College Football Picks, Predictions: Stuckey’s Week 10 Bets for USC vs Washington, Vanderbilt vs Auburn, More

College Football Picks, Predictions: Stuckey’s Week 10 Bets for USC vs Washington, Vanderbilt vs Auburn, More article feature image
Credit:

Getty Images. Design by Matt Roembke/Action Network. Pictured (from top to bottom): South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, Washington’s Jonah Coleman Purdue’s Reggie Love III and Minnesota’s Max Brosmer.

Can you believe we are already in Week 10? After a very nice October, it's time to turn the page to November.

For this week, I have highlighted my eight favorite spots that I had circled for Saturday's slate.

Keep in mind the actual spread value still reigns supreme. No matter how great a situational spot appears on paper, I still have to factor in how much value the number holds compared to my projections. That's where it all starts. Matchups also matter.

Lines may be from the time of writing earlier in the week, so I'll always log what I bet in the Action App and have also included the number I would bet it to for those who will read later in the week.

Ultimately, my goal is to potentially help push you toward or against a bet you were considering by providing some additional context that can hopefully make you a more informed college football bettor.

With that said, let's take a look at my top college football picks, predictions and situational betting spots for Week 10.

  • 2022-23: 99-70-1 (58.6%)
  • 2024: 38-33-1 (53.5%)
  • Overall: 137-103-2 (57.1%)


GameTime (ET)Pick
Air Force Falcons LogoArmy Black Knights Logo
12 p.m.Air Force +23.5
Minnesota Golden Gophers LogoIllinois Fighting Illini Logo
12 p.m.Minnesota -2.5
Northwestern Wildcats LogoPurdue Boilermakers Logo
12 p.m.Purdue +1.5
Vanderbilt Commodores LogoAuburn Tigers Logo
12:45 p.m.Auburn -6
Navy Midshipmen LogoRice Owls Logo
4 p.m.Rice +12
Texas A&M Aggies LogoSouth Carolina Gamecocks Logo
7:30 p.m.South Carolina +3.5
USC Trojans LogoWashington Huskies Logo
7:30 p.m.Washington +3
Louisville Cardinals LogoClemson Tigers Logo
7:30 p.m.Louisville +11
Header First Logo

Air Force +23.5 at Army

12 p.m. ET ⋅ CBS

Depending on what number you got in the Army vs. East Carolina game, this game will feature the only undefeated ATS team (Army) against an Air Force squad that has yet to cover (0-7 ATS). You don't see that too often this late in the season.

For starters, large underdogs in service academy matchups will almost always pique my interest. Since 2005, underdogs in service academy matchups have gone 34-22-2 (60.7%) ATS, covering by 2.6 points per game.

That includes a perfect 3-0 ATS when getting at least 17 points, covering by more than 20 points per game in large part due to Army's upset of Air Force out west just last season.

In that game, Air Force came in ranked with a perfect 8-0 record (sound familiar?) but turned the ball over six times en route to a blowout loss as an 18-point favorite.

I had to back Army out of principle in that game and must do so again with Air Force in a matchup with a spread differential of over 40 points in the span of one season. You also don't see that too often!

There's no doubt the Black Knights, led by quarterback Bryson Daily, have dominated every week en route to a blemish-free 7-0 record.

However, they have certainly played a laughable schedule to date. In fact, per Sagarin, which includes FCS teams, Army's strength of schedule ranks 145th in the nation. Just take a look at its wins:

  • Lehigh
  • Florida Atlantic
  • Rice
  • Temple
  • Tulsa
  • UAB
  • ECU

Those teams have a combined 9-33 record (21.4%) against FBS foes with one of those nine victories coming in a head-to-head matchup between Temple and Tulsa.

Additionally, Army has significant negative regression looming on the horizon in terms of red-zone efficiency and turnovers — similar to what we saw last week with Navy (and Air Force last year in this exact matchup with the roles reversed).

Opponents are eventually going to convert a fourth down or score points in the red zone against Army, which has held opponents to a national-low 53.3% scoring conversion rate inside the 20 and stopped 14-of-21 fourth-down attempts.

