Subscribe
Follow Us
As we enter Week 10 of college football, there’s roughly a month left in the regular season. The 2024 season has been unforgettable, with high-profile matchups that won't be in short supply this week.
For the fourth time this season, a top-5 showdown will take place as No. 4 Ohio State travels to Happy Valley to face No. 3 Penn State in a crucial Big Ten matchup. However, that’s only one of two battles between top 25 teams this week. The other notable clash comes from the ACC, where No. 18 Pitt will square off against No. 20 SMU in Dallas.
That said, the other six games on our list are still worth watching. With the level of parity in college football this year, upsets could happen in just about any matchup. Here’s a look at the best games to watch in Week 10.
No. 4 Ohio State @ No. 3 Penn State
Let’s start with the main event, even though it will kick off the day at noon Eastern. As the weeks progressed, this matchup looked more and more like it would be a top-5 showdown, and sure enough, here it is. This game is huge, with potentially massive College Football Playoff implications on the line. The winner will have the inside track to the Big Ten title game, while the loser may have to hope to secure one of the 12 playoff spots.
This game is especially crucial for the Buckeyes, who nearly lost to Nebraska last week. After the loss to Oregon another loss wouldn’t just be any loss—it would be a conference one. For the Nittany Lions, they remain undefeated going into this game, but head coach James Franklin is looking for just his second win over Ohio State.
Finally, both Ryan Day and Franklin, despite leading successful programs, haven’t exactly excelled in top-5 matchups. Day is 2-6 against top-5 teams, while Franklin is 1-12.
Duke @ No. 5 Miami
Every week seems like a big week for Miami, as they continue to allow games to stay close. Even against one of this year’s struggling teams, Florida State, last weekend, the Hurricanes kept it fairly close most of the way. Yet, here they are, 8-0 for the first time since 2017, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward.
What’s particularly interesting about their Week 10 opponent, Duke, isn’t just that it’s an ACC matchup—it’s that Duke is led by Miami head coach Mario Cristobal’s predecessor, Manny Diaz. This marks Diaz’s first trip back to Miami to face his former team since becoming the Blue Devils' head coach this season. No doubt, he’d love nothing more than to pull off a major upset against the program that kept him in limbo until Cristobal finally committed to returning to his alma mater a few years ago.
No. 19 Ole Miss @ Arkansas
Ole Miss looks to keep its slim playoff hopes alive in Week 10 with a win over Arkansas. The Razorbacks, however, have proven to be no easy out. Though two of their three losses have come at home in Fayetteville.
Really, when watching Ole Miss now, it’s about the future of Lane Kiffin. With the timing predicament of the new playoff format, it will be interesting to see just how coaches are evaluated by schools in need of coaches, as teams outside the playoff will have coaches more accessible to take new jobs. Kiffin, of course, has been linked to the Florida job.
Florida @ No. 2 Georgia (EverBank Stadium)
It was debatable whether to put this year's Georgia-Florida “Cocktail Party” on this Week 10 list. Early in the season, it definitely wasn’t included, given the way things were looking for Florida after starting 1-2. However, the Gators have won three of their last four games and are now 4-3, still playing hard for Billy Napier.
Now, does that mean they’ll be able to keep up with Georgia or even upset the Bulldogs? That’s certainly debatable. But Georgia has shown they are beatable this year and could easily be 5-2 instead of 6-1.
The Bulldogs have won three of the last four and six of the last seven. Not to mention, many of those victories have been by two scores or more.
No. 13 Indiana @ Michigan State
This year's Indiana football team will look to make history on Saturday when they face Michigan State in Week 10. For the first time ever, the Hoosiers will look to become 9-0 during the regular season with a win over the Spartans.
Indiana has without a doubt been the surprise team of the season, excelling on both sides of the ball. Now they go on the road for just the third time this season, hoping to establish themselves even further as one of the best in the Big Ten.
No. 10 Texas A&M @ South Carolina
What more can be said about the phenomenal job Mike Elko has done in his first season at College Station? Texas A&M is just a few plays away in their Week 1 matchup with Notre Dame from being undefeated right now. But all that matters at this point is that they’re undefeated in SEC play, putting them at the top of the conference heading into Week 10.
They now have to head to South Carolina in what is not the easiest of matchups. Adding to the challenge, it will be a night game in Columbia, and all the elements combined make for a tough atmosphere for the Aggies to remain undefeated in conference play. Plus, who Elko will lean on at quarterback for the matchup remains a point of interest.
Louisville @ No. 11 Clemson
The ACC has three crucial games on deck in Week 10 that will be impactful upon the conference championship game. Last year’s runner-up, Louisville, heads to Death Valley to take on Clemson in one of the few challenges remaining on the Tigers’ schedule for one of those matchups.
Clemson is undefeated in ACC play and aiming to return to the conference title game they’ve dominated over the last several years. But to get there, they’ll have to overcome a tough Cardinals team. Since losing to Georgia in Week 1, Clemson has been on a roll, winning five straight.
No. 18 Pittsburgh @ No. 20 SMU
The third and final major ACC game involves two top-25 ranked opponents. Pitt has been another surprising team this season, currently sitting at 7-0. They arguably have the toughest remaining schedule in the ACC, starting with SMU in Week 10.
SMU is coming off a near-disastrous game against a defensively stout Duke team that forced six Mustangs turnovers. Yet, somehow, SMU survived and still has just one loss overall and none in the ACC. Speaking of turnovers, the Panthers showed last weekend they can generate creating defensively as well, with three pick-sixes and five interceptions overall in their win over Syracuse.
