After a couple of “down” weeks with lacking big-time games, Week 10 of the 2020 college football season is set to deliver. Not only are there two games between top 10 teams, they are marquee games that are expected to have major implications not only for conference championship races but the larger College Football Playoff picture.
No. 8 Florida faces No. 5 Georgia in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, which is once again set as the SEC on CBS Game of the Week. The Gators are looking to win the game and division for the first time since 2016, while the Bulldogs are looking to rebound after being roundly defeated by No. 2 Alabama just a couple of weeks ago.
No. 1 Clemson visits No. 4 Notre Dame in the nightcap. Their showdown may be an early preview of the ACC Championship Game. Not only will the Fighting Irish be eligible for the title game this year only, the ACC is not playing with divisions and will instead advance the two teams with the best overall records. Will the Tigers be able to get the job done with freshman D.J. Uiagalelei in for Trevor Lawrence?
The Pac-12 also starts its 2020 season on Saturday, though two of its six games have been postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With all of that on deck, opur experts at CBS Sports are here to help you navigate what game to play with expert picks both straight up and against the spread. Let’s take a look at five key games this weekend.
Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the day for college football coverage from the opening kickoff at noon to the final whistle of day.
Odds via William Hill Sportsbook | All times Eastern
No. 23 Michigan at No. 13 Indiana (Noon on FS1)
Latest Odds:
Wolverines
-3.5
Yeah, I’m not falling for it. I know Michigan lost a game everyone expected it to win, but this point spread is a gross overreaction to the loss. In his five seasons at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh’s teams have only gone 1-3-1 ATS against Indiana despite winning all five games. The difference this year is that none of the games had a spread this small. The average spread in those five games was 16.2 points. Michigan has won each of the meetings by at least a touchdown. Last year, the Wolverines beat the best Indiana team we’d seen in years by 25. We’ll see the Wolverines bounce back this weekend against an Indiana team that hasn’t played nearly as well as its record suggests. Pick: Michigan (-3) — Tom Fornelli
West Virginia at No. 22 Texas (Noon on ABC)
Latest Odds:
Longhorns
-5
The touchdown line is tricky since a push is very much on the table. Another key for West Virginia will be avoiding turnovers or any kind of poor field position that would give Texas hidden yards at the same clip it got against Oklahoma State. West Virginia’s offense hasn’t traveled well this year. Otherwise, the Mountaineers’ defense can hold up. But since both of these teams love making mistakes, that keeps this game within grasp. I’ll take the points. Pick: West Virginia +6.5 — Ben Kercheval
No. 8 Florida at No. 5 Georgia (3:30 p.m. on CBS)
Give me Florida to win, cover and top Georgia by double digits. Defense doesn’t win championships anymore. “Just enough” defense does. Florida has more than enough to cruise past Georgia considering the massive offensive issues plaguing coach Kirby Smart’s crew. Quarterback Kyle Trask and the rest of the offense will light up the depleted Georgia defense and score in the 30s. Will Stetson Bennett IV and the Bulldogs be able to keep up? No chance. Pick: Florida (+3.5) — Barrett Sallee
Stanford at No. 12 Oregon (7:30 p.m. on ABC)
With opt outs and injuries depleting both secondaries, this game could come down to which team’s offensive playmakers can do more in space. Both teams return two receivers who caught 50 or more passes last season. But Oregon also returns a couple of high-caliber running backs in CJ Verdell and Cyrus Habibi-Likio. The Ducks have enough speed and talent to cover this spread. Pick: Oregon (-8) — David Cobb
No. 1 Clemson at No. 4 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. on NBC)
Earlier this season, we talked about Big Game Dabo and Clemson’s trends to the under in regular-season matchups against fellow ranked teams. Unfortunately, I think the total has already been impacted by the absence of QB Trevor Lawrence. The score I’m working with right now is 31-24 Tigers, which would clear the posted total by a field goal. Notre Dame is operating with a ton of confidence right now — not just as a team but a program as a whole — and I think this is going to be a classic of a game, but winning these games is what Clemson does best. I’d be on the home dog if this spread was more than a touchdown, but I really think the Tigers win, so I’ll lay the handful of points. Pick: Clemson -5.5 — Chip Patterson
