\nLine: Ohio State by 6.5<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/864826516-300x210.jpg\")
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Steen: Ohio State isn’t a bad team by any measure but Penn State has passed every test and is a great team on both sides of the ball. Ohio State has a good defense but I’m not sold on their offense, and even at home their resume just doesn’t stack up. Look for Penn State to continue their march to the playoff. Penn State<\/strong> 31, Ohio State 21<\/p>\n Yesh:\u00a0The more I think about this game, the more iffy I am about picking Ohio State. The Buckeyes are more talented, sure. But Gesicki presents a huge matchup problems, and Penn State has the best defense that OSU has faced all year. We saw Oklahoma shut down J.T. Barrett and co. back in Week 2. Has he really progressed? We’ll find out. Ohio State<\/strong> 31, Penn State 24<\/p>\n Mike: After a week 2 loss to Oklahoma, Ohio State has gotten things going \u2013 especially on offense. J.T. Barrett has quietly worked his way into the Heisman conversation. And their offense is very balanced, averaging 326 in the air and 250 on the ground. Penn State\u2019s defense \u2013 allowing less than 10 points per game this season \u2013 will be tested for the first significant time this season. Penn State has momentum, but Ohio State has motivation. Penn State has the perfect record, but Ohio State has more talent. This should be a great game, and I think home field advantage decides it. Ohio State <\/strong>28, Penn State 27<\/p>\n John: The Horseshoe will be a cauldron\u00a0on Saturday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0as Ohio State welcomes number two Penn State to Columbus. Revenge will certainly be on the mind of the Buckeyes after their CFP hopes nearly ended with a 24-21 loss to the Nittany Lions last year. Two Heisman front-runners will be on full display with Saquon Barkley and J.T. Barrett hoping to lead their respective team to victory.<\/p>\n Despite the myriad weapons these teams have on offense, they’re also as good as it gets on the other side of the ball. Penn State is the only team in FBS giving up fewer than ten points per game. Ohio State isn’t far behind at 15.4 points allowed per game which ranks tenth nationally. Both run games could have issues moving the football with the teams one-two among Big Ten teams in tackles for loss. Ohio State<\/strong> 23, Penn State 17<\/p>\n Brett:\u00a0Penn State is coming in full of confidence after their blowout win over Michigan. Only problem is Ohio State is on a whole other level. The buckeyes are going to be fresh after the bye week last week, and most of the time Urban Meyer with a lot of time to prepare turns out to be a win. Expect Saquon Barkley to once again put up heisman numbers, but OSU just has too much talent. Ohio State<\/strong> 34, Penn State 24 <\/span><\/p>\n #4 TCU at #25 Iowa State<\/strong> (Saturday at 3:30 P.M. in Ames, IA) Steen: Iowa State is much improved but TCU has been remarkable this year. I don’t see the Horned Frogs sleeping on a tough road opponent with a chip on its shoulder and nothing to lose. This game should be fun with TCU winning in the end. TCU<\/strong> 42, Iowa State 35<\/p>\n Yesh: TCU is coming off an easy win over Kansas and is ready to face the other team that has been a Big 12 doormat this decade. But this isn’t a Paul Rhoads Iowa State team. Matt Campbell has these players excelling and playing strong two-way football. TCU will have its hands full in Ames, as Iowa State is improving every week. Iowa State<\/strong> 31, TCU 30<\/p>\n Mike: This is the second time in three weeks (Kansas State, +6) where TCU was a laughably low favorite. Iowa State has had their one big win of the year. It\u2019s sustained success that eludes teams like the Cyclones. And what better preparation film for Gary Patterson than showing his team Iowa State\u2019s upset of Oklahoma and their subsequent Top 25 ranking. Iowa State will have TCU\u2019s full attention. And speaking of consistency, TCU is getting that from Kenny Hill. Hill\u2019s maturation is clear in 2017. He\u2019s put up solid numbers in the air (146-208, 70.1%, 1728 yds, 15 TDs, and 3 INT) while still being able to make plays on the ground. TCU is one of the most balanced teams in the nation. TCU, easy. TCU <\/strong>38, Iowa State 17<\/p>\n John:\u00a0Saturday’s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0game between TCU and Iowa State is the first in Ames between two Top 25 teams\u00a0in 15 years<\/span><\/span>. The Horned Frogs are clearly in the CFP conversation if they can run the table. Meanwhile, the Cyclones are in the AP poll for the first time since week four of the 2005 season and boast a three-game winning streak that began with a huge upset of Oklahoma on the road.<\/p>\n In a conference not known for its stellar defenses, these two teams are the exception. They’re currently one-two among Big 12 teams in total defense, with the Horned Frogs ranked 11th nationally. Both quarterbacks, TCU’s Kenny Hill and Iowa State’s Kyle Kempt, don’t make many mistakes. But that will be put to the test this weekend with both teams top\u00a0four in the conference in takeaways. TCU<\/strong> 31, Iowa State 24<\/p>\n Brett:\u00a0I thought Iowa State\u2019s win at Oklahoma was kind of a fluke, but they backed it up nicely last week with an impressive road win at Texas Tech last week. TCU is coming in as Iowa State\u2019s homecoming game which isn\u2019t the smartest idea for the cyclones. Look for TCU and Kenny Hill to continue what he\u2019s done all year long. TCU<\/strong> 30, Iowa State 17<\/span><\/p>\n #14 NC State at #9 Notre Dame<\/strong> (Saturday at 3:30 P.M. in South Bend, IN) Steen: NC State has made a solid season for themselves but Notre Dame has slipped into the top 10 under the radar and looks really good right now. The Irish could be tripped up but at home they should perform close to their best and get a comfortable win. Notre Dame<\/strong> 35, NC State 21<\/p>\n Yesh: So call me crazy, but I’m not at all sold on N.C. State. The Wolf Pack’s big wins over Florida State and Louisville really don’t look so big right now. This team is talented, but it also lost to South Carolina. Notre Dame, meanwhile, just pounded the stuffing out of USC and has been impressive all season. The Irish’s only loss was by one point, to a team that looks like it might be the best in the country. Notre Dame<\/strong> 45, N.C. State 21<\/p>\n Mike: While Notre Dame\u2019s dismantling of USC last week was probably more about the terrible play of USC, the Fighting Irish still capitalized every time they had the chance. And with a one-point loss to undefeated Georgia, Notre Dame probably has the best resume of any one-loss team. There\u2019s still some \u201cprobably\u201d about this team, but they\u2019ve proven themselves this season. These two teams are more similar than they are alike. Offenses that can put up yards and defenses that still need some development. But Notre Dame is at home, and is more talented. Unlike previous Irish teams in recent memory, this team is still playing for something important entering the home stretch. Notre Dame<\/strong> 35, NC State 24<\/p>\n John: You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who predicted that this would be a matchup between top 15 teams when the season started. Yet, here they are. The Irish are coming off their most dominant performance against rival USC in 51 years. And they host a Wolfpack team who’ve won six in a row after dropping their season-opener, boasting their highest ranking since 2003.<\/p>\n Saturday’s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0showdown in South Bend will feature strength upon strength. Notre Dame comes into this game averaging 7.06 yards per carry, the second best mark in FBS. Running back Josh Adams is one of eight running backs who’ve already eclipsed 900 rushing yards this year. But NC State is stout against the run, with only five FBS teams averaging fewer rushing yards conceded per game. Notre Dame<\/strong> 38, NC State 24<\/p>\n Brett:\u00a0NC State has looked great after an opening week loss to South Carolina. This might be an even bigger test for Notre Dame than last week\u2019s game against USC. Even though Notre Dame has to be full of confidence after the big win last week, I like NC State\u2019s chances to pull off the big upset on the road. NC State<\/strong> 34, Notre Dame 30<\/span><\/p>\n Georgia Tech at #7 Clemson<\/strong> (Saturday at 8:00 P.M. in Clemson, SC) Steen: This is not an easy game for Clemson and they will have to fight, especially after giving up so much offense to Syracuse. That said, if Kelly Bryant is healthy the Tigers are still the better team and can put up points in bunches if need be. At home Clemson should win but not by the projected spread. Clemson<\/strong> 35, Georgia Tech 28<\/p>\n Yesh: Georgia Tech is a bit of an enigma this year. The Yellow Jackets were impressive against Miami and Wake Forest, but that season opener against Tennessee suddenly has me questioning this team. Either way, I think the option can do enough to keep this game within two scores. Clemson<\/strong> 31, Georgia Tech 21<\/p>\n Mike: The bad news for Clemson? No one enjoys playing a talented triple-option offense in the middle of the season. The good news? They had a bye week to prepare and they have an incredibly talented and athletic defensive line. Time and talent up front are the two most important factors for defenses against the run-heavy attack. Expect the Tigers to disrupt the Rambling Wreck\u2019s timing and execution. Meanwhile, with a week to get healthy, we should expect to see Clemson\u2019s offense get back in rhythm. Clemson is coming off a shocking loss to Syracuse. If Dabo Swinney truly does have the Clemson program near the level of Alabama, then they will come out with a strong linger of distaste remaining from that game and make a statement against Georgia Tech. Clemson<\/strong> 41, Georgia Tech 23<\/p>\n John: This is Clemson’s first game since their shock 27-24 loss to Syracuse on October 13th. Putting together a bounce back performance will be a challenge against Georgia Tech’s vaunted triple option. But the trend is on the Tigers’ side. Their last two-game losing streak came late in the 2011 season. Still, GT is close to being undefeated with both of their losses coming by a point.