Top NCAA Football Week 10 Odds, Preview & Picks

Last week in college football, we learned that the University of Texas really wasn’t the sixth-best team in the nation after all, after they went to Oklahoma State (who had lost to Kansas State) and lost by three points. Now the Big 12 is in a mess, with West Virginia and Oklahoma the only real possibilities to make the college football playoff. We also learned that Willie Taggart may be overmatched as the Florida State head football coach, as his team was drilled by 49 points at home by Clemson in a game that used to be a rivalry. Finally, we found out that the winner of Georgia and Kentucky next week will win the SEC East — and with the Wildcats at 7-1 and with the SEC turning into a free-for-all (except for Alabama) this year, a fascinating possibility could unfold in Lexington next Saturday. What can you expect to see? We have college football betting suggestions for three games in the coming week. As always, home teams are in all caps.

Top NCAA Football Week 10 Odds, Preview & Picks

Athlon Sports Top 25 Rankings after Week 9 https://t.co/h68QeALWgO

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Saturday, November 3

AUBURN (-5) over Texas A&M (12:00pm ET, ESPN)

Both of these teams enter at 5-3, with the Aggies coming in off a 28-13 loss to Mississippi State that brought a three-game winning streak to an end. Kellen Mond has accounted for 15 touchdowns leading the Texas A&M offense, 11 through the air and four more with his feet, and he has thrown six interceptions. Trayveon Williams has 824 yards on the ground through eight games, with eight touchdowns. Jimbo Smith has brought the Aggies’ offense to where they average almost 30 points per game, and they are tough against the run — but can they control Jarrett Stidham and the Auburn offense? Auburn beat Ole Miss last week, 31-16, with an offensive breakout by a Tiger team that has struggled at time to move the ball. JaTarvious Winslow leads the running attack with 626 yards and four scores, and Stidham has only eight touchdown passes this year. The team scores 28.4 points per game but struggles against more physical defenses. Auburn has covered the spread just once in their last six games against a team with a winning record — and the road team has covered the spread in the last six games between A&M and Auburn, but Mississippi State showed the blueprint a week ago, and I see Auburn following it. NCAA Football Week 10 Prediction: Auburn 27, Texas A&M 16

Michigan State (-1.5) over MARYLAND (12:00pm ET, ESPN2)

Michigan State heads to Maryland after knocking off Purdue last week by a 23-13 score. That’s two wins out of three for the Spartans, who sandwiched a loss to Michigan between wins over the Boilermakers and Penn State (on the road). Rocky Lombardi has taken over the quarterback position and has completed 56.3 percent of his passes with a 2:0 TD:INT ratio so far. On defense, the Spartans only permit 21 points per game, and they have the right scheme to slow down Maryland’s offense. The Terrapins have been up-and-down all season long, upsetting Texas in their opener and then losing to Temple at home a few weeks later. They routed Illinois by 30 at home last week, but the Illini are awful on defense. Quarterback Kasim Hill has only 966 yards through eight games, as the running game is the driving force on offense here. The Terrapins gain 246.2 yards on the ground per game. It is true that Michigan State hasn’t done well covering the spread the week after a win (failing to do so four games in a row). However, I don’t think Maryland can keep up. NCAA Football Week 10 Prediction: Michigan State 30, Maryland 24

MICHIGAN (-10) over Penn State (3:45pm ET, ESPN)

Despite the disappointments that Penn State has shown at home this season, they have yet to lose on the road, and they face the leader in the Big Ten East this weekend. Trace McSorley has a 12:4 TD:INT ratio, but the offense tends to bog down at just the wrong time. The defense has been relatively solid, allowing just over 22 points per game, but the Nittany Lions have a huge task going into Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines have won seven straight since losing to Notre Dame in their opener, as Shea Patterson has cemented his position leading the Michigan offense. He has a 12:3 TD:INT ratio, balanced by Karan Higdon, who has 831 yards through eight games, with six scores. The Michigan defense has been stout, permitting just over 14 points per game. The Nittany Lions needed big comebacks to escape Indiana and Iowa, and McSorley’s knee is iffy, so I like the Wolverines here. NCAA Football Week 10 Prediction: Michigan 34, Penn State 20