November football has finally arrived, and everything you thought you knew about college football up to this point in the season is about to be challenged.
The plethora of film that everyone has on each other. The nerves that start to creep in as the stakes rise. The weather in certain parts of the country that will ultimately serve as a great equalizer in games that otherwise wouldn’t have one.
There are many reasons why nothing is a given at this point in the season. So even when the matchups don’t look great on paper, there are bound to be surprises.
We’re about to get spoiled this weekend, however. Not only have we entered college football’s “witching hour” of sorts, but we will be graced by what is legitimately the most stacked roster of games across a single weekend that we have seen this season. Case in point: not one, but two Top 25 matchups failed to make the top 5 games to watch listing.
Let’s dive deeper into the Week 10.
Embed from Getty Images5 Games You Need to Watch This Weekend
#9 BYU at #3 Utah (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ABC)
Despite a loss by BYU a couple of weeks ago, the Holy War is a Top 10 matchup for the first time in the 104-year history of the heated rivalry. The Cougars are currently riding their longest winning streak in the series since a four-game stretch between 1989-1992 but will need to play an excellent game this weekend to match that feat. Morgan Scalley’s group has announced itself as a true Playoff contender this season thanks to a potent ground game led by dual threat quarterback Devon Dampier and running back Wayshawn Parker. The Utes are halfway through their most difficult quarter of the season but face their toughest test yet on Saturday. These two programs play similarly, are very even on paper and have plenty of built-in reasons to make this one of the most physical college football games of the entire season.
BYU has played a brand of bend-but-don’t-break defense this year that has ultimately proven successful, but it is becoming increasingly clear that there is an opportunity to give the Cougars trouble for teams willing to take chances over the top. Both Notre Dame and UCF managed to rack up at least 260 yards passing against the Cougars’, and while Arizona State was unable to eclipse that number, did become the third straight team to attempt at least 40 passes against BYU. Attempting this type of aerial attack would be a major diversion for the Utes, which have attempted that many passes in a single game just once this season (with shaky results). That said, I expect both teams to try to avoid turnovers by keeping the ball on the ground and do their best to establish an advantage in the trenches. With Bear Bachmeier as a counter to Dampier and LJ Martin potentially back for the Cougars, there appears to be little to separate the two sides and either one could break through. The margin for error will be razor thin, and another nailbiter seems imminent.
My Pick: 24-22 Utah (does not cover -5.5 spread)
#5 Alabama at #14 LSU (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – ABC)
The Crimson Tide were treated exceptionally well by the CFP Committee in its first rankings of the season, coming in at No. 5 despite being ranked No. 9 in the AP and Coaches polls. They are the first two-loss team on the board and notably ahead of others with fewer losses, including Indiana, BYU, Notre Dame and unbeaten UCLA. Kalen DeBoer’s group will have a chance to defend that ranking and then some on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Baton Rogue to take on another two-loss opponent in LSU. Despite both teams still being very much in the Playoff conversation by way of their current positioning in the rankings that matter most, a loss here would presumably be damning to their postseason hopes with nearly an entire month left to go in the regular season.
The Tigers getting healthy at the right time could play a massive role in the outcome of this game. Sam Leavitt has confirmed he is 100 percent following LSU’s bye week which aided his recovering from a hamstring concern and will presumably be a problem for what has been a solid Alabama run defense. Leavitt also got one of his favorite targets back just before the bye week in tight end Trey’Dez Green, who despite missing half the season due to injury is still LSU’s fourth-leading receiver. His massive frame (6’7”, 242 pounds) presents a matchup issue for Alabama’s secondary, which is not nearly as strong as the run stopping portion of the defense. Frankly, I’m still not sold on Alabama’s ability to move the football against above average defenses, and LSU’s defense (34 sacks) will smell blood in the water against a offensive line that has allowed Keelon Russell to go down a lot this season. It’s the perfect storm for Lane Kiffin’s group to be the ones not having to worry about how the Committee will treat a three-loss SEC team.
