The stage was set for the remainder of the 2021 season with Tuesday’s release of the first College Football Playoff Rankings. The SEC sits at the top two positions with Georgia and Alabama No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, while Michigan State and Oregon round out the top four. Ohio State is one spot out of the playoff field, and all five teams will have an opportunity to add to their resumes this week.
The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide are each massive favorites over division rival, which makes the day’s biggest SEC showdown the 3:30 p.m. ET contest on CBS with No. 13 Auburn visiting No. 14 Texas A&M. The Tigers and Aggies are both alive in the SEC West race, and a win in this game will go a long way in their respective attempts to claim the division and hold off the tide.
Ohio State and No. 7 Michigan bookend the day with a pair of Big Ten showdowns in which they are more than two-touchdown favorites. The Buckeyes are looking to remain flawless since their early loss to Oregon, while the Wolverines are trying to bounce back from suffering their first defeat of the season last week against the Spartans.
While winning is all that matters for the standings, we care about whether these teams will cover their spreads. Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the day for college football coverage from the opening kickoff onward. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the 10th full Saturday of the season.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern
Missouri at No. 1 Georgia
Noon | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Spoiler alert: Georgia is going to win the football game. The only question is whether the Bulldogs can cover such a massive spread, especially without assurances that JT Daniels will be the starting quarterback. Still, Georgia has beaten much, much, much better opponents by similar scores, and Mizzou has the twin issues of being terrible on defense and perhaps being without its starting quarterback. Give me the Dawgs. Prediction: Georgia (-38) — Shehan Jeyarajah
No. 5 Ohio State at Nebraska
Latest Odds: Ohio State Buckeyes -14.5
Noon | Fox, fuboTV (Try for free) — I see this game playing out two ways. Either Ohio State cruises to a dominating victory in which this game is over by halftime, or the Cornhuskers stick around and nearly make things interesting. In the end, I’m taking the Huskers and the points for a simple reason” They lose close. None of Nebraska’s three wins have come by fewer than 25 points this season, and all six of its losses have been one-score losses. I think they do enough things well offensively to pose some problems for an Ohio State defense that has holes to keep it respectable more often than not. Prediction: Nebraska (+15) — Tom Fornelli
No. 13 Auburn at No. 14 Texas A&M
Latest Odds: Texas A&M Aggies -4.5
3:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App — With the Aggies coming off a bye and playing at home, they are well-positioned to keep rolling. If quarterback Zach Calzada can complete a few downfield throws to keep the Auburn defense honest, the run game will open up for running backs Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller, which will lead to a Texas A&M victory. Prediction: Texas A&M (-4.5) — David Cobb
LSU at No. 1 Alabama
Latest Odds: Alabama Crimson Tide -28.5
7 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Alabama will win handily, but oddsmakers are giving LSU four touchdowns. That’s insane. QB Max Johnson will make at least a few big plays through the air to get the Tigers in the high teens or low 20s. At that point, it’s all about when Alabama coach Nick Saban will take his foot off of the gas. He’ll do that long before it gets to be a four-touchdown game. Prediction: LSU (+28.5) — Barrett Sallee
Indiana at No. 7 Michigan
Latest Odds: Michigan Wolverines -20.5
7:30 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV (Try for free) — While I don’t like Indiana’s odds of winning two straight in this series, I’m pushed towards the Hoosiers on the spread because of Michigan’s problems rushing the ball. Indiana’s defense is not great, and it hasn’t forced as many turnovers as last year, but it’s been solid against the run. It ranks 28th nationally in total rushing EPA on defense and 63rd in success rate. That’s not great by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s enough to think the Hoosiers will be able to keep the Wolverines offense within three scores. Prediction: Indiana (+19.5) — Tom Fornelli
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 10, and which top 25-team will get stunned? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,700 in profit over the past five-plus seasons — and find out.
