College Football Playoff picks after Week 10
Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne have a field day against Wofford, combining for over 400 yards and five touchdowns in Clemson’s 59-14 win. (1:31)
Now it’s time for the main course.
How will Saturday’s top games affect the College Football Playoff chase? What are the current odds for the top four? The Allstate Playoff Predictor has the answers. Check back every week as the odds are updated following that week’s games.
After a Week 10 that saw four of the nation’s top five teams — LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and Penn State — idle, plus Clemson playing Wofford, there wasn’t much movement among this week’s picks.
Tuesday night, we’ll find out how the College Football Playoff committee views the teams as the initial rankings come out (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
But regardless of how things look on Tuesday, expect them to change rather quickly starting next week. It all starts with another “Game of the Century” type showdown between Alabama and LSU in Tuscaloosa. The winner of that game will have the inside track on the SEC West crown and a clear path to a playoff berth.
There’s also a showdown of unbeatens in the Big Ten, as Penn State travels to Minnesota to take on the surprising Golden Gophers.
If P.J. Fleck’s crew can pull the upset, it’ll have to be taken seriously as a potential playoff long shot. Of course, the Gophers would have to take down Ohio State in the conference title game, and the Buckeyes look nearly unstoppable at this point.
Can anyone else break into the playoff party? Possibly Oregon in the Pac-12 or even someone like 2-loss Auburn, if the Tigers were to make a late run at an SEC title.
Here’s how our writers see the playoff field after Week 10. (Note: These are not their projections for how the season will end.)
Andrea Adelson: 1. LSU; 2. Clemson; 3. Alabama; 4. Ohio State
Edward Aschoff: 1. Ohio State; 2. LSU; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Ohio State; 2. Alabama; 3. Clemson; 4. LSU
Bill Connelly: 1. Ohio State; 2. LSU; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Heather Dinich: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Clemson; 4. Alabama
David Hale: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Clemson; 4. Alabama
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Chris Low: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Ivan Maisel: 1. Ohio State; 2. LSU; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Ryan McGee: 1. LSU; 2. Alabama; 3. Clemson; 4. Penn State
Adam Rittenberg: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Alex Scarborough: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Clemson; 4. Alabama
Mark Schlabach: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson
Tom VanHaaren: 1. LSU; 2. Ohio State; 3. Alabama; 4. Clemson