CFB Week 10 Picks: Take UNC, Wake Forest in ACC Clashes

The Week 10 college football betting board is ripe with opportunities.

The two big games in the SEC are fascinating, but they are not on my betting board because the lines are just too difficult to read.

With that being said, I still have plenty of picks on the board and most of them come from the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten, three conferences I've had a good read on lately.

So let's stop the rambling on about how I feel about the board and get to the picks.

Week 10 CFB Picks

Oregon State at Washington (-4) (Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

My Pac-12 After Dark play on Friday night comes down to home and road splits.

Washington has five home wins and all of them have been by double figures, while Oregon State has struggled to win away from Corvallis. The Beavers were blown out by Utah and survived close wins over Fresno State and Stanford.

The Huskies have the more explosive offense that averages 40.4 points and 507.8 total yards per game. The combination of a strong offense and a great home record sway me to Washington.

Air Force vs. Army (Saturday, 11:30 a.m. ET, CBS)

Under 40

It's very easy to just write service academy unders and move on here.

The Air Force-Army game has not had more than 35 points in the last five years. Last year's meeting only hit 35 points because it went to overtime.

Add in the fact that this is a 10:30 a.m. local kickoff time and you have the perfect concoction for a low-scoring game.

North Carolina (-7) at Virginia (Noon ET, ACC Network)

Virginia stinks.

Trust me, I know that from weeks and weeks of betting on the Cavaliers.

UVA's offensive line has been a problem all season long and the offense has not consistently moved the ball.

North Carolina moves the ball well behind Drake Maye and it averages close to 25 more points per game than Virginia. I just don't see how the Cavaliers catch up with the Tar Heels.

Tulane (-7.5) at Tulsa (Noon ET, ESPNU)

Tulane is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games.

The Green Wave are 7-1 ATS this season, which is tied with Tennessee for the best ATS record in the FBS.

Tulsa's defense allowed almost double of Tulane's points conceded per game and it conceded over 30 points in its last four losses.

Tulane should feast on the Tulsa defense and the Green Wave's own unit should continue to flex its muscle on the road.

Maryland at Wisconsin (Noon ET, BTN)

Over 49

Wisconsin is 6-2 to the over this season and the over hit in the last six Badgers games.

Graham Mertz and Co. found some new life under interim head coach Jim Leonhard. The Badgers scored at least 28 points in each of the last three games.

Maryland hit the over in each of its last three contests and it has a healthy Taulia Tagovailoa under center to match up with Mertz.

Iowa (+3.5; +145) at Purdue (Noon ET, FS1)

Simply put, I think Iowa has the better defense and is the better team than Purdue.

Iowa's defense gives up 15.8 points per game and 265.5 total yards per game. The Hawkeyes held three of their last five opponents under 14 points.

Iowa's offense was a massive concern in September, but that unit has looked decent over the last few weeks and can put up around 20 points to beat Purdue on the road.

Georgia State at Southern Miss (-2.5) (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

This pick comes down to defense.

Southern Miss allows 22.1 points and 361 total yards per game compared to Georgia State's 32.4 points and 421.1 yards allowed per contest.

The Golden Eagles are also 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games.

Penn State (-13) at Indiana (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

Penn State's offense can run rampant on the Indiana defense and rebound properly from the loss to Ohio State.

The Nittany Lions average 33.1 points per game and they are facing an Indiana defense that allowed over 30 points in four of its last five games.

Indiana has not been able to get stops in Big Ten play and the gap in quality between the Nittany Lions and Hoosiers will be on full display on Saturday.

Syracuse (+4) at Pittsburgh (3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

It's time to bounce back, Syracuse.

Syracuse went through a tough two weeks against Clemson and Notre Dame, but now the Orange are back against a team beneath their level in Pittsburgh.

The Panthers are only 1-3 in the ACC and they could struggle against a Syracuse defense that gives up 18.4 points per game. Pitt has not held an offense under 20 points in ACC play.

Oklahoma State (-105) at Kansas (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1)

I'm sorry, but there is just no way for Oklahoma State to not be a favorite of at least a field goal against Kansas.

I get that the Cowboys were run off the field by Kansas State last week, but they are still a solid football team and should beat a Kansas team that has had trouble stopping teams in the last three games. All three of Kansas' losses came with concessions of over 35 points.

West Virginia at Iowa State (-7) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

West Virginia is bad on the road.

The Mountaineers lost by 38 to Texas Tech and by 18 to Texas in their last two Big 12 road trips.

Iowa State has been close to earning a Big 12 win for quite some time and this is the week the Cyclones finally break through, and in a big way.

Texas (-2.5) at Kansas State (7 p.m. ET, FS1)

You could not find a better let down spot if you tried.

Kansas State is riding high after its 48-0 win over Oklahoma State, but there is a reason why the Wildcats are a home underdog against Texas.

The Longhorns have the better quarterback in Quinn Ewers and they need a win in Manhattan to stay alive in the Big 12 championship game hunt.

BYU at Boise State (-8) (7 p.m. ET, FS2)

Boise State has quietly become one of the most improved teams in the country.

Boise is on a four-game winning streak with three victories by double digits.

The Broncos' offensive changes in late September turned around their entire season and that will continue to show against a BYU defense that conceded at least 27 points in each of its last four games.

This is the perfect spot for Boise to continue to flex its offensive prowess against a less-than-average defense.

Houston at SMU (7 p.m. ET, NFL Network)

Over 66

I hate when people use the term "system play", but if there ever was one for me, this is it.

Houston and SMU are over teams to me and the numbers support that the over will be in play on Saturday night.

The Cougars and Mustangs both average and concede over 30 points per game and they both average and concede over 400 total yards per game.

So basically what I'm saying is this matchup will breed points.

Clemson (-3.5) at Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Clemson has the more explosive skill position players on both sides of the ball.

The Tigers average over nine points more per game than the Fighting Irish and they would have come into South Bend with more momentum had they not wasted opportunities against Syracuse.

I think the bye week helped Clemson gain some clarity on offense, as well as help clean things up, and that will help the Tigers get an important road win for their College Football Playoff resume.

Auburn (+12.5) at Mississippi State (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

If Auburn wants to show any life, this is the time.

The Tigers come into Starkville with an interim coach, program legend Cadillac Williams, and they need to show something against a Mississippi State team that struggled on offense in the last two games.

Mississippi State is the better team, but Auburn has some extra motivation to keep the game close.

Wake Forest (-3.5) at NC State (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

NC State does not have an offense without injured quarterback Devin Leary.

Wake Forest has a much more functional offense and its struggles against Louisville last week should be viewed as a one-week slip-up and not an overall representation of its offense.

The Demon Deacons average more than 10 points and 80 yards per game compared to NC State and the difference between Sam Hartman and NC State's backup will show very fast in Raleigh on Saturday night.


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