<\/p>\n Slowing down Yellow Jackets quarterback TaQuon Marshall is arguably the biggest task for Clemson on defense, particularly his ability to gash teams with his feet. Only four FBS quarterbacks have more rushing yards and his 11 rushing touchdowns is bested by just six players total. Fortunately for the Tigers, they rank second in the ACC in rush defense and have given up just two touchdowns on the ground all year. Clemson<\/strong> 37, Georgia Tech 30<\/p>\n Brett:\u00a0Georgia Tech historically gives Clemson problems. Having quarterback Kelly Bryant back will be big for Clemson after their upset loss to Syracuse. I think we\u2019ll see more of what we saw the first 6 games of the year from Clemson, and having the extra week to prepare for the Georgia Tech offense will be beneficial in getting a win on Saturday. Clemson 35, Georgia Tech 14<\/span><\/p>\n #15 Washington State at Arizona<\/strong> (Saturday at 9:30 P.M. in Tucson, AZ) Steen: Washington State has had a great season but Arizona is at home, with a ton of momentum and a superstar QB in Khalil Tate. The Wildcats are one of the sleeper teams of the season and unless Washington State’s offense suddenly wakes up they are going to get knocked off. Arizona<\/strong> 42, Washington State 28<\/p>\n Yesh: Khalil Tate is a human highlight reel. Seriously, he’s like a better version of last year’s Lama Jackson. People are saying he might save Rich Rodriguez’s job, but to me it just raises the issue of why he wasn’t the starter in the first place. Either way, his biggest test of the season will come against a very underrated Washington State defense. He’ll make some plays, but I don’t think it will be enough. Washington State<\/strong> 41, Arizona 31<\/p>\n Mike: A match up of two teams seemingly going in opposite directions. After a strong start to the season, Washington State was blown out by Cal 37-3 two weeks ago. The offense continued to struggle last week, so much so that coach Mike Leach had the offense doing up-and-downs on the sideline. Meanwhile, in the desert, the Wildcats are one of the surprise teams of the season. Led by quarterback Khalil Tate, the Wildcats are averaging 342 yards of rushing offense a game. While Tate hasn\u2019t proved to be deadly through the air, he\u2019s incredibly efficient. In his last three games, Tate\u2019s completion percentages are 92.3%, 69.2%, and 66.7%. Arizona has played well at home, and the Cougars haven\u2019t been consistent, especially on the road this season. While I\u2019m very suspect of Arizona\u2019s defense, I think they sell out against Washington State\u2019s passing attack. Arizona <\/strong>31, Washington State 30<\/p>\n John: This matchup will showcase as glaring a contrast of styles on offense as you’re going to see all year. Washington State ranks second among Pac-12 teams in passing yards but is dead last running the football. On the other hand, Arizona is tops in the conference running the football but is dead last in passing yards. As they say, something’s gotta give right?<\/p>\n The Cougs may have the weapons on defense to neutralize Arizona’s run game that includes dynamic dual threat quarterback Khalil Tate. It comes in the form of junior defensive lineman Hercules Mata’afa who leads the Pac-12 in both sacks and tackles for loss. But the Wildcats have a bevy of playmakers on defense as evidenced by their ten interceptions on the year. Luke Falk’s already thrown seven picks so far this season. Might that be the formula for an upset special? Arizona<\/strong> 30, Washington State 27<\/p>\n Brett:\u00a0This game has big implications for the PAC-12 title game as each team is coming in with one conference loss. Washington State got back on track on Saturday after their bizarre loss to Cal where the high powered offense only put up 3 points. I like their chances to carry the momentum from last week, and look more like the team everyone thought they would be heading in to the season. Washington State<\/strong> 35, Arizona 31<\/span><\/p>\n Main Photo: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Week 9 in college football features two clashes of the titans as Penn State takes on Ohio State in a likely playoff elimination match, and NC State takes on Notre Dame with similar stakes on the line. Arizona hopes to knock off Washington State, while Iowa State and Georgia Tech will be gunning for TCU […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1442,"featured_media":10164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,2],"tags":[510,36,334,275,211,2115,259,73,309,238,92],"class_list":["post-10162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fbs","category-featured","tag-arizona-wildcats","tag-clemson-tigers","tag-college-football-predictions","tag-georgia-tech-yellow-jackets","tag-iowa-state-cyclones","tag-n-c-state-wolfpack","tag-notre-dame-fighting-irish","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-tcu-horned-frogs","tag-washington-state-cougars"],"modified_by":"Mike Loveall","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLine: TCU by 6.5<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/864737502-300x251.jpg\")
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\nLine: Notre Dame by 7.5<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/858097330-300x200.jpg\")
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\nLine: Clemson by 14<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/864833326-300x254.jpg\")
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\nLine: Washington State by 3<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/866337260-300x202.jpg\")
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/10\/861461362-300x200.jpg\")
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