My Pick: 31-24 LSU (covers -5.5 spread)
#6 Kentucky at #13 Tennessee (Saturday, 6:15 PM ET – ESPN)
At this point the Wildcats could already consider this season a rousing success, considering that the team was picked by most pundits to settle somewhere near the bottom of the SEC standings this season. Instead, though eight games Will Stein’s group sits atop the conference alongside Georgia and their No. 6 spot in the CFP rankings represents the highest from a Kentucky team in any poll since 1977. The rollercoaster continues and has the potential to get topsy-turvy quickly in the month of November. Starting with this trip to Knoxville, the Wildcats face three straight Top 25 opponents (two on the road). For its part, Tennessee has impressed me as well and are a couple field goals away from being unbeaten while dealing with the loss of its starting quarterback for about half the season.
Both the Wildcats and Volunteers boast rushing attacks that rank near the top of the conference. Tennessee’s approach involves a workhorse in DeSean Bishop, while Kentucky deploys a back-by-committee attack with CJ Baxter, Jason Patterson and Jovantae Barnes all featuring at various points throughout the season. While Baxter has been banged up recently, he’s expected to play and Kentucky’s depth at the position is one of the main reasons why this offense has been so tough to stop this season. Speaking of injuries, Josh Huepel has not announced who will start at quarterback this Saturday, providing hope to Vols fans that Faizon Brandon could be back. His absence has been apparent for the offense, and with him back Tennessee would instantly become a much more dynamic offense. A key to this game with both offenses relying on the run might be hidden in the third down efficiencies of each team. While interestingly, neither are particularly strong on third down offensively, Kentucky has the worst third down defense in the SEC while Tennessee has one of the best. In a game that might be plodding at times and look like a no-fly zone, staying on the field is likely the difference between scraping together a few scoring drives and helplessly looking for answers late without a viable quick strike option.
My Pick: 20-10 Tennessee (covers -6.5 spread)
#1 Miami (FL) at #11 Notre Dame (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – NBC)
The CFP Committee has done its best to try to bastardize this year’s edition of Catholics vs. Convicts, removing Notre Dame from the “top 10” and squarely placing them on the postseason bubble (and in a precarious position for the second straight season were they to lose on Saturday evening). But any fan with a casual ounce of interest in the game has had this one circled since schedules were released, and with all due respect to the Holy War, people have both had time and will have time to prep themselves for this one being the game of the week (what’s with the 11 AM local kickoff anyway, Utah?). The bombshell news that came about as this preview was being written? The Hurricanes will be without star wideout Malachi Toney, adding an interesting twist to Miami’s biggest contest of the regular season by a long shot.
College football has a way of routinely complicating things for itself, and the Toney injury is the latest edition to that ever-growing rap sheet. The Hurricanes boast the nation’s top scoring offense, and that wouldn’t have been possible without the services of their 5’11”, 193 pound sophomore receiver. He plays an outsized role in Miami’s offense, nearly tripling the production of the next closest wideout on the team in terms of both receiving yards and receptions. That kind of dominance is impossible to replace in a few days and could be concerning for the Hurricanes heading into this game. The ugly truth behind Miami’s offensive prowess is that they’re not just scoring because they can – they’re scoring because they have to. The sack numbers are still there for the defense, but the secondary is still struggling to contain opponents that put bluntly, aren’t striking fear into teams across the country. Mario Cristobal’s philosophy is at its core run-oriented, but he’s had a choice in the matter up to this point. With the loss of Toney, it becomes more obvious how Miami will have to try to win this game. Notre Dame knows that, too, which gives the Fighting Irish an advantage that they may not have needed anyway. This game won’t see either team break 30 points and that favors Marcus Freeman’s group.
