Nico Iamaleava moved to L.A. and left the spotlight.
The once-prized quarterback — who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff, then committed a shortsighted miscalculation by leaving for UCLA after failing to secure a multimillion dollar raise — likely won’t even qualify for a bowl game this season, as the Bruins (0-2) play to largely empty crowds.
Tennessee’s de facto trade for his replacement, UCLA/Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar, might have been what it didn’t know it needed. In his first two starts, Aguilar has led the Vols to 119 points, while throwing for 535 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. The senior has made 27 career starts, including a 2023 double overtime affair at North Carolina, where he outplayed Drake Maye.
On Saturday, he will be No. 15 Tennessee’s greatest edge against No. 6 Georgia. The Bulldogs have decisively won eight straight games in the series, but none of them have come with Gunner Stockton, who will be making his first career road start in front of more than 100,000 fans at Neyland Stadium.
Even against cupcakes, Stockton hasn’t looked capable of leading Georgia to another SEC title, converting fewer than 38 percent of third downs. Against Austin Peay, the Bulldogs scored just 28 points, as the offense failed to record a play of more than 23 yards and Stockton threw more than 72 percent of his passes fewer than 10 yards.
“I actually need to see what he does in practice in the game,” coach Kirby Smart said.
If far more talented quarterbacks, such as Arch Manning and Bryce Underwood, looked overwhelmed in their first road starts, Stockton shouldn’t be expected to make his mark against a strong defense in one of the nation’s most hostile venues.
Forget the streak. Just three years ago, Josh Heupel and the Vols ended 15 years of misery against Alabama with the help of an incredible home crowd and a transfer under center (Hendon Hooker).
Don’t be surprised if TENNESSEE (+3.5) does it again.
WAKE FOREST (+7) over NC State
The Wolfpack face a road game on short rest after an emotional comeback win over Virginia. The bigger issue is their defense — which ranks 95th in rushing yards allowed (4.7 per carry) and 118th in opponents’ third down conversion percentage (54.3) — slowing dual-threat Robby Ashford and Demond Claiborne, who has 212 rushing yards on 13 carries this season.
ARIZONA (+1.5) over Kansas State
The one-time Big 12 favorite is melting down, losing at home to Army after pulling out a last-minute win against North Dakota. Even when Kansas State was competing for conference titles the past two seasons, it went 5-6 on the road.
Clemson (-3.5) over GEORGIA TECH
Sometimes you need to leave home to find yourself. Following its loss to LSU, Clemson sleepwalked through the first half against Troy before ending the game with 27 consecutive points. Dabo Swinney has one more chance to prove he has a playoff team, having gone 22 months since losing a true road game to a team ranked outside the top five.
Oregon (-27.5) over NORTHWESTERN
The Ducks are 27-3 under Dan Lanning. Dante Moore looks ready to make the leap, following the webbed footprints of fellow transfers Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel. Some sportsbooks (ESPN Bet) are still offering Oregon at +1,200 to win the national title. I’ll bite.
TEMPLE (+21.5) over Oklahoma
The hangover from the Michigan win hasn’t faded. Auburn comes to Norman next week. Good luck getting up for the trip to Philly.
Wisconsin (+20.5) over ALABAMA
I keep hearing this will be a repeat of the Tide’s 42-10 win in Madison last year. Perhaps, but Ty Simpson’s stat-padding against Louisiana-Monroe should have no one convinced he’ll be able to avoid the ire of an angry fan base, which has seen Alabama lose three of its past four games against (unranked) power conference opponents.
Utep (+41.5) over TEXAS
The Longhorns are good enough to win the national title, but it could be another month before they hit their stride. Texas ranks 124th in the nation in penalty yards per game, as well as 110th in third-down conversions and 85th in completion percentage, thanks to Arch Manning’s erratic play.
South Florida (+17.5) over MIAMI
The leading contender for the Group of 5 playoff spot is unlikely to pull another upset, but it’s unwise to fade the Bulls — ranked for the first time in seven years — after their performances against Boise State and Florida, in which they allowed a combined 23 points to the Mountain West favorite and a potential future No. 1 overall NFL draft pick (DJ Lagway).
OHIO STATE (-31.5) over Ohio
Fun fact: The top-ranked Buckeyes haven’t lost to an in-state opponent in 124 years. Not as fun of a fact: Steve Serby’s boys gave up 31 points to Rutgers.
Arkansas (+7) over OLE MISS
Pretend the Rebels’ 63-31 win — featuring 515 yards and six touchdowns from Jaxson Dart — last season didn’t happen. Lane Kiffin’s replacement, Austin Simmons, has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in starts against Georgia State and Kentucky. The Hogs are 23-12 against the spread as an underdog under Sam Pittman.
Western Michigan (+27.5) over ILLINOIS
The Illini are a Top 10 team for the first time since 2001, but they haven’t yet earned the trust of one. The playoff hopeful could struggle with newfound expectations and a massive matchup at Indiana looming next week.
LSU (-7.5) over Florida
I began typing Billy Napier’s name into Google and the word “buyout” was the first to emerge behind it. The embattled coach is 20-20 with the Gators, including 10-14 in SEC play. Lagway’s inconsistency will continue against a dominant Tigers front, set to destroy Florida’s suspect protection.
NOTRE DAME (-6.5) over Texas A&M
Marcus Freeman will not make the same mistake again. In CJ Carr’s first career game (at Miami), the freshman quarterback threw 30 passes. The best running back in the country, Jeremiyah Love, had 10 rushing attempts, while game-changer Jadarian Price produced 7.5 yards per attempt on just six carries. The Irish, coming off a bye, will embrace their identity at home, facing a team they gashed for 198 yards on the ground in last year’s 10-point win over the Aggies, who recently surrendered 203 rushing yards against UTSA.
Betting on College Football?
Vanderbilt (+4.5) over SOUTH CAROLINA
Ask yourself why the line is so low for the No. 11 team at home, and why it has fallen 4 points since it opened despite the Gamecocks’ 24-7 win in last year’s matchup in Nashville. South Carolina has won 16 straight games against Vanderbilt, but the authors of last season’s upset against No. 1 Alabama could pull another one after a blowout win at Virginia Tech, led again by dual-threat Diego Pavia, who is 14-4-1 against the spread as an underdog since 2023. South Carolina’s Heisman hopeful LaNorris Sellers ranks 15th among SEC quarterbacks in passing yards and has only contributed to 25 percent of the team’s touchdowns this season.
BEST BETS: South Florida, Arkansas, Notre Dame
SEASON: 12-18 (2-4)
2014-24 RECORD: 1,392-1,309-31 (.510)