Phone With the Action App Open
The must-have app for college football bettors
The best NCAAF betting scoreboard
Free picks from proven pros
Live win probabilities for your bets

In fairness, Air Force is just as bad — if not worse — than many of those teams listed, so there's certainly a chance Army blows out another inferior opponent.

However, this is still a matchup between two slow-tempo, run-heavy service academies with a total of 41.

The possessions will be extremely limited, making it harder for a large favorite to cover a big number. Plus, both defenses have supreme familiarity when it comes to defending the triple option since they face it every single day in practice.

This is a rare lost season for Air Force after starting out 1-6 for the first time since 2013 when it finished an uncharacteristic 2-10 under head coach Troy Calhoun.

After already losing to Navy, this essentially becomes its Super Bowl similar to that 2013 season when it beat Army as a small home underdog following a disastrous 1-7 start.

I expect a fiery effort from the Falcons, who will be out to exact revenge on the Black Knights for that embarrassing 2023 defeat when they came in undefeated with all of the national hype against a 2-5 struggling Army team that had just lost at home to UMass.

The bye week should also serve them well after basically hitting the full roster reset button in the offseason. Amazingly, they have started 37 different players so far this season.

Despite the super soft schedule, Army's defensive metrics leave a lot to be desired, especially against the run (92nd in Success Rate), where Air Force will look to capitalize — although, again, this one profiles as a complete slog on both ends.

The Falcons also pivoted to using two of their more mobile quarterbacks prior to the bye before both got banged up. I'm not sure about the status of Josh Johnson, but Calhoun confirmed the availability of Quentin Hayes, who I believe is the best option under center at the moment. He should provide a much-needed spark on the ground with his legs.

In a game that profiles to have an extremely limited number of possessions, it should only take a turnover or a couple of red-zone stops for Air Force to stay within this number, assuming it can sustain just a tad bit of offense.

For what it's worth, this will mark the largest spread between service academies in our Action Labs database, dating back 20 seasons. It will surpass the previous high of 21, which came back in 2015 when a 2-9 Army team only lost by four to a ranked Navy squad.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

Since 2005, as underdogs of more than three touchdowns, service academies have gone a sparkling 19-5-1 (79.2%) ATS, covering by just under a touchdown per game.

Additionally, FBS road underdogs of 21-plus with a total of less than 45 have gone 52-33-2 (61.2%) ATS, covering by an average margin of 3.5 points.

Projection: Air Force +20.8

Pick: Air Force +22.5



Header First Logo

Minnesota -2.5 at Illinois

12 p.m. ET ⋅ FS1

I don't think enough people are aware of how well Minnesota has played over the past month. The Gophers, who could easily be 7-1 on the season if you change two special teams plays, are finally fully healthy.

Meanwhile, Illinois has been one of the luckiest teams in the country with the second-highest delta between actual wins and second-order wins, trailing only the walking horseshoe Arkansas State.

The Illini have gone 3-0 in one-possession games, which includes a pair of overtime wins. On the season, they actually rank 85th in non-garbage time net yards per play margin (-0.5) against FBS foes, while Minnesota sits at 32nd overall with a similar strength of schedule.

Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer — fresh off his best game of the season by far — has now fully picked up the offense after transferring in from New Hampshire and has recently developed great chemistry with star wide receiver Daniel Jackson.

Brosmer is one of only three quarterbacks (minimum 200 dropbacks) with an Adjusted Completion Percentage of at least 80% — along with Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. He's also not putting the ball in harm's way.

Meanwhile, the defense has remained stout throughout 2024 with the exception of one half against Iowa. The Gophers are one of only 13 teams allowing fewer than 17 points per game.

New defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has worked wonders on that side of the ball by simplifying things from a schematic perspective, which has led to a drastic reduction in coverage busts and miscommunication issues that plagued the defense last year.

