NCAA College Football Point Spreads: Week 10 Odds

The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday and it seems pretty clear that the top four teams, in some order, will be Alabama, Michigan, Clemson and Washington as those are the only Power 5 schools left without a loss. Here are five Week 10 games to watch and their Sports Interaction NCAA football odds. Matchups on Saturday unless noted.

TCU at No. 13 Baylor

When: 3:30 p.m. ET

Point spread: Baylor -10

NCAAF ATS Pick: Bears

Baylor was one of the unbeatens to fall in Week 9 with a 35-34 defeat at unranked Texas. Because the Bears played such an easy non-conference schedule, that pretty much ended their College Football Playoff hopes. But the Big 12 title can still be won. TCU dropped a second straight game Saturday, 27-24 in double overtime at home to Texas Tech. The ends the Frogs’ chances of winning the Big 12. Since TCU joined the Big 12, the Frogs and Bears generally play shootouts. Last year in Fort Worth, TCU won 28-21 in double overtime  in what is very low scoring for this series.  That loss ended Baylor’s chances at a third straight Big 12 title. Two years ago when the teams played in Waco, Baylor overcame a 21-point deficit in the final 11 minutes and won 61-58 with a field goal on the final play.

No. 10 Florida at Arkansas

When: 3:30 p.m. ET

Point spread: Florida -3

NCAAF ATS Pick: Gators

The Gators were a good bet last week at -7 against rival Georgia in Jacksonville, winning 24-10 in holding the Bulldogs to a season-low 164 yards. Thus if Florida wins this game, it’s all but a lock to repeat as the SEC East champion. Having Tennessee lose in Week 9 really helped the Gators in that regard. The Razorbacks were off last week and were clobbered by Auburn 56-3 last time they took the field. The 543 rushing yards the Razorbacks yielded to Auburn were the most allowed to any FBS team in a game this season. Florida has won nine straight over Arkansas, but the teams haven’t played since 2013 and don’t all that often being in different divisions.

No. 1 Alabama at No. 15 LSU

When: 8 p.m. ET

Point spread: Alabama -7

NCAAF ATS Pick: Crimson Tide

Both schools come off a bye week. The first Saturday of November is always important in college football because that’s when Alabama and LSU annually play. And as usual, it’s vital in the SEC West Division. One big reason LSU fired Coach Les Miles earlier this season is that he had lost five straight to the Crimson Tide. Last year, it was 30-16 in Tuscaloosa. At the time, LSU was unbeaten and Tigers running back Leonard Fournette was the Heisman Trophy favourite. But Fournette was held to 31 yards on 19 carries and the defeat started a three-game LSU losing streak that put Miles on the hot seat. Fournette must have a monster game for LSU to have a chance here, and he does come off a school-record 284-yard performance in a blowout of Ole Miss. Should LSU win this game, the SEC West is up for grabs and interim coach Ed Orgeron might get the full-time job. The Tigers have won all three games — by an average of 29 points — since Orgeron replaced Miles. An Alabama win puts the Tide that much closer to a spot in the SEC title game again.

No. 9 Nebraska at No. 6 Ohio State

When: 8 p.m. ET

Point spread: Ohio State -14.5

NCAAF ATS Pick: Cornhuskers

A potential Big Ten Championship Game preview, but the loser can forget about the College Football Playoff. Nebraska leads the Big Ten West Division by a game despite suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday, 23-17 in overtime at No. 11 Wisconsin. Huskers QB Tommy Armstrong reached 10,000 yards in total offense for  his career in the game, only the 11th player in Big Ten history to do so. Ohio State is a game behind Michigan in the Big Ten East. The Buckeyes avoided a second straight upset loss Saturday in edging Northwestern 24-20. These two storied programs have met just four times overall, twice since Nebraska joined the Big Ten and not since 2012.

No. 4 Washington at California

When: 10:30 p.m. ET

Point spread: Washington -15.5

NCAAF ATS Pick: Bears

This is a potentially dangerous letdown game in the Pac-12 North for Washington, the division co-leader, as the Huskies are off a huge 31-24 victory Week 9 at No. 17 Utah. Dante Pettis returned a punt 58 yards for the winning touchdown with 3:25 left. Cal lost 45-24 at USC last Friday night. UW has one of the nation’s top defenses, but California has one of its better offenses. The problem is that the Bears can’t stop anyone. They allowed 398 yards rushing to USC, the fourth time this season they have given up at least 300 on the ground. Cal ended a six-game losing streak in this series with a 30-24 victory last year at Washington. Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, threw for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This Washington team is far better than that one.