College football fans with an appetite for large portions of high-stakes games should be quite pleased with the menu Week 10 has prepared for them.
asserted
Week → prepare → them
As if it were even possible, this game became even bigger for the Fighting Irish after they ended up No. 11 in the initial rankings for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
asserted
they → become → Playoff
Appetizers will be served starting early Saturday with No. 7 BYU visiting No. 3 Utah in the Holy War rivalry and No. 10 Texas playing at No. 19 Missouri.
asserted
Texas → serve → Missouri
The tray will be refilled in mid-afternoon when No. 9 Alabama visits No. 15 LSU and again when No. 8 Kentucky plays at No. 16 Tennessee.
asserted
Kentucky → refill → Tennessee
All of these games and more will have tangible playoff implications.
asserted
All → have → implications
In the Atlantic Coast Conference, SMU hosts Virginia Tech on Friday night and would set up a pivotal home game against No. 14 Wake Forest next week with a win over the Hokies.
asserted
SMU → host → Hokies
The Big Ten has three key games: No. 5 UCLA at Minnesota, Oregon at No. 11 Ohio State and No. 21 Iowa at Northwestern.
asserted
Ten → have → Northwestern
In the Big 12, No. 17 Houston’s ability to stay in the conference race hinges on its home game against Cincinnati.
asserted
ability → stay → Cincinnati
The storyline makes this the game of the year.
asserted
this → make → year
Notre Dame made “Leave No Doubt” its theme for the 2026 season after getting edged out of the final CFP at-large spot by Miami last season.
asserted
Dame → make → Miami
The Irish would be the last team in the playoff, besides the Group of Six representative, if the 12-team field were set today.
asserted
field → set → representative
Their surprisingly low initial CFP ranking makes this a must-win situation for the Irish, who lost to BYU in their only other game against a ranked opponent.
asserted
who → make → opponent
A second loss likely would drop them out of the top 12 — their threshold, by rule, for making the playoff — and they would be hard-pressed to move up with no ranked teams left on their schedule.
asserted
they → drop → schedule
A couple other sidelights: the quarterback matchup pits Miami’s Darian Mensah, the new Heisman Trophy front-runner, against CJ Carr, who was widely regarded as the preseason favorite.
Heisman Trophy watch
asserted
who → pit → favorite
Miami’s Mensah has moved past Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith into the favorite’s role and can solidify his position with a big outing against Notre Dame’s best-in-the-nation defense.
asserted
Mensah → move → defense
Mensah threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-35 win at North Carolina and has completed 80.1% of his passes with 25 touchdowns against one interception.
asserted
Mensah → throw → interception
Online sportsbooks list him as a 3-to-2 favorite.
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sportsbooks → list → favorite
Smith had 10 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown in a 30-18 road loss to Southern California with freshman Luke Fahey at quarterback in place of the injured Julian Sayin.
asserted
Smith → have → Sayin
It was Smith’s third straight game under 100 yards after going over 150 in four of his first five games.
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It → go → games
Smith enters the Buckeyes’ home game against Oregon with 3-to-1 odds.
asserted
Smith → enter → odds
Numbers to know
0 — Fumbles lost by Nebraska.
1 — One game since at least 1973 — Minnesota at Indiana last week — in which each team kicked a 60-yard field goal, according to Sportradar.
5 — Miami road wins if it beats Notre Dame, which would be its most since 2002.
6 — First-quarter points allowed by Utah.
26 — UCLA’s FBS-leading takeaways, 16 more than in 2025 when the Bruins ranked 116th.
Under the radar
No. 5 UCLA (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten, No. 8 CFP) at Minnesota (5-3, 3-2), Noon ET (Fox)
This could be tricky for UCLA, which will go for its first 9-0 start since 1998.
uncertain
which → know → 1998
The Gophers have proved to be a tough out despite ranking 130th in offense and 88th in scoring.
asserted
Gophers → prove → scoring
They have Big Ten home wins over Michigan and a ranked Iowa and they lost in overtime on the road to a then-top five Indiana last week.
asserted
they → have → Indiana
First-year Bruins coach Bob Chesney was not pleased with his offense’s performance in last week’s 27-0 win over Nevada, which held the Big Ten’s top rushing team to 125 yards.
asserted
which → please → yards
QB Ty Dieffenbach will make his first road start since taking over for the injured Nico Iamaleava.
asserted
Dieffenbach → make → Iamaleava
Hot seat
Cash-strapped UTEP is in an uncomfortable situation with third-year coach Scotty Walden, who is 6-26 overall and 4-25 against opponents from the Bowl Subdivision.
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who → strap → Subdivision
After last week’s 31-7 loss to FBS newcomer North Dakota State, the Miners dropped to 1-7 and have lost 12 straight against FBS teams and 17 of 18.
asserted
Miners → drop → 18
The Miners moved from Conference USA to the tougher Mountain West this year and have been outscored by a combined 146-38 in four conference games and 282-62 including all FBS opponents.
asserted
Miners → move → opponents
Walden’s contract runs through 2028, and he would be owed about $1 million if he’s fired.
asserted
he → run → million
That is no small amount for an athletic department that runs on a $31 million annual budget, just had to pay an $8 million exit fee to C-USA, dropped women’s tennis last year and ranks near the bottom of the Mountain West in direct payments to athletes and name, image and likeness.
asserted
that → run → athletes
The Aporia
