The 2015 regular season's coming down the home stretch, and this weekend's schedule provides us with some games that'll have a direct impact on which teams will comprise the second College Football Playoff. Without any more delay, here's our week 10 picks:
(20) Mississippi State vs. Missouri
Godsey: It seems to me that Mississippi State has quietly got back in the Top 25. People quit talking about them after the loss to A&M four weeks ago. The Bulldogs have since won three-straight by an average score of 44-18. Missouri is now playing for pride and also bowl eligibility. The Tigers have a very difficult road ahead, and I don't see them getting out of this one.
The Pick: Mississippi State 34 Missouri 17
Griff: We all thought Maty Mauk was going to return this weekend, but Missouri indicated this week that Mauk has been suspended for the rest of the season due to a separate incident that caused the first suspension. In this matchup, Mauk wouldn't have been the difference anyways, and the Tigers will be sure to get a large dose of Dak Prescott in this game.
The Pick: Mississippi State 45 Missouri 20
Vanderbilt vs. (10) Florida
Godsey: With a win clinching the SEC East, the Gators are playing for a possible playoff berth. Vanderbilt needs to win two of their next four games to become bowl eligible. I think getting blanked last week will play on the mindset of the Commodores because they face a very tough opponent in a much more hostile environment. Florida improves to 8-1.
The Pick: Florida 34 Vanderbilt 10
Griff: There's not many nice things to say about Vandy after being shut out by a Houston team that's predominately known for their offense and not particularly for their defense. Florida can clinch the SEC East and earn themselves a trip to Atlanta with a win on Saturday, and I don't see them having much of a problem doing so. As a side note, if the Gators could potentially finish the rest of their regular season undefeated and knock off whoever will represent the West in the SEC Championship, we could be seeing Florida as a playoff team. I mentioned this in my first playoff projections of the season, which I'll be updating weekly before the committee puts out their rankings each week.
The Pick: Florida 35 Vanderbilt 6
Kentucky vs. Georgia
Godsey: Georgia has been quiet after losing running back Nick Chubb and dropping two of the last three games. It seems like Mark Richt will end up with another successful season, but once again fail to reach the Holy Grail. Kentucky will make it a game, but I think Georgia will escape with the win.
The Pick: Georgia 27 Kentucky 24
Griff: The Bulldogs sure laid an egg last week against Florida in what was a "must win" game for Mark Richt's squad. I've seen a lot of criticism aimed towards Richt this past week, and you have to wonder if his tenure in Athens is reaching its end. On the opposite end, Kentucky was throttled by Tennessee last weekend, and I just don't see the Wildcats beating Georgia in Athens. I do, however, think that this game will be a bit closer than people think it will be, as Georgia's simply not the same team on offense that they were earlier in the year.
The Pick: Georgia 26 Kentucky 20
Arkansas vs. (18) Ole Miss
Godsey: Ole Miss controls their own destiny if they win out. They host an Arkansas team that gets better every week. The Razorbacks have a pretty balanced offense for the most part, and I think that will be key to having success against the Rebels' defense. Ole Miss is more skilled at key positions, and they will prevail in a very good game.
The Pick: Ole Miss 34 Arkansas 27
Griff: If this game wasn't in Oxford and meant so much to Ole Miss, I'd almost have an inclination to pick Arkansas. The Razorbacks were a lot of writers' dark horse pick to win the SEC West, and while I didn't share the same confidence, you can tell the Hogs are still a tough foe for just about any team in the country. A rough start really hurt this team out the gate in 2015, and I just think the Ole Miss offense will turn this game into a shootout unless Arkansas can utilize Alex Collins to keep the Rebels' offense off the field.
The Pick: Ole Miss 41 Arkansas 26
South Carolina vs. Tennessee
Godsey: Tennessee has a good shot at ending the season with an 8-4 record, and it all starts at home with South Carolina. Three out of the four games they've lost have been to top 25 teams. South Carolina will need to win out against a brutal schedule. This will be their last away game though, so a win here would get the ball rolling to play spoiler to a certain Tiger team at the end of the season. I think the Vols will take this one at home by continuing to be balanced on offense with minimal turnovers and penalties. I don't believe Tennessee's record reflects how good this team actually is.
The Pick: Tennessee 31 South Carolina 24
Griff: Think about this for a second: if Tennessee is able to hold off comebacks by Arkansas and Florida, the Vols would be at the top of the SEC East standings. South Carolina's a team that showed us that they're not going to quit on 2015 just yet, but a difficult matchup in Neyland Stadium against a talented Tennessee team isn't the best-case scenario for the Gamecocks at the moment. While they'll keep it close, a late turnover (or two) makes all the difference in this ball game.
