Week 10 College Football Best Bets: Tricks & Treats Ahead of CFB Playoff Poll
Our Week 10 College Football Best Bets hope to provide a glimpse of the landscape ahead of the first CFB Playoff poll next week. A stacked Halloween College Football Betting schedule this week contains plenty of tricks and treats. Oddsmakers and bettors who use the best sports betting sites don’t need to be afraid, even with some key games on the Big Night itself.
And if that keeps you up at night, this might help. Everyone (save for folks in Arizona and parts of Indiana), must turn BACK their clocks on Saturday night. So enjoy that extra hour of sleep.
Even if sundown in the Northeast now takes place before the 6 p.m. SportsCenter.
There are three games this week featuring ranked teams. Two are in the SEC: No. 14 Oklahoma visits No. 18 Tennessee, No. 9 Vanderbilt sails into Austin to face No. 20 Texas, and No. 17 Cincinnati visits Big 12 foe and 24th-ranked Utah. The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes come off the bye as 20.5-point favorites over what’s left of Penn State. Ohio State is the lone unbeaten FBS team against the spread at 6-0-1. Their lone tie on the number came in a 37-9 win Ohio.
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Week 10 Time To Set ‘Poll Position’
With the first CFB Playoff Poll set for release on Tuesday, November 4, there are several unbeaten and one-loss teams that need to make a statement against somewhat inferior opponents in our Week 10 College Football Best Bets in order to gain “Poll Position”
The Miami Hurricanes, for example, ran up the score on offense and defense against Stanford Saturday. Miami, coming off its lone loss to Louisville, ran off 42 unanswered points. That turned an early 7-0 deficit into a 42-7 rout. And not that people notice these things, the Canes scored on a 4th-and-goal from the 2 with just 26 seconds to play. That score delivered ‘Canes backers a cover on the 29.5-point spread and pushed the game over its total of 45.5 points.
This week, Miami visits SMU. Saturday, the previously unbeaten-in-the-ACC Mustangs fell off their high horse and through the “Trap Game” door in a 13-12 loss at Wake Forest as 5.5-point favorites.
Yout 49-day run of daily college/pro football continues this week, with games starting Tuesday night.
Week 10 College Football Best Bets: Odds & Picks
| Date | Matchup | Best Bet | Time / TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 31 |  Memphis at  Rice | MEM -13.5 | 7 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| Fri., Oct. 31 |  North Carolina at  Syracuse | UNC +1.5 | 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Penn State at  Ohio State | OSU -20.5 | 12 p.m. (FOX) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Vanderbilt at  Texas | VAN +2.5 | 12 p.m. (ABC) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  West Virginia at  Houston | HOU -14.5 | 12 p.m. (FS1) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Arizona State at  Iowa State | ISU -3.5 | 12 p.m. (TNT) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Navy at  North Texas | OVER 63.5 | 12 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Miami at  SMU | SMU +10.5 | 12 p.m. (ESPN) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Indiana at  Maryland | IND -21.5 | 3:30 p.m. (CBS) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Texas Tech at  Kansas State | TTU -6.5 | 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Notre Dame at  Boston College | ND -28.5 | 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Georgia vs.  Florida | FLA +7.5 | 3:30 p.m. (ABC) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Virginia at  California | UVA -3.5 | 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  South Carolina at  Ole Miss | MISS -12.5 | 7 p.m. (ESPN) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Oklahoma at  Tennessee | OU +4 | 7:30 p.m. (ABC) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Georgia Tech at  NC State | TECH -6.5 | 7:30 p.m. (ACC) |
| Sat., Nov. 1 |  Cincinnati at  Utah | CIN +7.5 | 10:15 p.m. (ESPN) |
Favorite Underdog / Value Total (O/U)
Week 10 College Football Best Bets: Game-By-Game Analysis
Friday, October 31
Memphis at Rice, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Buzz: The Memphis Tigers upended USF and boosted their odd sto earn a CFB Playoff berth with a thrilling 34-31 over USF. ESPN analytics gave the winner of that game a 54% chance of making the playoff. The playoff reserves one spot for the best Group of Five team. Right now, that’s become a three-team race between Navy, North Texas and the Tigers. Memphis brings and explosive offense to Houston and Rice – coming off a 37-34 double OT win over UConn - won’t be able to keep up. Even as 14.5-point underdogs.
