Subscribe
Follow Us
Another week of college football is in the books, and it is now time to shift focus to week 10 of the season. It's hard to believe that there have already been two months of the regular season, and in a little over a month, we will know the College Football Playoff field. There are once again a lot of good games this week with playoff implications, and of them features the #1 Oregon football team going on the road to take on Michigan. The Ducks are led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Dillon Gabriel, and they are hoping to stay undefeated this weekend.
This game was expected to be between two ranked teams when the season started, but the Michigan football team is currently unranked with three losses on the year. Still, it is expected to be a good game, and the Wolverines are hoping to pull off the upset. Oregon on the other hand is hoping to remain undefeated and in first place in the Big Ten as they continue to march toward the College Football Playoff.
Before we get into predictions for Dillon Gabriel and his performance, let's take a look at how both of these teams are performing this year.
Michigan hasn't met expectations this year
The Michigan football team has not lived up the hype so far this season after winning it all last year. In the Wolverines' defense, they did lose just about all of their starters from a year ago, and they have an entirely new coaching staff, starting at the top with first-year head coach Sherrone Moore. Still, people thought that Michigan would be better than this, and there are clearly some growing pains in Moore's first year.
Michigan is currently 5-3 overall on the season and they are 3-2 in conference play. The Wolverines lost early in the season at home against Texas, and then they recently lost two straight road games against Washington and Illinois. Michigan absolutely needed to get a win at home over the weekend against in-state rival Michigan State, and they got it done.
With #1 Oregon coming down, Michigan has an opportunity to give their season some life. They kept things alive with the win over Michigan State, but if they really want to pick up momentum, a win over the top-ranked team in the country would do the trick. It will not be easy, however.
Oregon looks like far and away the best team in college football right now
The Oregon football team is ranked #1 in the country, and for good reason. The Ducks haven't just looked like the best team in college football, they have looked like it by a very wide margin. This team is firing on all cylinders right now and they are going to be an extremely tough out down the stretch.
Oregon recently proved that they are the top dog when they beat Ohio State in a thriller. Since that game, the Ducks have only looked better, and the Buckeyes looked worse in their one contest. Still, those two teams will probably end up meeting in the Big Ten title game.
A big reason why Oregon has been so good this season is the play of Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel is one of the best players in college football and he is the current favorite to win the Heisman. Here are three predictions for his performance against Michigan this weekend:
Dillon Gabriel will throw for over 300 yards
The Michigan defense was supposed to be a major strength, but they haven't met expectations. They have potentially four first-round draft picks on that side of the ball, but their pass defense has struggled this year. The Wolverines have to be able to get pressure on Gabriel to have a chance in this game. If they don't, Gabriel will make them pay.
Dillon Gabriel will throw two touchdown passes
Michigan's best talent in this game will be on the defensive line as Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Josiah Stewart have all been ridiculous this year, but the Wolverines' best player on defense is in the secondary, and he might be out again this weekend. That player is Will Johnson. The Wolverines might get good pressure on Gabriel, but the secondary won't be able to hold it down.
Dillon Gabriel will lead Oregon to a win
The Michigan offense has to play turnover free football if they want to win and they can't commit a lot of penalties. They did those things last weekend. The defense needs to wreak havoc on Dillon Gabriel if they want a chance as well. There's a lot that needs to happen, and it won't all happen. Gabriel and the Ducks will leave Ann Arbor with a 38-13 win.
Notable week 10 games
This game between the Oregon football team and Michigan will be a good one to watch, but there are a lot of other good games around college football this weekend. ESPN's College GameDay is headed to Penn State as the third ranked Nittany Lions will be hosting #4 Ohio State. That is definitely the game of the week.
Starting in the ACC, there are a couple good games as Louisville will try to keep pace in the conference as they are taking on Clemson. Also, we have a matchup between two top-25 teams as #18 Pitt will visit #20 SMU. That game has huge implications on the conference title race as both teams have zero ACC losses.
In the Big 12, there isn't a lot going on. Two ranked teams have byes, and the other two main contenders have games that they should be able to win as Iowa State is playing Texas Tech and Kansas State is playing Houston.
Moving over to the Big Ten, we have already talked about the two biggest games in the conference this weekend as Ohio State will battle Penn State at noon, and Michigan and Oregon will play at 3:30. Those should be two exciting games.
Lastly, the SEC is fairly quiet as well, but there are a couple notable contests. Georgia and Florida will be getting together for their annual rivalry matchup, and that is always a fun one to see. Then, at night, Texas A&M will look to stay perfect in SEC play with a tricky road game against South Carolina.
This week's slate isn't as good as ones that we have seen in past weeks, but these are the ones that sometimes end up being the best. Enjoy another weekend of college football!
