With only four regular season weeks remaining in the college football season, it’s time to separate the playoff contenders from the rest of the pack. The first college football playoff rankings were released on Tuesday and it’s clear that the selection committee favours the teams that weren’t afraid to schedule difficult non-conference opponents, such as Notre Dame, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Ohio State. Teams that are undefeated but chose the vanilla schedule route, like Wisconsin and Miami, are on the outside looking in.
In coaching news, the Florida Gators and head coach Jim McElwain have mutually agreed to part ways. This certainly wasn’t what fans were expecting going into the season with Tennessee’s Butch Jones still hanging on while McElwain is out. If you wish to speculate on his replacement, Bodog has you covered: undefeated UCF’s Scott Frost is the leading betting candidate at -150 as we go to press.
Let’s dive into Week 10 and preview the best matchups of the week as we approach the meaty part of the season.
(5) Oklahoma Sooners @ (11) Oklahoma State Cowboys
Favourite: Oklahoma State -3
The Bedlam Series will feature two exceptional college quarterbacks. The fact that they are two of the best passers in the game is an understatement. The Cowboys’ Mason Rudolph is leading all of college football this season with 2,866 passing yards and is +3300 to take home the Heisman trophy at the conclusion of the regular season. The Sooners’ Baker Mayfield has finished in the top four in Heisman voting for the past two seasons, and as we go to press, he’s +800 to win the award this year.
This promises to be a true Big 12 shootout, in which Oklahoma State is favoured by the standard three-point home field advantage, and the total is set at 76 points – second-highest of the week. Neither team is renowned for stopping their opponents on defense, so sit back and enjoy this offensive battle.
(19) LSU Tigers @ (2) Alabama Crimson Tide
Favourite: Alabama -21
Even though the playoff selection committee ranked Alabama second in their list, they’re still the team to beat if you ask the oddsmakers. Far and away favoured to win the national championship at -120 odds, the Tide are hoping to continue what they’ve been doing all season long, which is dominate opponents by the largest win margin in college football. This Tide squad is No. 5 in the nation in scoring offense and No. 1 in scoring defense.
The LSU Tigers, playing better of late after an embarrassing start to the season, are hoping a few lucky bounces will go their way in this historic SEC rivalry.
(14) Virginia Tech Hokies @ (10) Miami Hurricanes
Favourite: Virginia Tech -3
The battle for the No. 1 spot in the ACC Coastal will be contested under the lights between Virginia Tech and Miami on Saturday night. This will be the Canes’ chance to prove doubters wrong and climb up the playoff rankings despite a cupcake non-conference schedule. The Hokies, who have only lost to fourth-ranked Clemson this season, are slight favourites in this conference matchup as they’re looking to make their second straight ACC Title game.
*Odds as of November 3, 2017