My Pick: 27-21 Notre Dame (does not cover -7.5 spread)
#2 Georgia at #10 Mississippi (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – ABC)
This matchup has made a great argument over the past couple of seasons as the best that the SEC has to offer. It’s not just that the stakes have been incredibly high in each of the past four games – they’ve all been exciting, too. The Rebels have found a way to crack the code to Georgia’s defense routinely, and Pete Golding proved in last season’s Sugar Bowl that Lane Kiffin wasn’t necessarily the secret sauce. If anything, as of late it has been Trinidad Chambliss, whose dual threat ability prevented Georgia from shutting him down either time in 2025 and may struggle to do so again on Saturday evening. The sliver of hope: Chambliss had a near flawless performance in January but has been up-and-down so far this regular season. He has had at least one turnover in all but two games and has already more than doubled his interception total from last season.
Most of what you could say about Georgia’s advantages in this game stem from something on a stat sheet, which be countered easily thanks to what Mississippi did against LSU earlier in the season. The key, however, to the Rebels’ victory over the Tigers may have been as simple as pure motivation. Chambliss torched LSU’s defense through the air and after the game admitted that emotions were running high. Since that time, nobody has done something similar to Lane Kiffin’s squad. Georgia’s defense is similarly competent in the secondary, likes to dial up pressure and successfully gets to opposing quarterbacks and has forced a lot of turnovers this season. Asking Chambliss to play another near perfect game against a Georgia defense may be too much to ask even for a Heisman Trophy candidate. This time around, there’s no Kiffin to get the last laugh against. In comparison, it is Georgia that will have the chip on its shoulder in this one, if either side does at all. There are very few teams in the country that afford a Kirby Smart coached team a revenge opportunity. This is one of them, and in exacting revenge the Bulldogs will have officially ended the 2026 curse on the No. 2 team in the country.
My Pick: 34-28 Georgia (covers -3.5 spread)
Embed from Getty Images5 Games to Keep an Eye On This Weekend
UTSA at Florida Atlantic (Thursday, 7:30 PM ET – ESPN)
Not many outside of the San Antonio area are paying much attention to the Roadrunners yet, but that may change in a few weeks if Jeff Traylor’s team keeps on winning. UTSA is wait’en in the wings if either Boise State or New Mexico slips up to become the G6’s most likely program to snag a Playoff slot. But first, the Roadrunners must take care of business against one of the country’s most potent passing attacks in Boca Raton.
#7 Texas at #18 Missouri (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ESPN)
The transitive property of victories would suggest the Tigers are well equipped to take down the Longhorns at home, but we try not to utilize that logic here at Around The Corn. Instead, we’ll float the fact that Missouri has yet to lose a game this season when it has scored at least one touchdown on the ground, and Texas’s supposedly stout run defense has struggled against the SEC’s most potent ground attacks.
#23 Oregon at #12 Ohio State (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – CBS)
This matchup likely would not have jumped off the page to anyone outside of these two fan bases if not for the CFP Committee throwing a bone to Oregon, which was not ranked in either of the other two major polls this week. It may be an elimination game for both squads (certainly Oregon) and each will contend with the fact that they are not full strength at the sport’s most important position.
Louisiana Tech at Troy (Saturday, 4 PM ET – ESPN+)
Like UTSA, the Bulldogs are awaiting an opportunity to gain some momentum in the G6 race for a Playoff spot, likely needing more established names in the sport ahead of them to lose. That said, it’s no guarantee that Louisiana Tech will remain a viable alternative with games like the one this weekend in Troy still ahead. The Trojans just ended James Madison’s Playoff hopes last weekend and would love to make it back-to-back weeks playing spoiler.
#19 Iowa at Northwestern (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – FOX)
These two programs essentially swapped roles this past weekend, with Iowa reentering the Top 25 following a statement victory over then-ranked Wisconsin, whereas Northwestern ended their brief appearance in the polls with a loss to then-unranked Oregon. Not much separates these two other than Northwestern perhaps being a bit more potent offensively, but they will both deploy similar approaches to try to win this one.
