Let’s be real: Week 10 isn’t set up to be a banger.
Yes, we’ve got a great top-five matchup to start the day in the Big Ten and an unexpectedly pivotal ACC game to cap off Saturday. But there’s not much in between. Those two matchups are the only games all Saturday between ranked teams as a lot of squads in the AP Top 25 are off this weekend.
Here are the games to pay attention to Saturday. All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.
No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State
Time: Noon | TV: Fox | Line: Ohio State -3.5 | Total: 45.5
Things seem to be trending well for Penn State QB Drew Allar. His status has been in question after leaving the first half of Penn State’s win over Wisconsin with a knee injury, but Penn State coach James Franklin gave a positive update after practice Wednesday night.
In his weekly post-practice news conference, Penn State coach James Franklin says of QB Drew Allar’s status: “Game time decision but so far so good.”
Allar was seen in practice today jogging and participating fully in drills. pic.twitter.com/17HrZ081QF
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 30, 2024
If Allar can’t go, Beau Pribula would start for the Nittany Lions. No matter who is at quarterback, Saturday’s contest is the best test for a new-look Penn State offense that was abysmal against top opponents in 2023. In a 20-12 loss to Ohio State last season, Penn State had just 240 total yards and averaged 1.9 yards a carry as Allar was 18-of-42 for 191 yards.
This season, Allar is averaging 14 yards a completion as Tyler Warren has emerged as the best tight end in college football. Warren has 47 catches for 559 yards and four scores and he also has seven carries for 40 yards and a TD. We’re fascinated to see how Ohio State prepares for Warren.
The Ohio State offense was in a funk in the second half of its win over Nebraska in Week 9. Yes, the Buckeyes got a 75-yard TD drive in the fourth quarter after Nebraska took a 17-14 lead, but the other complete drives went punt, interception, punt, punt and punt.
The Buckeyes could also be playing Saturday with their No. 3 left tackle. Zen Michalski was carted off the field in the fourth quarter of the win over Nebraska and looks unlikely to play. Michalski was replacing Josh Simmons after Simmons suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Ohio State’s loss to Oregon.
Ohio State moved guard Donovan Jackson over a spot to tackle in Michalski’s absence. A week of practice could be very beneficial to a shuffled line.
No. 19 Ole Miss at Arkansas
Time: Noon | TV: ESPN | Line: Ole Miss -7 | Total: 53.5
Ole Miss’ chances of making the College Football Playoff are greater than their chances of making the SEC title game.
The Rebels are a virtual lock to get into the playoff at 10-2. That record would include a win over Georgia next week. But that Georgia game is why this could be a trap game for the Rebels. Especially since another loss would really damage their playoff hopes.
Ole Miss had a sluggish first half a week ago against Oklahoma but woke up on a 24-yard TD pass from Jaxson Dart to Caden Prieskorn. After scoring at least 40 points in each of its non-conference games, Ole Miss hasn’t scored more than 27 against an SEC opponent.
For Arkansas, the key is again turnovers. Yes, we’ve said that before. The Razorbacks turned it over three times in a loss to LSU after beating Tennessee and then had just one turnover in a 58-25 win over SEC bottom-feeder Mississippi State. The Razorbacks have had multiple turnovers in half of their gams this season, and they’re 1-3 in those contests. The only win came at Auburn as the Tigers had five themselves.
Arkansas will also likely be playing without RB Ja’Quinden Jackson. He re-aggravated an ankle injury in the loss to LSU and missed the Mississippi State game. He was listed as out on the Hogs’ Wednesday injury report.
No. 1 Oregon at Michigan
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: CBS | Line: Oregon -14.5 | Total: 45.5
Is this the biggest game remaining for the Ducks? Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel is now the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy and he’s got a chance to eclipse Bo Nix’s record for completion percentage with a strong finish to the season.
Nix completed 77.45% of his passes a season ago. This year, Gabriel is at 76.2%. The record is probably out of reach, but we can’t totally rule it out.
