ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball in the first half against J.D. Davis #33 of the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Week 10 of the college football season officially kicks off on Wednesday night with a series of MAC contests.
It will continue through Saturday night with one of the biggest games of the year. No. 4 Notre Dame hosts No. 1 Clemson in what promises to be the most important game of the ACC season.
The Pac-12 also makes its return to stadiums on the West Coast for the first time this season. Before the games kick off, ESPN’s Bill Connelly gave his predictions for the biggest games.
Without Trevor Lawrence under center this weekend, Connelly still expects Clemson to take down Notre Dame – barely. Connelly predicts a 28-27 win for Dabo Swinney and company.
🔥 WEEK 10 SP+ PICKS 🔥
* Big games: BYU 31-27, Clemson 28-27 … and Fla 26.0, UGA 25.9 👀
* We finally get to find out if SP+'s love of Washington is requited
* Note: Dropping HFA back to 2 pts from 2.5. It remains a moving target, but 2.5 was prob too aggressive. pic.twitter.com/UkgWiYETH7— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) November 4, 2020
In another top 10 matchup this weekend, Connelly projects a 26-25.9 win for Florida over Georgia. It doesn’t get much closer than that.
Elsewhere around the country, No. 9 BYU takes on No. 21 Boise State. Connelly predicts a 31-27 win for quarterback Zach Wilson and BYU.
The Cougars have been dominating their opponents this season. However, if the teams truly wants to challenge for a spot in the College Football Playoff, this is a must-win game.
More than that, though, BYU needs to show the committee it is a truly dominant figure given its relatively weak schedule.
Connelly is projecting only a handful of upsets this weekend. The biggest would be in the battle between Georgia and Florida. The Bulldogs enter the contest as a 3.5-point favorite, but Connelly projects a close win for the Gators.
