BTB draft radar: Week 10 college football preview

Every week here at Blogging the Boys we spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. (For teams previously covered in other weeks, we move down […]

Every week here at Blogging the Boys we spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. (For teams previously covered in other weeks, we move down the depth chart, giving you more insight on other draft candidates)

GAME OF THE WEEK

Ohio State and Penn State meet in Week 10 under noon glare in Columbus, and what was circled in August as a top-five showdown has turned into something a lot more one-sided. Ohio State is unbeaten, bullying its way through the schedule behind a suffocating defense that’s giving up fewer than a touchdown a game and a first-year starter, Julian Sayin, who’s playing at an 80% completion rate with 19 touchdown passes through seven wins.

Penn State, meanwhile, staggers in at 3–4, on a four-game losing streak, breaking in an interim head coach and handing the offense to redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer after Drew Allar’s season-ending injury.

Oddsmakers opened the Buckeyes at -20.5 with a total around 44.5, which tells you everything about how Vegas sees this lopsided game. Expect Ohio Stadium loud and a matchup that’s part rivalry, part stress test. Ohio State should handle this one 31-10.

Game Overview

Matchup: Penn State vs. Ohio State (1)
November 1st, at Ohio Stadium
Kickoff time: 11:00 a.m (EST)
Ohio State favored by 19 points
The Nittany Lions were ranked second on the preseason AP Poll, they now play the rest of season without head coach, James Franklin, after firing him in mid-October

Player Watch

Penn State:

Zane Durant, DT

Durant is the havoc guy in Penn State’s interior. He’s short, dense, and explosive at 6’1”, 294 pounds, he’s built to win leverage and knife into gaps before the guard even gets his hands set. He’s carried real production two years in a row, coming off a full season where he started every game and finished with 42 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and three sacks. This year he’s racked up two sacks and one interception proving that he can remain consistent. The appeal is a quick first-step, natural leverage, powerful lower half (he’s been on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List and reportedly squats in the 600 lbs), so he can either split doubles and break into the backfield or stand his ground.

Ohio State:

Austin Siereveld, OT

Siereveld is basically a guy you plug in and the line settles down. He’s a 6’5”, 325 pound lineman who’s already started games at guard, filled in when they’ve needed help at tackle, and even taken practice reps at multiple spots because the staff trusts him to not blow protections. He’s strong enough to hold his ground against power rushers, and he plays under control not grabby, which is why he ended up starting games during their title run and is now viewed as one of the core guys up front in 2025. The upside here is simple, he’s a steady versatile blocker you build around.

Cincinnati (17) vs. Utah (24)

Salt Lake City turns into the Big 12’s main stage as the number 17 Cincinnati Bearcats heads west to face number 24 Utah Utes for a first-ever meeting that suddenly feels like title-race. Cincinnati rolls in scorching with seven straight wins, undefeated in conference play, and an offense that’s been dropping almost 40 a game behind quarterback Brendan Sorsby who’s scored 20 touchdowns to just one interception and two sacks.

Utah answers with classic Utah energy playing physical, downhill, and mean, powered by one of the nation’s most punishing rushing attacks at 267 rush yards per game. The big questions are pretty simple and pretty brutal, can Cincinnati’s offensive line handle Utah’s pressure, and can the Bearcats slow the Utes’ ground game long enough to force three-and-outs. Odds lean Utah by about a touchdown, but with College GameDay planting its flag in Salt Lake and both teams ranked in the AP Top 25, this one feels like a playoff audition. Despite the oddmakers lean, let’s predict a score line of Cincinnati 28, Utah 27.

Game Overview

Matchup: Cincinnati(17) vs. Utah (24)
November 1st, at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Kickoff time: 12:00 p.m (EST)
Utah favored by 9 points
The Cincinnati Bearcats are 7-1 with seven straight victories, but they now face their toughest test yet.

Player Watch

Cincinnati:

Dontay Corleone, NT

Corleone is Cincinnati’s nose tackle and he plays exactly like his nickname, “The Godfather.” At about 6’1” and 335 pounds, he’s built low and violent, and his whole job is ruining plans in the middle. He’s incredibly hard to move, eats double teams for breakfast, and shoves the pocket back with pure power, which is why he’s already piled up more than 100 career tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks in three forced fumbles for the Bearcats while being named all-conference three different times.

Utah:

Spencer Fano, OT

Fano is Utah’s do-everything bookend up front. He’s a strong and powerful tackle who’s already started on both sides of the line and looked comfortable doing it. He’s athletic for his size, gets off the ball fast, and almost never loses balance, which is why he’s been talked about as one of the best run blockers in college football and a future early-round tackle. He’s strong enough to sit down on bull rushers, quick enough to handle speed off the edge, and smart enough to sort out stunts without panicking.

Caleb Lomu, OT

Lomu is Utah’s blindside bodyguard. He’s long, calm, and really clean technically for a young left tackle. He shows the kind of footwork that keeps edge rushers from ever getting a clean angle, and he’s been holding up in pass pro while also helping Utah’s run game get wide and downhill off his edge. He’s not just big, he’s controlled. He sets his base, gets his hands inside, and makes rushers run take the long way around. The main thing he’s still building is a little more power in the finish. But the baseline is fine here and he already looks like a high-end college left tackle who keeps the quarterback clean and lets the playbook breathe.

Georgia Tech (8) vs. NC State

Game Overview

Matchup: Georgia Tech (8) vs. NC State
November 1st, at Carter-Finley Stadium
Kickoff Time: 12:00 p.m. (EST)
Georgia Tech favored by 6 points

Player Watch

Georgia Tech:

Eric Rivers, WR

Rivers has slid right into Georgia Tech’s offense as the reliable grown-up in the room. He’s a veteran transfer who’s already started at multiple schools (FIU and Memphis), and now he’s giving the Jackets steady production in 2025 with 28 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown. He’s not a pure jump-ball specialist or some 6’4” skyscraper, but he wins with timing, feel, and after-the-catch toughness. He set records at FIU (295 yards in a single game in 2024 and over 1,100 yards that season) and brought that energy with him to Georgia Tech.

NC State:

Justin Joly, TE

Joly is basically NC State’s just throw it to him tight end. He’s a big target with huge wingspan who moves more like a big slot than an extra lineman, and the production backs that up. After transferring in from UConn, he led the Wolfpack in receiving with 661 yards in 2024 and he’s still one of their main weapons in 2025, already registering 36 catches and five touchdowns, including a 101-yard, two touchdown game at Pitt. He’s reliable on third down and in the red zone because he wins through body control and timing, not pure speed. The one real knock is that he’s more receiver than in-line mauler. He’ll battle as a blocker, but you’re not drafting him to be a sixth offensive lineman.