CFB: Week 10 Predictions
Week 9 went pretty much as scripted, as the favorites were able to come away with victories, but the actual games were much closer than expected; No. 5 Louisville escaped Virginia 32-25, No. 2 Michigan slid past an upset-minded Michigan State 32-23, No. 4 Washington squeaked past No. 17 Utah 31-24, No. 6 Ohio State stumbled by Northwestern 24-20, and No. 3 Clemson topped No. 12 Florida State 37-34.
Week 10, externally, is extremely similar to Week 9. There are a lot of ranked teams (Western Michigan, Texas A&M, Louisville, Wisconsin, Florida, Oklahoma State, Florida State, Alabama, and Washington) going on the road to capable opponents (Ball State, Mississippi State, Boston College, Northwestern, Arkansas, Kansas State, NC State, LSU, and Cal). I previewed Week 10 with Blake Stoll with rankings, questions (and answers), predictions, and Heisman standings.
Composite Rankings:
1. Alabama (8-0)
2. Clemson (8-0)
3. Michigan (8-0)
4. Washington (8-0)
5. Louisville (7-1)
6. Ohio State (7-1)
7. Texas A&M (7-1)
8. Wisconsin (6-2)
9. Auburn (6-2)
10. Nebraska (7-1)
11. Florida (6-1)
12. Oklahoma (6-2)
13. West Virginia (6-1)
14. Baylor (6-1)
15. Florida State (5-3)
16. LSU (5-2)
17. Western Michigan (8-0)
18. North Carolina (6-2)
19. Penn State (6-2)
20. Utah (7-2)
21. Colorado (6-2)
22. Virginia Tech (6-2)
23. Washington State (6-2)
24. Houston (7-2)
25. Boise State (7-1)
Just Missed the Cut:
26. Oklahoma State (6-2)
27. USC (5-3)
28. Tennessee (5-3)
29. Iowa (5-3)
30. Pittsburgh (5-3)
Will Auburn rush for 300+ yards vs. Vanderbilt?
Post: No. 11 Auburn Tigers have been on an absolute tear over the last six weeks (combined point differential of +144 in wins against LSU, UL-Monroe, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Ole Miss), led by a great rushing attack led by Kamryn Pettway (933 yards, 7 touchdowns) and held down by quarterback Sean White (1,511 yards, 8 touchdowns). Auburn's offense (303.4 rushing yards per game) is widely known around the country, but Vanderbilt's defense (allows 157.6 rushing yards per game) is under-the-radar. With that, I'll take Vanderbilt to lose big, but allow less than 300 rushing yards.
Stoll: I think it is a safe bet that No. 11 Auburn will rush for over 300 yards vs. Vanderbilt. The Tigers' offense averages 303.4 yards per game on the ground. They managed to put up 543 on No. 17 Arkansas and 307 in Ole Miss. This week Auburn faces an inferior opponent and I think Pettaway will go for 250 himself.
Can Florida go on the road and win at Arkansas?
Post: Arkansas has struggled over the last month after reaching as high as No. 15 in the Associated Press rankings, but the Razorbacks offense (30.9 points, 416.8 yards per game) is still prolific. Austin Allen (2,047 yards, 18 touchdowns) has the potential to be a top tier SEC quarterback if his offensive line can help him out. On the Gators side, Luke Del Rio (1,129 yards, 8 touchdowns), hasn't been able to get the Florida offense (29.4 points per game, 398.6 yards per game) to where it should be for the No. 10 team in the country. I think for one week, this Arkansas offensive and defensive line, will be able to do enough to grab a victory. Look for Rawleigh Williams III (807 yards, 5 touchdowns) to have a big game.
Stoll: No. 10 Florida goes on the road to face an Arkansas team who recently dropped from the rankings. The Gators boast a great defense allowing 239.9 total yards per game. Arkansas is a tough place to play but the Florida defense will keep the Razorbacks in check and the offense will have to follow suit.
What will Jabrill Peppers' stat line be against Maryland?
Post: No. 2 Michigan (97.0 percent ESPN Football Power Index chance to win) has the ultimate jack of all trades in Heisman candidate Jabrill Peppers (44 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4 touchdowns). With Michigan (+35.0 point differential) having such a high chance of beating Maryland (+9.3 point differential), I expect Jim Harbaugh to give his linebacking-running back a handful of snaps out of the backfield. I predict he will finish with; eight tackles, 1.0 sacks, 18 rushing yards, and one touchdown.
Stoll: Jabrill Peppers has been one of the most exciting players in college football this season. His electrifying hits on defense and quickness with the ball make him a player who is nearly unstoppable. Last week when No. 2 Michigan went on the road to face Michigan State, Peppers finished the game with 7 tackles, 1 sack and 1 touchdown. The Wolverines next test is Maryland at the Big House. Jabrill Peppers will have 8 tackles, 2 touchdowns, and 75 yards on the ground in a Michigan rout of the Terrapins.
Does LSU have a shot at upsetting Alabama?
