A cursory glance at the college football schedule and the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll before the actual start of the season might have led one to circle Nov. 1 on the calendar. There were seven games matching teams in the preseason rankings in Week 10. As matters unfolded, however, a couple of the anticipated marquee contests aren’t exactly looking like game-of-the-century candidates or even games that will impact the College Football Playoff.
Our panel of predictors does have a few ranked matchups to consider, though No. 1 Ohio State’s ‘Big Noon’ tilt with Penn State and No. 5 Georgia’s annual date with Florida aren’t among them. There are a couple other SEC contests that do match Top 25 teams, as No. 11 Vanderbilt visits No. 19 Texas and No. 14 Tennessee hosts No. 18 Oklahoma. There’s another ranked pairing in the Big 12 as No. 16 Cincinnati heads west for a late-night clash with No. 24 Utah.
Of course, there is always the potential for upsets. All four of the ACC’s ranked squads will be hitting the road, with No. 15 Virginia making the longest trip to California. Will those games or any others produce unexpected results?
Here’s what our staff experts think: