College football picks: Indiana, Vandy have gotten better together, landing both in top 10

Imagine telling a Vanderbilt fan after 10 straight losses to end of the 2023 season that the Commodores would be ranked in the top 10 of The Associated Press poll in less than two years.

Imagine telling an Indiana fan the same thing at the same time, after the Hoosiers had closed with losses in seven of eight games, that their team would be in the top 10 less than a year later.

Now imagine telling anyone who follows college football that these two historically bad programs would be together in the top 10 in 2025. You would have been told to dream on.

No. 2 Indiana has its highest ranking ever entering its home game against UCLA on Saturday. No. 10 Vanderbilt, which hosts No. 15 Missouri, this week earned its first top-10 ranking since 1947.

Before last season, when Vanderbilt and Indiana appeared together in two AP polls, they had never been ranked simultanously except for one week in 1937.

From 1995-2023, Vanderbilt’s .322 winning percentage was the worst among power-conference programs. Indiana’s .348 winning percentage over that span was third-worst, ahead of only Duke (.334) and Vandy.

Since last season, Indiana’s 18-2 record (.900) is tied for third-best in the country and Vanderbilt’s 13-7 mark (.650) is tied for 34th.

“Obviously, there’ll be a few more people paying attention to what we’re doing,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said. “We’ve committed to not allow that to change us.”

Here are picks for this week’s games involving AP Top 25 teams and lines from BetMGM Sportsbook:

UCLA (plus 24 1/2) at No. 2 Indiana

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti made UCLA sound like a world beater this week. Bruins have won three straight, but they haven’t played a team like the Hoosiers. Plus, QB Nico Iamaleava is dealing with a knee issue.

Pick: Indiana 42-21.

No. 3 Texas A&M (minus 2 1/2) at No. 20 LSU

Brian Kelly is starting to feel the heat at LSU. Aggies can snip Tiger playoff hopes that are hanging by a thread after last week’s loss at Vanderbilt.

Pick: Texas A&M 28-24.

No. 4 Alabama (minus 13 1/2) at South Carolina

Crimson Tide have won six straight and will be favored in the rest of their regular-season games. Gamecocks have lost four of five with an offense that’s struggling.

Pick: Alabama 31-14.

Wisconsin at No. 6 Oregon (minus 34 1/2)

Badgers have been shut out in back-to-back games for the first time in 48 years. That 1977 team totaled 22 points over its last six games. Luke Fickell’s crew has scored 20 over the last four games.

Pick: Oregon 45-0.

Syracuse at No. 7 Georgia Tech (minus 17 1/2)

Syracuse has done next to nothing offensively since QB Steve Angeli was lost for the season with an Achilles’ tear.

Pick: Georgia Tech 35-13.

No. 8 Mississippi at No. 13 Oklahoma (minus 4 1/2)

Rebels face second straight tough road game and seek answers for an offense that went dormant in the fourth quarter against Georgia. That’s no small task against nation’s top defense.

Pick: Oklahoma 26-21.

Stanford (plus 30 1/2) at No. 9 Miami

Stanford is 1-4 in ACC road games east of the Rockies since joining the league. Carson Beck is in bounce-back mode after his four-interception game against Louisville.

Pick: Miami 45-16.

No. 15 Missouri at No. 10 Vanderbilt (minus 3)

Tigers have won five straight against Vandy but are 0-4 in Top 25 matchups on the road under Eli Drinkwitz.

Pick: Vanderbilt 24-20.

No. 11 BYU (plus 2 1/2) at Iowa State

BYU, when ranked, is 10-1 on the road against unranked opponents under 10th-year coach Kalani Sitake. Cyclones have won nine of their last 10 at home.

Pick: BYU 23-22.

Oklahoma State at No. 14 Texas Tech (minus 38 1/2)

Red Raiders are coming off their first loss and won’t hesitate to take out their frustration against woeful OSU.

Pick: Texas Tech 52-10.

No. 16 Virginia at North Carolina

(plus 10 1/2)

Cavaliers have won two straight one-score games to extend their win streak to five, longest since 2007. Tar Heels will keep it close for a while.

Pick: Virginia 27-19.

No. 17 Tennessee (minus 9 1/2) at Kentucky

Tennessee was held to season-low 20 points by Alabama with QB Joey Aguilar banged up. Aguilar will play this week, and Volunteers will get things revved up again.

Pick: Tennessee 41-14.

No. 18 South Florida (minus 3 1/2) at Memphis

USF has averaged 55 points per game over three American Conference matchups and can all but knock out the Tigers from playoff contention.

Pick: South Florida 29-24.

Boston College (plus 25 1/2) at No. 19 Louisville

Cardinals have played three straight close games and are coming off an upset of Miami. Injuries are piling up for Boston College, which has lost six straight.

Pick: Louisville 34-13.

Baylor (plus 5 1/2) at No. 21 Cincinnati

Bears’ Sawyer Robertson leads the nation in passing, and they’ve already gone on the road and won a scoring contest against a ranked opponent (SMU).

Pick: Baylor 40-35.

No. 22 Texas at Miss

issippi State

(plus 6 1/2)

Arch Manning earned his lowest passer rating of the season in a narrow win at Kentucky. Now the Longhorns go against one of the best pass defenses in the country.

Pick: Mississippi State 27-26.

No. 23 Illinois (plus 4 1/2) at Washington.

Injuries are an issue on Washington’s offensive line and at tight end. Illinois has won six of its last seven one-score games, and this figures to be another one.

Pick: Illinois 26-24.

Houston at No. 24 Arizona State (minus 8 1/2)

Sam Leavitt was at his best against Texas Tech, and the Sun Devils are looking to get on roll as they try to stay in the Big 12 race. Houston’s last road win against a ranked team was in 2017.

Pick: Arizona State 30-20.

No. 25 Michigan (minus 14) at Michigan State

Wolverines’ offense hasn’t been prolific, but conditions are right for it to be this week. Michigan State’s defense has allowed 38, 38, 38 and 45 points in its last four games.

Pick: Michigan 37-21.

Byes: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Georgia, No. 12 Notre Dame.

AP predictions scorecard

Last week: Straight-up — 13-7; Against spread — 10-10.

Season: Straight-up — 105-27; Against spread — 64-67-1.

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