Last week: 6-0 Overall: 40-21
Duke at Georgia Tech, Noon ACC Network
Duke has had Georgia Tech's number the past two seasons, and the Blue Devils were certainly impressive in their 24-14 loss to Louisville two weeks ago, being the only team to slow down the Cardinals all year, but I feel like the Yellow Jackets might be able to get something going and edge Duke at home. This feels like a toss-up really, and the season could still go way south for Tech like it did last year. But aside from the Louisville game, Duke has been wholly unimpressive.
Georgia Tech 27, Duke 24
No. 14 Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m. CBS
"The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" hasn't been nationally relevant for a few years since either one of both of these teams have had subpar seasons. That would be Georgia this year, which is in its first season under coach Kirby Smart, the former defensive coordinator at Alabama. Since beating North Carolina, the Bulldogs' results have been unimpressive. They only beat Missouri by one and lost to Vanderbilt last week by one. They also almost lost to FCS team Nicholls State. The Gators have played excellent defense in all but one game, a 38-28 loss to Tennessee. No other team has scored more than 14 points on Florida. Its last outing was a 40-14 victory over Missouri. This should be a fairly low-scoring game, but I think the Gators can put the game away late.
Florida 26, Georgia 17
No. 4 Washington at No. 17 Utah, 3:30 p.m. FS1
The undefeated Huskies have quietly put together a great season and are now on the cusp of the College Football Playoff conversation. The Utes are 7-1 and putting together a nice season as well, but Washington has punished each and every one of its opponents, notably 44-6 over Stanford and 70-21 over Oregon. QB Jake Browning is a Heisman candidate. Utah owns close wins over BYU, USC, and Oregon State, and UCLA, and a loss to a very average Cal team, while Washington only struggled with Arizona (not a very good team), for some reason. I like Utah, but Washington is really starting to distance itself from the conference and has high aspirations.
Washington 38, Utah 24
No. 7 Nebraska at No. 11 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. ESPN
The Cornhuskers are a surprise undefeated team as well, though they have been far less dominating than Washington. They also are 9.5-point underdogs on the road against the Badgers. Nebraska has had an easy slate so far, beating Fresno State, Wyoming, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue. It had a top-25 win over Oregon that looks far less impressive now that the Ducks are, incredibly, just 2-5. Wisconsin, meanwhile, beat LSU and lost by a touchdown each to Ohio State and at Michigan. It also beat Iowa on the road last week, no small feat. The Badgers have two losses but have the clear edge in this matchup.
Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 17
No. 3 Clemson at No. 12 Florida State, 8 p.m. ABC
The Tigers are the final undefeated team in the ACC but have been vulnerable, needing OT to beat N.C. State at home in their last outing. They were also only able to beat Auburn and Troy by single digits, but the 42-36 home win over high-powered Louisville was impressive with plenty of experts thinking the Cardinals would triumph. With that said, I don't know if this group of Seminoles can beat Clemson, even in Tallahassee. The same Louisville team that lost at Clemson had zero issues with FSU in a 63-20 victory and FSU also has a home loss to North Carolina. The 'Noles the past two weeks won, but had trouble getting their offense going in a 20-19 victory over Miami and while downing Wake Forest, 17-9. This certainly should be Clemson's biggest test for the rest of the regular season, but I like the Tigers.
Clemson 27, Florida State 24
No. 5 Louisville at Virginia, Noon ABC/ESPN2 (should be ABC in region)
Oh boy, this is probably not going to be pretty. Louisville is just a play or two away from beating Clemson on the road and being undefeated. Even with one setback, the Cardinals are still very much in contention for a College Football Playoff berth if they win out. They know they'll need to be impressive from here until the end of the season -- and get help with a Clemson loss -- to have a chance to sneak into the top four. Style points begin to matter when you're not undefeated.
Their explosive offense is led by Heisman candidate quarterback Lamar Jackson, who's completed 134 of 230 passes (58.3 percent) for 2,161 yards, 18 TDs, and four INTs. Where he's been the most dangerous, though, is on the ground, rushing for 908 yards, seven yards per carry, for 16 touchdowns. Just a sophomore, Jackson has elevated Louisville's offense into one of the best in the nation, ranking 14th in passing, sixth in rushing, and first in scoring (52.6 ppg). Louisville's defense is no slouch, either, holding teams to 22.7 ppg (36th) and 301.3 yards per game (10th).
