College football Week 10 preview

It's a matchup of two 4-0 teams in the American Athletic Conference's East Division. The Knights, looking for a 21st straight win, will wait up until kickoff to decide whether star quarterback McKenzie Milton will play or not. Temple has won three in a row and already has ended then-No. 20 Cincinnati's bid at an undefeated season.

Prediction: UCF 28, Temple 23

The Cavaliers are ranked for the first time since November 2011 and also earned their first appearance in the College Football Playoff rankings this week. Virginia is riding a three-game winning streak, is the surprise leader in the ACC Coastal Division and boasts one of college football's most underrated players in versatile running back/receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. Pitt, though, is only one-half game back in the Coastal.

Prediction: Virginia 33, Pitt 20

Just like in the 2014 BCS National Championship game, Jimbo Fisher and Gus Malzahn will go at it. The Aggies face a third straight road contest while looking to bounce back from a loss at Mississippi State. Auburn, meanwhile, is still trying to avoid a fifth consecutive season of four or more losses.

Prediction: Auburn 26, Texas A&M 14

As the second-ranked team in the CFP standings, Clemson is having fun and in a fine position for a shot at the national championship. First things first: a visit from a Louisville program that is 0-5 in the ACC and trying to avoid losing six in a row for the first time since 1997.

Prediction: Clemson 44, Louisville 12

Yes, it's actually the Cornhuskers who have the momentum entering this meeting. They're trying for a third straight victory. Ohio State is looking to rebound from that embarrassing loss at Purdue a couple of weeks back. Hope is not entirely lost in Columbus, as the Buckeyes are still in the mix for the Big Ten East crown.

Prediction: Ohio State 38, Nebraska 24 

Dino Babers might be in the running for coach of the year honors with the Orange finding their way into the rankings. It's the first time they've cracked the AP Top 25 since 2001. Syracuse is also bowl eligible for the first time since 2013. Next on the agenda: avoid a third consecutive defeat to Wake Forest, which dropped 64 on the Orange in 2017.

Prediction: Wake Forest 31, Syracuse 30

While that "other" game in the SEC is getting all the attention, first place in the league's East Division will be on the line in Lexington. Georgia has won eight straight and 19 of the last 21 against Kentucky. However, these don't seem like your grandfather's, or even older brother's, Wildcats. That last-second win at Missouri only increased Kentucky's momentum and it's going all out to pub its best players. If there was ever a time for the Wildcats' struggles with the Bulldogs to end, this seems like it.

Prediction: Kentucky 27, Georgia 21

Will Iowa join Boston College and Ohio State as Top 25 teams to lose in West Lafayette? The Hawkeyes' home loss to Purdue last season ended their four-game winning streak in the series. Both are chasing Big Ten West leader Northwestern in the division, so for one team that dream will end.

Prediction: Iowa 28, Purdue 20

Three teams are tied for the Big 12 lead, and two of them will be playing in this contest. The Longhorns' comeback at Oklahoma State last week fell short, but the effort was valiant. They won at West Virginia last season but have allowed 45 and 38 points to high-powered offenses in Oklahoma and the Cowboys, respectively. The Mountaineers have scored at least 35 in all but one game this season.

Prediction: Texas 38, West Virginia 35

Now it's Michigan's turn. Don't think the Wolverines forgot about last year's 42-13 loss to the Nittany Lions, who lined up and ran a meaningless play near the goal line as time expired. Michigan has won seven in a row and is just outside of the top four in the CFP rankings. Penn State has lost two straight and seven of eight at Ann Arbor.

Prediction: Michigan 27, Penn State 20

The Eagles are headed to a third straight bowl, as they try to match their win total from each of the past two seasons. Running back AJ Dillon has rushed for 310 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, has not had the season it expected but enters the weekend one-half game behind first-place Virginia in the ACC Coastal.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 22, Boston College 21

The Utes have won four in a row and scored at least 40 points in each one of those games. However, they have only a one-game lead in the Pac-12 South Division. Arizona State just won at USC and has taken five of seven against Utah, which is 3-1 on the road this season.

Prediction: Utah 33, Arizona State 17  

Winning the SEC East will be tougher for the Gators after last week's loss to Georgia at the cocktail party. Still, Florida has a strong opportunity to bounce back against a Missouri team that just can't seem to catch a break. The Gators have allowed an average of 15.5 points during their four home games.

Prediction: Florida 29, Missouri 21 

Houston quarterback D'Eriq King finally got his due after totaling seven touchdowns in last weekend's 57-36 victory over previously undefeated and then-No. 21 South Florida. The Cougars now have a star on each side of the ball, though the other, defensive lineman Ed Oliver,  is still is dealing with a knee issue.

Prediction: Houston 48, SMU 28  

Irish fans, and the team itself, probably aren't happy with a fourth-place ranking in the first CFP standings. But Notre Dame can't afford to let that stew with a Northwestern team riding a four-game winning streak waiting for its chance at an upset. These teams have not met since 2014 when the Wildcats won a wild 43-40 overtime thriller.

Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Northwestern 21 

After going 2-1 during a stretch against three straight ranked opponents, Mississippi State welcomes a non-conference foe to Starkville. Since 2010, the Bulldogs have won six in a row and 23 of 24 against non-conference teams at home. Louisiana Tech has lost 17 straight against Top 25 teams since beating then-No. 23 Fresno State in December 2005.

Prediction: Mississippi State 45, Louisiana Tech 19 

This might end up being the game of the year in college football. Though LSU has proved its worth this season, the reality is that it's lost seven in a row against Alabama and totaled 30 points during a three-game home slide in the series. The Crimson Tide have won 17 straight SEC road games outside the state of Alabama.

Prediction: Alabama 33, LSU 17

The buzz throughout Norman this week is Lincoln Riley and those NFL rumors. The focus for the Sooners should be on Texas Tech, which has a potent enough offense to obviously give their leaky defense some fits. Then again, Oklahoma has a high-octane offense itself with Kyler Murray, Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb.

Prediction: Oklahoma 45, Texas Tech 38   

The Bulldogs are riding a six-game winning streak thanks to a defense that is tied for fourth nationally, allowing 13.5 points per contest. They've given up just 45 points in four road games, 21 coming in a loss at Minnesota in September. It would seem this is a good chance for Fresno to avoid a third straight defeat to UNLV.

Prediction: Fresno State 33, UNLV 10 

A week ago, Cal upended then-ranked Washington and now goes for the Apple Cup sweep. That's easier said than done. The Cougars are soaring after back-to-back wins over ranked opponents Oregon and Stanford — at the time. They'll aim for two straight at home over the Golden Bears after snapping a five-game series slide in Pullman two years ago.

Prediction: Washington State 40. Cal 20  

Winners of seven in a row, Utah State is ranked for the first time since 2012 but was left out of the initial CFP rankings. The latter should not matter to the Aggies, who feature an offense that ranks third in the nation, averaging 49.4 points. They also own a 155-55 scoring advantage during a four-game winning streak over Hawaii.

Prediction: Utah State 42, Hawaii 28

The Cyclones are not in the AP Top 25 but earned the No. 24 spot in the CFP rankings. They've averaged 39.3 points during a three-game winning streak over Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Texas Tech. Kansas, however, has already equaled its win total from the past three seasons after beating TCU last week.

Prediction: Iowa State 35, Kansas 19 

Florida State's bowl streak watch is on full alert, and this week features another stiff challenge. The Seminoles insist they remain determined despite last week's 59-10 loss to Clemson at home. Injured quarterback Deondre Francois is day to day, so James Blackman could get the starting nod. N.C. State allowed 92 points in losses to Clemson and Syracuse, following its 5-0 start.

Prediction: N.C. State 42, Florida State 21 

A little more than a month ago, both of these ACC squads resided in the Top 25. Now each will try to avoid a third consecutive defeat. The Blue Devils defense has allowed at least 28 points in three of the last four games and just yielded 54 in a loss at Pitt. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have totaled 27 points in their last two vs. then unranked Virginia and Boston College.

Prediction: Miami 31, Duke 17 

Who would have thought prior to the season when looking at this matchup that neither the Cardinal or Huskies would be in the Top 25 at this point. How far the mighty have fallen. Well, not that far. While winning the Pac-12 North will be tough, bowl games are on the horizon for these two underachieving teams. Stanford has won 10 of the last 13 meetings vs. Washington.

Prediction: Washington 33, Stanford 24