The pass defense has thrived with the cornerback tandem of Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson along with safety Koi Perich, who headline a coverage unit that ranks 13th in EPA per Pass.

college football-picks-predictions-week 10-stuckey-minnesota vs illinois
Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Minnesota's Max Brosmer.

The run defense has been a bit more vulnerable, but that's not as big of a concern against a fairly inefficient Illinois rushing attack that lost its leading rusher to a season-ending injury.

Plus, Minnesota has been extremely unlucky on late downs when you look at its much more predictive early downs data.

The engine of the Illinois offense is its star wide receiver duo of Zakhari Franklin and Pat Bryant.

Not only can Minnesota match up, as it did against a few other passing attacks on its schedule, but Bryant — who had the nation's highest passer rating when targeted going into last week — suffered a concussion last week in the loss at Oregon.

His potential absence would serve as a major blow to the Illini offense. Plus, Luke Altmyer likely has more turnover regression coming his way.

Even after last week's two-interception performance, he has 15 touchdown passes to just three interceptions on the season despite 10 Big-Time Throws to 11 Turnover-Worthy Plays, per PFF. Last year, he had basically a 1:1 ratio of both with 10 interceptions on nine Turnover-Worthy Plays.

This is a tough spot for the Illini after that humiliating loss in Eugene. That loss pretty much ended all outside hope of a surprise Big Ten title run, and they got extremely beat up physically, especially in the secondary where they even had to play a wide receiver at one point during last week's loss.

It was already an underwhelming defense from an analytics standpoint that just really benefited from turnovers prior to last week.

Give me Minnesota in the early time slot on the road against a beat-up Illini squad. I think the Gophers get their revenge from last year's one-point loss that came on a touchdown pass in the final minute after Illinois converted on fourth-and-11.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

During his tenure at Illinois, head coach Bret Bielema is just 8-15-1 ATS (34.8%) at home, including 5-11 (31.3%) in conference play.

Projection: Minnesota -3.4

Pick: Minnesota -2.5 or Better (-115)



Header First Logo

Purdue +1.5 vs. Northwestern

12 p.m. ET ⋅ Big Ten Network

From a spot perspective, Northwestern will play for a fifth straight week in its second consecutive road game, while Purdue will have 15 days of preparation and rest after playing on Friday night before its bye week.

That break should serve the Boilermakers well after they fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell earlier this season.

Yes, they've been as bad as you can possibly be for a Power 4 team to date, but they've also played one of the most difficult schedules in the country so far and have been a bit unlucky in terms of turnovers, fourth downs (1-for-8) and red-zone efficiency.

Head coach Ryan Walters took over play-calling duties the past two games, and the offense finally showed signs of life — primarily as a result of increasing the use of the quarterback run game.

That has made the entire ground game much more potent behind a decent offensive line and a pair of dynamic backs in Reggie Love III and Devin Mockobee.

That should provide useful against a bend-don't-break Northwestern defense that excels at limiting explosive plays, but that doesn't really matter as much against this methodical Purdue offense.

College Football Futures, Picks: Collin Wilson's Top Power 4 Bets to Make Ahead of Week 10 Image

For what it's worth, Walters expects to use both Hudson Card (who will return from injury) and Ryan Browne under center this week, which makes the prep a bit tougher for Northwestern.

This is also still an offense that ranks in the top 30 in Success Rate even with a top-10 strength of schedule.

Meanwhile, Northwestern made a change at quarterback earlier this season, going from Mike Wright to Jack Lausch, who has regressed hard after providing an initial spark to the offense.

Over the past two games — both lopsided losses — Lausch has gone 19-43 for 144 yards with no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.

Lausch will start again this week, but it's worth noting that the Wildcats turned to Ryan Hilinski in the second half last week. Either way, this offense is in a complete state of disarray. I'm just not sure it can fully exploit a very poor Purdue defense.

In a battle between two offenses headed in completely opposite directions, give me the small home 'dog off of a bye week that should come out hungry for its first (and probably last) opportunity for a Big Ten win in 2024 with a remaining schedule that includes Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana and Penn State with only the latter coming at home.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

Excluding the COVID season, this will mark the first time Northwestern is laying points on the road in Big Ten play since 2018.

Projection: Purdue -2.1

Pick: Purdue +1.5 (Play to PK)



Header First Logo

Auburn -6 vs. Vanderbilt

12:45 p.m. ET ⋅ SEC Network

Diego Pavia has officially put Vanderbilt back on the map. Look no further than the 'Dores catching single digits on the road in league play — which hasn't happened since 2017.

However, Pavia has taken his fair share of lumps during a brutal October stretch that included close games against Kentucky, Texas and Alabama.

Pavia will suit up but is far from 100% healthy with numerous ailments, including injuries to his shoulder and knee, which really limited his mobility late against the Longhorns.

Plus, this offense is just not the same without a fully mobile Pavia having the ability to create magic on third downs, where the Commodores rank in the top 10 nationally.

Not only does regression loom in that department but also when it comes to turnovers. On the season, Vanderbilt has a +5 turnover margin (Auburn is at -9) in part due to recovering 75% of its fumbles.

Ultimately, I just can't get to this number. Take away a few turnovers at critical moments, and this Auburn team is potentially sitting at 6-2 or maybe even 7-1 against a tougher overall schedule than Vanderbilt.

And despite that more difficult slate, Auburn still sits in the top 30 nationally in net yards per play (+1.06) against FBS competition in non-garbage time, while the Dores rank 82nd — just ahead of Western Kentucky and Rice.

Instead, the Tigers come in at 3-5 against everybody's favorite underdog, which I think is creating some value in a game I project closer to 10 than seven.

Trust me, I have loved Vanderbilt as an underdog all season, but it's a different story at this price compared to catching double digits as a quasi-SEC service academy.

Plus, this is a pretty important game for Auburn ahead of its bye week.

Not only does it basically need to win this game for any shot at a bowl, but it will be out for revenge after Pavia, Jerry Kill, Eli Stowers and New Mexico State embarrassed Auburn on its home field last season as massive underdogs. I'm sure Auburn has had this game circled since fall camp.

I can't imagine Auburn comes out flat against a still very vulnerable Vandy defense outside of the safety and slot positions and an offensive line that can still be pushed around.

For reference, I have Vanderbilt's defense rated right around the national average, while Auburn has a top-25 stop unit. It also doesn't hurt that Auburn got to see this unique Pavia offense just last season.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

In SEC play, Auburn is 17-9 ATS (65.4%) as a single-digit home favorite since 2005, covering by 3.2 points per game.

Projection: Auburn -9.4

Pick: Auburn -6 (Play to -7)



Header First Logo

Rice +12 vs. Navy

4 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN2

The service academies don't usually fall victim to situational spots.

However, it's certainly possible Navy comes out a bit flat in front of an empty crowd in Rice Stadium the week after losing its first game of the season to Notre Dame, which all but ends its outside shot at a College Football Playoff berth.

I should first mention the quarterback news in this game since I'm taking a bit of a leap of faith, especially with Rice.

I'm assuming starting quarterback EJ Warner will return to the lineup this week after missing last week's loss to UConn with an injury. A true freshman got the start in his place, and the Owls offense was predictably lifeless.

After transferring in from Temple, Warner had started to play better in the new system before his minor injury.

That's actually true for the entire Rice team, which has trended in a positive direction following its bye week (sans last week, which you can essentially throw out the window without Warner) with a win over UTSA and a misleading final score loss to Tulane.

In that game against the Green Wave, which was tied in the fourth quarter, the Owls actually finished with more total yards but couldn't overcome a -5 turnover margin (0-5).

In those two contests, Warner threw for 618 combined yards, leading an offense that surprisingly has the third-highest passing rate in the country.

Speaking of turnovers, on the season, Rice has a -8 turnover margin and has scored on only 64% of its red zone trips (only Houston has a worse percentage), including just 11 touchdowns on 25 trips inside the 20-yard line.