Best Bet: Memphis -13.5 (-115) FanDuel via OddsJam
North Carolina at Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Buzz: Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels fell short for the second week in a row in their 17-16 OT loss to Virginia. But Jordon Hudson and Belichick have covered 2 weeks in row, despite the gut-wrenching defeats. Last year, their Halloween outfit broke Instagram. This year, Belichick may dress on Halloween as a winning college football coach. UNC’s defense will keep this one close. Syracuse got stung multiple times by the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets Saturday in a 41-16 road loss. Belichick & Son appear on track to get their first Power 4 victory this week. In any case, don't be scared. Take Jordon, The Hoodie and The Points.
Best Bet: North Carolina +1.5 (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam
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Saturday, November 1
Penn State at Ohio State, 12 p.m. (FOX)
Buzz: Not even the return of Michigan Superfan Dave Portnoy to Columbus with the “Fox Big Noon Kickoff” crew will prevent Ohio State’s defense from keeping Penn State in single digits here. Both teams come off the bye. Penn State has lost 4 straight. This marks its 2nd game since replacing James Franklin with interim coach Terry Smith. The Buckeyes come off the bye with No. 1 defense in all FBS, giving up just 5.9 points and 216.9 yards per game. Meanwhile, Penn State’s offense ranks 99th in yards and 36th in points. Matt Patricia’s defense runs it up again against another overmatched Big Ten foe here. Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) remains the only FBS team unbeaten on the line at 6-0-1 ATS. Its lone ATS tie was a 37-9 win over Ohio. This week, it’s wash, rinse, repeat for Ohio State.
Best Bet: Ohio State -20.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
Vanderbilt at Texas, 12 p.m. (ABC)
Buzz: Before the season, if you anyone that the Week 10 Vandy-Texas matchup will include just one Top 10 team, but that Top 10 team would be Vanderbilt (7-1, 3-1 SEC), you would have been banned from the internet. Meanwhile, Vandy continues to enjoy its trip in the Old Timey College Football Time Machine. The now-No. 9 Commodores beat Missouri 17-10 Saturday for their first 7-1 start since 1941. Vandy last ranked this high in the AP Poll back in 1937, when it was No. 7 for a week. Arch Manning’s Warby Parkers finally focused on his own wide receivers as he led Texas (6-2, 3-1 SEC) to a thrilling come-from-behind 45-28 OT win in Starkville Saturday. But Manning suffered a concussion in the victory. His status this week remains unknown. Both teams are in position to win out an earn a trip to the SEC title game. And both defenses will come to play this week. Turnovers may well decide it. Expect a low scoring start given the 11 a.m. local time kick off.
Best Bet: Vanderbilt +2.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
West Virginia at Houston, 12 p.m. (FS1)
Buzz: The Cougars (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) remain very much in the Big 12 title game chase after scoring an upset 24-16 win at ASU Saturday as 7-point underdogs. West Virginia continues to implode during Rich Rodriguez’s second term as head coach. The Mountaineers have lost 5 straight and have only covered twice since Week 2. West Virginia has lost its 3 conference road games by an average of 25.6 points. Grrrr.
Best Bet: Houston -14.5 (-105) DraftKings via OddsJam
Arizona State at Iowa State, 12 p.m. (TNT)
Buzz: Perhaps the most notable thing about this game has it landing on TNT. This slot was set aside for the Big 12 games ESPN gave to TNT and TBS in exchange for the rights to air “Inside the NBA” this season. Shaq, Ernie, Kenny and Charles for ASU at Iowa State? Both teams stand 5-3 outright, 3-2 in the Big 12, have covered just 3 times this season, are coming off home Big 12 losses at home, and have failed to be meet their lofty conference expectations this season. ISU dropped its third-straight conference game Saturday, losing 41-27 to BYU on Homecoming Weekend. Ouch. The Sun Devils exited the Top 25 following a 24-16 home loss to Houston. The home team here gets a slight edge due to the early start and temperatures in the 40s come kickoff time.
