College Football Game Picks: Week 10
As we head into another week of college football, let’s take a closer look at some of this week’s most anticipated matchups.
Army at Air Force
Two branches of the military clash this Saturday in a rivalry game. Air Force is 6-2 with the top-ranked rushing offense in the nation. Army is 4-3 with the second-ranked rushing attack in the country.
Expect a ground and pound duel, but Air Force has proven to have a stronger defense allowing an average of 281.4 yards per game in contrast to the 332.6 average of Army.
Prediction: 27-23 Air Force
Liberty at No. 16 Ole Miss
Malik Willis vs Matt Corral will be the game we come back to in a few months when we seek to see which quarterback breaks away from the pack in the 2022 NFL Draft Class.
Willis is a dynamic playmaker who could carve up a Rebels defense that has let up over 300 yards in every game this season, and over 450 yards in three of their last four.
On the other side of the ball, The Rebels offense is banged up with Corral missing practice Monday, and two key offensive linemen dealing with persisting injuries.
This all seems to indicate the potential for an Ole Miss trap game and a Liberty upset, as Willis and the Flames are hot at the right time.
Prediction: 31-28 Liberty
No. 22 Penn State at Maryland
Coming off a near upset of #5 Ohio State, Penn State will look to get their momentum back after three straight losses and being unranked in the CFB Playoff rankings.
They will also look to make up for last year’s 35-19 loss. Taulia Tagovailoa is coming off an excellent game last week where he went 26/40 for 419 yards and two touchdowns.
Against tougher competition like Iowa and Ohio State this season though, he’s thrown 7 interceptions over 2 games.
The Penn State defense looked strong last weekend, and with 14 turnovers on the year, expect them to try to force Tagovailoa into mistakes Saturday.
The key to a Nittany Lions win will be Sean Clifford who looked closer to his old form last weekend.
Prediction: 31-20 Penn State
Game of The Week: No. 13 Auburn at No. 14 Texas A&M
Who can separate themselves in the SEC West? Auburn has bounced back from losses against Penn State and Georgia to win back-to-back games.
Bo Nix has been showing growth this season, on pace for career highs in completion percentage and yards per attempt and a career-low in interceptions.
Texas A&M had a statement win against Alabama and hasn’t looked back with over 40 points in three straight. They’ve shut down the competition holding Missouri and South Carolina to 14 points apiece.
The difference will be an Auburn defense that’s held top offenses like Ole Miss and Arkansas to 20 and 23 points in the last two weeks.
Prediction: 20-17 Auburn
Dylan Price is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.
