Separation Saturday has arrived. Though there are still a few weeks remaining in the regular season, many of college football's top teams will be tested Saturday as they hope to stay on track for College Football Playoff consideration. Two of those test will come in SEC competition as No. 2 Georgia hosts No. 12 Missouri and No. 8 Alabama hosts No. 14 LSU.
The two-time reigning champion Bulldogs will easily face their toughest test of the season given their schedule has been relatively light to this point. Still, the undefeated Dawgs get the Tigers between the hedges as a favorite of more than two touchdowns at 3:30 p.m. ET in the second game of a college football tripleheader on CBS. That slate concludes in the evening as the one-loss Crimson Tide look to keep their playoff candidacy alive hosting the two-loss Bayou Bengals. LSU toppling Alabama could shake up the entire SEC West, while Bama staying on top with a win would make it the favorite to face Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
Elsewhere on the slate, No. 1 Ohio State at Rutgers is one of the highlight games of the early window (noon, CBS), while a pair of last-time Big 12 matchups make up the rest of the day. No. 7 Texas (hosting No. 23 Kansas State) and No. 9 Oklahoma (at No. 22 Oklahoma State) are both off to the SEC this year, but you can bet their current Big 12 peers are seeking to knock them down before those departures. The final Bedlam for the foreseeable future will be particularly notable given the Cowboys have been surging as the Sooners have been struggling over the last few weeks.
Be sure to stick with CBS Sports all day Saturday 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 SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern
No. 5 Washington at No. 20 USC
7:30 p.m. | ABC, fubo (Try for free) -- Both of these teams have struggled to put away inferior competition in recent weeks, and you know why? Because it's hard to pull away from teams when you let them score against you. As potent as both these offenses can be, they both have problems defensively. Now, USC's defense has been far friendlier to opponents than that of Washington, but I've seen worse offenses than the Trojans' have plenty of success against the Huskies. There's a reason the total for this game is this high, and I'm inclined to believe it needs to be a little higher. Pick: Over 76 -- Tom Fornelli
No. 14 LSU at No. 8 Alabama
7:45 p.m. | CBS, Paramount+ with Showtime, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App -- The weather is expected to be beautiful on Saturday at Alabama as these explosive SEC West title contenders tangle. Alabama will take advantage of the calm skies to air it out on LSU's vulnerable secondary, and the Tigers will counter with the nation's highest-rated passer in Jayden Daniels. Both quarterbacks are also skilled at running the football when things break down. The defenses will struggle to get off the field on third downs, and points should be expected on almost every possession. Pick: Over 60.5 -- David Cobb
No. 1 Ohio State at Rutgers
Noon | CBS, Paramount+ with Showtime, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App -- You could get rich pretty quickly blindly betting the under in Ohio State games this season. For the first six or seven weeks of the season, oddsmakers were confusing Ohio State's 2023 offense with Buckeyes offenses of the last few seasons. Make no mistake, this Ohio State team is much better on defensive than offense, even with Marvin Harrison Jr. While the totals have come down lately, the under remains appealing here. Rutgers will have a tough time cracking double-digits in this matchup, and even Michigan managed only 31 points against the Rutgers defense in Ann Arbor. Pick: Under 42.5 -- Tom Fornelli
No. 23 Kansas State at No. 7 Texas
Noon | Fox, fubo (Try for free) -- Texas and Kansas State are evenly matched and boast two of the best defenses in the Big 12, if not all of college football. Getting the home crowd will be a major advantage for the Longhorns, but the Wildcats are a mature team with multiple ways to attack offensively. Texas deserves to be a favorite heading into Saturday, but Kansas State will keep it close until the final whistle. Pick: Kansas State +4 -- Shehan Jeyarajah
No. 12 Missouri at No. 2 Georgia
3:30 p.m. | CBS, Paramount+ with Showtime, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App -- Georgia will get the win, but the trend is your friend if you're investing in this one. The Bulldogs are 2-4-1 against the spread in games against FBS opponents this season, while the Tigers are 5-2 against the spread in their FBS matchups. Kirby Smart knows just how dangerous the Tiger offense can be, so expect Dawgs running back Daijun Edwards to handle the ball a bunch in order to keep Brady Cook on the sideline. Limited possessions will lead to a game that, even if it isn't all that competitive, is somewhat close on the scoreboard. As such, take the Tigers to cover but not win. Pick: Missouri +15.5 -- Barrett Sallee
No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 22 Oklahoma State
3:30 p.m. | ABC, fubo (Try for free) -- OU has historically dominated this series and is rightfully favored in this one -- even in what figures to be a raucous road environment in Stillwater. That said, Oklahoma State's trajectory over the last month has been on a direct ascent, led by Ollie Gordon's star turn and the bully-ball style of its rushing game. If the Cowboys can establish the run and take some pressure off of the passing game, this game stays close to the end as it typically does. I'll take the points with the home team that has the more momentum of the two. The Oklahoma State moneyline is a sneaky fun play if you want to ride a home dog this weekend, but taking the points seems like the wiser move. Pick: Oklahoma State +5.5 -- Kyle Boone
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 10, and which underdogs will win outright? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread -- all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit over the past seven-plus seasons -- and find out.