Meanwhile, even after last week's disastrous result against Notre Dame, the Midshipmen rank in the top 10 nationally in red-zone scoring rate on both sides of the ball and still boast a +6 turnover margin.

Phone With the Action App Open
Subscribe to BBOC on YouTube!
Exclusive early access to episodes
Best bets and predictions
Your favorite analysts on demand

There's no doubt that Rice has been quite unfortunate in a number of high-variance areas, while the opposite is true for Navy.

Like last week, the turnovers could also rear their ugly head again, especially if quarterback Blake Horvath's thumb injury is limiting in any way. In fact, Horvath also missed time last year with a thumb injury.

While he should play this week, it could certainly be an issue against a Rice defense that has already faced another service academy earlier this season and has faced a bevy of mobile quarterbacks.

There's also hope Rice can get its ground game going to help Warner out against a Navy defense that ranks 122nd in Rush Success Rate even with a strength of schedule that ranks 132nd in the country.

The pass defense numbers look very good, but keep in mind the Midshipmen also played a schedule filled with completely inept aerial attacks outside of Notre Dame and Memphis, which combined for 95 points.

I like backing bigger 2-6 underdogs that have shown signs of improvement.

This is really the Owls' last gasp at keeping their bowl hopes alive. Plus, this week, Rice might have some extra juice and new wrinkles under a new interim head coach after firing Mike Bloomgren earlier this week.

There's definitely a lot of uncertainty in this game with the coaching change and both quarterbacks dealing with injuries, but I couldn't pass up this line.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

Since 2005, only Kansas State has turned a bigger profit at home in conference play than the Owls, who have gone 44-28-4 (61.1%) over that span.

Projection: Rice +8.9

Pick: Rice +12 (Play to +10.5)



Header First Logo

South Carolina +3.5 vs. Texas A&M

7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ ABC

This is the best situational spot on the board this weekend.

Coming off of a bye, South Carolina will host Texas A&M after the Aggies' comeback win over LSU to take over sole possession of first place in the SEC.

While the Gamecocks aren't in contention for an SEC title, they are two plays (and a number of bogus calls) away from sitting at 4-1 in league play with wins over Alabama and LSU instead of a pair of losses by two and three, respectively.

After seven straight victories, Texas A&M now finds itself ranked inside the top 10.

However, it's not like the Aggies have completely dominated their opponents on a weekly basis since their opening season loss to Notre Dame. They beat Bowling Green at home by just six and lost the total yardage battle against Mississippi State, LSU and Arkansas but prevailed in each in part due to a +5 turnover margin.

The Aggies also have benefited from the element of surprise at quarterback, specifically on the road against Florida in Marcel Reed's first start and then again last week when Mike Elko made the move back to Reed, who LSU was clearly not prepared for.

Well, that won't be the case this week with South Carolina, which should be fully prepared off of a bye for either quarterback.

Also, unlike LSU and Florida, the Gamecocks have the personnel along the defensive line to defend the quarterback run game, which they showed against Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide, who mustered only 104 yards on 38 carries in their Week 7 matchup.

While I have Texas A&M power-rated above South Carolina, it's not by a wide enough margin to get this line to a field goal or more — especially after accounting for the spot.

The Gamecocks have just been a bit unluckier overall, hence the difference of three wins.

From a net yards per play perspective, Texas A&M ranks just 53rd in the nation (+0.3) against FBS competition excluding garbage time, while South Carolina is right on its heels at +0.24 despite a tougher schedule (third nationally).

Keep in mind Texas A&M hasn't played a dominant defense (one I have rated inside the top 20) since the opener against Notre Dame, which held the Aggies to under 250 total yards of offense.

Meanwhile, South Carolina has faced three in its past three games, which definitely has supressed its offensive metrics a bit.

Now, it won't be easy for this limited South Carolina offense to move the ball on a stout Texas A&M defense.

However, if LaNorris Sellers and company can avoid costly turnovers, I believe they can hit enough explosives to pull off a mini-upset at home in a great situational spot against an overvalued Texas A&M team.

Although, for the sake of my preseason Texas A&M playoff futures, I hope the Aggies win by one in what should be a lower-scoring affair.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

Excluding the COVID season, South Carolina is 12-5-1 ATS (70.6%) at home against top-10 teams since 2005, covering by 6.8 points per game. That includes seven outright victories as either an underdog or small favorite.

Projection: South Carolina +1.4

Pick: South Carolina +3.5 (Play to +3)



Header First Logo

Washington +3 vs. USC

7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ Big Ten Network

The stakes are actually pretty high for this Pac-12 — I mean, Big Ten — battle in Seattle on Saturday night between a pair of 4-4 clubs.

While neither team will compete for a Big Ten championship or playoff spot this season, the Huskies probably need this game for bowl eligibility with road games at Oregon and at Penn State remaining on their schedule.

While USC has an easier remaining schedule, it's no guarantee the Trojans will get to a bowl if they drop one in Husky Stadium with a remaining slate that includes Nebraska, UCLA and Notre Dame. It wouldn't be the best look for the program or Lincoln Riley if the Trojans didn't get to the postseason, especially after starting out the year with an upset win over LSU.

It should be a competitive game throughout with two very capable offenses, but I'm siding with the home Huskies.

I'm not jumping off the Jedd Fisch bandwagon after UW failed to cover for me in Bloomington last week.

Fisch has treated me as well as any coach over the past two seasons, but Washington simply couldn't overcome a pick-six and a pair of failed fourth-down conversions against a very good Hoosiers squad that was able to play with a lead in the second half, enabling them to lean on their running backs against a Washington defense that's much more vulnerable against the run than pass.

Under new defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the Huskies have suffocated opposing passing attacks, ranking in the top two nationally in both EPA and Success Rate.

That bodes well against quarterback Miller Moss, who spearheads a USC offense with one of the highest passing rates in the country

This is a good matchup for the Washington defense.

On the other side of the ball, there's a clear path to moving the ball on the USC defense.

You have to hit some run explosives — which star running back Jonah Coleman can certainly do with his 6.7 yards per carry average — and efficiently move the ball in a patient manner through the air against a secondary that excels at limiting explosive passing plays but ranks 116th in Success Rate allowed.

Well, that should work just fine for the Huskies, who have not had much explosiveness through the air but rank sixth nationally in Success Rate.

college football-picks-predictions-stuckey-usc vs washington-week 10
Steph Chambers/Getty Images. Pictured: Giles Jackson #0 of the Washington Huskies.

Plus, quarterback Will Rogers sees his production fall off a cliff when under pressure but is lights-out when kept clean.

That bodes well in this particular matchup against a USC defense that really struggles to generate natural pressure, especially after losing a number of key contributors throughout the season, including its best linebacker and edge rusher.

The Trojans' underlying defensive metrics also suggest potential imminent regression based on the glaring disparity between their success on late downs vs. lack thereof on the more predictive early downs.

Washington checks all of the boxes from an advanced metrics standpoint, ranking in the top 20 nationally in a myriad of categories, including net yards per play (USC is 42nd for what it's worth).

The Huskies just haven't done any of the little things, which have cost them numerous games — most notably against Rutgers in which they finished with a 97% post-game win expectancy.

There have been bad penalties (and too many), special-teams blunders (11-18 on field goal attempts and bad punts), untimely turnovers, failed red-zone execution (16 touchdowns on 31 trips) and just plain, old bad luck (dropped interceptions, 7-for-17 on fourth-down attempts).

While there definitely can be systematic issues in a number of those categories, they also usually contain a ton of variance, especially for a team that I consider to be well-coached overall. I truly believe positive regression looms on the horizon for the Huskies in the "other" bucket of things that happen during a football game.

Plus, it's not like USC has lit the world on fire when it comes to doing all of the little things right. There's a reason the Trojans blew back-to-back 14-point leads against Penn State and Maryland.

They've also failed to close out leads in all three true road games.

Ultimately, I just don't see too much separation between these teams before even accounting for home-field advantage and potential matchup edges I see for the Huskies on both sides of the ball.

Washington also should hold a health and rest advantage after recently enjoying its bye week, while USC will be playing a game for the seventh straight week before its upcoming bye.

Therefore, I had to grab the field goal with the home pup in a game that likely comes down to the wire. Let's just hope that doesn't mean Grady Gross will have to make a kick.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

USC is just 44-61-2 ATS (41.9%) on the road since 2005, which makes the Trojans the third-least profitable road team over that period (ahead of only Kansas and Colorado).

Head coach Lincoln Riley is just 2-8 ATS as a road favorite during his time in Southern Cal, including 0-3 this season with three outright losses as favorites of 4.5, 7, and 8.5 points.

Projection: Washington -0.4

Pick: Washington +3 (Play to +2.5)



Header First Logo

Louisville +11 at Clemson

7:30 p.m. ET ⋅ ESPN

From a pure numbers perspective, I don't show much value on Louisville, which also finds itself in a tough situational spot on the surface. While Clemson will benefit from coming off of a bye week, the Cardinals will play their seventh straight game in seven weeks.

Additionally, they've played nothing but close games over that stretch, as each of the past five have been decided by one possession with the lone exception coming against Georgia Tech in a game that was closer than the final score indicated.

How much does Louisville have in the tank? It's a fair question, but it does at least get an extra day of rest and preparation after playing at Boston College last Friday night.

Despite a less-than-ideal net rest edge and projecting this close to the actual number, I'm still taking a shot here at fading Clemson after six straight wins against a laugher of a schedule.

All season, we've seen top-tier teams underperform when they step up in class after looking dominant against inferior competition.

And while Clemson hasn't faced anybody with a real pulse since its opening season loss against Georgia, Louisville certainly has.

The previous six Louisville opponents have an average rank of 32nd, per my latest power ratings. That includes a trio of top-20 teams that are in the College Football Playoff mix.

Meanwhile, Clemson's average opponent rank sits at 73rd with zero inside the top 60. The Tigers have also benefited from a +10 turnover margin over that stretch.

So, while Cade Klubnik has been playing at a very high level with 20 touchdowns to just two interceptions since the Georgia game, the quality of competition leaves a lot to be desired.

Plus, the underlying defensive metrics suggest Clemson may be a bit more vulnerable than many think on that side of the ball, especially against the run.

This could be a bit of a shock to the system against a battle-tested Louisville squad.

And there's a chance Clemson is just not as great as many (including myself) think after this recent stretch against Florida State, Virginia, Wake Forest, Appalachian State, NC State and Stanford with none of those aging particularly well with each passing week.

Louisville has proven it can play with the top teams in the country with three one-possession losses against Notre Dame, SMU and Miami.

It easily could've won any of those games with a few different bounces of the football. All this team does is play close games, and it's certainly more than capable of sneaking in the backdoor if necessary.

Lastly, Jeff Brohm is one of the better head coaches in college football and has historically thrived as an underdog. Give me the points.


Header First Logo

Notable Nugget

As a six-plus point underdog, Brohm has gone 18-9 ATS (66.7%), covering by more than nine points per game. Even more impressive, he's won 12 of those 27 games outright with an average spread of nearly 13.

Projection: Louisville +10.4

Pick: Louisville +11 (Play to +10.5)

Premium Picks & Betting Analysis!
Best bets for every game
Massive player prop edges
Expert article analysis
About the Author
Stuckey is a senior betting analyst at Action Network, focusing on college football, college basketball, and the NFL. He hosts The Action Network Podcast and co-hosts the Big Bets on Campus podcast with Collin Wilson and Brett McMurphy. Stuckey was Action Network’s first content hire in 2017, helping launch their award-winning app, and continues to work closely with their development team. A CFA Charterholder, Stuckey has been betting since 2003 and has a background as a derivatives analyst in the financial industry. He holds an MBA from George Washington University.

Follow Stuckey @Stuckey2 on Twitter/X.

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.