Best Bet: Iowa State -3.5 (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam
Navy at North Texas, 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
Buzz: Either Navy (8-0), North Texas (7-1) or Memphis (7-1) earns the Group of 5 CFB Playoff berth this season. One needn't be Robert Oppenheimer to figure the loser of this game is out. North Texas averages an eye-popping 46.1 points per game. Navy’s ground-based offense may not be able to keep up with their hosts, especially on the road in Denton. But we could be on track for total in the 80s.
Best Bet: Over 63.5 Points (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam
Miami at SMU, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Buzz: This game backslid on the ESPN schedule to an 11 a.m. local kickoff after SMU fell through the “Trap Game Door” in a 13-12 loss at Wake Forest. It marked SMU’s first ACC regular-season loss since joining the conference last year. The Hurricanes fell behind 7-0 before running off 42 straight points to beat Stanford Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami closed out its 42-7 win, cover as 29.5-point favorites, and nabbed the over on 45.5 points. All coming thanks to touchdown on a 4th-and-Goal from the 2 with 26 seconds to play. Not that people notice these things. The loser here is likely out of the ACC championship and CFB Playoff picture, given that each team has one conference loss. Both offenses are turnover prone at their worst moments. Can the Hurricanes thrive in the cool, arid climate of Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas? Perhaps, but this is too big a number for two otherwise closely matched conference teams.
Best Bet: SMU +10.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
Indiana at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Buzz: Indiana’s road to the Big Ten championship game contains neither stop signs nor speed limits. The No. 2-but-still-getting-no-respect Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) flattened UCLA 56-6 Saturday. Indy crushed the number as 27-point favorites. No reason to let up on the road against the uninspiring Terps (4-2, 1-3 Big Ten). Especially with the first CFB Playoff poll due out on Tuesday. Indiana’s offense ranks 3rd in scoring among all FBS teams with 45.4 points. The Terps defense should challenge early, but it won’t be able to keep pace in the second half.
Best Bet: Indiana -21.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
Texas Tech at Kansas State, 3:30 p.m. FOX)
Buzz: The Red Raiders (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) pitched a shutout Saturday, beating Oklahoma State 42-0 Saturday. QB Will Hammond exited in the first half and will have an MRI to determine the extent of a knee injury. This number updated after that news. Tech moved to 7-1 ATS in covering a 37-point spread. Meanwhile, Kansas State captured the Sunflower Showdown Saturday with a 42-17 win over Kansas. Texas Tech beat KU by the identical score two weeks earlier. K-State (4-4, 3-2 Big 12) covered 4 weeks in row after starting 0-4 on the line. And has won 8 in row in this matchup. Tech remains in the middle of the chase for a Big 12 conference title game berth. It needs a win to keep hope alive. Tech stumbled on the road at ASU two weeks ago. But it won’t repeat those mistakes Saturday in Manhattan.
Best Bet: Texas Tech -6.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
Notre Dame at Boston College, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Buzz: Notre Dame continues an impressive run after losing its first two games, and en route to a likely berth in the College Football Playoff. The Eagles, under coach Bill O’Brien, have fluttere this season following the departure of QB Tommy Castellanos to Florida State. BC got rolled by Louisville Saturday 38-24. Like UNC under former boss Bill Belichick, At 1-7 BC has yet to beat a Power 4 opponent this season under coach O’Brien. The Irish hold a massive edge this time in what is the last great Roman Catholic Football rivalry. ESPN Analytics gives Notre Dame a 97.2% probability of winning (or -10000 at FanDuel). The Irish need style points to impress CFB Playoff poll voters given their lack of conference play. They get plenty Saturday against the flightless Eagles. Look for ND’s defense to flex, as well.