Post: Sure. I guess. It seems like every year LSU has the talent and opportunity to defeat Alabama, it just needs the No. 1 Crimson Tide (65.5 percent ESPN FPI chance to win) to make mistakes, something it does not usually do. Alabama's Jalen Hurts (1,578 yards, 12 touchdowns) will be half of the headline, alongside LSU's Leonard Fournette (670 yards, 5 touchdowns) who looked dominant in a rout of Ole Miss two weeks ago, after returning from a three week injury. However, as usual, this game will come down to the defenses and rushing attacks. Alabama (allows 14.9 points, rushes for 264.8 yards per game) will slip past No. 15 LSU (allows 15.0 points, rushes for 239.9 yards per game), 20-14, in a game that the Tigers have a chance to win, but come up short.
Stoll: No. 1 Alabama looks to remain undefeated on the road against No. 15 LSU. Do the Tigers have a shot? Yes. But a long one at that. Alabama is the best all-around team in the country and has been for the past several years. If LSU wants to upset the No. 1 team in the land; they will need to disrupt the passing lanes and fill holes created by the Tide offensive line. The Tigers will also need to score early and often to take down the Crimson Tide. Alabama wins 42-35.
Can Ohio State keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive vs. Nebraska?
Post: What has happened to No. 6 Ohio State (42.6 points, allows 15.1 points per game) in the last three weeks? After dominating their first five games, taking down the likes of No. 14 Oklahoma 45-24 and Rutgers 58-0, the Buckeyes have stumbled to a 2-1 record with a combined score of 75-64. The offensive line is getting walked all over. The passing game is not as dynamic as it was. The defense is not able to shut down every single possession. The running game seems stagnant. Now, don't get me wrong; this is an extremely talented team with potential to make it to the CFP, but they need to tighten up some of their weaknesses in order to fulfill that wish. As for this game, it is going to come down to a quarterback battle between Tommy Armstrong Jr. (1,764 yards, 11 touchdowns) and J.T. Barrett (1,675 yards, 17 touchdowns). Even though No. 9 Nebraska (32.0 points, allows 18.4 points per game) has been good this year, I trust Ohio State's defense (allows just 295.5 total yards per game), Barrett, Urban Meyer, and their home crowd to propel the Bucks to a victory.
Stoll: Following the loss to Penn State, No. 6 Ohio State won a game against Northwestern by only four points. They are hungry, but can they eat? No. 9 Nebraska visits Columbus with hopes to end the Buckeyes' playoff dreams. The way that Ohio State has played the last two games, they will need to win big against Nebraska. The only problem is that it will not happen. The Cornhuskers only loss comes to No. 8 Wisconsin, whose only losses come to Michigan and Ohio State. Nebraska proved themselves last week when they took the Badgers into overtime in Madison. I think Ohio State loses the game and it's playoff hopes.
Week 10 Predictions:
Syracuse 13, No. 2 Clemson 34.
No. 15 Florida State 21, NC State 17.
Vanderbilt 10, No. 9 Auburn 56.
No. 8 Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 14.
TCU 28, No. 14 Baylor 42.
No. 11 Florida 17, Arkansas 27.
Maryland 7, No. 3 Michigan 45.
Iowa 24, No. 19 Penn State 20.
No. 1 Alabama 20, No. 16 LSU 14.
No. 10 Nebraska 17, No. 6 Ohio State 28.
Week 9 Record: 8-2.
Overall Record: 69-21.
Read my original article; Predicting the 2017 College Football Playoff Teams.
No. 1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0)
No. 2 Florida State (5-3, 2-3)
No. 3 Ohio State (7-1, 4-1)
No. 4 Clemson (8-0, 5-0)
Heisman Standings:
1. Lamar Jackson (Louisville QB) -- 2,522 Yards & 22 TDs.
2. Deshaun Watson (Clemson QB) -- 2,325 Yards & 22 TDs.
3. Jabrill Peppers (Michigan LB) -- 44 Tackles & 3.5 Sacks.
4. Jake Browning (Washington QB) - 1,895 Yards & 28 TDs.
5. D'Onta Foreman (Texas RB) -- 1,105 Yards & 10 TDs.
Heisman Update: The No. 1 and No. 2 spots remained the same as Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson led their teams, Louisville and Clemson respectively, to road wins while throwing for over 300 yards and at least 2 touchdowns. No. 3 and No. 4 flip-flopped as Jabrill Peppers shined against rival Michigan State, finishing with 7.0 tackles, 1.0 sacks, and 1 touchdown, and Jake Browning was a little sloppy in a road victory against Utah. No. 5 is a newcomer, D'Onta Foreman from Texas, who was been flying far under-the-radar this season. He leads power-five teams in rushing yards after going for 250 yards and 2 scores in an upset over No. 8 Baylor. He has been the silver lining on Charlie Strong's squad. J.T. Barrett, Jalen Hurts, and Dalvin Cook are right on the cusp.
Photo Credit: BleacherReport.com.
