Week 10 might be the most important week of the college football regular season. We have seven — count 'em — seven games between top-25 opponents, and you better believe they all have implications on the College Football Playoff.
It all starts off with a massive game in Stillwater between No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 11 Oklahoma State, which will likely decide one half of the Big 12 championship game. In other action, there's No. 1 Alabama against its toughest opponent so far this season in No. 19 LSU.
We have picks for those and more huge games this week.
MORE: Week 10 picks against the spread
Sporting News is 51-21 in its picks this season after going 4-4 in Week 9. Here's what we've got for Week 10 (point spreads provided courtesy of Vegasinsider.com as of Oct. 30; lines reflect consensus picks unless noted):
No. 14 Iowa State at West Virginia (-2.5)
Are Matt Campbell and the Cyclones for real? If so, a road trip at West Virginia is the perfect time to show it. Mountaineers quarterback Will Grier leads the nation with 28 touchdown passes, but Iowa State ranks in the top 20 nationally in interceptions, with 10 on the season. The Cyclones don’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with West Virginia, so they’ll need to make this an ugly game if they want to win.
Pick: West Virginia 30, Iowa State 24
No. 18 Stanford at No. 25 Washington State (-2.5)
This one, basically a pick’em, depends on whether Stanford running back Bryce Love comes back from injury in time to play the Cougars. Washington State showed it was incapable of defending elite offensive players against Arizona when Khalil Tate put up 421 yards of total offense against them. We expect Love might have a similar game if he’s able to return. On the other side of the ball, it’ll be interesting to see how Luke Falk responds to getting benched after completing 13 of 23 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Pick: Stanford 35, Washington State 31
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No. 23 Arizona at No. 17 USC (-7)
This game screams upset — just look at the last time the Trojans played a quarterback with superior rushing ability. Brandon Wimbush of Notre Dame passed for 120 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 19 times for 191 yards and three scores. Khalil Tate is an even more electric runner, rushing for 840 yards in the month of October. But USC played its first complete game of the season against Arizona State, and the Wildcats rank 128th nationally by giving up an average of 300 passing yards per game. Sam Darnold airs it out more than Tate can run it up.
Pick: USC 45, Arizona 42
No. 7 Penn State (-7.5) at No. 24 Michigan State
Both teams are smarting after disappointing losses last week. This game has been a blowout each of the last three seasons, but expect both defenses to play for pride in this one. Saquon Barkley will continue to make plays, but look for the Spartans defense (89.9 rush yards per game) to limit him to fewer than 100 rushing yards. That means McSorley will need to air it out for the Nittany Lions to come away with a win, which he’s more than capable of doing.
Pick: Penn State 28, Michigan State 17
MORE: Get ready for these six CFP arguments in November
No. 6 Clemson (-7.5) at No. 20 N.C. State
The Tigers returned to a balanced offensive attack against Georgia Tech on Saturday, while N.C. State suffered a humbling defeat against Notre Dame. With Kelly Bryant back, we don’t expect Clemson to lose again until, potentially, the ACC championship game. Still, the Wolfpack front seven will make things a little harder for the Tigers offense than what it’s used to, even with Bryant in the backfield. And don’t forget: The winner of this game takes command of the ACC Atlantic. That will be a factor in how these teams play on Saturday.
Pick: Clemson 31, N.C. State 24
No. 13 Virginia Tech (-2.5) at No. 9 Miami
This Miami offense just hasn’t been the same since the loss of Mark Walton in the Florida State game. The Hurricanes have moved the ball fairly well, but have averaged just 25.3 points per game in their last three games, all one-score wins. Miami flat out didn’t look like a contender against a 1-6 North Carolina team either. Pair that with a red-hot Virginia Tech team that boasts the nation’s eighth-best defense in yardage allowed (285 per game) and it spells the end of Miami’s undefeated hopes. We’re calling it.
Pick: Virginia Tech 27, Miami 14
MORE: College Football Playoff picture, Week 10
No. 19 LSU at No. 1 Alabama (-21.5)
The 21.5-point spread in this game seems … a bit much. Remember, the Tide beat the Tigers last year by a score of 10-0 after LSU limited Alabama to just 216 yards. Here’s what’s going to happen: LSU will load the box against Alabama to stymie the rushing attack and dare Jalen Hurts (95 of 151 passing, 1,223 yards) to win with his arm. It should work in the early going, but Alabama’s relentless rush attack will eventually break through for some big gains late. LSU likely added some new quirks on offense during the bye, but it won’t be enough against the Tide defense, which gives up only 236 yards per game.
Pick: Alabama 24, LSU 10
No. 8 Oklahoma at No. 11 Oklahoma State (-3)
Now is the Cowboys’ chance to finally stake their claim in the Big 12. This one basically comes down to which quarterback performs better: Baker Mayfield or Mason Rudolph. They both are ridiculously efficient, have more than 20 touchdowns and only single-digit interceptions and know how to make the plays when it matters most. Moreover, they’ll both play defense that rank in the bottom half nationally in pass defense. Sure, this game is in Stillwater — but the Sooners won 58-23 the last time this game was played here. It didn’t matter then and it won’t matter on Saturday.
Pick: Oklahoma 49, Oklahoma State 42
