Michigan State have a gargantuan clash with Ohio State in the near future but cannot take their eyes off the opponent in front of them, or that game could become irrelevant.

Purdue love to play the villain too – just ask the 2018 Ohio State team! Or more recently, check in on Iowa fans now their season has been derailed. The Boilermakers would absolutely love to knock #3 Michigan State from their perch. Purdue haven’t beaten the Spartans since 2006 and will need to be on top form to avoid a 9th straight loss in this fixture.

That’s because the aforementioned Kenneth Walker is having a career year. Walker already has 1194 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is averaging 6.8 yards per carry, even though everyone knows he’s the main weapon! Opposition defenses can plan for him all they want, he finds a way to keep on churning and can bust a big play out of nowhere. Walker’s success also opens up the play-action call sheet and deep pass plays as defenders have to stack the box. Purdue will need to limit the run game and trust their DBs to cover the wide receiver duo of Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor.

The good news for the Boilermakers is that their biggest star David Bell is due another monster game. If you were to accuse the Spartans of having a weakness, you would point to their pass defense. They sit last in the Big Ten in defending the pass and Bell is a stud receiver desperate to take advantage. Aidan O’Connell will need to play like he did against Iowa and Wisconsin to win this game. But if he has time to throw there’s no reason he can’t. If Purdue can slow Walker just a little and keep the scoreline close we could have a brilliant game on our hands!

Written by Jack @JackCDCTT

 

College Football Preview Week Ten – PAC-12 

Washington State and UCLA have bye weeks, the second one for UCLA after playing in week 0. The first kick off is early Saturday morning at 2:30am GMT, when Utah who now top the PAC-12 South, travel to Stanford. California and Arizona then open the Saturday evening slate. Oregon State travels to Denver to play Colorado, both needing a win for different reasons. The last match of the week is another potential after dark classic, as USC without Drake London go up against Arizona State.

Game of the Week – Oregon @ Washington

Although both teams are in different types of form going into this game, Oregon traveling to Washington is always a must watch. Normally both teams are challenging for the top spot in the PAC-12 North, Washington have struggled massively this season. Last week’s win over Stanford looked like a step in the right direction for the Huskies. It was the defence that finally showed what most expected of them before the start of the season. Stars like Trent McDuffie, Edefuan Ulofoshio and Zion Tupuola-Fetui will all need to be on top form again to stop this Oregon team.

The Ducks also have a stellar defence, led by Kayvon Thibodeaux and Noah Sewell. Looking at the Huskies offensive performances this season, they probably shouldn’t be too worried. Head coach Mario Cristobal and Oregon are coming into this game ranked number 4 in the college rankings. Meaning they have a playoff spot as it stands. They know, no team can be taken for granted from now until the end of the season. Washington are trying to get a bowl game invite potentially. Raining on Oregon’s pending playoff party should add extra spice to this game. This is a rival game. No matter what a victory does for them at the end of the season, it’s all about bragging rights.

Written by Jordan Merritt @Jordm87

 

College Football Preview Week Ten – SEC 

13 teams from the SEC play in week 10, with just Vanderbilt on a bye week. There are two early Saturday kick off’s. the first being Missouri traveling to number #1 ranked Georgia. While the only out of conference match up is Liberty at Ole Miss, both quarterbacks fighting it out to take that top ranked QB spot in the 2022 Draft.

Mississippi State play Arkansas, with the Razorbacks loosing the last 3 games against SEC teams. LSU vs Alabama is a fierce rivalry, but both teams are on different levels this season. Can LSU cause an upset? Tennessee who have quietly gone about their season play Kentucky, who are looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses. The final game is Florida at South Carolina, with the Gators desperate for a win.

Game of the Week –Auburn @ Texas A&M

Number #13 ranked Auburn go on the road to take on #14 ranked Texas A&M in this SEC West match up. Both teams are sitting with a 6-2 record. With Auburn just ahead with only 1 conference loss to the Aggies 2. The Tigers still have a crack at the West title if they can win out, with their last game against Alabama. They can’t look past Texas A&M, who have won their last 3 games, one already being against current champions Alabama. They also are not out of the race for the West but still have some tough games to come. The Aggies had struggled on offence with back up quarterback Zach Calzada but have turned a corner since the Alabama game.

It’s been a similar story for Auburn, as their offence stuttered through the first half of the season. QB Bo Nix has played to a higher level in their last two wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss. This could be a real battle between two good defences. The Tigers defensive ends Derrick Hall and Colby Wooden are having excellent seasons. The Aggies defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal is one of the top 2022 draft prospects. On offence watch out for Texas A&M tight end Jalen Wydermyer, who has come alive in the last few games. Wherever you look on the field, you have future NFL talent. This could be a tight game and nobody can afford to lose it if they want a shot at the SEC West.

Written by Jordan Merritt @Jordm87