By: Eric Olson, The Associated Press Posted:
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Ohio State coach Ryan Day should be getting used to these top-five matchups by now.
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Ohio State coach Ryan Day should be getting used to these top-five matchups by now.
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Ohio State coach Ryan Day should be getting used to these top-five matchups by now.
The No. 4 Buckeyes’ game at No. 5 Indiana on Saturday will be Day’s second top-five matchup this season and 13th since he took over as Urban Meyer’s successor in 2019. Only Georgia’s Kirby Smart has coached in more of these games over that span (14).
Indiana is still new to this. This weekend’s Big Ten showdown will be the first top-five matchup ever played at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
It will, however, be the Hoosiers’ fourth such game overall, and third against the Buckeyes, since coach Curt Cignetti began his incredible run in 2024. The first was a 38-15 road loss to the Buckeyes in his debut season. Last season, the Hoosiers beat Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten championship game and then Oregon 56-22 in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
Day is 5-8 in top-five matchups, according to Sportradar. He likely believes he should be 6-7 after his team blew a 20-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 24-23 loss to Texas last month. Eight of the 13 games were decided by seven points or less, including all four of the true road games.
The picks, with rankings and betting lines. All games are on Saturday:
Auburn at No. 1 Georgia (minus 20 1/2)
The Tigers have lost nine straight in Athens and haven’t beaten the Bulldogs anywhere since 2017. Georgia packs too powerful a punch, especially against Auburn’s shaky offensive line.
Pick: Georgia 42-21.
No. 2 Notre Dame (minus 10) at No. 8 BYU
BYU QB Bear Bachmeier has put the offense on his back since RB LJ Martin got injured. That will be too much for Bear to bear against the nation’s No. 1 defense.
Pick: Notre Dame 26-14.
Florida State at No. 3 Miami (minus 21)
The Seminoles surrendered 35 straight points against Louisville last week, and they don’t have enough to slow the roll of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney and the rest of the Hurricanes.
Pick: Miami 44-19.
No. 4 Ohio State (minus 3 1/2) at No. 5 Indiana
The Buckeyes have been hankering for this one since the Hoosiers beat them in the Big Ten championship game on the way to the program’s first national championship. Indiana has lived on the edge against good teams, and this is where its 22-game win streak ends.
Pick: Ohio State 24-20.
No. 6 Alabama (minus 8 1/2) at No. 14 Tennessee
Was Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon injured or benched, and will he or George MacIntyre start against the Crimson Tide? Stay tuned.
Pick: Alabama 28-14.
Florida (plus 10 1/2) at No. 7 Texas
The Longhorns should have plenty of reasons to be motivated. There’s last week’s loss to Oklahoma, which bounced them from No. 1 in the rankings, and there is last year’s season-ruining loss at the Swamp.
Pick: Texas 26-17.
Arizona State at No. 10 Texas Tech (minus 14 1/2)
Texas Tech RB Quinten Joyner figures to get more work with the injured Cameron Dickey out. The Sun Devils upset Tech in Tempe last year.
Pick: Texas Tech 31-14.
No. 11 Utah (minus 15 1/2) at Colorado
Utah is on a roll. RB Wayshawn Parker is averaging better than 10 yards per carry over his last two games, and QB Devon Dampier led three straight long second-half TD drives to blow out Kansas.
Pick: Utah 35-10.
Wisconsin (plus 2 1/2) at No. 12 UCLA
The Bruins will be without injured QB Nico Iamaleava, and they’ll be going against the toughest defense they’ve seen so far.
Pick: Wisconsin 23-20.
No. 13 Missouri (plus 6) at No. 9 Mississippi
Much will be made of the Austin Simmons-Trinidad Chambliss storyline, but here’s the key matchup: Missouri RB Jamal Roberts, coming off back-to-back 200-yard rushing games, vs. the SEC’s worst run defense.
Pick: Missouri 33-28.
No. 15 Kentucky (plus 7) at Oklahoma
The Sooners hope to use their Red River Rivalry upset of Texas as a springboard, but it’s hard to pick against Will Stein and the Wildcats right now.
Pick: Kentucky 27-24.
No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 LSU (minus 14)
A healthy Kamario Taylor is the Bulldogs’ best chance for an upset. Taylor’s status is uncertain after he left the Oct. 3 game against Alabama with a foot injury.
Pick: LSU 31-14.
No. 18 Oklahoma State (plus 4 1/2) at No. 20 Houston
It’s Drew Mestemaker vs. Conner Weigman. An old-fashioned shootout is a possibility in the first Top 25 matchup hosted by Houston since 1990.
Pick: Oklahoma State 45-42.
Virginia (plus 9 1/2) at No. 24 SMU
Kevin Jennings is capable of causing all kinds of problems for Virginia’s defense, which struggles against quarterbacks who can throw on the run and take off if protection breaks down.
Pick: SMU 29-21.
Bye weeks: No. 17 Iowa, No. 19 Southern California, No. 23 Boise State.
AP predictions scorecard
Last week: Straight-up — 9-10; Against spread — 8-11.
Season: Straight-up — 83-24; Against spread — 52-54-1.
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