The No. 14 Crimson Tide kept their playoff hopes alive with a 34-0 victory over Missouri last Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Jalen Milroe was 16 of 26 for 219 yards with 0 TDs and 0 ints. It was the running game and the defense that shined though. Justice Haynes ran for 79 yards and a 7, with a long of 35. Jalen rushed for 50 and a score. Jam Miller went for 48 and two 7’s. And Richard Young joined the party rushing for a 62 yard gain in the game. They all looked stellar. Maybe Coach DeBoar has finally found something with the running game. Looked excellent against Missouri. That should open things up for Jalen, Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, CJ Dipree and Kendrick Law in the passing game. I still think Kobe Prentice can be an impact player on the perimeter as well. There is a tremendous amount of talent at the skilled positions. Jalen just needs to channel his inner LSU game from last year for this LSU game next Saturday, 11/9, at 6:30 PM CT on ABC @ Tiguh Stadium. Should be an epic.

I thought middle linebacker Jihaad Campbell had an awesome game for the Tide versus Mizzou. He finished with 8 tackles, and a sack for -8 yards. Safety Bray Hubbard, playing in place of the injured Keon Sabb, finished with 7 stops and an int. Malachi Moore had a 31 yard int., and Qua Russaw added another int. If the defense plays like that, along with the run and pass game excelling, with left guard Tyler Booker taking command as the leader on offense, the Tide could have a highly successful final 4 games of the season. Should be fun to watch starting next Saturday in Baaton Rouge

The Auburn Tigers played a solid game last Saturday @ Kentucky winning 24-10. The great Jarquez Hunter ran for 278 yards and 2 TDs in the winning effort. Payton Thorne was 20-of-26 with a TD toss and an int. The defense was solid, led by middle linebacker Dorian Mausi Jr.’s 10 tackles and 2 TFLs. Corner Jay Crawford picked off a Kentucky pass. So nice effort from the Tigers. Really nice effort. The Tigers host the Vanderbilt Commodores and quarterback Diego Pavia Saturday at 11:45 AM CT @Jordan-Hare. The game will be broadcast by the SEC Network. Hugh said he’s “sick of” Diego. We’ll see what happens. Will have that prediction below.

There are some classic SEC battles as No.10 Texas A&M, and their stellar redshirt freshman quarterback, Marcel Reed, travel to Columbia to face the scrappy South Carolina Gamecocks. It’s not guaranteed Reed will start as Connor Weigman is the regular starter. Weigman was struggling against LSU last Saturday at Kyle Field, but Reed came in relief and gave the offense and the team a gigantic spark, rushing for 62 yards and 3 TDs. Running backs Amari Daniels and Le’Veon Moss rushed for 91 and 83 yards, respectively, and Moss added two 7’s. It was a tail kicking in the second half as the Aggies emerged with a convincing 38-23 victory to take sole possession of first place in the SEC. The Aggies are now 5-0 in the conference and 7-1 overall with their only loss coming to Notre Dame the first game of the season at Kyle Field, 23-13. So, the Aggies are in business, though this is a tricky game against the Gamecocks @ Columbia.

No.2 Georgia plays Florida in the Cocktail Function at 2:30 PM Saturday on ABC. Can “Dem Dawgs” keep their momentum going after their annihilation of Texas a couple of weeks ago. The Gators have gotten better.

No. 19 Ole Miss travels to Fayetteville to face upset-minded Arkansas at 11 AM Saturday on ESPN. And No.7 Tennessee hosts Kentucky @ Neyland Saturday at 6:45 PM CT on the SEC Network. Oklahoma hosts Maine and Mississippi State hosts UMass in what should be cakewalks for those two teams, though you never know with the struggling Sooners.

Massive game nationally as the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Happy Valley to square off with the No.3 Nittany Lions of Penn State. Will it be “The Ohio State” or “We are Penn State” that prevails. Should be riveting.

So, here we go with predictions for a packed slate in week 10 of College Football.

Last Week: SU- 11-3, Overall: 96-35, 73%

ATS: 5-9; 70-59, 54%

Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2) @ Auburn (3-5, 1-4)

Jordan-Hare Stadium

11:45 AM CT

SEC Network

Taylor, Matt, Ashley Stroehlein

Tigers by 7

Hugh said a three or four weeks ago that he had a lot of respect for Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops and Vanderbilt’s Coach Lea for doing well with “lesser talent.” The Vanderbilt locker room has had that hanging on its bulletin board all week.

Vanderbilt 27, Auburn 24

Florida (4-3, 2-2) vs. No.2 Georgia (6-1, 4-1)

EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL.

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

Dawgs by 16 1/2

Kirby will try to have the Dawgs “eating” again, but I like the Gators to keep it closer than anticipated.

