The College Football Playoff committee dropped its first rankings Tuesday night, setting the stage for one of the most insane regular-season weekends in history, with six top-25 games ready to explode on Saturday. This weekend ties for the most top-end matchups inside the top 25 we have ever seen, and with the new 12-team playoff format, every snap just got real.
The Playoff Picture Just Got Real
Forget the AP poll, folks. That’s out the window. From here on out, it’s all about the CFP selection committee’s cluster of teams, their metrics, and who is battling for those coveted spots in the new 12-team bracket. We are talking auto-bids for the four highest-ranked conference champions, plus the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six. That leaves seven at-large spots open, meaning teams on the bubble or those outside their respective league title races are fighting for their season lives. This isn’t just a big weekend, it’s the most impactful one of the entire campaign.
High-Stakes Showdowns & The Iowa Picks
This monster Week 10 slate is absolutely loaded, featuring unbeaten and top-ranked Miami heading to No. 11 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are desperate to post their first ranked win of the season, and doing it against the No. 1 team? That’s the stuff of legends. Plus, we’ve got a massive rivalry game with No. 9 BYU heading to No. 3 Utah, who are favored by 4.5 points.
The experts, Brad Crawford and Chris Hummer, both admit this picks season has been a “chaotic mess,” with Hummer sitting at 58-23 straight up and 41-39-1 against the spread (ATS), and Crawford not far behind at 53-28 straight up and 39-41-1 ATS. They both weighed in on the No. 19 Iowa at Northwestern (-1.5) game, and they’re both riding with the Hawkeyes.
Hummer is predicting Iowa to win 24-21, giving them the +1.5 points. He says it all comes down to which Iowa shows up. They’ve turned the ball over eight times this season, with six of those turnovers coming in their two losses. Northwestern’s defense is aggressive, forcing 13 turnovers this year, so a turnover-prone Iowa could be in trouble. But Hummer likes Iowa to control the lines of scrimmage and slow down Aidan Chiles.
Crawford is also taking Iowa +1.5, predicting a 23-20 victory for the Hawkeyes. He admits he “whiffed” on them last week, but he’s not making the same mistake again. He notes that if Iowa had beaten Minnesota a couple of weeks ago, they’d be in control of their Big Ten and CFP destiny. Their best win so far is a shutout over Wisconsin. For Crawford, this game boils down to red zone execution and which team can actually turn field goals into touchdowns.
This weekend isn’t just another Saturday, folks. It’s the kind of chaos that defines a college football season, with every snap potentially shaking up the playoff picture. Get ready, because it’s going to be wild.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply