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College football picks against the spread: How to bet Week 10’s biggest games

By Nick Villano

Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask (11) throws the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Trask (11) throws the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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No. 1 Clemson (-5.5) at No. 4 Notre Dame

There is one storyline here that matters. Trevor Lawrence is going to miss the biggest regular-season matchup of his last season at Clemson because he contracted the coronavirus. He’s the Heisman Trophy candidate (although, he’s no longer the leader). Lawrence can pull wins out of losses as good as any other quarterback in the country. He will be allowed on the sidelines for the game, and head coach Dabo Swinney says he will be able to help lead freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.

Uiagalelei was phenomenal against Boston College. He’s expected to seamlessly take over for Lawrence when he goes to the NFL. He’s a five-star prospect who could change the way we see this matchup. It’s obviously harder to predict without Lawrence, but this isn’t as big a drop off as it could be.

The matchup to watch here is the Notre Dame offensive line against the Clemson defensive line. The Fighting Irish pride themselves in keeping quarterback Ian Book clean. Book was sacked four times against Louisville, and he had his worst game of the season. If Clemson is able to get to the quarterback, they can win this game on defense.

Notre Dame just has to score points. Only putting up 31 points against Georgia Tech isn’t as good as it sounds. They needed to make a statement coming into this Clemson matchup.

The points here are scary. 5.5 points to the home team in a top-give matchup with a new quarterback under center spells doom for bettors. Notre Dame is not as good a team as Clemson, but they can keep this close. It’ll be a fun coaching matchup between Swinney and Brian Kelly. Whoever is going to get the best of this matchup will win, but it’s close enough to cover the spread. Notre Dame could even pull a backdoor cover on the Clemson defense, scoring a touchdown late to make it a one-score matchup.

Pick: Notre Dame (+5.5)

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