In an episode of “The Joel Klatt Show” this week, I made a prediction about what the 12-team College Football playoffs would look like. Football The Playoff Field will Look Like. Saturday’s games could determine the playoff field. Several teams will be playing against ranked opposition this weekend to save their CFP. The last few games are also crucial before the CFP rankings. I will be at the classic game between Penn State and Ohio State in Columbus as we preview what to expect in Week 10. Now, let’s make some picks!We all thought this game was going to be massive entering the year — maybe a top-five matchup or even a battle between Nos. This game was supposed to be huge for this year — perhaps a matchup between the top five or even a fight between Nos. Alas, it isn’t. Penn State is in a losing streak, has fired its head coach James Franklin. Never thought I’d see that with Penn State. Ohio State, meanwhile, is undefeated at No. In the AP Poll, Ohio State is ranked No. This season, the Buckeyes were by far the most complete and dominant team. Penn State will be coming into this game with no stakes. It’s possible that trick plays, fake kicks and dialing up the defense will all be on display. I think this is a kitchen sink game for the Nittany Lions because … why not? They’re not in the running for the Big Ten title game or a CFP berth, but they’re still playing for pride. Let’s not be buried under a rock here and not at least acknowledge that PSU still doesn’t have one of the most talented rosters in the country. The Nittany Lions shouldn’t have four losses, but they were all determined by a score, so they’re not a bad team.Ethan Grunkemeyer will be at quarterback for Penn State, and what a two-game baptism it is for him. He started at Iowa a couple of weeks ago and now has Ohio State — both on the road. Grunkemeyer should have a great chance against the Buckeyes, who I think are the best in college football. He didn’t play poorly against Iowa, though.The most interesting matchup for me in this game is Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles going up against Ohio State’s offense. I can’t remember a more fascinating matchup than this one after Knowles coordinated an Ohio State defense that was No. The Ohio State defense was No. I’m fascinated by this because of the knowledge Knowles has of Ohio State and the knowledge Ryan Day and Brian Hartline have of Knowles. They’ll know exactly how they’ll want to attack Knowles, and Knowles will have the institutional knowledge of Ohio State’s offense. Someone’s going to have to break tendencies here to get an advantage. What type of offensive gameplan should we expect? Day and Hartline played close to the chest at times in this season, as they did against Texas in week 1. Buckeyes passed game can be a bit loose sometimes, like when they played Wisconsin. This passing game is one of the best I’ve seen in college football. The team has one of the best receiver duos in college football (Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate), as well as a quarterback that has consistently been among the most effective in the game. Julian Sayin has been surgical, but he’s going against a defensive coordinator who has knowledge of him. I think OSU will be aggressive during this matchup after watching the film. Flipping things around, Matt Patricia has done an incredible job as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator. The Buckeyes are the best at hiding their coverage and using unique structures. It takes talent and intelligence to execute that NFL scheme Patricia’s running, and they have that. Caden Curry is a defensive end who has made a big impact. Arvell and Sonny Styles are the best linebacker duo in the country, and Caleb Downs is arguably the best defensive player. The defense has given up only 41 points in the past year. Texas has struggled to beat teams that it frankly should’ve dominated over the past couple of weeks, but the Longhorns are back at home for the first time in a long time; they have played four road games in a row.It’s uncertain if quarterback Arch Manning will play after entering concussion protocol. Matthew Caldwell, who replaced Manning during overtime against Mississippi State last week, will probably get the start if Manning can’t go. He made an impressive throw in the game, throwing a dime to the back corner of end zone that helped Texas defeat the Bulldogs. Caldwell is a veteran starter, having started six games for Troy. Texas still can’t run the ball effectively, though. That has really hurt the Longhorns, as their offensive line hasn’t been as good as it has over the past couple of years. Their lack of experience up front has shown, but they do get running back CJ Baxter back, so maybe they’ll be more effective running the ball, which they’ll need to do against Vandy.Flipping it around, Vanderbilt’s offense was kept in check against Missouri. It was an eye-opener. I thought that the Dores’ offense would be a little more successful last week. Texas’ defense should present more problems than Missouri’s. The Longhorns’ defense is still one of the best in the nation, and Vanderbilt’s offense is similar to the Oklahoma offense they slowed down a few weeks ago. Unfortunately for Vandy, it isn’t a great matchup due to that.Ultimately — and you can yell at me for this — I’m too much of an elitist, and I just don’t think Vandy can go to Texas and win. I know Vandy has had a magical season, but I just don’t see it happening for the Dores on Saturday. Pick: Texas 20, Vanderbilt 17 (Texas -2.5)Is Tennessee great defensively? Volunteers’ offense is great. They have the second-best scoring offense in the country. Joey Aguilar, the quarterback, has been doing a great job. Oklahoma has the fifth-best scoring defense in the country, but Ole Miss showed that you can get after the Sooners’ defense. There are things there that Tennessee can attack — and that’s before getting into quarterback John Mateer’s play taking a dip for Oklahoma following his hand injury. He’s averaging 150 yards less per game since the injury, and OU still can’t run the football. Tennessee can win the game if it makes Oklahoma work to get down the field. Oklahoma’s pass rush hasn’t been the same as of late, struggling against both Texas and Ole Miss. Tennessee has won 25 straight home games against non-Georgia teams. Pick: Tennessee 28, Oklahoma 20, (Tennessee +3.5)This matchup is favorable for USC. The Trojans will be able win at the line-of-scrimmage. They were unable do so against Notre Dame and Illinois. It’s in there, and I love USC’s trajectory. USC has a good chance of becoming a great football team. You might have to lose a few matches before you become a great team. You may have to lose big before you win small, and finally win big. USC is at the tipping point between losing small and winning small. I think that’s going to continue. Nebraska hasn’t been able to stop the run, ranking 15th in the Big Ten in rushing defense. If USC is balanced and running the football well, you can’t stop the Trojans. They’re one of the best offenses in America. You can only slow them down when you can make them one-dimensional, and I don’t see Nebraska being able to do that. Will USC score more than 30 points? Yes. Will Nebraska? I don’t think so. This is a game where USC will put itself back on the map in terms of the CFP hunt.Pick: USC 34, Nebraska 21 (USC -6.5) We don’t know if quarterback Devon Dampier is going to be back for Utah this week, but freshman Byrd Ficklin lit it up against Colorado last week. He did his best Dampier impression, rushing for over 150 yards, and Utah’s offense doesn’t have to change with Byrd at QB. It can be difficult to focus your team after a big win like Utah’s last week against Colorado. Cincinnati is a fantastic team. Brendan Sorsby is quietly one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, with 26 touchdowns total (second in FBS), and only one turnover. Cincy will be without starting running back Evan Pryor, which isn’t ideal when you’re going to play in a really tough environment. I don’t think Cincinnati can win at Utah, but I think the Bearcats can get an early lead to help keep it close before the Utes pull out a victory.Pick: Utah 24, Cincinnati 20 (Cincinnati +8.5)Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him on Twitter @joelklatt, and subscribe to his YouTube channel “The Joel Klatt Show.” Sign up for a FOX Sports account or create one. 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2025-10-31 19:46:02
College Football Week 10 Picks, Preview: What to Expect in PSU-OSU, More
