College Football Predictions: Week 10

A solid 3-2 for Week 9. I'd take that every week for the rest of my life. I wish I had done that well on my personal plays. Let's see if I can keep things going forward.

YTD Record

1* = 6-4-1
2* = 7-7-1
3* = 7-4

1* = Gun to my head, I'd play the team listed (risky)
2* = A good chance of covering; a worthy play (fairly confident)
3* = I will be playing this team for a large chunk of money (very confident)

West Virginia @ Louisville -1.5, Thursday 7:30 PM, ESPN

Go ahead and laugh at the Big Least all you want. The winner of this Thursday's showdown at Papa John Stadium is likely headed to Glendale for the national title game. Both teams enter this contest sporting sterling 7-0 records. Louisville has survived the loss of their two best players for an extended portion of the season, and West Virginia has survived, well, not a whole lot, actually. Both teams have played super weak schedules so far with Louisville's being a bit stronger, thanks to their win over pre-brawl Miami.

I was high on Louisville in the preseason so much so that I took them at 40-1 to win the national title, so I have to be extra careful in evaluating this game. West Virginia should be the trendy pick in this spot. With Michael Bush out of the picture, they now have the name players in this contest, Steve Slaton and Pat White.

I don't expect many to give Louisville a chance in this one, which makes me like them even more. West Virginia's defense is awful and will have to bring five or six guys just to get pressure on Brian Brohm. They will have a very hard time stopping the Cardinal attack. Defense or no defense, the West Virginia offense is very explosive, but in my opinion. they rely too much on big plays. These big plays will be harder to come by against a very fast Cardinal defense. In what will be one of my largest college football bets of the year, Louisville wins going away.

The play: Louisville 3*

LSU -3 @ Tennessee, 3:30 PM, CBS

I thought this game would be a pick 'em, so needless to say, I am bit perplexed by this line. The polls really don't mean a whole lot when it comes to setting the line, but it's a bit suspect to have the No. 13 ranked team in the country giving three points on the road against the No. 8 team.

There isn't much to analyze here. LSU has a bit more talent than the Vols, but they have self-destructed in both of their big spots this year. Of the two sides, its the Vols who have the quality wins. If I was going to play this game, I would do so based solely on the weird line angle, but wouldn't hold my breath in regards to LSU's discipline issues being resolved.

The play: LSU 1*

Boston College @ Wake Forest +4, 7:00 PM, ESPN

Wake Forest vs Boston College for the ACC Atlantic division lead! If you called that ESPN headline during the preseason, then you should probably be writing this column in my stead. This is seriously a big game. It has legitimate BCS ramifications. I'm not being sarcastic.

Look at the stats long enough and only one conclusion can be reached, Boston College should win this game easily. I mean, Wake Forest can't possibly win the ACC Atlantic with the 106th-rated passing attack. Can they? We all know where this is going. Besides, I almost never bet against ugly home dogs like Wake.

The play: Wake Forest 2*

Arkansas @ South Carolina +2.5, 7:45 PM, ESPN

Don't look now, but Arkansas is running away with the SEC West. I almost took a flier on the Hogs at 33-1 to win SEC at the start of the season, but I backed down at the last instant. A really brilliant move on my part, huh?

Regrets aside, its a little early to be handing Arky the SEC West just yet as they still have games left with Tennessee and LSU after this very losable game in Columbia. Twice so far this year, I have given South Carolina my seal of approval as home dogs, and twice so far this year, the Gamecocks have failed to cover. Steve Spurrier owes us two, and I think he'll give us one back here. With logic like that, we can't lose.

The play: South Carolina 2*

Virginia Tech @ Miami (FL) +2, 8:00 PM, ABC

Talk about two teams headed in the opposite direction. Last week, Virginia Tech saved their season by upending a highly-regarded Clemson team at home. On the other side of the coin, Miami likely got their coach fired with a horrible second half effort in their loss at Georgia Tech.

Everything is pointing towards Va Tech in this one, but I happen to think they were lucky to catch Clemson last week in a let down spot. The Hokies don't have a passing game, and for as many issues as Miami may have, they still have lots of speed on defense. There is a chance Miami has already mailed this season in, but I am willing to wager that they show for a prime time night game at home.

The play: Miami 3*

Please keep in mind that I am evaluating the most popular games for the purposes of this article. These games are not necessarily the best options available. You can more picks, results, and opinions on sports wagering at Ryan Hojnacki's website. This article is for entertainment purposes only. Sports wagering is not legal is most jurisdictions in the U.S. Sports Central does not encourage any individual to partake in illegal activities and holds no responsibility for actions taken as a result of this article. Check with your local laws before engaging in any wagering activities.