Picks to Click: Week 10

This is one of the more interesting weeks of the college football season not because of who is playing, but because who is not playing.

Altogether, nine Associated Press Top 25 teams are idle this week, including four of the top five teams in the country. The lone top-five squad in action this weekend, Clemson, plays an FCS opponent (Wofford), leaving it nearly certain that there won’t be any shakeup heading into next week.

However, there are some very intriguing games to watch in Week 10.

The headliner is the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, Fla., where No. 6 Florida and No. 8 Georgia face off. Both teams have one loss, but the winner will position itself as a contender for the College Football Playoff, should it remain a one-loss team the rest of the way.

Further west, the Pac-12 also hopes to position a one-loss team for the playoff, but the two favorites face difficult road games this week. Oregon heads south to USC, which earlier this season upset Utah for its only loss of the season. The Utes are heading north to take on Washington, which now finds itself in the unusual role of spoiler.

Should both Oregon and Utah win this week, discussion will ramp up for the possibility of both teams meeting in the Pac-12 Championship game at season’s end. And depending how things shake out nationally in the coming weeks with some high-profile games, a one-loss Pac-12 champion would have a strong case for playoff consideration. Sure, a lot will happen between now and then, but it’s certainly a realistic possibility to consider after most experts wrote off the Pac-12 when the Ducks lost to Auburn in Week 1.

Elsewhere around the country, the weekend kicks off Thursday night with two teams looking to remain perfect. Baylor, which checks in at No. 12 in the AP Top 25, is quietly 7-0 this season. Few are talking about the Bears, who will have a chance to make a push toward the playoffs if they can find a way to stay unbeaten. Games against TCU, Oklahoma and Texas still remain in the Big 12, though.

Also in action Thursday is 20^th-ranked Appalachian State with a 7-0 record that includes a win at North Carolina this season. The Mountaineers play Georgia Southern Thursday, then have an extra day or two to begin prepping for a game at South Carolina next week. A win there could set Appalachian State up for a run at a New Year’s Six Bowl should it become the highest-ranked Group of 5 Conference Champion (Brett McMurphy of Stadium detailed this recently).

Sorting out the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion may prove difficult this season, especially because the American Athletic Conference has a strong set of teams, led by undefeated SMU, who is coached by Sonny Dykes. The Mustangs have pulled out a couple tough wins in recent weeks, and the road gets tougher this week with a difficult trip to one-loss Memphis. ESPN College GameDay will be on site for that showdown.

What all of this means is that while many of the nation’s best teams are off this weekend, Week 10 will prove to be a pivotal weekend for the CFB Playoff one-loss contenders and those vying for New Year’s Six bowl berths.

Last week, the Picks to Click went 11-6 overall, 7-10 against the spread and 9-7-1 against the point totals. The season records stand at 152-40 overall, 88-86-2 against the spread and 95-77-4 against the total.

Let’s get to this week’s picks …

AP Top 25 Games

#1 LSU – Idle  
Last Week: Won vs. Auburn, 23-20
Next Game: Nov. 9 at Alabama

#2 Alabama – Idle  
Last Week: Won vs. Arkansas, 48-7
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. LSU

#3 Ohio State – Idle   
Last Week: Won vs. Wisconsin, 38-7
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. Maryland

Wofford at #4 Clemson
Saturday | 1 p.m. | ACCN
Spread: None | O/U: None
Pick: Clemson, 55-10

#5 Penn State – Idle  
Last Week: Won at Michigan State, 28-7
Next Game: Nov. 9 at Minnesota

#8 Georgia vs. #6 Florida  
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | CBS
Spread: Georgia, -6.5 | O/U: 44.5
Pick: Florida, 20-17
Game played at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.

#7 Oregon at USC
Saturday | 5 p.m. | FOX
Spread: Oregon, -4.5 | O/U: 62.5
Pick: Oregon, 28-20

#9 Utah at Washington
Saturday | 1 p.m. | FOX
Spread: Utah, -3.5 | O/U: 47
Pick: Washington, 27-24

#10 Oklahoma – Idle  
Last Week: Lost at Kansas State, 48-41
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. Iowa State

Ole Miss at #11 Auburn  
Saturday | 4 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Auburn, -18.5 | O/U: 52.5
Pick: Auburn, 38-17

West Virginia at #12 Baylor
Thursday | 5 p.m. | ESPN
Spread: Baylor, -18.5 | O/U: 57
Pick: Baylor, 34-20

#13 Minnesota – Idle   
Last Week: Won vs. Maryland, 52-10
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. Penn State

#14 Michigan at Maryland
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ABC
Spread: Michigan, -21 | O/U: 56
Pick: Michigan, 35-15

#15 SMU at #24 Memphis
Saturday | 4:30 p.m. | ABC
Spread: Memphis, -5.5 | O/U: 71.5
Pick: Memphis, 37-34

Virginia Tech at #16 Notre Dame
Saturday | 11:30 a.m. | NBC
Spread: Notre Dame, -17.5 | O/U: 57.5
Pick: Notre Dame, 31-14

#17 Cincinnati at East Carolina
Saturday | 4 p.m. | CBSSN
Spread: Cincinnati, -23.5 | O/U: 46.5
Pick: Cincinnati, 34-13

#18 Wisconsin – Idle
Last Week: Lost at Ohio State, 38-7
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. Iowa

#19 Iowa – Idle  
Last Week: Won at Northwestern, 20-0
Next Game: Nov. 9 at Wisconsin

Georgia Southern at #20 Appalachian State
Thursday | 5 p.m. | ESPNU
Spread: Appalachian State, -15| O/U: 44.5
Pick: Appalachian State, 24-21

#21 Boise State at San Jose State
Saturday | 7:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Spread: Boise State, -17 | O/U: 59
Pick: Boise State, 35-26

#22 Kansas State at Kansas
Saturday | 12:30 p.m. | FS1
Spread: Kansas State, -6 | O/U: 54
Pick: Kansas State, 38-23

N.C. State at Wake Forest
Saturday | 9 a.m. | ESPN
Spread: Wake Forest, -7.5 | O/U: 60.5
Pick: Wake Forest, 36-28

#25 San Diego State – Idle  
Last Week: Won at UNLV, 20-17
Next Game: Nov. 9 vs. Nevada

Other Pac-12 Games

Colorado at UCLA
Saturday | 6 p.m. | P12N
Spread: UCLA, -6.5 | O/U: 65
Pick: UCLA, 41-30

Notes:

• All times listed are PT
• Rankings from the Associated Press Top 25
• Point spread/game totals from http://www.sportsbetting.ag as of Thursday at 10 a.m.
• Pac-12 games shaded above in gray

2019 Record (Last Week)

All Games Straight Up: 152-40 (11-6)
All Games ATS: 88-86-2 (7-10)
All Games O/U: 95-77-4 (9-7-1)

Pac-12 Straight Up: 37-20 (2-2)
Pac-12 ATS: 24-25-1 (1-3)
Pac-12 O/U: 28-20-2 (1-3)

* Arizona games not included

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