The Goldin Guarantees: Week 10

Well, we're at another bye, and this one could not have come at a better time. Besides the absurd amount of injuries that our offense has faced, it also benefits us so we aren't having to go to Wake Forest on a short week. Now, even with our offensive woes, we most likely would be able to play Saturday and then travel to Winston-Salem Thursday night and still beat the doors off the Deacs, but having extra time to recover, practice, and get focused means that we should go into next Thursday fully prepared and ready to play like any other game. That being said, having a Saturday with no Clemson football is a bummer. There's always a void when Clemson isn't playing on a Saturday, but hopefully there are enough good games to get me through until next Thursday! I went 4-3 last week, so let's see if I can do better this week.

Thursday 10/30

Florida State (-3.5, o/u 50.5) @ Louisville 7:30 (ESPN)

The #2 'Noles take a trip to bluegrass country to take on the new team of the ACC. Louisville, sitting at 6-2, has already gotten the attention of Clemson by giving us all we could want in a defensive slugfest a few weeks back that we were fortunate to win. Now the Cards get a chance to make a bigger statement by getting the upset of FSU. I believe that Florida State is the more talented team, and normally their offense should be able to do enough against even a good D like Louisville to get the W. That being said, this has all the makings of a big upset. On the road, Thursday Night, against a quality opponent are definitely ingredients for a pre-Halloween scare for the Noles. Papa John's Cardinal Stadium should be rocking, and the Cards D will be gunning for Jameis and Co. The Goldin Guarantee: Louisville 23 Florida St 21

Saturday 11/1

Boston College @ Virginia Tech (-3, o/u 42) 12:30 (ACC Network/ESPN3.com)

Back when these schools first joined the ACC, this was one of the conferences better rivalries, and was a Championship Game matchup a few times. These days, that's not the case. Both of these teams are mysteries, though. BC was able to knock off #9 Southern Cal at home during week 3, but then 2 weeks later dropped a home game to Colorado State. The Hokies week 2 upset of #8 Ohio State in Columbus had people thinking that Beamer Ball was back, but the next week they lost at home against ECU and have dropped 3 other games besides that. BC is actually a decent team, but VT is a mess right now. The Hokies have home field advantage, but that can only help so much. The Goldin Guarantee: BC 14 VT 6

Florida vs Georgia (-12.5, o/u 51.5) in Jacksonville, Fl 3:30 (CBS)

Yep, it's time for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Oh, the universities don't want us to call it that anymore? Umm, do they know what goes on down there? This year, the festivities in St. Simons Island, GA (where all the Dawg fans stay) and Jacksonville will probably be the more exciting than the game on the field, although even in good years for both teams it's hard to compete with the party that goes on down there. UGA is still awaiting the NCAA's reinstatement of Todd Gurley, but even if he doesn't get the go ahead for this weekend, Nick Chubb will be looking to add his name to Georgia-Florida lore. Chubb has been tearing it up for the Dawgs in Gurley's place. Florida, on the other hand, is having a dismal season, and will be looking for a true freshman of their own to give the O some spark. True Freshman QB Treon Harris gets the nod over Junior Jeff Driskel for the Gators. Will Muschamp is pulling out all the stops, as his job is on the line. The Goldin Guarantee: UGA 49 Florida 17

Virginia @ Georgia Tech (-3.5, o/u 54.5) 3:30 (ESPNU)

Ga Tech has been a team to constantly trip me up in making picks. I was skeptical of them for weeks, and they roll out to a 6 and 0 start. I get start buying into them a little bit, and they drop 2 in a row. Last week, I just knew Pitt was going to get them, and they come out and get the win. They're a hard team to read, and so is UVA. The Wahoos slugged it out with UCLA and actually beat Louisville, but have also dropped 4 games. I think they have made some big improvements this year, but they still have a long way to go. The Goldin Guarantee: GT 37 UVA 28

Auburn @ Mississippi (-2.5, o/u 51) 7:00 (ESPN)

Ole Miss lost their first game Saturday at LSU in a dismal offensive performance, yet they still made an appearance at #4 in the first ever College Football Playoff Rankings. Auburn has a loss to Mississippi State, and is #3 in those same rankings. Someone will be knocked from the top 4 after this week, that's for sure. Bo Wallace will definitely have to get the Rebels offense going more than it was last week if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. That being said, if their defense can hold Auburn to 10 points like they did LSU, they'd probably get the win. Auburn's defense looked less than stellar in their win against South Carolina, and another performance like that will probably equal a loss in Oxford for Auburn The Goldin Guarantee:Ole Miss 27 Auburn 24

Tennessee @ South Carolina (-7,  o/u 56.5) 7:30 (SEC Network)

The Gamecocks played their best game since UGA in Saturday's game against Auburn, but they still came up short. After 3 11 win seasons, this year has been a disappointment for South Carolina fans after having lofty expectations. The Vols bring a 3-5 record to the matchup after a double digit loss to Alabama. They've lost 5 of their last six games this year. South Carolina has an opportunity to string together 3 wins over the Vols, Florida, and South Alabama before heading to the season finale in Clemson. Tennessee gave UGA a scare in Athens and put up 20 on Alabama, so the Cocks won't run over the Vols by any means. The Goldin Guarantee: South Carolina 31 Tennessee 30