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College football picks: No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Texas Tech will go down this weekend

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College football picks: No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Texas Tech will go down this weekend
Sport

Sport

College football picks: No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Texas Tech will go down this weekend

2026-11-12 00:36 Last Updated At:00:50

Remember that game a month ago in which Oregon and UCLA combined for 10 turnovers, the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision in four years?

Well, that was quite an anomoly. FBS teams are taking care of the ball better than they have through the 10th week of a season in at least a quarter century, underscoring a general lack of what often can be game-changing plays.

The average of 2.2 giveaways per game and interception rate of 2.3% are the lowest at this point in a season since at least 2000, according to Sportradar. The fumble rate of 1.8% is also the lowest, though Sportradar data dates only to 2013.

Teams of note this year are Nebraska, which has yet to lose a fumble, and South Florida, which hasn't thrown an interception. Notre Dame has just one fumble and one interception.

The picks, with AP rankings and betting lines. All games are on Saturday unless noted:

Bulldogs are playing their best on both sides of the ball right now and Missouri's bread-and-butter run game has struggled against strong defenses lately.

Pick: Georgia 35-17.

Best quarterback matchup of the day with Utah's Devon Dampier against Noah Fifita. Wildcats are unbeaten at home and must win to stay in the Big 12 race.

Pick: Utah 24-21.

Fighting Irish are feeling their oats after dispatching top-ranked Miami last week and Boston College isn't making progress under third-year coach Bill O'Brien.

Pick: Notre Dame 40-10.

UCLA keeps chugging along in Bob Chesney's first year and won't stop Friday against an Illini team that's won four straight.

Pick: UCLA 28-21.

Miami QB Darian Mensah faces his former team and will go against the ACC's top defense. Hurricanes will have their hands full with Duke RB Nate Sheppard.

Pick: Miami 26-23.

Hoosiers have had to ride their stout defense while the offense has dawdled the last month. Trojans' hopes rest on Jayden Maiava's arm and an improving defense.

Pick: Indiana 24-20.

Kalen DeBoer proceeds cautiously when it comes to Vanderbilt, which upset the Tide as a 23 1/2-point underdog two years ago. Alabama won 30-14 last year, but it was a six-point game with less than five minutes to play.

Pick: Alabama 38-14.

Texas is rolling and 4-0 against Top 25 opponents, so it raised eyebrows when the Longhorns opened as underdogs. Could be because LSU's pass rush is elite and Arch Manning gets sacked on nearly 1 of every 10 pass plays.

Pick: LSU 28-27.

Volunteers' defense just got done holding Kentucky to six points, and the Aggies' offense has been a mess most weeks against SEC opponents.

Pick: Tennessee 20-14.

The over-under is 72 1/2 points, which actually seems a little low the way these two teams have been putting up points.

Pick: Oklahoma State 48-42.

High-stakes game for two teams likely battling for spots in the ACC championship game. Both teams can pile up yards and points, but the Demon Deacons have the better defense.

Pick: Wake Forest 31-27.

Bears are 2-0 under interim coach Joe Klanderman as they begin tough closing stretch against three ranked opponents. BYU has lost two of three.

Pick: BYU 24-19.

Gators have lost four of five and Kentucky can't afford another loss if it wants to make a first playoff appearance.

Pick: Kentucky 26-21.

Is Colorado's desire to win out and make a bowl as strong as Houston's wish to claw its way into the Big 12 championship game (albeit with help from other teams)? We'll find out Friday.

Pick: Houston 42-14.

Boilermakers coach Barry Odom fired defensive coordinator Kevin Kane and by midweek hadn't said who would be in charge. Hawkeyes' nickel-and-diming offense is a tough first assignment.

Pick: Iowa 32-21.

A couple high-powered offenses go at it on the blue turf. Beavers freshman star WR Jesse Legree has has been held under 100 yards two straight games.

Pick: Boise State 37-34.

Ducks suddenly find themselves back in the playoff hunt after their impressive win at Ohio State. Uncertainty at quarterback is a huge issue for Wolverines.

Pick: Oregon 28-14.

Rebels are reeling after the thrashing they took from Georgia, and they'll be without RB Kewan Lacy a third straight game. Sooners offense started showing some life against Florida last week.

Pick: Mississippi 21-20.

LaNorris Sellers has led Gamecocks to four straight wins, but the SEC's top rushing QB could be limited after hurting his ankle last week.

Pick: South Carolina 26-21.

Buckeyes defense needs to make a stand after giving up a combined 71 points in consecutive losses to USC and Oregon.

Pick: Ohio State 30-16.

UNLV coach Dan Mullen has a quarterback dilemma after he benched Jackson Arnold for Alex Orji in a loss to Wyoming last week. Lobos' defense is FBS co-leader with 17 interceptions.

Pick: New Mexico 31-23.

Last week: Straight-up — 11-5; Against spread — 7-9.

Season: Straight-up — 124-49; Against spread — 85-86-2.

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

Mississippi State quarterback AJ Swann (17) fumbles as he is hit by Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles (3) allowing Texas to recover and score a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Mississippi State quarterback AJ Swann (17) fumbles as he is hit by Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles (3) allowing Texas to recover and score a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has issued a warning to Democrats over their planned probes into the Trump administration, going as far as claiming that such investigations — a standard oversight function of Congress -- may amount to “blatant criminality.”

White House counsel Will Scharf issued the warning in a letter dated Monday to Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

Garcia most likely would chair the powerful panel in the new Democratic-controlled Congress that is seated in January. Garcia warned Trump officials to “lawyer up” after his party’s stunning victories in last week's midterm elections.

In response, Scharf wrote in Monday’s letter that “threats to executive branch officials designed to deter them from public service, or process designed merely to abuse or instill fear in the recipient may cross the line into blatant criminality." The letter’s existence was first reported by Punchbowl News.

Garcia said in response to the letter that “it appears Donald Trump has something to hide” and stressed that Congress’s investigative powers do not need the “permission of the White House.”

“Congress has wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight, an authority inherent in the power to legislate,” Garcia said. “The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse.”

Democrats are preparing a vast oversight agenda to look at how Trump and his family have become wealthier since he returned to office. The Republican president and his White House have long denied any wrongdoing.

Garcia also wants to look at the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Other targets include Trump’s White House ballroom and other construction projects, as well as the Trump family’s role in mineral deals and Trump’s crypto dealings with special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a CNN interview that aired Sunday that “there could be” a crime to investigate if rhetoric from Democrats turned threatening. He appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone during an appearance in Missouri this week, saying “Congress has oversight authority. It always has, it always will. The Department of Justice, the federal government, works with Congress to address questions they have — whether it’s through subpoenas or letters — so we’re not going to stop working with Congress.”

“Nothing I’ve said this weekend, or in the past, should suggest otherwise,” he added.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed.

The U.S. Capitol is photographed Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The U.S. Capitol is photographed Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

New members of the 120th Congress gather for the first day of new member orientation at the Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

New members of the 120th Congress gather for the first day of new member orientation at the Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

Attorney General Todd Blanche stand in the door of Air Force One was Marine One lands with President Donald Trump aboard, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen))

Attorney General Todd Blanche stand in the door of Air Force One was Marine One lands with President Donald Trump aboard, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen))

President Donald Trump, followed by Dana White, UFC president and CEO, arrives to speak in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, followed by Dana White, UFC president and CEO, arrives to speak in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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