Georgia 28, Florida 14

No. 19 Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2) @ Arkansas (5-3, 3-2)

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

11 AM CT

ESPN

Mark, Roddy, Quint

Black Bears by 7

Give me Sam, Bobby Petrino and the Hogs in an upset.

Arkansas 28, Ole Miss 27

No. 10 Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0) @ South Carolina (4-3, 2-3)

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C,

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Sean, Greg, Molly

Aggies by 2 1/2

South Carolina should have A&M’s attention. If I was A&M Coach Mike Elko, I’d go with Marcel Reed under center.

A&M 28, South Carolina 21

Kentucky (3-5, 1-5) @ No. 7 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1)

Neyland Stadium

6:45 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom, JRodg, Cole

Vols by 17

It’s been a struggle for the Wildcats lately, and the Vols are playing for a lot right now.

Tennessee 42, Kentucky 14

Mississippi State 49, UMass 7

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville

3:15 PM CT

SEC Network

State by 18

What do you say about this? The Bullies kind of need a game like this. Recently, their schedule has been brutal with @ Georgia, and A&M and Arkansas at home. They need a breather.

Oklahoma 52, Maine 3

Memorial Stadium, Norman

1:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Sooners by 34 1/2

Surely the Sooners can play well here. Their defense has been pretty solid this season. However, it’s been a major struggle on offense.

Off: No. 14 Alabama, No. 16 LSU, No. 6 Texas, Missouri

National Matchups

No.4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) @ No.3 Penn State (7-0, 4-0)

Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA.

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Buckeyes by 3 1/2

I like James Franklin and the Nittany Lions to get over the top this year. It’s been 2016, 8 years, since the the Nittany Lions have prevailed over the Buckeyes. Penn State is very hungry for a victory this year with a lot of Big Ten and playoff aspirations at stake. Look for Tyler Warren, Penn State’s tight end, Number 44, to have a big day. He’s caught 47 passes for 559 yards and 4 TDs this season and defeated USC on the road pretty much single-handedly with 17 receptions for 244 yards and an incredible TD catch on a trick play as the Nittany Lions defeated the Trojans 33-30 in L.A. Memorial Coliseum. He’s a total stud. But Penn State has a good team around him. Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is questionable for the game. If he can’t play, Beau Pribula has completed 18 of 23 passes for 200 yards, three TDs against 1 int. Pribula played well in relief of Allar last Saturday completing 11 of 13 for 98 yards and a 7. He also rushed for 28 yards on 6 carries, so he’s a dual threat. Allar can run, too, and they’d like to have him. I would think he’s available, but we’ll see what Franklin decides. Allar is a game time decision. What else is new with these coaches.

Penn State 21, Ohio State 17

No.1 Oregon 31, Michigan 14

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Ducks by 14 1/2

Dan Lanning and his talented team move to 9-0 and 6-0 in the Big Ten. Michigan is having major trouble with their offense this season. Can’t throw it at all.

No.5 Miami 41, Duke 17

Hard Rock, Miami Gardens

11 AM CT

ABC

‘Canes by 20

Mario Cristobal and his squad move to 9-0 and 5-0 in the ACC with the first playoff selection show next Tuesday, Nov. 5th, at 6 PM CT on ESPN.

No. 11 Clemson 35, Louisville 28

Memorial Stadium, Clemson

6:30 PM CT

ESPN

Clemson by 10 1/2

Still not totally sold on Clemson. I like the Cardinals to give them a tough contest.

No. 11 Iowa State 35, Texas Tech 31

Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, Iowa

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Iowa State by 13 1/2

Give me the Red Raiders to give the Cyclones everything they want. The Cyclones survive and move to 8-0 and 4-0 in the Big 12. They and the BYU Cougars are leading the conference. It’ll be interesting to see what transpires in this conference going forward. Pretty bullish on BYU.

No. 20 SMU 34, No. 18 Pittsburgh 26

Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Big D

7 PM CT

ACC Network

SMU by 7 1/2

Like Rhett Lashlee and the Ponies to knock off previously undefeated Pitt. The Mustangs move to 8-1 and 5-0 in the ACC, and the Panthers drop to 7-1 and 3-1. The ACC race is extremely interesting with Miami and Clemson excelling as well as these two teams. Coach Lashlee has done a terrific job in Dallas.

Friday

No. 15 Boise State 41, San Diego State 20

Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho

7 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Broncos by 23 1/2

Ashton Jeanty was held a little more in check by UNLV last Friday Night, though Boise State won, 29-24 on the road in a tough matchup. UNLV was 6-1 and 2-0 in the Mountain West, so that was an important victory for the Broncos. Jeanty rushed for 128 yards on 33 carries however; 3.9 yards per carry. I like the Broncos to move to 7-1 and 4-0 in the Mountain West and keep their playoff hopes firmly alive, though San Diego State is always combative.