Favorites took care of business in Week 9, with Tennessee, Ohio St., and Georgia all defeating division rivals by convincing margins. Week 10 brings the season debut of the College Football Playoff rankings, and the top of the polls landed in that order. Ohio St claiming the second position prevented a #1 vs. #2 matchup with Tennessee visiting Georgia. That game leads the slate, but our staff is back to prepare you for all of Week 10.
What Game Are You Watching?
#1 Tennessee vs #3 Georgia
Jason Wood - Is there any legitimate answer other than Tennessee heading to Georgia? The Volunteers season has been a dream so far, and the Vols find themselves ranked atop the College Playoff rankings and No. 2 in AP Poll, taking on the AP No. 1 Bulldogs, who are ranked third in the initial playoff rankings. Whoever wins this is almost assured of a spot in the playoffs as long as they can win out from there. The line has been bet down to 8 points, which is one of the tighter spreads the Bulldogs have seen at home in a long time.
Despite the AP rankings making this a matchup of 1 vs. 2, more objective measures paint this as more of a juggernaut (Georgia) up against a very good opponent (Tennessee). The Bulldogs are No. 1 in SP+ (behind Ohio State), while Tennessee sits at No. 5. The difference is the quality of their respective defenses. Georgia has the second-ranked defense nationally, while the Volunteers are only 34th. The college football playoff voters have always been a prisoner of momentum and the moment, and I suspect the Volunteers will be exposed this weekend, making their No. 1 ranking in the initial rankings look foolish.
Craig Lakins - The only answer is Tennessee at Georgia. No matter which poll you prefer, this is a battle of top-three-ranked schools that stand to gain a ton by picking up a victory on Saturday. The Vols' high-powered offense looks like it can't be stopped at times. Meanwhile, Kirby Smart's Georgia teams have made shutdown defenses their calling card.
Tennessee is more than a touchdown underdog but has current Heisman favorite Hendon Hooker leading the charge. In an offense that relies on creating mismatches and isolations with wide splits and pre-snap movement, Hooker has been making the perfect read nearly every play. It's created a perfect storm of a scheme that's hard to defend and near flawless execution by those on the field.
On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs need to put together sustained drives to eat up time and keep Tennessee's offense off the field. Stetson Bennett will likely never get the credit he deserves for how successful he's been, but he makes their offense go as the steady engine behind all they do.
If this game is half as good as Tennessee's game against Alabama, we're all in for a treat.
Christian Williams - This week's obvious choice is the #1 Tennessee Volunteers heading to Georgia to face the #3 Bulldogs. The unstoppable force meets the immovable object, with Tennessee's #1 ranked offense facing its toughest test against Georgia's #2 ranked defense. This game has plenty of X-factor matchups, but the most appealing is Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo lining up across from Jalin Hyatt. Over the last five weeks, Hyatt is averaging over four receptions per game, 116 yards per game, and over two touchdowns per game. His emergence, combined with the second week of a healthy Cedric Tillman, could give the Bulldogs issues. On the other side, Georgia lost star edge rusher Nolan Smith for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Still, it gained even-bigger-star defensive tackle Jalen Carter in the Week 9 win against Florida. Experience and trench play matter, which could prove advantageous for the reigning national champions.
Kyle Bellefeuil - As many others have already stated, the answer here is No. 1 Tennesee against No. 3 Georgia. The Tennesee offense leads the nation averaging 553 yards/gm, per ESPN. Hendon Hooker has been fantastic, and his connection with Jalin Hyatt has been electric. However, it runs into a stingy Georgia defense allowing just 262.6 yards/gm to opposing offenses, per ESPN. The Bulldog defense will be ready, no doubt about it. The Volunteers already gave us one epic battle this season with their 52-49 win over Alabama a few weeks ago. This should be another game that keeps us on the edge of our seats. Bring it on.
Kevin Coleman - There is one game that the whole country should be watching this week, and that’s #1 Tennessee taking on #3 Georgia in Athens. The Volunteers have been a revelation this season, with many comparing this team to the Joe Burrow-led 2019 LSU Tigers that took college football by storm. The Volunteers are led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, one of the best players in college football this season. He has thrown 2,338 yards and twenty-one touchdowns this season, which is why the Volunteers are undefeated. If he can go into Athens and come away with a victory, then he will be a shoo-in for the Heisman Trophy award this year. On the other hand, this is a must-win game for the Bulldogs, who are trying to repeat as National Champions this season. The Bulldogs have struggled to find an offensive identity this season, and the key to the game will be if the Bulldogs can match the Volunteers' offensive output. Something that Alabama struggled with in their loss to the Volunteers earlier this season. Regardless this game has massive ramifications for the college football landscape and hierarchy in the SEC.
What Player Are You Watching?
QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Jason Wood - All eyes are on Hendon Hooker. If he plays well and either loses a close game or beats the Bulldogs, he'll have the inside track to the Heisman Trophy. Or, at the very least, pull into a dead heat with current favorite C.J. Stroud. Hooker already passed a massive test by dropping 52 points on the Crimson Tide, whose defense ranks 7th (but was a top-3 unit before Hooker burned them). On the season, Hooker completes 71% of passes for 2,338 yards and 21 touchdowns, with only one interception.
WR Jaylin Hyatt, Tennessee
Craig Lakins - While Hendon Hooker leads the Heisman race, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt has been putting up monster numbers. Through just eight games, he's already broken Tennessee's single-season receiving touchdown record with 14. In 2021, he was hardly a factor for new head coach Josh Heupel's offense, and there were rumors that he might look to transfer. Instead of taking the easy way out, he put his head down and got to work. He bought into the philosophy and put himself in a position to have a breakthrough season. I'm not expecting a repeat of his five-touchdown performance against Alabama, but if the Vols are to be successful on Saturday, they'll need Hyatt to deliver again.
Kevin Coleman - Keeping it in the Tennessee/Georgia game, one player to watch is wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, who was already trending up draft boards heading into Tennesse’s game against Florida after he finished the Alabama game two weeks ago with six receptions for 207 yards and five touchdowns. In the last two weeks, Hyatt has proven that game was not a fluke. In the previous two weeks, he’s caught 12 balls for 312 yards and four touchdowns. Hyatt has put together a fantastic season this year, and if he can have a big game against Georgia, Hyatt could put himself in the conversation as a top-5 WR in the class.
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
Christian Williams - North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye has likely made this list in a previous week, but his matchup against Virginia offers a massive opportunity. Maye has worked himself into Heisman Trophy discussions, ranking second in the nation in touchdowns, fourth in QBR, fourth in yards, and 18th in interceptions. His performances have pushed North Carolina to the brink of a Coastal Division title, and he gets a difficult matchup against Virginia in Week 10. Virginia ranks 24th in passing offense against, but if Maye can continue to dominate and North Carolina continues to win, he may have a seat at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York after the 2022 season.
DT Jalen Carter, Georgia
Kyle Bellefeuil - I’m excited to watch Jalen Carter go to work along Georgia’s interior defensive line. Carter (knee) had missed the previous three games before returning last week in Georgia’s game against Florida. Carter was disruptive in his return, registering four pressures (per Pro Football Focus) against the Gators in Week 9. The Georgia defense will be without star edge rusher Nolan Smith (torn pectoral) and will be looking to Carter to bring some juice. Getting pressure upfront can impede the flow of opposing offenses. Carter is the top draft-eligible interior defensive lineman and should make life difficult for Tennessee's offensive line on Saturday.
What is one surprise coming out of the first wave of College Football Playoff rankings?
Jason Wood - The blatant disrespect the committee bestowed upon Georgia, ranking them third behind Tennessee and Ohio State. Georgia ranks 8th in offensive SP+, 2nd defensively, and 3rd on special teams. Ohio State is 1st, 6th, and 24th, so they deserve a high ranking, too. But Tennessee? Yes, their offense is elite (2nd), but defensively (34th) and on special teams (52nd), they've got a lot to prove.
Craig Lakins - With this being the first rankings of the season, there is bound to be a lot of conversation about the results, but there is still so much football left that I'd hardly spend much energy being upset that anyone got "snubbed." I was a bit surprised that Clemson came in ahead of Michigan. The Wolverines still have Ohio St. on their schedule, so they'll have ample opportunity to make up ground.
Christian Williams - Georgia's ranking outside of the Top 2 is the most glaring surprise from the first wave of College Football Playoff rankings. The defending national champions have sleepwalked through some games they should have dominated. Still, they come into the weekend as 8.5-point favorites against the Tennessee team that the committee ranked top in the nation with a prime opportunity to seize the #1 overall ranking with a win on Saturday. Honorable mention of Clemson's inclusion in the Top 4 over Michigan.
Kyle Bellefeuil - I was a bit surprised to see Michigan coming in at the five-spot behind No. 4 Clemson. Although, their cupcake non-conference schedule to begin the year could have something to do with it. The Wolverines being left out of the top four means their date with Ohio State to finish the season will likely make or break their college playoff chances. As if those two teams didn’t have enough reason to hate each other already, right?
Kevin Coleman - While I could go on a tirade about Clemson being ranked ahead of Michigan and how there is a clear bias to a top-25 ranking system that should have no merit, I’ll stay away from that conversation. The biggest surprise that stood out was LSU jumping to the #10 spot. LSU has two losses, and their most convincing win was against an Ole Miss team that was over-ranked this season. LSU has a path now to make a college football playoff with two losses if they can get a win against heavily favored Alabama this weekend. LSU could be the true team of chaos heading into November.