This Week in College Football: Week 10 – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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Week 10 follows a whirlwind of college football action this past week. Unranked USC beat No. 2 Ohio State in the biggest upset of the weekend. No. 1 Miami remained undefeated after a close 38-35 win against UNC Chapel Hill. In Bloomington, Minnesota caused overtime against Indiana by kicking a 60-yard field goal at the end of the fourth. Indiana responded in overtime with their own 60-yard field goal towin the game. Iowa upset Oklahoma State with a field goal in overtime in an evening thriller. 
Off the field, Florida State fired head coach Mike Norvell after a loss to Clemson, ending his seven-season tenure with the Seminoles.  
This week marks the first College Football Playoff rankings, with Miami taking the top spot. The Hustler is ready to tackle this week’s games.  
Saturday will mark the first time in the 98-year history of their storied rivalry that both BYU and Utah are ranked in the top 10 at the time of their game. The matchup, known as the Holy War, carries a high level of intensity that has only risen amid both teams’ move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12.  
Rice-Eccles Stadium is sure to be rocking as the 8-0 Utes look to lock up their first playoff berth in history in front of a raucous home crowd. No. 3 Utah is in its first season under Morgan Scalley following the departure of longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham to Michigan. Scalley certainly deserves a lot of credit for getting the program off to its first 8-0 since 2010, but the creativity of new offensive coordinator Kevin McGivens has energized a team that was far more defense-oriented under Whittingham. McGivens has been unafraid to experiment with unique formations, frequently putting both starting quarterback Devon Dampier and dual-threat backup Byrd Ficklin in the backfield. This has stretched defenses thin, allowing Utah to rank ninth in FBS with 485.4 yards per game and seventh in time of possession, averaging 33:25 per game. 
On the other side, all eyes are on star BYU running back LJ Martin. The 2025 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year suffered an ankle injury on Oct. 3 against TCU, and has yet to return to action. Without Martin, BYU’s offense has suffered, especially running the ball. In last week’s close win against Arizona State, the Cougars totaled just 47 yards on the ground, as backup running back Sione Moa has struggled to get going. Although he has practiced in limited fashion, Martin remains questionable for No. 7 BYU this weekend. Head coach Kilani Sitake will certainly be hoping to have his star back in a matchup that could very well determine the playoff fate of the 7-1 Cougars. 
Additionally, quarterback Bear Bachmeier will look to get back on track after a rough stretch of games. After being asked to do relatively little in BYU’s first five games, he has recorded an interception in each of his last three games. With both teams looking to play ball-control football, Bachmeier will need to take better care of the ball to avoid giving an opportunistic Utah offense extra possessions. 
The BYU Cougars will take on the Utah Utes in Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 11:00 a.m. CST. 
Alabama was the surprise team in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year, with the 6-2 Crimson Tide unexpectedly ranked fifth in the nation. The Tide will have a chance to validate that ranking on Saturday after missing out on their last two opportunities for ranked wins against No. 2 Georgia and No. 16 Tennessee. Because of those two losses, this game will carry extra weight. In a packed SEC, the difference between two and three losses feels massive, and the loser of this game will be fighting an uphill battle to make the College Football Playoff. 
The Crimson Tide offense started the season red-hot, tallying at least 45 points in each of their first five games, including a 45-17 win that has aged well over now-No. 8 Kentucky. However, against tougher defenses of the SEC, Alabama has been shut down. The Tide were held to 17 points against Georgia and just 10 against Tennessee, with the Volunteers especially capitalizing on sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell’s inexperience by forcing him into three turnovers. Things don’t get any easier for Russell this week in Baton Rouge, as LSU enters the game with the fifth-ranked defense in the country in yards allowed per game. The Crimson Tide offensive line will have to pay special attention to star defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, who leads LSU with 8.5 sacks. 
On the other side of the ball, the No. 15 Tigers have been absolutely dominant at home under Lane Kiffin. They have an average margin of victory of 36.2 points in the friendly confines of Tiger Stadium, one of the toughest environments in the whole country for a visiting team to play. On the road, it’s been a different story, with the Tigers suffering close losses in unfavorable environments against No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 8 Kentucky. 
Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt has been shaky at times this season under center for LSU, accumulating eight interceptions thus far. He still ranks seventh in the nation in passing yards per game, thanks to a litany of weapons to throw the ball to. Jackson Harris is the star, with 634 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on the season, but Winston Watkins Jr. and Eugene Wilson III are formidable wideouts as well. Although he loves to rely on his legs, Leavitt excels when he gets the ball out quickly and allows his receivers to make plays. Against an Alabama defense that struggles to generate a pass rush, with only 20 sacks on the year, Leavitt has an opportunity to show the country why he was considered the top transfer quarterback in the portal this past offseason. 
The Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2:30 p.m. CST. 
Neyland Stadium will host one of the first potential playoff elimination games of the season as the Kentucky Wildcats come to town to face the two-loss Tennessee Volunteers. With two losses potentially serving as the threshold for SEC teams hoping to reach the playoffs, Tennessee cannot afford to lose any more games if it hopes to have a chance at making a title run in late December.  
Was the South Carolina loss a bad loss or a bad sign? Tennessee came into Columbia riding the high of a top-10 rivalry win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Heading on the road after such an emotional win the week before is the ultimate recipe for a trap game. The Gamecocks took control of the game early and, outside of a bad second quarter, never gave it back. It was the textbook trap game for Tennessee, which is why Volunteers fans should not be too worried about the team’s ability heading into this matchup.  
For Tennessee to come out on top, it will need to continue to ride their run-game, which is averaging 213 rushing yards per game, ranking 17th in the nation. Additionally, its pass rush, ranked second in the nation in sacks, will need to have another field day.Against the Gamecocks, Tennessee’s five sacks were the reason that game went down to a field goal.  
For the Kentucky Wildcats, this game is by no means an elimination game.However, a loss at Neyland could make their path to the playoff much harder, as they would have to win three straight versus Florida, Missouri and Louisville. The Wildcats are ranked No. 8 in the nation yet have not recorded a convincing Power Four win outside of last week’s 34-17 takedown of the Commodores. This journey to Neyland will serve as another great test to the quality of this team.  
Keep an eye on starting quarterback Kenny Minchey Jr. as he looks to continue his brilliant season. He is not a production monster, with a relatively average 1,755 passing yards on the year; however, he is a pure winner. Minchey always seems to deliver in key moments, and he has a nationwide low of one interception on the year. The question is whether Minchey can travel to a hostile environment and take the Wildcats one step closer to the playoffs.  
The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Tennessee Volunteers in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 5:15 p.m. CST. 
Likely to be the most anticipated game of the weekend, the Miami vs. Notre Dame match will be a thriller. Undefeated Miami will journey to South Bend for a game that has high playoff stakes. After last year’s narrow loss against the Hurricanes and the recent loss against rival BYU, Notre Dame will be hungry for a statement win. With Miami being ranked first in the nation, the Irish have their work cut out for them.  
Last week, Miami struggled against unranked UNC. Miami narrowly won in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns in the last eight minutes. Scoring bounced back and forth between the two teams from effective offensive ball movement. Miami’s defense will be critical to watch this weekend. The Hurricanes’ running defense is arguably one of the best in the country; however, their pass defense is much weaker, as exposed against North Carolina. While Miami allows an average 2.4 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns, it has allowed 5.9 yards per pass attempt for passing since the Clemson game. Moreover, 84 passes from opposing teams have completed passes within two yards of the line of the scrimmage this season. So, it’s not surprising that UNC threw four touchdowns last weekend.  
At the center of Notre Dame’s offense is star quarterback CJ Carr, who is ranked eighth nationally. Carr hasthrown just one interception this season and completed 66.7% of his passes for 1,849 yards. However, the past two matchups have not been as successful for him. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass against BYU and recorded no rushing touchdowns against Navy. Much of the game will depend on whether Carr can find his early season success in passing. So far, he has the fifth-most attempted deep passes nationally with few turnovers. In an important game like this, Carr must find a way to come back.  
Perhaps the biggest news of the week is an ankle injury to Hurricanes dominant receiver Malachi Toney. Having reportedly injured it in practice on Wednesday, Toney is uncertain to play on Saturday. He has had quite the (Heisman-contending) season: 13 receiving touchdowns, 14.1 yards per reception and 73 receptions. If Toney is limited or unable to play, Miami will have to adjust, potentially with Daylyn Upshaw, who has two touchdowns this season. Losing such a key player could put the ’Canes at a disadvantage, but it could give other receivers a chance to step forward in this pivotal match.  
This is one of the biggest games in college football this season — with major implications for the playoff race — so keep watch for how the results affect the rest of the games.  
The Miami Hurricanes will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. CST.  
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