Jackson isn't the only star on the team. Running back Brandon Radcliff is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and has 551 yards and three touchdowns. James Quick, Cole Hikutini, and Jaylen Smith all have four TD catches, with Quick leading that group with 32 catches for 523 yards. On defense, linebacker James Hearns has 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Cornerback Jaire Alexander has three interceptions.
This game comes at an inopportune time for the Wahoos, who it feels like have left their two-game winning streak over Central Michigan and Duke way in the past. The first half two weeks ago coming off a bye against Pittsburgh was entertaining, but the team has not been the same since QB Kurt Benkert threw a pick-six to close those first 30 minutes against the Panthers. Since then, counting that interception for a TD, the Cavaliers have been outscored 52-17, including last week's 35-14 loss to
North Carolina. Benkert was taken out of the fourth quarter of that defeat to the Tar Heels but will start against Louisville. Coach Bronco Mendenhall said the staff just wanted to give Benkert a break and let him watch the game from a different perspective. Benkert completed 19 of 32 passes for 116 yards with zero TDs and picks against UNC, but only had a long pass of 16 yards, his lowest of any game this season. His quarterback rating was also the lowest in any outing.
Besides Clemson, the only other team to give Louisville issues was, interestingly enough, Duke. The Cardinals still won at home, 24-14, but the game was 17-14 late into the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils were able to hold on to the ball for 37 minutes, a big reason why the Cardinals' offense was unable to get up to full speed. Duke only ran the ball for 110 yards but had zero turnovers, allowing it to stick around in the game. Even in a 24-point outing, though, Louisville amassed 469 yards. Virginia would be wise to try to run the ball as much as it can if the down-and-distance calls for it. The most obvious issue with this strategy, though, is that UVa ranks 117th in rushing and Louisville ranks 19th against it.
The reality is Louisville opened as a 26-point favorite and has settled into about a 32-33-point favorite, so the bettors love the Cardinals in this matchup. Virginia's past two games against Louisville have gone well: a 23-21 upset win over then-No. 23 Louisville at Scott Stadium in 2014 and a narrow, 38-31 loss on the road last season. But these Cardinals are completely different and have aspirations of a national championship that is still within their reach. I'd be happy with a less-than-35-point loss in this game, but am not seeing it with UVa's subpar defense, which is giving up 456 yards and 32.7 points per game.
Louisville 59, Virginia 21
Duke at Georgia Tech, Noon ACC Network
Duke has had Georgia Tech's number the past two seasons, and the Blue Devils were certainly impressive in their 24-14 loss to Louisville two weeks ago, being the only team to slow down the Cardinals all year, but I feel like the Yellow Jackets might be able to get something going and edge Duke at home. This feels like a toss-up really, and the season could still go way south for Tech like it did last year. But aside from the Louisville game, Duke has been wholly unimpressive.
Georgia Tech 27, Duke 24
No. 14 Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, Fla., 3:30 p.m. CBS
"The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" hasn't been nationally relevant for a few years since either one of both of these teams have had subpar seasons. That would be Georgia this year, which is in its first season under coach Kirby Smart, the former defensive coordinator at Alabama. Since beating North Carolina, the Bulldogs' results have been unimpressive. They only beat Missouri by one and lost to Vanderbilt last week by one. They also almost lost to FCS team Nicholls State. The Gators have played excellent defense in all but one game, a 38-28 loss to Tennessee. No other team has scored more than 14 points on Florida. Its last outing was a 40-14 victory over Missouri. This should be a fairly low-scoring game, but I think the Gators can put the game away late.
Florida 26, Georgia 17
No. 4 Washington at No. 17 Utah, 3:30 p.m. FS1
The undefeated Huskies have quietly put together a great season and are now on the cusp of the College Football Playoff conversation. The Utes are 7-1 and putting together a nice season as well, but Washington has punished each and every one of its opponents, notably 44-6 over Stanford and 70-21 over Oregon. QB Jake Browning is a Heisman candidate. Utah owns close wins over BYU, USC, and Oregon State, and UCLA, and a loss to a very average Cal team, while Washington only struggled with Arizona (not a very good team), for some reason. I like Utah, but Washington is really starting to distance itself from the conference and has high aspirations.
