With the release of the first College Football Playoff Rankings the table is set for the stretch run of the 2022 college football season season. And it starts in earnest across Week 10 with two top-10 matchups involving SEC opponents that will have direct implications on the league championship game and playoff picture.
No. 1 Tennessee visits No. 3 Georgia in the SEC on CBS Game of the week. It's the 25th all-time regular-season matchup between teams ranked No. 1 (Bulldogs) and No. 2 (Volunteers) in the AP Top 25, and it comes just a couple weeks after Tennessee registered its biggest win in decades by handing Alabama its first loss of the season at Neyland Stadium. Now, the Vols will attempt to prove their mettle against the reigning national champion Dawgs, who will present the toughest defensive test all season for the nation's top-ranked offense.
As if that was not enough, No. 6 Alabama visits No. 10 LSU in the Tigers' preferred atmosphere: a Death Valley night game. The Crimson Tide cannot afford a second loss if they still hope for a playoff berth, while the Bayou Bengals are looking for a signature win in Year 1 under Chip Kelly. A win for Bama would be a significant rebound from the Tennessee loss and a key feather in its cap as it attempts to close out the SEC West and meet either Georgia or Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game.
The SEC is not the only conference in the spotlight Saturday. While Big Ten powers No. 2 Ohio State (at Northwestern) and No. 5 Michigan (at Rutgers) are on the road as massive favorites, the top team in the ACC is also on the road but in a much tougher contest with No. 3 Clemson visiting Notre Dame as a 3.5-point favorite. And while No. 13 Kansas State may have two more losses than No. 7 TCU (vs. Texas Tech), it nevertheless faces a key game vs. No. 24 Texas as the Wildcats hope to play in the Big 12 Championship Game.
By the time Saturday's action concludes, we will have a much more clear picture as to what the second set of CFP Rankings will look like once Tuesday rolls around. 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 best games in Week 10.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern
No. 6 Alabama at No. 10 LSU
7 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) -- LSU is a top-10 team, according to the College Football Playoff Rankings, but I don't think LSU is one of the 10 best teams in the country. Alabama has flaws and is not the same juggernaut dynamo we're used to seeing, but it's the better overall team in this matchup. Now, is it so much better than LSU that Bama is going to win by two touchdowns? That I'm not so sure about. The home atmosphere in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will be tough for Bryce Young and the Alabama offense, and I think the Crimson Tide struggle enough to have trouble pulling away. I'm taking the points. Prediction: LSU +13 -- Tom Fornelli
No. 24 Texas at No. 13 Kansas State
7 p.m. | FS1, fuboTV (Try for free) -- Texas has owned K-State over the past half a decade, but this is the best version of the Wildcats thus far. Texas' Quinn Ewers struggled in his first road start, and Kansas State will not be friendly confines for the young quarterback. The 'Cats will hang onto the ball and limit possessions to come away with an emphatic victory. Prediction: Kansas State +2.5 -- Shehan Jeyarajah
No. 4 Clemson at Notre Dame
7:30 p.m. | NBC, fuboTV (Try for free) -- The playbook for Notre Dame against Ohio State was to lean on the defense and play a ball control game that allowed the Fighting Irish to hang tight with the Buckeyes as deep into the game as possible. Clemson also has a history under Dabo Swinney of leaning on its defense, playing field position and trying to limit mistakes in these big regular season showdowns. The defensive battle should lead to a lot of field goal attempts and less points on the scoreboard. Prediction: Under 44 -- Chip Patterson
No. 1 Tennessee at No. 3 Georgia
3:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App -- I'll go out on a limb and take Tennessee to win straight up. Don't get me wrong, I'll grab those points, too, but this Tennessee offense is too good to be stopped even by a defense as talented and deep as that of Georgia. The Volunteers will operate at warp speed and expose linebacker Nolan Smith's absence while using quarterback Hendon Hooker and running backs Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright on the ground to set up the chunk plays over the top. Stetson Bennett won't be able to keep up, and Tennessee will notch its biggest win in decades, again. Prediction: Tennessee +8.5 -- Barrett Sallee
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 10, and which top-25 teams will go down hard? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread -- all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,000 in profit over the past six-plus seasons -- and find out.
