College football Week 10 preview: Five best games to watch this weekend

We’ve reached Week 10 of the college football season, which means we’re that much closer to the first official College Football Playoff rankings, which will be released Tuesday.

Saturday features a handful of intriguing matchups, highlighted by No. 4 Ohio State visiting No. 3 Penn State. It’s the game of the week, and there are a ton of questions surrounding it. Will Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar play? Can the Buckeyes avoid a second Big Ten loss? What does the outcome, whatever it may be, mean for the CFP?

Elsewhere, Miami (Fla.) will try to stay undefeated, while Texas A&M and South Carolina face off in a defensive duel. That evening, unbeaten Pitt will visit one-loss SMU in a game that surprisingly has both ACC and potentially CFP implications.

It’s the first weekend of November, a time that usually reveals who can remain unbeaten and who the true national title contenders are.

Here are the top five games to watch this weekend:

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State (noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

This is the big one for Week 10. 

Earlier this week, Penn State head coach James Franklin said that Allar would be a game-time decision after he suffered a knee injury in last week’s win over Wisconsin. If he can’t go, the home team will have to rely on its less experienced backup, sophomore Beau Pribula. Regardless of which QB gets the nod, the Nittany Lions must utilize every offensive weapon at their disposal, especially 6-foot-6, 261-pound tight end Tyler Warren and the talented tailback tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Ohio State’s defense, led by future NFL defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, will need to apply pressure early. Despite having the No. 2 defense in the country, the unit struggled vs. then-No. 3 Oregon a few weeks ago. The Buckeyes had zero sacks and forced zero turnovers against the Ducks, and they must make those big-time plays if they want to win in Happy Valley.

Of course, this game has massive CFP implications, too. Ohio State must avoid another loss, as getting into the CFP with two will be challenging at this point. Penn State, which enters this game with a perfect 7-0 record, could handle one loss, but that could hurt it in the end in a head-to-head decision.

Duke at No. 5 Miami (Fla.) (noon ET)

Duke’s Manny Diaz returns to Miami to coach against the Hurricanes for the first time since he was fired by the program in December 2021. The Blue Devils, who are coming off a narrow 28-27 overtime loss to SMU, have a chance to play spoiler for an unbeaten Canes team that’s looking to make a run to the ACC title game and the CFP. 

If that happens, it’ll be because of Duke’s defense, which is among the top 20 units in the country in scoring defense (18.6 ppg). However, it’ll be up against the best QB it has faced all year in Cam Ward, who’s a Heisman Trophy contender and expected to be a top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ward has been averaging 343.3 passing yards per game — the third-best mark nationally — and has 25 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season, which is the best among Power 4 QBs. In last week’s 36-14 win over Florida State, Ward didn’t pass for a touchdown, but he did catch one off a trick play in the fourth quarter. 

No. 1 Oregon at Michigan (3:30 p.m. ET)

No. 1 Oregon has a chance to be 9-0 for the first time since 2012 if it beats defending national champion Michigan at the Big House on Saturday. The Ducks, a two-touchdown favorite, are finally getting into a rhythm after starting the season off a little wobbly. QB Dillon Gabriel is getting especially comfortable. The Heisman Trophy candidate is ranked among the 10 best signal-callers in the country in nearly every statistical category, and he’s the most accurate passer, completing 76.2% of his throws. In the Ducks’ biggest showdown of the season thus far, a 32-31 win over Ohio State in Week 7, Gabriel threw for 341 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and his offensive line kept him upright the entire night.

Meanwhile, Michigan has had an underwhelming season, as it has struggled mightily — especially at quarterback. The inconsistencies in the offense won’t bode well against an Oregon team that is one of the best at breaking up passes and sacking the QB. If the Wolverines lose, they are realistically looking at one more winnable game left on their schedule, which looks like this: at No. 13 Indiana, home vs. Northwestern, at No. 4 Ohio State. One season after winning the national championship, the Wolverines could finish this year 6-6.

No. 10 Texas A&M at South Carolina (7:30 p.m. ET)

Texas A&M is the last remaining undefeated team in SEC play, and it plans to stay that way after a visit to South Carolina on Saturday. Ever since their opening week loss at home to Notre Dame, the Aggies have looked like one of the best teams in the country, rattling off seven straight wins, including last week’s victory against then-No. 8 LSU. 

South Carolina, on the other hand, is 4-3, but frankly could be 6-1 after close losses to both Alabama and LSU by a combined five points. The Gamecocks have been a tough opponent to beat, however, and are anxious to get their first conference win and pull an upset at home.

If you like physical defenses on the field, then this game is for you. Both of these teams are loaded with talent, especially along the defensive line. For A&M, watch out for defensive lineman Nic Scourton, who has 12.5 tackles for a loss and 5.0 sacks this season. For South Carolina, keep an eye on defensive end Kyle Kennard, who also has 12.5 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks. The Gamecocks had 9.0 sacks in a win over Oklahoma last week, though the offensive line gave up 6.0 sacks of its own and has already given up 32.0 this season.

No. 18 Pittsburgh at No. 20 SMU (8 p.m. ET)

After going 3-9 a year ago, it’s no wonder Pitt was picked to finish toward the bottom of the ACC. But in a turn of events, these Panthers are one of eight unbeaten FBS teams left entering the month of November. 

Pat Narduzzi’s team enters this week fresh off a dominant 41-13 victory over Syracuse, in which the defense intercepted QB Kyle McCord five times with three of those picks being returned for touchdowns. The defense is young, but it has been keeping opponents mostly in check and has racked up 10.0 sacks over the past two games. Redshirt freshman QB Eli Holstein has held his own as well, throwing 17 touchdown passes so far and just five interceptions. The 20-year-old transfer from Alabama suffered an injury against Syracuse last week, but he’s expected to play Saturday in Dallas.

Meanwhile, SMU is riding high in its first season as an ACC member. The Mustangs are 7-1 (4-0 in conference play) with impressive wins over Florida State, Louisville and Duke. They currently lead the ACC in rushing offense (201 yards per game and 19 touchdowns) and defense (88.4 YPG, six TDs) and have figured out ways to keep winning despite mounting injuries. That includes last week’s gritty 28-27 overtime victory over the Blue Devils, which included five turnovers from QB Kevin Jennings, who head coach Rhett Lashlee expects to bounce back against Pitt.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.

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