Washington 38, Utah 24
No. 7 Nebraska at No. 11 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. ESPN
The Cornhuskers are a surprise undefeated team as well, though they have been far less dominating than Washington. They also are 9.5-point underdogs on the road against the Badgers. Nebraska has had an easy slate so far, beating Fresno State, Wyoming, Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana, and Purdue. It had a top-25 win over Oregon that looks far less impressive now that the Ducks are, incredibly, just 2-5. Wisconsin, meanwhile, beat LSU and lost by a touchdown each to Ohio State and at Michigan. It also beat Iowa on the road last week, no small feat. The Badgers have two losses but have the clear edge in this matchup.
Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 17
No. 3 Clemson at No. 12 Florida State, 8 p.m. ABC
The Tigers are the final undefeated team in the ACC but have been vulnerable, needing OT to beat N.C. State at home in their last outing. They were also only able to beat Auburn and Troy by single digits, but the 42-36 home win over high-powered Louisville was impressive with plenty of experts thinking the Cardinals would triumph. With that said, I don't know if this group of Seminoles can beat Clemson, even in Tallahassee. The same Louisville team that lost at Clemson had zero issues with FSU in a 63-20 victory and FSU also has a home loss to North Carolina. The 'Noles the past two weeks won, but had trouble getting their offense going in a 20-19 victory over Miami and while downing Wake Forest, 17-9. This certainly should be Clemson's biggest test for the rest of the regular season, but I like the Tigers.
Clemson 27, Florida State 24
No. 5 Louisville at Virginia, Noon ABC/ESPN2 (should be ABC in region)
Oh boy, this is probably not going to be pretty. Louisville is just a play or two away from beating Clemson on the road and being undefeated. Even with one setback, the Cardinals are still very much in contention for a College Football Playoff berth if they win out. They know they'll need to be impressive from here until the end of the season -- and get help with a Clemson loss -- to have a chance to sneak into the top four. Style points begin to matter when you're not undefeated.
Their explosive offense is led by Heisman candidate quarterback Lamar Jackson, who's completed 134 of 230 passes (58.3 percent) for 2,161 yards, 18 TDs, and four INTs. Where he's been the most dangerous, though, is on the ground, rushing for 908 yards, seven yards per carry, for 16 touchdowns. Just a sophomore, Jackson has elevated Louisville's offense into one of the best in the nation, ranking 14th in passing, sixth in rushing, and first in scoring (52.6 ppg). Louisville's defense is no slouch, either, holding teams to 22.7 ppg (36th) and 301.3 yards per game (10th).
Jackson isn't the only star on the team. Running back Brandon Radcliff is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and has 551 yards and three touchdowns. James Quick, Cole Hikutini, and Jaylen Smith all have four TD catches, with Quick leading that group with 32 catches for 523 yards. On defense, linebacker James Hearns has 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Cornerback Jaire Alexander has three interceptions.
This game comes at an inopportune time for the Wahoos, who it feels like have left their two-game winning streak over Central Michigan and Duke way in the past. The first half two weeks ago coming off a bye against Pittsburgh was entertaining, but the team has not been the same since QB Kurt Benkert threw a pick-six to close those first 30 minutes against the Panthers. Since then, counting that interception for a TD, the Cavaliers have been outscored 52-17, including last week's 35-14 loss to
Besides Clemson, the only other team to give Louisville issues was, interestingly enough, Duke. The Cardinals still won at home, 24-14, but the game was 17-14 late into the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils were able to hold on to the ball for 37 minutes, a big reason why the Cardinals' offense was unable to get up to full speed. Duke only ran the ball for 110 yards but had zero turnovers, allowing it to stick around in the game. Even in a 24-point outing, though, Louisville amassed 469 yards. Virginia would be wise to try to run the ball as much as it can if the down-and-distance calls for it. The most obvious issue with this strategy, though, is that UVa ranks 117th in rushing and Louisville ranks 19th against it.
The reality is Louisville opened as a 26-point favorite and has settled into about a 32-33-point favorite, so the bettors love the Cardinals in this matchup. Virginia's past two games against Louisville have gone well: a 23-21 upset win over then-No. 23 Louisville at Scott Stadium in 2014 and a narrow, 38-31 loss on the road last season. But these Cardinals are completely different and have aspirations of a national championship that is still within their reach. I'd be happy with a less-than-35-point loss in this game, but am not seeing it with UVa's subpar defense, which is giving up 456 yards and 32.7 points per game.
Louisville 59, Virginia 21
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