Texas A&M bounced back from its season-opening loss to Notre Dame with seven straight wins that put it in prime position for a College Football Playoff bid entering November.
Back-to-back Southeastern Conference losses to South Carolina and Auburn put those hopes in peril but Texas A&M has one more shot with the return of the Lone Star Showdown between the 20th-ranked Aggies (No. 20 CFP) and No. 3 Texas (No. 3 CFP) in College Station on Saturday night.
“The football gods blessed us with another chance,” first-year A&M coach Mike Elko told reporters this week. “This game was always going to mean something. You guys have been asking me about it since the day I got hired. Now it means everything. So we have that opportunity to kind of right the last two wrongs in SEC play and go out with a bang and put ourselves in the SEC championship game.”
Awaiting the Texas-Texas A&M winner in Atlanta will be Georgia in a game with all kinds of CFP ramifications.
The picks, with Associated Press Top 25 rankings and lines from BetMGM Sportsbook:
Washington (plus 19 1/2) at No. 1 Oregon
Ducks already clinched spot in Big Ten championship game. Don’t expect a letdown. Oregon goes for its first 12-0 regular season since 2010 and payback for a pair of three-point losses to the Huskies last year.
Pick: Oregon 35-17.
Michigan (plus 21) at No. 2 Ohio State
This is the widest point spread for “The Game” since 1978, according to ESPN Stats and Info. Buckeyes can lock up Big Ten title game spot and a rematch with Oregon with a win and are still smarting from losing three straight to the Wolverines.
Pick: Ohio State 33-14.
No. 3 Texas (minus 5 1/2) at No. 20 Texas A&M
Winner goes to the SEC championship game to play Georgia. Longhorns should be in playoff even if they lose. Aggies are playing for their playoff lives.
Pick: Texas 28-21.
Maryland at No. 4 Penn State (minus 24 1/2)
Nittany Lions will be looking for style points so they can remain at least the second-highest ranked Big Ten team for the CFP. Terrapins are 1-7 in conference play, and they give up lots of points on the road.
Pick: Penn State 42-10.
No. 5 Notre Dame (minus 7 1/2) at Southern California
Irish are on the cusp of a CFP at-large bid, and on a nine-game win streak, eight of them lopsided. Trojans are 2-0 with Jayden Maiava as starting quarterback.
Pick: Notre Dame 31-17.
Georgia Tech (plus 19 1/2) at No. 6 Georgia
Yellow Jackets play a lot of close games, and they own a top-10 win over Miami. Georgia has won six straight in the series.
Pick: Georgia 38-21.
No. 7 Tennessee at Vanderbilt (plus 11)
Vanderbilt doesn’t make many mistakes and only one of its five losses has been by more than a touchdown. RB Dylan Sampson is the difference in this one and keeps Vols’ playoff hopes alive.
Pick: Tennessee 27-24.
No. 8 Miami (minus 10 1/2) at Syracuse
Miami’s Cam Ward and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord are the only quarterbacks passing for more than 340 yards per game. There should be points aplenty.
Pick: Miami 45-33.
California at No. 9 SMU (minus 13 1/2)
SMU already is in the ACC championship game. Mustangs QB Kevin Jennings will be challenged by a Cal defense that’s tied for second nationally with 17 interceptions.
Pick: SMU 34-21.
Purdue at No. 10 Indiana (minus 28 1/2)
Hoosiers could unleash some pent-up frustration after Ohio State handed them their first loss. Purdue’s average losing margin is 27.5 points per game, and that’s after playing Northwestern and Michigan State close in November.
Pick: Indiana 52-10.
Oregon State at No. 11 Boise State (minus 19 1/2)
It isn’t always pretty, especially lately, but Boise State just keeps winning. Chalk up another 100- or 200-yard game for Ashton Jeanty. Beavers give up 178.2 yards per game on the ground, 102nd in the nation.
Pick: Boise State 40-16.
No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson (minus 2 1/2)
Both teams have their sights set on a playoff bid. Only one of them will after this game. Gamecocks have won five straight since a 3-3 start.
Pick: South Carolina 29-24.
Auburn (plus 11 1/2) at No. 12 Alabama
Alabama has won six straight Iron Bowl games in Tuscaloosa, the last four in blowouts. Crimson Tide QB Jalen Milroe is coming off his worst game in a 21-point loss at Oklahoma. Auburn is riding high after four-overtime win over Texas A&M.
Pick: Alabama 24-21.
No. 14 Arizona State (minus 9) at Arizona
The Sun Devils, coming off a three-win season and picked last in the Big 12, can make the conference championship game with a win. Arizona, coming off a 10-win season, have dropped six of seven.
Pick: Arizona State 42-24.
Mississippi State (plus 26 1/2) at No. 15 Mississippi
The two-win Bulldogs are trending toward their worst season since 2003 but the Egg Bowl tends to bring out their best. The Rebels’ loss to Florida last week probably drove a stake into their playoff hopes.
Pick: Mississippi 41-20.
Kansas State (plus 2 1/2) at No. 17 Iowa State
Iowa State is going for its first 10-win regular season and likely a spot in the Big 12 title game. Wildcats’ offense is in top form with Avery Johnson back to full health.
Pick: Kansas State 28-27.
Memphis (plus 14) at No. 18 Tulane
Tulane, among four FBS teams averaging better than 40 points per game, has outscored its last three opponents by a combined 121-9. Memphis, the preseason AAC favorite, hasn’t been a double-digit underdog for a conference game in at least a decade.
Pick: Tulane 43-31.
Houston at No. 19 BYU (minus 12 1/2)
BYU has lost two straight after a 9-0 start. Houston coach Willie Fritz fired coordinator Kevin Barbay to get a jump on fixing the nation’s lowest-scoring offense.
Pick: BYU 28-3.
Nevada (plus 17 1/2) at No. 21 UNLV
UNLV goes to the Mountain West championship game to face Boise State with a win. Nevada has played eight one-score games, most in the nation, and won two of them.
Pick: UNLV 26-17.
No. 22 Illinois (minus 7 1/2) vs. Northwestern
Illinois heads into the game at Wrigley Field looking for its first nine-win season since 2007. Northwestern scored 24 points off turnovers in its 45-43 win over the Illini last year. Illini have been turnover-free two straight games.
Pick: Illinois 33-24.
Oklahoma State at No. 23 Colorado (minus 16 1/2)
Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter make their final appearances at Folsom Field. The stage is set for them to amass monster numbers against the Big 12’s worst defense.
Pick: Colorado 48-27.
Arkansas (plus 3 1/2) at No. 24 Missouri
Both teams are bowl-eligible and playing for the best possible destination. Razorbacks are 0-6 all-time in Columbia.
Pick: Missouri 24-21.
UTSA at No. 25 Army (minus 7)
UTSA has the top rushing defense in the AAC, but the Roadrunners haven’t faced a ground game like Army’s. The Black Knights haven’t been held under 200 yards rushing.
Pick: Army 34-24.
AP predictions scorecard
Last week: Straight-up — 12-6; Against spread — 8-10.
Season: Straight-up — 192-53; Against spread — 122-122.
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