College football Week 10 bold predictions: Oregon, Mississippi upset?

The The college football season starts in November and the commitment to the College Football Playoff and conference races are becoming more and more exciting. There is pressure to win every week as even the smallest mistake can be detrimental to teams achieving their goals.

That intense pressure and motivated opposition can lead to unexpected performances and surprising outcomes. Week 10 presents plenty of opportunities to ruin seasons, while others come away with wins that continue their run toward the postseason. But where will those results come from?

That’s why the USA TODAY Sports college football staff is here. Scooby Axson, Jordan Mendoza, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Dan Wolken make their bold predictions for week 10 of the college football season:

South Carolina misses another setback, this time against Texas A&M

South Carolina has played good football this season, aside from their mistake in the 27-3 loss to Ole ma’am last month, pushing Alabama and LSU to their limits in games they could have won. The Gamecocks welcome Texas A&M, the only undefeated team left in SEC play that could secure a conference championship berth with a win.

It doesn’t say who Aggies will start at quarterback, whether it’s Marcel Reed or Conner Weigman, who was benched in A&M’s win against LSU. No matter who gets the nod for the Aggies in Saturday’s game, expect South Carolina to play well but fall one or two plays short in another failed upset bid. — Scooby Axson

TOP INVOICE: Ohio State-Penn State leads the Week 10 games to watch

WEEKEND FORECAST: Expert picks for every Top 25 game in Week 10

The hot seat appears for Ryan Day as Ohio State falls

Although it is treated as a rivalry, Ohio State owns Penn State with seven straight wins and eleven wins in the last twelve meetings. The Nittany Lions need to change the narrative not only for their own good, but to prove they are a legitimate contender in the College Football Playoff. They get a Buckeyes team that has been shaky and the offense has been inconsistent. Penn State takes advantage by making things especially difficult for Will Howard and preventing any momentum from being gained. Penn State wins hands down and hands Ohio State a second loss. At 6-2, the pressure is starting to mount for Ryan Day as a spot in the College Football Playoff doesn’t seem all that assured, especially with Indiana and rival Michigan still on the schedule. –Jordan Mendoza

Pittsburgh shakes up ACC with road win at SMU

With a healthy Eli Holstein under center, Pittsburgh scores a mini-strike of SMU to remain undefeated and a real factor in the playoff mix. Topping the Mustangs would also create the possibility of another ACC matchup against Clemson later this month. The Panthers have been pushed into the second tier of playoff contenders largely due to a schedule full of close wins against unranked competition, but that perspective will change if they win on the road Saturday night. –Paul Myerberg

Michigan will take Oregon to the wire

The Wolverines won’t make the College Football Playoff. But they have a chance to play spoiler in the final month of the season. The first opportunity comes Saturday in Ann Arbor with a visit from the Ducks. While Michigan’s offensive struggles are well documented, the defense has the ability to slow down Oregon’s high-powered offense and take this game into the fourth quarter. Should the Wolverines get any productive play from quarterbacks Davis Warren and Alex Orji in critical time, it could create a potential upset that could shake up the Big Ten and the playoff races. –Erik Smit

Clemson ends Louisville’s run of close games

Louisville was ranked among the Top 25 earlier this season but has dropped three of its last five games, a stretch that could be seen as misleading from multiple perspectives. The three losses all came by a single touchdown, and they all came against teams still very much in the playoff hunt. Conversely, the two wins were each by a four-point margin and could just as easily have gone the other way.

Suffice it to say, the Cardinals are used to closing games. Will that trend continue this week at Clemson? In a word: no.

The Tigers are on a six-game winning streak, with all wins coming by at least sixteen points. Plus, this is Clemson’s last ACC home game, so expect the Tigers to be businesslike with some potentially tough road challenges ahead. Clemson wins this one by walking away. –Eddie Timanus

Arkansas pulls off another upset – this time against Mississippi

For a team that was supposed to have a high-powered offense this year (and paid a lot of NIL money for it), Ole Miss has been secretly bad. Their point totals in SEC play: 17 against Kentucky, 27 against South Carolina, 26 against LSU and 26 against Oklahoma. Conversely, Arkansas has held Auburn, Texas A&M and Tennessee under 30 points. The Hogs are struggling at home and their defense will be good enough to upset the Rebels. –Dan Clouds