Oregon hasn’t scored fewer than 31 points against an FBS opponent this season and the only time Michigan has allowed 31 was in its Week 2 loss to Texas. As Gabriel is carving opponents up through the air, Jordan James has 136 carries for 800 yards and eight scores.
A big key to slowing Gabriel and the Oregon passing attack is Michigan CB Will Johnson. He missed the Wolverines’ win over Michigan State with a lower-leg injury and may not play Saturday. Johnson may be the best defensive back in football and is atop Yahoo Sports’ draft board. He’d be a big loss for the Wolverines because, well, Michigan probably needs a big day from its defense.
The Wolverines went back to Davis Warren at QB against the Spartans after Jack Tuttle suffered a concussion and subsequently retired from football this week. Warren was 13-of-19 passing for 123 yards in the win. Overall, Michigan has thrown for just 1,044 yards over eight games. And 23 of those yards are on a TD pass by RB Donovan Edwards.
Louisville at No. 11 Clemson
Time: 7:30 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Line: Clemson -10.5 | Total: 62.5
Week 10 is a great chance to check in on Clemson if you haven’t watched the Tigers much since their Week 1 blowout loss to Georgia. The offensive improvement has been, uh, significant.
Clemson is averaging nearly six yards a carry as a team as Phil Mafah has rushed 105 times for 682 yards and six TDs. QB Cade Klubnik is now the No. 5 favorite for the Heisman as he’s thrown for 20 TDs and rushed for four more. Klubnik is completing 67% of his passes for 1,836 yards and has thrown just two interceptions since the Georgia game.
The receiving corps is deep. Seven different players have at least 10 catches and Antonio Williams leads the team with 28 grabs for 393 yards.
Clemson’s offensive success is bad news for a Louisville defense that had been playing very poorly until a win over Boston College a week ago. The Cardinals allowed 7.6 yards per play to SMU and 7.5 yards per play to Miami. Both of those games were losses. In the win sandwiched between those games, Virginia gained 5.5 yards per play.
Cardinals QB Tyler Shough has thrown for 2,348 yards through eight games and has 20 TDs and five interceptions. He’s in his seventh season of college football and has already set a career high in games played this year. Before 2024, Shough had never appeared in more than seven games in a single season.
No. 18 Pitt at No. 20 SMU
Time: 8 p.m. | TV: ACC Network | Line: SMU -7.5 | Total: 58.5
The Panthers got some good news Wednesday when Pat Narduzzi said QB Eli Holstein would be able to play against the Mustangs. Holstein left Pitt’s big win over Syracuse early because of an injury.
SMU is dealing with its own QB injury issues. Kevin Jennings is officially listed as questionable but says he’ll be ready to go Saturday after he was injured in the fourth quarter of SMU’s OT win over Duke. The Mustangs turned the ball over six times in that win and somehow won despite Duke not turning the ball over at all.
This is a massive game for the ACC standings, even if you think that Clemson and Miami are going to meet in the title game. The Tigers, Hurricanes, Panthers and Mustangs are all undefeated in the conference so far, so there will be, at most, three teams undefeated in the ACC at the end of Week 10.
Other games to watch
Duke at No. 5 Miami (Noon, ABC): Manny Diaz revenge game? The current Duke coach and former Miami boss will be on the visiting sidelines for the first time since he was fired for current coach Mario Cristobal. The Hurricanes are three-TD favorites, however, so this could be over quickly if Duke’s offense can’t keep up with Cam Ward and Co.
Florida vs. No. 2 Georgia (3:30 p.m., ABC): Florida’s gauntlet of a schedule continues with its annual rivalry game against the Bulldogs. The game is the first of four straight against ranked opponents for the Gators before the regular-season finale against Florida State.
No. 10 Texas A&M at South Carolina (7:30 p.m., ABC): The only undefeated team in SEC play is just a 2.5-point favorite against a team that has shown it can play with anyone in the conference. Yes, South Carolina is 2-3 in the SEC, but the Gamecocks have lost by a combined five points to LSU and Alabama.
