Bill Connelly Nov 6, 2026, 06:15 AM ET Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.
Heading into the college football season, Week 10 looked like it would be a big one. There was plenty going on, but the headliner was a battle of the preseason's top two teams, Ohio State and Oregon. The Buckeyes and Ducks have combined to lose five games, however; both have lost their starting QBs to injury, and Oregon was starting to look disappointing even before that.
Despite this, somehow Week 10 is even bigger than expected? Miami-Notre Dame is huge thanks to both Miami's unbeaten start and Notre Dame's surprisingly poor standing in the initial College Football Playoff ranking. The Holy War (BYU vs. Utah) is a battle of top-10 teams for the first time. There's potential desperation throughout the SEC -- Alabama at LSU and Georgia at Ole Miss could be must-wins for the home teams, while Texas at Missouri and Kentucky at Tennessee definitely are. (Georgia-Ole Miss is also a rematch of last year's classic CFP quarterfinal, and Kentucky-Tennessee is a battle of top-20 teams for just the second time in 75 years.) Oregon-Ohio State has major desperation vibes, and Iowa at Northwestern is both big and ... potentially fun?? College football always figures out a way to concoct amazing big-game Saturdays, but this one's pretty incredible.
Here's everything you need to follow, starting with my 14 favorite games of this loaded slate. All times Eastern. No. 1 Miami at No. 11 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m., NBC)Two years ago, after a strong start, Miami's defense began springing leaks and never stopped. The Hurricanes allowed at least 31 points in six of nine games and finished a disappointing 10-3.
This year, after a brilliant first five games, the Canes have been giving off 2024 vibes. Against their past three opponents, who average a 44.0 ranking in offensive SP+, they've allowed 28.7 points per game in regulation. Notre Dame's offense ranks second in SP+.
I hate it when game previews basically become injury reports, but it's pretty unavoidable here. Miami star receiver and Heisman contender Malachi Toney is out with a high ankle sprain suffered in practice. That will force quarterback Darian Mensah to diversify -- Toney has been targeted 85 times this season, and no one else has seen even 35.
Wideouts Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw and tight end Elija Lofton should be capable of more of a workload, but we'll see how capable. And needless to say, this puts added pressure on Miami's defense to plug some of those leaks. Notre Dame's defense has its own issues: Linebacker Drayk Bowen and corner DJ Mc Kinney also are out with ankle injuries, and defensive tackles Francis Brewu and Jason Onye are questionable.
All-America corner Leonard Moore should be healthy again, however -- when available, he's been about as good as advertised. Miami's defense ranks third nationally in yards allowed per carry (excluding sacks), and the Canes' pass rush remains solid. But the Hurricanes rank 120th in QBR allowed; looking at just the past three weeks, they're 137th.
In his first two games against SP+ top-25 defenses -- and Miami's still ranks 23rd because of the strong start -- Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr was fine but unspectacular: He took one sack and threw no picks but completed just 59% of his passes at 10.9 yards per completion. He might be the most mistake-proof QB in college football, but he hasn't really proved he can force the issue when he needs to. We'll see if that remains the case against an increasingly generous Hurricanes defense.
With a No. 11 CFP ranking (seven spots below their AP rank), the Irish face all but a must-win here. There could technically be a path for a 10-2 Irish team with enough chaos, but the committee has made it clear what it thinks about Notre Dame's lack of quality wins. Here's an opportunity for a big one.
Current line: Irish -7.5 (up from -4.5 before the Toney n...).
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing