NCAAF · 1 hour ago

Ranking the Top 10 Potential Upsets for College Football Week 10

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

10. Miami at Notre Dame
Miami Hurricanes @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Date: November 7 | Time: 7:30 | TV: NBC
- AP Rank: Miami #1 | Notre Dame #4
- Records: Miami: 8-0 | Notre Dame: 7-1
- Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium | Location: South Bend, IN
Miami and Notre Dame were expected to be one of the games of the season, and the stage is set for a classic in South Bend. The No. 1 team in the country is an underdog, and there is no doubt Notre Dame needs this contest more than the Hurricanes do. To be blunt, a second loss for the Fighting Irish would be a disaster as the remainder of their schedule offers no chances for quality wins. Marcus Freeman and the Irish would miss the College Football Playoff for the second straight season. Darian Mensah has been as efficient and accurate as anyone in the country, and Malachi Toney is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons. Add in the Hurricanes' physical running game, and Notre Dame will have to play much better than they did against BYU.
1. UTSA at Florida Atlantic
UTSA Roadrunners at Florida Atlantic Owls
- Date: November 5 | Time: 7:30 | TV: ESPN
- AP Rank: NR
- Records: UTSA: 7-1 | FAU: 5-3
- Stadium: Flagler Credit Union Stadium | Location: Boca Raton, FL
The UTSA Roadrunners need to be wary of this Thursday night trip to Boca Raton. Jeff Traylor’s squad is 7-1 and tied for first in the American Athletic Conference with a 4-0 league record. Still, they cannot be caught looking ahead to next week’s showdown with fellow conference unbeaten North Texas. The Owls have an incredibly prolific attack and have scored the following totals in the past five games: 45, 66, 24, 51, 41 (against North Texas). Now, FAU’s defense is atrocious, and that’s why they have three losses. Still, they have more than enough firepower to make the Roadrunners uncomfortable, particularly if UTSA is not focused and looking forward to North Texas.
2. Virginia Tech at SMU
Virginia Tech Hokies @ SMU Mustangs
- Date: November 6 | Time: 7:00 | TV: ESPN
- AP Rank: NR
- Records: Virginia Tech: 6-2 | SMU: 6-2
- Stadium: Gerald J. Ford Stadium | Location: Dallas, TX
Friday night has five really interesting games, and I’ve picked out a couple featuring teams on alert. The first Friday night contest of interest is SMU hosting the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Mustangs are 6-2 but coming off of a woeful loss at Syracuse. Virginia Tech hit a skid with losses to Pitt and Cal, but those were by a combined seven points, and James Franklin’s squad responded with a pair of wins over Georgia Tech and Clemson. The Hokies have a strong pass rush that could get after Kevin Jennings, and they have enough positional skill to find some success.
3. Nebraska at Illinois
Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Illinois Fighting Illini
- Date: November 6 | Time: 8:00 | TV: FOX
- AP Rank: NR
- Records: Nebraska: 5-3 | Illinois: 5-3
- Stadium: Gies Memorial Stadium | Location: Champaign, IL
How much more can Nebraska take before the effort and focus start to wane? After a 5-0 start, the Huskers have dropped a trio of heartbreakers. It began with a 20-17 defeat to Indiana after they led in the fourth quarter. Their former quarterback (Dylan Raiola) entered the next week and led his new team (Oregon) to a comeback win over them at Autzen Stadium. Last week, the offense fell apart, and they gifted a game to the Washington Huskies in Lincoln. With games remaining against Ohio State and at Iowa, Nebraska needs a big win, but both teams are headed in opposite directions. Illinois has its starting quarterback back in the lineup, and the Illini have won three straight games.
4. BYU at Utah
BYU Cougars @ Utah Utes
- Date: November 7 | Time: Noon | TV: ABC
- AP Rank: BYU #7 | Utah #3
- Records: BYU: 7-1 | Utah: 8-0
- Stadium: Rice-Eccles Stadium | Location: Salt Lake City, UT
The “Holy War” resumes on Saturday with a 10:00 am local time kickoff in Salt Lake City, as the Utah Utes host the BYU Cougars at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The two are ranked in the top ten, and Utah has reached heights not seen since the Urban Meyer days. The Utes enter the game unbeaten and coming off a splattering of Cincinnati. BYU has a strong defense and a talented quarterback who has already shown he can drag his offense across the finish line against a great opponent. Can Bear Bachmeier summon more heroics?
5. UCLA at Minnesota
UCLA Bruins @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Date: November 7 | Time: Noon | TV: FOX
- AP Rank: UCLA #5
- Records: UCLA: 8-0 | Minnesota: 5-3
- Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium | Location: Minneapolis, MN
The UCLA Bruins are undefeated and ranked fifth in the country. They now travel across multiple time zones and face an early body-clock kick as they take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. UCLA’s offense isn’t particularly good, but they have been efficient and quite dominant on the ground while Minnesota is attempting to pick themselves up after a devastatingly close loss at Indiana. The Gophers have a great special teams unit and the running game showed signs of life against IU. UCLA has spent the past week hearing how great they are and how close they are to a Big Ten Championship Game berth, but if they aren’t careful, Minnesota can hand them their first “L”.