The Pick: Tennessee 35 South Carolina 21
Auburn vs. (19) Texas A&M
Godsey: The Aggies have slipped from our minds, and they will be trying to remind everyone that they're still relevant. Auburn continues to have its woes, though they have improved over the course of the season. Their last two games have been very close and could be considered heartbreakers. If they can forget about those last two games, I think they could make it a hell of a game. A&M will not make it easy though. The Aggies will attack the young Auburn secondary and then break the game open with speed, keeping Auburn off-balance. With Carl Lawson back on the Auburn defensive line, his presence will affect the timing of the pass offense and allow Auburn to pressure Kyler Murray. I do believe that it'll be a good game, but once again Auburn will comes up short.
The Pick: Texas A&M 41 Auburn 34
Griff: Auburn has dropped some extremely tough games this season, suffering from a variety of problems that've made winning in the SEC West seem difficult. I originally picked the Tigers as a team that would make it to National Championship, but I didn't take note of the deficiencies that have really plagued them all season. That being said, I don't think Texas A&M is too far ahead of the Tigers for Auburn not to be able to pull off an upset, and I see the Tigers using Peyton Barber to expose an A&M defense that had trouble stopping South Carolina's rushing attack last weekend.
The Pick: Auburn 28 Texas A&M 27
(2) LSU vs. (4) Alabama
Godsey: I cannot express how excited I am about this game. There's some controversy over Alabama being ranked ahead of several undefeated teams. The key factors in this game will be LSU running back Leonard Fournette and turnovers. Bama has been very good against the run all season, even though they gave up 146 yards to Nick Chubb of Georgia. The Tide has also been good about creating more turnovers than they give up. Of course, that comes with the exception to Ole Miss, where they coughed the ball up five times. I don't see LSU running all over the Bama defense and doing so in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The Pick: Alabama 27 LSU 20
Griff: This is easily the biggest SEC game of the 2015 season. We get to see two of the best running backs in the country square-off against each other in a game that will make the biggest impact on who goes to the playoff. Big players show up in big games, and there's not a player in the country in my opinion that has the "star power" of LSU's Leonard Fournette. I'm looking for Fournette to create a signature moment that'll win him the Heisman Trophy in this matchup.
The Pick: LSU 31 Alabama 30
(16) Florida State vs. (1) Clemson
Godsey: It's tough to say which team will win this game. I'm guessing that FSU's quarterback Everett Golson and running back Dalvin Cook will not miss this game given the magnitude of the outcome. I think with the duo, it's a pretty good game. Without them, it may get ugly. I believe Clemson makes it out of this game and makes it one-step closer to glory.
The Pick: Clemson 31 Florida State 24
Griff: The Tigers still have to have a bad taste in their mouths from the way this game turned out in 2013, during Florida State's National Championship run with Jameis Winston. This time the tables are turned, and after North Carolina State took advantage of Clemson somewhat looking forward to this matchup late last weekend, I think the Tigers are very focused on giving the crowd that'll be in attendance at Death Valley a huge victory for the program. Clemson will bring home the victory by two scores.
The Pick: Clemson 42 Florida State 31
(8) TCU vs. (14) Oklahoma State
Godsey: Here's a mid-day battle of undefeated teams, featuring a TCU team that's feeling short-changed after being ranked four spots behind a one-loss Alabama team. The Horned Frogs can close that gap by getting the win over the Cowboys. I will be very surprised if this game is not a shootout, as both teams can score a lot and don't seem to mind the lack of defense. Even though this game is in Stillwater, TCU makes it out of this one.
The Pick: TCU 48 Oklahoma State 34
Griff: Did you know that TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin has thrown touchdown passes in 23-straight games for the Horned Frogs? Absolutely incredible. The Big 12 has to push one team through the rest of the regular that remains undefeated for the conference to be represented in the playoff, and I think TCU is that team. Give me the Horned Frogs in a classic Big 12 score-fest.
The Pick: TCU 52 Oklahoma State 41
Cal vs. Oregon
Godsey: Both of these teams have dropped off the proverbial map. It's been a long time since Oregon has not been a topic of discussion when talking about the National Championship. They may still be in the running for a conference title game and perhaps a New Year's Day bowl. I think this game turns into another shootout and in that scenario, Oregon has the better offense.
The Pick: Oregon 51 Cal 41
Griff: How the mighty have fallen. The Ducks pulled out an incredible win last Thursday in the Arizona desert, enduring three overtimes against a determined Arizona State team. Perhaps Oregon is using this season as a time "rebuild." Cal has lost three-straight games, and that number turns into four after Saturday.
The Pick: Oregon 38 Cal 24
As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to follow Griff on Twitter @griffaldo.
No comments:
Post a Comment