Week 10 gives us the huge matchup between Alabama and LSU, which is always one of our favorite games to pick/watch each year. This game has a direct impact on the playoff race.
For the first time this season, each of us picked the same results last week and went 8-1. Here's our standings after week nine:
Griff - 80-22
Keister - 79-23
Godsey - 78-24
Here's our picks for week 10:
Georgia Southern vs. Ole Miss
Keister: The Rebels' woes take a week-long hiatus against an Eagles team that's fighting through a down year.
The Pick: Ole Miss 47 Georgia Southern 23
Godsey: Ole Miss has problems on defense that need to be addressed, but the Rebels will be fine this week.
The Pick: Ole Miss 45 Georgia Southern 10
Griff: This game looks like a blowout for the Rebels on paper, but it will be closer than most expect. Georgia Southern has rushed for an average of 239 yards per contest, while Ole Miss has allowed 236 yards per game on the ground. The Rebels rushing defense if only 10 spots from being the worst in the FBS. Ole Miss gets the victory, but this will be closer than most think.
(4) Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State
Keister: The late part of the season hasn't been kind to the Aggies the past few seasons, but Texas A&M overmatches a young Mississippi State team all over the field. Aggies roll big in this one.
The Pick: Texas A&M 44 Mississippi State 21
Godsey: The Aggies impressed the committee enough to earn the number four spot in the playoff rankings this week. Style points aren't supposed to matter, but in reality they do. I don't see a reason why Texas A&M shouldn't roll over Mississippi State other than a bad game. Aggies win big.
The Pick: Texas A&M 52 Mississippi State 17
The Pick: Texas A&M 31
Mississippi State 24
Vanderbilt vs. (9) Auburn
Keister: The power running steam engine known as the Auburn offense won't be slowed against the Commodores. The Vanderbilt brass and fans might want to pull the anchor up and send Derek Mason on a ship out of town after this one.
The Pick: Auburn 41 Vanderbilt 17
Godsey: Auburn is on a roll, and Vanderbilt won't even be a bump in the road.
The Pick: Auburn 41 Vanderbilt 10
Griff: Another
week will provide us another big performance from the Auburn defense. The
Tigers will create havoc on defense for a one-dimensional Vanderbilt offense that
revolves around Ralph Webb running the football.
(11) Florida vs. Arkansas
Keister: The Gators are hitting on all cylinders, while Arkansas continues to struggle with making key stops on defense at this point in the season. This will cause Florida to make this a lopsided victory quickly.
The Pick: Florida 33 Arkansas 17
Godsey: A banged up Arkansas team won't be able to pull this upset even at home. Florida gets the win in this game.
The Pick: Florida 37 Arkansas 20
Griff: The
Gators come into this game in the driver’s seat of the SEC East race. Arkansas
comes into this game with its back against the wall, and the Razorbacks are in
serious need of a SEC victory. Florida’s defensive front will prove to be too
much for the Arkansas offense in a close game.
Missouri vs. South Carolina
Keister: The Gamecocks will open up the playbook more for freshman quarterback Jake Bentley in the battle of the two Columbia's. South Carolina will move the ball against a Missouri defense that can't seem to stop any team's offense at the moment and get a big win that will keep the fans excited in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Pick: South Carolina 38 Missouri 24
Godsey: A big win over Tennessee gave the Gamecocks a lot of momentum. A win over Missouri would give South Carolina a huge swing of momentum with two SEC wins.
The Pick: South Carolina 31 Missouri 21
Griff: The
Gamecocks found a rushing attack last week and used confident true freshman
Jake Bentley to improve an offense that was struggling into a serviceable unit
that was able to score enough points to take down a ranked Tennessee team last
weekend. Missouri comes into the other Columbia this weekend wounded on
defense, with two of its best defensive players on the shelf with injuries. If
the Gamecocks defense can handle the Tigers quick tempo early, South Carolina
will be able to control this game from start to finish.
Tennessee Tech vs. Tennessee
Keister: The Volunteers are a frustrated team with a bunch of issues. Fortunately, Saturday won't be one those issues.
The Pick: Tennessee 38 Tennessee Tech 13
Godsey: Even with the Vols' leading rusher gone, Tennessee will have no problem dispatching the Golden Eagles.
The Pick: Tennessee 44 Tennessee Tech 10
Griff: Vols
win with a vengeance from three-straight losses.
