The weather is colder, the leaves are nearly off the trees, and every game matters. It’s a final stretch now that it’s November and everyone’s giving a teary goodbye to championship games. But who will make it to the last of the great institutions? Here at The Alabama Take, it’s time to decide on what we think. Join us on the site each Friday afternoon during the season as four writers make the best (and worst) predictions on college and NFL games. They’ll lose a lot, cry some, and make plenty of friends along the way. On Mondays and Tuesdays, be sure to check out Takin’ On Sports, a weekly sports show with a focus on Alabama and the rest of the SEC.
2026 Results
Blaine Duncan: 15-24 (Week Ten: 2-2)
TD Wood: 20-18-1 (Week Ten: 3-1)
Mallory McCormack: 16-21-2 (Week Ten: 1-3)
Greg Bosworth: 21-17-1 (Week Ten: 2-2)
Blaine Duncan
It’s one of the first weekends this season that I’ve liked more than a few lines; it was difficult whittling this list down to three. Watch out, Tennessee! It could be a tricky game in College Station!
Northwestern (+14) at Ohio State – The Buckeyes have a defense to keep them in a game, but this isn’t a guaranteed win. Since the entire proceeding is up in the air due to Ohio State continuing its crumbling this year and Northwestern keeping every team on edge thanks to Chip Kelly’s offense, it’s a closer game than two touchdowns.
James Madison (-4.5) at UConn – There are a lot of two-loss teams, and most have a chance to win week in and week out. The Dukes should handle a team of Huskies that haven’t been good in a long time.
Utah at Arizona (+2.5) – How about another example of a two-loss team looking to make a statement? There’s a reason why this is a close line. The Wildcats and their night-time, desert voodoo will get the upset at home which will, in turn, cause even more chaos in a tumultuous year. Good luck, committee.
NFL Game of the Week
49ers (-4) at Cowboys – Due to the wild ride that college football has been this season, the NFL and its unpredictability has gone overlooked. It’s tough to find a satisfying line, but I’ll go with San Francisco getting it done on the road against an up-and-down Dallas team.
TD Wood
Alright, back on track. I need to maintain focus and finish strong. This week’s slate isn’t as glamorous, but every game is crucial at this point in the season, particularly in a crazy year like the one we’re having. I haven’t gone back and looked at my preseason predictions, but I’m sure it’s a bloodbath.
Wake Forest at SMU (Over 60.5) – Since I belong to the “I only keep Facebook to keep up with certain family/friends” crowd, the only thing I really do on there is check my memories. If I check on the right day of the year, I catch one of my favorites from a longer-than-I-like time ago: a quaint little story about playing NCAA on my day off, playing as Wake Forest, and upsetting LSU in Baton Rouge. That is about the extent of my involvement with Wake football, that and Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South by Ed Southern, which is an excellent read that I highly recommend. Anyway, I like these two offenses to put up some points.
Tennessee (-2.5) at Texas A&M – Am I missing something with this line? I mean, I’m the biggest Vols hater around and even I think this is disrespectful. I don’t see how the Aggies win this one, but I also wouldn’t mind if I put the hex on Tennessee by picking them here.
Boston College at Notre Dame (-29) – A potential letdown spot for the Irish after last week’s big win, but man BC is pretty bad this year. I mean, if Duke can whoop them 47-2(!), then surely Notre Dame can, too.
NFL Game of the Week
Bills (-8) at Jets – Pretty simple here, the Bills are really good and the Jets are not. It is a divisional game, but Buffalo has been playing solid football and it’s hard to see them slipping up here.
Mallory McCormack
Geez. My picks were as bad as my Rebels last weekend. But have no fear; I’m still going to be bad! And we’re gonna hope the Rebs bounce back. Also, what does a girl have to do to keep a fantasy QB healthy?! Sigh. Anyway, without further ado, One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Blue Mississippi hut hut!!! 🩵💙
Wake Forest at SMU (-1.5) – SMU at home with the upset.
Florida at Kentucky (-3) – I know I picked Kentucky last weekend in Neyland, but losing on the road isn’t the worst. Losing at home is.
Utah (-2.0) at Arizona – Utah did what a #2 ranked team should do last weekend: they made mistakes, got amnesia, and won.
NFL Game of the Week
Vikings at Packers (-3) – The Vikings getting Kirk Cousins back was a shock; however, I think the Pack cruises.
Greg Bosworth
Back again chasing the elusive perfect 4-0 weekend with several playoff elimination type games to choose from, so fingers crossed.
Illinois (+10) at UCLA – The Illini have won four in a row and would love to be the ones to knock off the undefeated Bruins. The pressure starts to build as you get closer to achieving a perfect season season, and though I think UCLA wins, it’ll be closer than some expect.
USC (+8.5) at Indiana – The Hoosiers feel like the most disrespected team in America after dropping in the polls during their bye week. Lincoln Riley has the opportunity to get arguably the biggest win of his tenure in LA, but it’ll be tough against that Indiana defense. Curt Cignetti’s team has lived on the edge all season and expect more of the same here as the Men of Troy at least beat the spread.
Duke (+13.5) at Miami – An early start after a heart breaking loss in South Bend are two of the ingredients that lead to upsets. On top of that, Manny Diaz would love nothing more than to stick it to his former team that also stole his star quarterback. Not sure the Blue Devils can pull the upset, but I expect Canes fans to feel a little uncomfortable tomorrow afternoon.
NFL Game of the Week
49ers (-4) at Cowboys – This NFL season has been all over the place, but when you see a game that seems like a lock, you jump all over it. The Cowboys defense is historically bad and this could get ugly. Usually San Francisco rips Cowboys’ fans’ hearts out late, but this could be over before halftime.
Note: All games are against the spread. Odds are taken from MGM Grand Sportsbook.
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