Best Bet: Notre Dame -28.5 (-115) FanDuel via OddsJam
Georgia vs. Florida at Jacksonville, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Buzz: “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” for those in attendance in Jacksonville represents Florida’s first game since firing coach Billy Napier. Kirby Smart doesn’t have any film on what interim coach and former WR Billy Gonzales has planned, but Billy G. said he wants to open things up when the Gators have the ball. Florida’s defense kept it in contention against LSU, and delivered a big home upset win over Texas. Smart and the Dawgs win here and will make whatever halftime adjustments are needed. But this one ends at lot closer than UGA’s 4 straight routs of its Southern neighbor since 2021.
Best Bet: Florida +7.5 (-105) DraftKings via OddsJam
Virginia at California, 3:45 p.m. (ESPN2)
Buzz: The Cavaliers survived a scare from Bill Belichick, Jordon Hudson, and the UNC Tar Heels in Week 9. Virginia (7-1, 4-0 ACC) made the stop on overtime to snag a 17-16 win at Chapel Bill. The victory allows Virginia to control its own destiny in the chase for a spot in the ACC title game. Cal (5-3, 2-2 ACC) weathered its own scare against UNC two weeks ago in a 21-18 win. But the Bears hibernated in the 4th quarter before losing 42-34 in double-OT to Virginia Tech Friday night. Virginia’s win at Louisville grows in stature each week.
Best Bet: Virginia -3.5 (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam
South Carolina at Ole Miss, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Buzz: The Lane Train rolled through Norman on Saturday. Ole Miss (7-1, 4-1 SEC) punished Oklahoma 34-26 for an easy cover at -3.5. Trinidad Chambliss started over Austin Simmons and threw for 315 yards and a TD. Kewan Lacy ran for 2 scores as the Rebels quickly recovered from a loss to Georgia. South Carolina kept things close to grab a backdoor cover against Alabama as 13.5-point underdogs in a 29-22 loss. The Gamecocks let that game get away late. Expect Ole Miss – now 5-0 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this season and unbeaten in The Grove forever – to score early and often here. USC, not so much.
Best Bet: Ole Miss -12.5 (-110) HardRockBet via OddsJam
Oklahoma at Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
Buzz: The Sooner Schooner arrives in Knoxville missing a wheel after Oklahoma’s 34-26 loss to Ole Miss. That all but ended Oklahoma’s hopes for a berth in the SEC title game and CFB Playoff. Each team here has 2 SEC losses. The winner here remains in the hunt for a Citrus Bowl spot. Still, these teams remain evenly matched. One must wonder what’s left in Oklahoma’s tank after what was a playoff-game like loss to Ole Miss. And the Vols won this game last year on the road by 10 points. But . . . the SEC has seen multiple teams reverse their fortunes week-to-week. The middle-tier of the conference remains crazily competitive. And Oklahoma’s stingy defense will travel. OU allows just 12.5 PPG, 5th overall among FBS teams.
Best Bet: Oklahoma +4 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
Georgia Tech at N.C. State, 7:30 p.m. (ACC Network)
Buzz: The Yellowjackets have generated plenty of buzz this season. Behind QB Haynes King, Georgia Tech owns an 8-0 record and owns a clear path to a spot in the ACC championship game. The veteran-laden and well-coached ‘Jackets should avoid any potential “Trap Game Door” waiting for them on the field of Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Even against the high-octane Wolfpack. Tech raked Syracuse 41-16 Saturday at home as 17-point favorites and are 6-2 on the number overall.
Best Bet: Georgia Tech -6.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
Cincinnati at Utah, 10:15 p.m.
Buzz: Daybreak in Salt Lake City brings ESPN "College GameDay" to the Utah campus for the first time since 2023. The No. 17 Bearcats (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) control their own destiny in the Big 12. They earn a spot in the conference title game if they can win their remaining 4 games. But in addition to No. 24 Utah (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) this week, the Bearcats face Arizona, unbeaten BYU, and TCU to close the season. Cincinnati’s only road test in the Big 12 came against Kansas, a game which loses clout each week. But given how evenly matched these teams appear to be, we’ll take the points. By the way, the Utes are 2-3 in games where “College GameDay” has come to Salt Lake City.
Best Bet: Cincinnati +7.5 (-122) FanDuel via OddsJam
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