The Pick: Tennessee 56
Tennessee Tech 3
Georgia vs. Kentucky
Keister: The Wildcats are riding a hot streak and continue to evolve each week offensively. Georgia will move the ball on the ground much better than last week's loss. It won't, however, be enough to get the win, as the one-two punch of Williams and Snell bring Kentucky a quality win late in the season at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Pick: Kentucky 30 Georgia 21
Godsey: Kentucky catches Georgia on the downward spiral that the Bulldogs are currently on to become bowl eligible.
The Pick: Kentucky 28 Georgia 24
Griff: I
said on the podcast that this is the first time I can remember Kentucky being
favored over Georgia headed into this game. The Wildcats were favored by two
points the last time I checked. Georgia is in need of a win, and the Bulldogs
will use Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to damper Kentucky’s SEC East hopes.
The Pick: Georgia 28
Kentucky 24
(1) Alabama vs. (13) LSU
Keister: ESPN's "College Gameday" crew will be in Baton Rouge for this heavyweight slugfest that carries its usual weight this season. Experts are projecting seven first round picks on this Alabama defense that will be the difference in this game. The home crowd and revitalized Tigers won't make much of a difference in this game. Leonard Fournette will have a better day than last year, but it won't be enough for the Tigers.
The Pick: Alabama 30 LSU 14
Godsey: I’ve thought about this game a lot, which I’m sure a lot of people have. There is a lot more riding on the game than a playoff spot, there are people’s jobs on the line and NFL draft stock. If LSU beats Alabama, Ed Oregeron will be named the head coach of LSU. There is no way the LSU leadership can get around it. The fans love him and the players love him. Leonard Fournette needs a really good game for LSU to get a win. If the Tide shut him down again, you have to take second look at how much stock you give him. Alabama has a NFL-like defense and that’s what he will face every Sunday. But, even with this much riding on the game, LSU won't pull out the victory. The dual-threat ability from Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts will pull the LSU secondary in just long enough to open the field up. Fournette has a good game this time, but the Tide take the game.
The Pick: Alabama 34 LSU 31
Griff: This
game is arguably the biggest game on the SEC schedule each year, and this year it
has a direct impact on the playoff race. I can’t pick against Alabama because I
believe this team might be the best we’ve seen from Nick Saban since he took
the job. I do, however, it will be a close game that will be fun to watch.
Air Force vs. Army
Keister: Michie Stadium will be rocking Saturday, and Coach Monken's team will continue its solid season. Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw will lead the Knights offense that will rack up huge rushing numbers, and Army's defense will allow for this team to pull away for a big win for the folks at West Point.
The Pick: Army 34 Air Force 20
Godsey: In a good game that could go either way that I almost had to decide by flipping a coin. Army runs the ball really well and plays well at home, so I'm going with the Knights here.
The Pick: Army 27 Air Force 24
Griff: The Falcons take down Army to win the commander in chief's trophy.
The Pick: Air Force 28 Army 27
(11) Nebraska vs. (6) Ohio State
Keister: After two sloppy performances, Ohio State gets back on track with a win over Nebraska in Columbus to put its name back in the playoff discussion.
The Pick: Ohio State 27 Nebraska 14
Godsey: Ohio State hasn't looked the same since winning in Wisconsin, but Nebraska just isn't on the same level. Ohio State wins at home.
The Pick: Ohio State 28 Nebraska 23
Griff: The
environment in Columbus combined with the playmaking ability of J.T. Barrett
will be too much for the Nebraska defense. A key game for either team to stay
in the playoff conversation creates a must-win situation.
Syracuse vs. (2) Clemson
Keister: After a close call in Tallahassee, the Tigers get an inconsistent Syracuse team in Death Valley. Clemson turns to the run game early and creates separation to get the win.
The Pick: Clemson 48 Syracuse 24
Godsey: Syracuse has played really well in some games and really bad in others. No matter how well the Orange plays Saturday, Clemson gets the win at home.
The Pick: Clemson 38 Syracuse 21
Griff: Clemson
has a chance to breeze through the rest of its schedule ahead of a rivalry game
against bitter in-state foe South Carolina. DeShaun Watson and the Tigers
offense will clean up the turnover issues and get a big win against the Orange
by making plays early and not letting Syracuse gain any momentum or confidence.
The Pick: Clemson 45 Syracuse 17
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