Eight Best College Football Games To Watch In Week 10: Three Sec Teams Fight For Cfp Lives

We’ve entered nan final period of nan regular season, leaving nan champion teams successful nan state conscionable a fistful of opportunities to solidify their College Football Playoff résumés. The potential excavation for nan section of 12 is increasing smaller each Saturday—and that group will shrink moreover further successful Week 10. 

Three SEC teams look imaginable elimination games this play arsenic 3 losses almost surely marks nan decease knell for immoderate at-large bid hopeful. LSU bowed retired of nan equation past week (and sent Brian Kelly packing successful nan process), but it’s Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee connected nan chopping artifact this Saturday. The Longhorns, possibly without Arch Manning, invited successful streaking Vanderbilt, while nan Sooners caput to Rocky Top to play nan Vols. For each 3 programs, wins are nary longer welcomed; they’re necessary. 

Elsewhere, Miami and USC dream to enactment afloat connected nan roadworthy successful 2 locations that characteristic raucous location crowds and boom-or-bust opponents. Plus, nan Group of 5 races thickens arsenic Tulane tries to cling to its caller opinionated successful rod position. 

Let’s return a person look astatine nan 8 champion games to watch to footwear disconnected November.

Saturday, noon ET, ABC

The timepiece astir struck midnight for nan Longhorns past week erstwhile they needed backup backmost Matthew Caldwell to travel successful for an injured Manning and propulsion a touchdown walk to past a continuously frisky Mississippi State squad successful overtime. And Texas mightiness request Caldwell to commencement astatine location against nan Top 10 Commodores pinch Manning still successful concussion protocol. Vanderbilt is vulnerable, having conscionable played 1 of its worst games of nan play successful a slog of a location triumph against Missouri. But nan Dores did what bully teams do and recovered a way to travel retired connected apical pinch defense and an 80-yard touchdown tally from Makhilyn Young. A triumph Saturday would complete nan SEC paradigm shift. Vanderbilt would return 1 measurement person to nan CFP; Texas would beryllium 1 measurement person to nan ReliaQuest Bowl.

No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (6–1) astatine SMU Mustangs (5–3) 

Saturday, noon ET, ESPN

Miami sewage nan benignant of dominating triumph it needed aft a nonaccomplishment to Louisville, smothering Stanford past week. The Cardinal had conscionable 8 first downs and 144 yards of discourtesy successful nan 42–7 loss. But nan Canes must stay cleanable now that they’re a measurement disconnected nan gait successful nan ACC and this week presents 1 of nan team’s 2 toughest games still connected nan schedule. Remember erstwhile SMU was successful nan CFP little than a twelvemonth ago? It judge feels a batch longer than that—and nan Mustangs conscionable mislaid their biggest head-scratcher yet, a 13–12 stunner connected nan roadworthy astatine Wake Forest. SMU came up pinch 5 takeaways and it still wasn’t capable arsenic a dismal 2.8 yards per transportation and 4 of 17 connected third-down conversions near Rhett Lashlee’s squad ripe for an upset. The tally crippled conscionable hasn’t been location for nan Mustangs—and QB Kevin Jennings successful particular—which won’t get amended vs. Miami, a apical 10 tally defense. 

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

SEC eliminator crippled No. 2 features nan different personnel of nan Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma conscionable couldn’t nutrient capable discourtesy aliases clasp Trinidad Chambliss successful cheque to adjacent retired Mississippi past Saturday, nan consequence being that nan Sooners are now connected nan brink pinch trips to Tennessee and Alabama adjacent connected nan schedule. In fairness to nan offense, it was Oklahoma’s worst protect crippled frankincense far, allowing 431 yards and 34 points to nan Rebels—both play highs. The rumor is, if nan Sooners’ defense isn’t lights out, nan discourtesy doesn’t person capable firepower to support up. The bully news for Oklahoma is if location was ever a crippled for John Mateer to return nan portion to a caller level, it would beryllium against Tennessee. The Vols person allowed 30-plus points 4 times this play and rank 112th successful nan state successful scoring defense (30.88 points per game), ranking supra only Arkansas successful nan SEC. But if we’ve already seen nan ceiling for Oklahoma’s discourtesy and nan defense can’t clasp on, that would beryllium a wrap for nan Sooners.

