Week 10 is loaded with rivalry games that carry far more weight than bragging rights. Three matchups in particular could shake up the College Football Playoff race while also deciding who gets to talk the loudest when the dust settles.
The biggest one sits in the SEC, where Alabama and LSU are meeting again with both teams sitting at 6-2 and both still hanging around the playoff conversation. This series used to sit at the top of the conference for years, and with Lane Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge, it has found its way back into the spotlight.
From 2005 to 2019, seven of their meetings came with both teams ranked in the AP top five. That isn’t the case now, but the stakes still feel real.
Alabama comes in with a 67.3% CFP chance according to ESPN’s FPI, which is second-best in the conference. LSU is sitting at 51.7%, and that number would likely jump if the Tigers can knock off Alabama at home. A third loss wouldn’t end anyone’s season, but it would make the path to the playoff much steeper for the loser.
Another top-10 showdown puts No. 3 Utah against No.
7 BYU in a matchup with major Big 12 implications. Utah is 8-0 and has the stronger playoff position right now, with a 78% shot at the Playoff.
BYU, at 7-1, still has plenty to play for and enters with a 44% chance. The bigger question around this game is whether the Big 12 can land two CFP teams, and a one-loss Texas Tech team is also watching closely.
For BYU, this is a chance to climb back into the center of the playoff discussion. For Utah, it’s a chance to stay in command and push BYU back toward the outside looking in.
Then there’s Tennessee and Kentucky, a rivalry that has usually tilted heavily one way. Tennessee beat Kentucky 27 straight times from 1984 to 2011, which makes the current stakes feel even stranger. But Kentucky is ranked No. 8, and Will Stein’s team has forced its way into the playoff picture.
Tennessee is coming off a tough loss to South Carolina and may need this one more, with a 24.9% playoff chance. Kentucky is still the underdog in the larger picture, but at 7-1 and carrying a 44.4% chance, the Wildcats have a real shot to keep their dream season rolling. Another win would make it even harder for anyone to dismiss what Stein’s group is building.
In Other News...
Puka Nacua Just Gave BYU Fans A New Reason To Worry
Puka Nacua gave BYU fans an unwelcome scare on Sunday when he went down with a knee injury on the Rams final offensive snap against the Washington Commanders. Los Angeles does not believe he tore his ACL, but the next step is an MRI to determine how serious the injury is, and that alone is enough to make anyone connected to Provo hold their breath.
Before leaving the game, Nacua was doing what he has done so often for the Rams, piling up 14 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. For BYU supporters who still follow every step of his pro career, the concern now is less about the stat line and more about what the tests reveal, because the answer could shape how soon one of the programs biggest stars is back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Just Kept BYUs Most Frustrating Loss In The Spotlight
A wild finish in Orlando kept one of the Big 12s most chaotic results from fading into the background, and it matters for BYU because UCF was the team that handed the Cougars one of their most frustrating losses. The Knights edged Kansas 33-32 in a game that swung back and forth all night, with multiple lead changes and a closing sequence that felt built for a highlight reel.
Alonza Barnett III, back after an injury, steered the late drive that set up the winning score, and Caden Pienings touchdown catch stood after a replay review. Will Stone then delivered the extra point after earlier missing one, sealing a victory that only added to the sense that UCF can still be a factor in the same conference picture BYU is trying to navigate. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs CFP Hopes Now Rest On A Brutal Big 12 Reality
Two straight eight-point losses have left BYU in a far more precarious spot than it was in just a couple of weeks ago. At 7-2, the Cougars still have a workable record, but the margin for error in the Big 12 has all but disappeared as the conference race tightens around them.
The challenge now is straightforward and unforgiving: BYU has to win its final three Big 12 games to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. Even then, the road is crowded, with Utah sitting atop the standings and Texas Tech, Houston and several others close enough to complicate every tiebreaker and every championship scenario. [Read more 🡒]