3 College Football Bets for Loaded Week 10

Relish this day, folks. College football might not get better than this week’s slate. There are playoff implications all over Saturday’s games, starting right at noon and going all the way into the night.

With the 24-team playoff coming next season, these types of days will not have the same impact on wins and losses. The games will still be great. The implications will simply matter less. There are two top-10 matchups, four top-20 matchups and several teams just on the outside of the top-20 that are hanging on by a thread to stay alive for the playoff. 

These games are going to be epic. That’s why we have no choice but to place bets and sweat out these games all day. Here are my three best bets for week 10 of the college football season:

Texas vs Missouri: 

Play: Missouri +2.5

Texas has managed to keep its playoff hopes alive after a couple of bad losses a few weeks ago. The playoff committee still believes the Longhorns can make the playoff, but it is about to end on Saturday against Missouri.

Texas has some serious injury questions heading into this game, with star running back Hollywood Smothers ruled out and the Longhorns’ two best wide receivers being questionable. Texas also has several defenders listed as questionable, which would make things even harder on the road. 

Arch Manning simply can’t be trusted against good opponents. He did beat Ole Miss a few weeks ago, but that came after the Rebels made a 24-3 comeback and then Texas’ running game carried Manning to a victory. Manning was asked to do very little in that fourth quarter. With no Smothers on Saturday, Manning will be asked to be the engine of the offense — and that is simply not a good idea. 

Missouri has a very mediocre offense that won’t produce many explosive plays, especially over the top, but we have seen them have decent scoring production at home this season. Missouri has the potential to have an advantage in the run game, with Ahmad Hardy returning last week and now giving the Tigers a boost in that department. 

The Tigers are 25-4 at home since 2023 and are 4-0 this season. It is easy to see Manning having a classic bad game on the road and ruining his team’s chances for the playoff. Missouri will cover and win outright. 

Oregon vs Ohio State:

Play: Ohio State -7

Oregon’s season is done. Some analysts would look like you to believe that the Ducks can still somehow sneak into the playoff if they win outright. It’s not happening. 

Ohio State, on the other hand, has no choice but to win outright. Now sitting on two losses and unable to slip up again, we should get the Buckeyes’ and Ryan Day’s best effort on Saturday. Both teams are down to backup quarterbacks now, but Luke Fahey should feel more comfortable this week at home than he did at USC last week. 

The Buckeyes also still have Jeremiah Smith, who is the best college football player and can cover this spread by himself. There will be more explosive plays available for Ohio State and it will require Fahey to make more of them this week. But Aiden Chiles had major success dicing up this defense in the first half a week ago before suffering an upper body injury.

Ohio State’s biggest advantage comes from its defense that allows 15.5 points per game and will be able to get pressure on Dylan Raiola. I’m simply not a believer in Raiola. He is prone to big mistakes and doesn’t have the weapons on his side that Fahey will have on Saturday. 

A combination of Ohio State being more desperate and having a better defense should limit how many points Oregon scores and will allow the Buckeyes to cover this number. 

UCLA vs Minnesota:

Play: Minnesota +4.5 

I’ve faded UCLA before this season and it has not worked out well for me. So why not go back to that well again and hope it pays off this time. Bob Chesney has been a fantastic hire for UCLA and has them right in the mix to earn a playoff berth in his first season. The Bruins are one of three remaining undefeated teams in the sport: Utah and Miami. 

This might just be the time, however, for the Bruins to fall into the perfect trap against a feisty Minnesota team. PJ Fleck’s team has played really well against ranked opponents this season, defeating Michigan and Iowa and taking Indiana to overtime last week. The Gophers have also won seven straight Big Ten home games. 

Neither team is going to create many explosive plays. UCLA is actually down to its backup quarterback, Ty Dieffenbach, and that has made the offense even worse. The Bruins are more effective at running the ball, but it is always harder to lean on the run game on the road. 

With both offenses primed to struggle to move the ball, this game is set up for a low scoring affair — benefiting the home dog. The Gophers’ defense will generate pressure to limit Dieffenbach effectiveness. A physical, low scoring game is exactly what Fleck is looking for to take down another ranked team this season. 

Give me the Gophers to keep this close into the fourth quarter and to cover this spread.