College football Week 10: Georgia favored at home against Tennessee, NC State hosts Wake Forest
Posted November 3, 2022 5:00 a.m. EDT
Updated November 4, 2022 8:53 a.m. EDT
Week 10 of the 2022 college football season has many questions.
WRAL senior multiplatform producer Mark Bergin tries to answer some of them.
Note: The College Football Playoff rankings are used as the rankings in this story.
What’s your tweet-length take ahead of Week 10 of the college football season?
I can’t believe I’m writing this: It feels like ‘98! Tennessee is ranked No. 1 in college football for the first time since the 1998 season. The Volunteers also won the national championship that season.
What’s the best college football game of the weekend?
No. 1 Tennessee at No. 3 Georgia (3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, CBS)
Despite a lower ranking, Georgia enters Saturday as an 8-point home favorite. The line has shifted as the Bulldogs opened as 11.5-point favorites.
The Volunteers have the nation’s best offense at 49.4 points per game and 553 yards per game. Tennessee has scored at least 34 points in each of its eight games this season.
However, Georgia’s defense ranks second in the country in scoring, allowing only 10.5 points per game.
Georgia must overcome the loss of outside linebacker Nolan Smith. The team’s leading pass-rusher this season will miss the rest of the season with a torn right pectoral muscle. Through eight games, Smith leads Georgia with 3 sacks, 7 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hurries. Smith is considered a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Also, Georgia defensive back Dan Jackson is also likely out for the remainder of the season. Jackson will need surgery to fix a stress fracture in his foot.
Georgia’s offense isn’t too far behind Tennessee. The Bulldogs rank second in yards per game (530.1) and sixth in scoring (41.8 points per game).
If the Vols win Saturday, quarterback Hendon Hooker would become even more of a favorite in the Heisman Trophy race. The Vols aren’t scheduled to play a ranked opponent after Saturday in the regualr season. The Vols play Missouri on Nov. 12, South Carolina on Nov. 19 and Vanderbilt on Nov. 26.
Hooker has thrown for 2,338 yards with 21 touchdowns and one interception this season. The Vols are also second in the country in passing yards (353.4 yards per game).
Keep an eye on Georgia tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington aka “Agent Zero.” Both players create mismatches against opposing defenses and have NFL futures. They have distinct size advantages against most defensive backs and have the speed to run away from linebackers too.
Bowers is listed at 6’4” and 230 pounds.
Washington is listed at 6’7” and 270 pounds. He also has a propensity to hurdle over opposing defenders.
What’s the best ACC game of the weekend?
No. 21 Wake Forest at No. 22 NC State (8 p.m. ET Saturday, ACC Network)
After NC State head coach Dave Doeren “upset the Twitterverse,” the question is whether Wolfpack fans will stay at Carter-Finley Stadium for the duration of Saturday night’s game.
Perhaps Doeren could “experiment” with being aggressive on offense to start games.
Since quarterback Devin Leary suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on Oct. 9 against Florida State, the Wolfpack have struggled with their first-half offensive production.
In their last three games, the Wolfpack have scored 9 first-half points compared to 41 second-half points.
Also, in the last three games, the Wolfpack’s first-half point differential is -18 and their second-half point differential is +6.
The Wolfpack will try to slow down quarterback Sam Hartman and a Demon Deacons offense averaging 38.9 points per game.
Hartman has thrown for 2,026 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Can Notre Dame upset Clemson?
Can the Irish pull off the upset? Sure.
Will they? Probably not.
Since starting the season 0-2, Notre Dame has won five of its last six games.
Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei returns to the place where he threw for 439 yards as a freshman during the 2020 season while filling in for Trevor Lawrence, who had tested positive for COVID.
Even though Clemson lost in double overtime, he was declared the next great Clemson quarterback. Perhaps it was premature.
Uiagalelei is coming off a 27-21 win against Syracuse, in which he got replaced by freshman Cade Klubnik. However, Klubnik only attempted four passes against Syracuse.
Uiagalelei will start Saturday, but Dabo Swinney will probably have a shorter leash for his quarterback compared to several weeks ago.
Which team will Lee Corso pick during ESPN’s “College GameDay” broadcast? Tennessee or Georgia
Ultimately, this comes down to Corso picking between the schools’ two mascots Smokey and Uga. Because Georgia is coming off a national title last season and the game is in Athens, I think Corso picks the Bulldogs.
