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By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast
It’s here – we have ourselves a #1 vs. #2 matchup.
NOVEMBER PRELUDE?
Week Nine came and went with all of the top teams taking care of business with the exception of Oklahoma State, who were embarrassed in Manhattan by Kansas State. We’ve flipped to November on the calendar which means the Saturdays are colder, the hits are harder, and the carnage has to ensue, right? It hasn’t been bloody up to this point, but fortunately, the college football scheduling gods are giving us a matchup that is sure to be the first domino to start creating some CFB playoff chaos. Welcome to week 10, and welcome to #1 Georgia vs #2 Tennessee.
It’s a unique series of events that allows the top two teams to be butting heads mid-season, and Tennessee gets to see if they can climb another Everest after their victory over Alabama a couple of weeks back. The last #1 vs. #2 matchups have featured LSU vs Alabama in multiple forms in 2019, and if that sample tells is anything…this might not be the last time the Vols and the Dogs play this season. Is this a November prelude to a January CFB playoff matchup? Only time will tell. Let’s get into the full spread of games that surround the 1 vs. 2 clash in Athens:
TUNE-IN GAME OF THE WEEK
The must-watch this weekend is clearly in Athens. #1 Georgia (-8.5) is the championship belt holder with a big bad defense that seems relentless. #2 Tennessee is led by phenom QB Hendon Hooker and an offense that has carved up everyone in their path. It’s the Immovable Force against the Unstoppable object, something has to give this Saturday to determine who takes the pole position in the SEC East. Honorable mention to Bama visiting LSU and Death Valley, so the SEC dominance will be on full display all day Saturday.
THE NIGHTCAP GET-IT-BACK GAME
Let’s go off the beaten path for a night capper at 10:30 pm ET on the west coast. San Jose State (-24.5) hosts the lowly Colorado State Rams in an all-time forgettable CFB late-nighter that is truly staged for betters only. Chevan Cordeiro transferred from Hawaii to lead the SJSU offense to success this season, and I like a lot of points and an over in this miserably awesome nightcap.
WEIRD VIBE FADE OF THE WEEK
Faded the vibe and picked TCU – AND WE’RE OFFICIALLY BACK. On that note, we’ll have to fade our first weird vibe that the board presents. I didn’t scroll far to see that TCU (-9) is in a very similar spot hosting Texas Tech this week as a touchdown-plus favorite. I’m sure all those WVU backers will be all over the Red Raiders, but surely TCU is the vibe-killer team of the season so we’re riding with them to defy the odds and march on undefeated.
WEEK 9 RECAP – MIXED BAG
This past Saturday was a cornucopia of mediocre results and outcomes, ending with a bad beat. Two nice wins in the Ohio State over and Ole Miss covering, and two bad losses as the Georgia under did not cash for only the second time this season, and Illinois crushed Nebraska. My card came down to Cal keeping it within 17 to cover and they lost by 18. Story of my life. We’re amazingly .500 on the dot with these picks this season.
Week Eight: 2-3 ATS, Season Overall: 25-25 ATS
EARLY WEEK 10 PLAYS FOR ALEX
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Let’s get goofy with late-night Friday PAC 12 action. I’m seeing a lot of points for #24 Oregon State @ Washington, as Oregon State can sling it and UW has never had less than 28 points in any game this season. I’ll take Over 59.5.
A slight reaction to last week’s historically bad 14-12 4 OVERTIME loss to Miami, but my word is UVA a poor team. There’s no way that team is slowing down UNC so I LOVE UNC -9.5 to put up a good number.
Despite recent adversity, the Georgia Under play is still 6-2 ATS this season. I’m grinding my teeth all Saturday afternoon but Ibahev to stay strong. Georgia/Tennessee Under 66.5.
Another ACC Team on the road that I like is Wake Forest -5 @ NC State. Wake has a sneaky dangerous offense and should grind away at the Wolfpack over 4 quarters.
I think UCLA bounces back with a win in Tempe against Arizona State after their Oregon drubbing, but not without a fight. I’ll take ASU +10.5 late.
Here are some other diamonds I’m leaning on early this week:
Texas -2.5, Northwestern +38, LSU +13.5
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EATS AND DEETS
The teleport game: Take me to Athens Georgia – the top two teams tangle and that has to mean that the top two tailgate parties converge for a day.
Goofiest line: Illinois -17 vs Michigan State – take a picture of that, Illini fans!
Simultaneous screen count: Three screens Saturday, but most importantly make sure you take in the iconic SEC on CBS theme music for the #1 vs #2 battle about to unfold.
Tailgate pick of the week: It’s the leftover Halloween Candy weekend in the house – all Snickers must be deleted by Monday morning.