6. North Carolina at UConn
North Carolina Tar Heels @ UConn Huskies
- Date: November 7 | Time: Noon | TV: CBSSN
- AP Rank: NR
- Records: UNC: 4-4 | UConn: 4-4
- Stadium: Pratt & Whitney Stadium | Location: East Hartford, CT
The North Carolina Tar Heels were nearly there. Two different penalties cost them onside-kick recoveries, and they fell just short against No. 1 Miami. Despite really encouraging performances against Notre Dame and Miami, the Tar Heels are now 4-4 and they have dropped two straight contests. They now have to regroup and find some energy for a road trip to…Connecticut? In a bizarre scheduling twist, North Carolina is playing at UConn, which presents a dangerous mental trap for the Tar Heels. UConn is just 4-4, but they do have a capable offense. On paper, there’s not much for North Carolina to worry about, but will they be ready to play this game?
7. Alabama at LSU
Alabama Crimson Tide @ LSU Tigers
- Date: November 7 | Time: 3:30 | TV: ABC
- AP Rank: Alabama #9 | LSU #15
- Records: Alabama: 6-2 | LSU: 6-2
- Stadium: Tiger Stadium | Location: Baton Rouge, LA
We head to the afternoon slate with a pair of teams coming off bye weeks and facing immense pressure to avoid a third loss. The Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers square off in what is usually one of the premier SEC contests. As the home team, LSU is expected to win this game, but Alabama has a lot of talent on offense, and quarterback Keelon Russell is the kind of singular talent who can explode for a huge game. If Alabama’s run game can translate to Death Valley on the road and Sam Leavitt turns it over a couple of times, the Crimson Tide would be in business. Lane Kiffin would be staring at elimination from the College Football Playoff in early November.
8. Oregon at Ohio State
Oregon Ducks @ Ohio State Buckeyes
- Date: November 7 | Time: 3:30 | TV: CBS
- AP Rank: Ohio State #11
- Records: Oregon: 5-3 | Ohio State: 6-2
- Stadium: Ohio Stadium | Location: Columbus, OH
When the Big Ten schedule was announced, Oregon and Ohio State were expected to meet in November in a top-ten showdown, with a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game on the line. Instead, both Dante Moore and Julian Sayin are out, Oregon is unranked, and Ohio State has slipped to 11th, and neither team looks likely to make the College Football Playoff. Oregon’s offense found some life last week after firing its offensive coordinator, roaring back to beat Northwestern, and Ohio State is searching for answers on both sides of the ball after a frustrating defeat to USC. Can Ohio State find those answers before the Ducks enter the Horseshoe?
9. Kentucky at Tennessee
Kentucky Wildcats @ Tennessee Volunteers
- Date: November 7 | Time: 6:15 | TV: ESPN
- AP Rank: UK #8 | Tennessee #16
- Records: UK: 7-1 | Tennessee: 6-2
- Stadium: Neyland Stadium | Location: Knoxville, TN
The Kentucky Wildcats have only one loss and are in a great position to make the College Football Playoff and participate in the SEC Championship Game in Will Stein’s first season in Lexington. They face their biggest test yet, though, as they travel to Neyland Stadium to play a desperate Tennessee squad. The Volunteers are expected to win, but Kentucky has shown the ability to limit opposing run games and make enough plays on offense and special teams to prevail.
10. Miami at Notre Dame
Miami Hurricanes @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Date: November 7 | Time: 7:30 | TV: NBC
- AP Rank: Miami #1 | Notre Dame #4
- Records: Miami: 8-0 | Notre Dame: 7-1
- Stadium: Notre Dame Stadium | Location: South Bend, IN
Miami and Notre Dame were expected to be one of the games of the season, and the stage is set for a classic in South Bend. The No. 1 team in the country is an underdog, and there is no doubt Notre Dame needs this contest more than the Hurricanes do. To be blunt, a second loss for the Fighting Irish would be a disaster as the remainder of their schedule offers no chances for quality wins. Marcus Freeman and the Irish would miss the College Football Playoff for the second straight season. Darian Mensah has been as efficient and accurate as anyone in the country, and Malachi Toney is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons. Add in the Hurricanes' physical running game, and Notre Dame will have to play much better than they did against BYU.
1. UTSA at Florida Atlantic
UTSA Roadrunners at Florida Atlantic Owls
- Date: November 5 | Time: 7:30 | TV: ESPN
- AP Rank: NR
- Records: UTSA: 7-1 | FAU: 5-3
- Stadium: Flagler Credit Union Stadium | Location: Boca Raton, FL
The UTSA Roadrunners need to be wary of this Thursday night trip to Boca Raton. Jeff Traylor’s squad is 7-1 and tied for first in the American Athletic Conference with a 4-0 league record. Still, they cannot be caught looking ahead to next week’s showdown with fellow conference unbeaten North Texas. The Owls have an incredibly prolific attack and have scored the following totals in the past five games: 45, 66, 24, 51, 41 (against North Texas). Now, FAU’s defense is atrocious, and that’s why they have three losses. Still, they have more than enough firepower to make the Roadrunners uncomfortable, particularly if UTSA is not focused and looking forward to North Texas.