Chris' Picks

Holy cow, a winning Week 10! Miracle or the start of a trend? All road favorites for me this week tells me it was likely more the former than the latter, but I'm strangely confident.

Clemson -32 at North Carolina State

It's never comfortable taking a number this big, and the angle of Clemson's No. 5 CFP ranking is probably low hanging fruit more than anything. But it does suggest the Tigers won't go through the motions but look to make a statement. They've scored 59 points in consecutive games, and at least 45 in four straight, and that's enough to earn a cover against N.C. State. The Wolfpack were just gashed for 44 by Wake Forest and have scored 16 points or fewer in three of their last four. Clemson hasn't allowed more than 14 in four consecutive games, and given the Pack's uneasy play under center, I'm not sure they score at all, let alone twice, while the Tigers easily eclipse 40.

Notre Dame -8 at Duke

Both teams are struggling offensively, but Duke's problems won't be overcome against Notre Dame's 28th-ranked scoring defense. Including 30 points in a loss to Pittsburgh, the Blue Devils averaged 16.0 ppg in their four losses. RB Deon Jackson may find success against the Irish, but QB Quentin Harris has just three TDs against five INTs in his last four games, three times being held to less than 200 yards. They'll struggle to score, suggesting Notre Dame isn't on upset