Week 10 of the 2026 college football season features matchups between AP Top 25 teams, headlined by No. 1 Miami visiting No. 4 Notre Dame on Saturday, November 7, 2026, with implications for the College Football Playoff.
College football fans face a weekend of high-stakes television as the regular season barrels toward its final month. The action kicks off early Saturday and stretches into primetime with games featuring top opponents, testing playoff contenders across the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12. Following the release of the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night, the weekend features captivating matchups within the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12 leading the docket.
Notre Dame at No. 11 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. Good Lord. Basically lose and you're out versus Miami.
Miami Visits Notre Dame in Playoff Showdown
The regular-season schedule takes place in South Bend, where top-ranked Miami (8-0) meets No. 4 Notre Dame (7-1) at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge on the call. The Fighting Irish enter the game ranked No. 11 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, putting them in a precarious position. Because their opening placement was unexpectedly low, the Irish face a critical must-win scenario, having previously fallen to BYU in their sole matchup against a ranked adversary. Should the 12-team bracket be determined today, the Irish would occupy the final playoff spot outside of the Group of Six berth.
Notre Dame needs this win for its College Football Playoff hopes,
USA Today noted in its weekly projections.
First College Football Playoff Rankings IN: 1)Miami 2) Georgia 3)Utah 4) Indiana 5) Alabama 6) Kentucky 7) Texas 8) UCLA 9) BYU 10) Ole Mis 11) Notre Dame *Boise is 25th OUT 12) Ohio State 13) Tennessee 14) LSU 15) Texas Tech pic.twitter.com/bdy5cmMv6a
Holy War Rivalry Opens Saturday Slate
Before the primetime matchups, the annual “Holy War” takes center stage as No. 7 BYU visits No. 3 Utah at 12 p.m. ET on ABC. Dave Pasch and Dusty Dvoracek will provide commentary from the booth. This year’s edition of the rivalry carries incredibly high stakes in Salt Lake City, and the committee loves BYU’s win over Notre Dame.
Utah enters as a favorite, though BYU’s erratic play since upsetting No. 2 Notre Dame has analysts leaning toward the Utes.
SEC Heavyweights Collide in Baton Rouge and Oxford
The SEC portion of the schedule features multiple ranked showdowns. No. 9 Alabama travels to face LSU at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit calling the action in what marks the final year of the teams’ annual series. Both teams boast identical overall records, making it another important clash in the league standings with Baton Rouge expected to be rowdy. The Crimson Tide have two losses but have been solid outside of those slip-ups, while LSU leads the country in adjusted net expected points added per play and ranks second defensively.
Later in the evening at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, No. 2 Georgia visits No. 12 Ole Miss in Oxford, with Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy on the call. The Bulldogs have just one loss, which came against Auburn a few weeks ago, and the two teams met twice last season. No. 8 Kentucky plays at No. 16 Tennessee, and No. 10 Texas visits No. 19 Missouri.
CFP selection chair Hunter Yurachek on Notre Dame’s No. 11 ranking: “They don’t have that signature win right now. … They have a great opportunity this weekend (against Miami).”
Big Ten Leaders Hit the Road
In the Big Ten, unbeaten and fifth-ranked UCLA visits Minnesota at 12 p.m. ET on Fox. The Bruins chase their first 9-0 start since 1998. Despite sitting 130th in total offense and 88th in scoring output, the Gophers have demonstrated stubborn resilience by securing home victories over Michigan and a ranked Iowa squad, coupled with a narrow overtime defeat on the road last week against an Indiana team that was ranked in the top five.
Leonard Moore was asked about watching the first College Football Playoff rankings: "I don't really watch the playoff rankings, I don't think anything matters until all 12 games are done."