No. 23 USC Trojans (5–2) astatine Nebraska Cornhuskers (6–2)

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The past clip nan Cornhuskers hit an force classed successful nan AP Top 25? 2016. But there’s nary clip for illustration nan present! And caller disconnected of an disfigured triumph over Northwestern to muddy nan Big Ten standings, nan Cornhuskers person a immense opportunity against USC. The roadmap to a triumph complete nan high-flying Trojans is difficult to see, but Nebraska comes into nan games arsenic only a flimsy underdog. The USC discourtesy remains nan astir explosive successful nan country, averaging an FBS-best 7.89 yards per play and 530 yards per game. With accomplishment players for illustration Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane and King Miller (who’s filled successful seamlessly for injured prima Waymond Jordan), nan Huskers don’t person nan defense to afloat support nan Trojans successful check. That intends a batch will autumn connected nan shoulders of quarterback–running backmost tandem Dylan Raiola and Emmett Johnson, some of who bounced backmost from shoddy showings against Minnesota to powerfulness Nebraska past Northwestern. The only imaginable rumor for occurrence for nan Nebraska discourtesy will beryllium protecting Raiola, who’s already been sacked 26 times this season—one less clip than he was successful 13 starts successful 2024.

USC wide receivers Makai Lemon (6) and Ja’Kobi Lane (8) person been cardinal to 1 of nan astir explosive offenses successful nan country. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Big 12 crippled of nan week features nan convention front-runner, Cincinnati, against nan league’s astir intriguing team, Utah. The Utes don’t person a backmost contention connected their hands, but backup Byrd Ficklin dazzled successful spot of an injured Devon Dampier successful past week’s 53–7 rout of Colorado. The freshman racked up 291 yards of offense, including 151 connected nan ground, and 3 full touchdowns en way to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of nan Week. On nan different side, Cincinnati will beryllium without lead moving backmost Evan Pryor but still has Tawee Walker to man nan backfield. Plus, dual-threat backmost Brendan Sorsby, who is tied pinch Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza for an FBS-leading 27 full touchdowns, whitethorn beryllium 1 of nan astir underdiscussed quarterbacks successful nan country. The Bearcats are successful nan driver’s spot to make nan Big 12 championship, but successful nan convention of chaos, expect nan unexpected.

Group of 5 Playoff Race Watch

Saturday, noon ET, ESPN2

Just for illustration past season, Navy is plodding on and stacking up wins, and now finds itself undefeated past nan halfway constituent successful nan play and pinch everything to play for. The Midshipmen will get their chance to beryllium tested pinch matchups against 3 of nan different apical 4 teams successful nan American Conference and Notre Dame preceding their yearly crippled pinch Army. Blake Horvath, who leads nan squad successful passing (1,063 yards, 7 touchdowns) and rushing (814 yards, 6.8 yards per carry, 12 touchdowns), is backmost for his elder play pinch his sights group connected avenging past season’s second-half slide. That will statesman Saturday pinch a difficult roadworthy trial astatine North Texas. The Mean Green, whose only nonaccomplishment came successful a 63–36 drubbing vs. South Florida, are really favored by almost a afloat touchdown. It’s nan Navy defense that must beryllium up for nan task against North Texas freshman backmost Drew Mestemaker, who threw for a conference-record 608 yards successful past week’s shellacking of Charlotte. 

Memphis Tigers (7–1) astatine Rice Owls (4–4)

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Count maine arsenic personification who wrote disconnected Memphis aft a horrendous nonaccomplishment to UAB 2 weeks ago. Then nan Tigers stormed backmost from down 14 points to daze South Florida and put themselves backmost into nan convention title race. Ryan Silverfield’s programme has everything correct successful beforehand of it pinch matchups against convention leaders Navy and Tulane still connected nan docket, but to get there, it must get past a roadworthy travel to Rice. The Owls don’t person overmuch to constitute location about, but inferior moving backmost Quinton Jackson had 1 of nan champion single-game performances of nan play successful nan convention past week, amassing 248 yards and 4 full touchdowns connected 24 touches. Rice very good whitethorn request him to replicate that output if it hopes to propulsion disconnected nan upset.

Rice moving backmost Quinton Jackson had a standout capacity past week. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Last but surely not slightest is simply a matchup that features possibly nan astir heavy discussed G5 squad successful caller weeks: Tulane. Head coach Jon Sumrall has done his champion to disregard nan coaching carousel rumors connecting him to 1 of nan various SEC vacancies arsenic rat poison, while his squad tries to navigate a playoff push, but nan sound is only getting louder. That doesn’t bode good for a squad that’s already pushed its luck this play pinch one-score location wins against East Carolina and Army going into a roadworthy matchup pinch UTSA. The Roadrunners whitethorn beryllium nether .500 but are usually conscionable very basking and ridiculously cold. (They scored 61 points successful 3 quarters against Rice only to let 55 points to North Texas nan pursuing week.) The measurement to limit Tulane seems to beryllium to effort and clasp nan Green Wave’s divers tally crippled successful check, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to mobile QB Jake Retzlaff. Army (141 yards, 4.9 yards per carry, 1 touchdown) and East Carolina (96 yards allowed, 3.8 YPC, zero TDs) were mostly successful; Northwestern (269 yards allowed, 6.4 YPC), Duke (156 yards allowed, 4 touchdowns) and Tulsa (185 yards allowed, 4 touchdowns) were not.

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