Week 10 is loaded with rivalry games that carry far more weight than bragging rights. These are the kind of matchups that can reshape the College Football Playoff race while also settling old scores, and three of them stand out for how much is hanging in the balance.
The SEC clash between Alabama and LSU feels like it has been circling back into the spotlight for years, and Lane Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge has pushed it right back into the center of the conversation. From 2005 to 2019, seven of the meetings between these teams came with both ranked in the AP top 5. That’s not the case now, but both sides enter at 6-2 with real CFP hopes - and real danger if things go sideways.
Alabama’s 67.3% CFP chances, according to ESPN’s FPI, are second best in the conference. LSU sits at 51.7%, and those numbers would almost certainly swing if the Tigers can knock off Alabama. A third loss wouldn’t end the season for either team, but it would make the road to the playoff much steeper for the loser.
Out west, another top-10 showdown has Utah and BYU meeting with playoff implications attached. No.
3 Utah is 8-0 and has the better position right now, while No. 7 BYU enters at 7-1 with plenty to play for.
The bigger question around this game is whether the Big 12 can land two teams in the CFP, and a one-loss Texas Tech team is also watching closely.
Utah currently has a 78% Playoff shot and is in control of its own path. BYU, at 44%, gets a chance to crash back into the thick of the race and, in the process, push Utah closer to the edge of the waiting room for hopefuls.
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 this year’s version even more striking given Kentucky’s No. 8 ranking. Will Stein’s team has turned itself into a real playoff story.
Tennessee comes in after a tough loss to South Carolina and may need this one more urgently, with a 24.9% Playoff chance. Kentucky is still the outsider at 7-1, but its 44.4% chance shows just how much the Wildcats have changed the conversation. Another win here would make it even harder to dismiss Kentucky’s dream season.
In Other News...
Kentucky Fans Are Livid Over Josh Heupels Late Message
Tennessees 34-6 win over Kentucky was already lopsided long before the final whistle, with the Volunteers forcing three turnovers and controlling the game on both sides of the ball. Both teams still sit at 7-2 with three games left in the regular season, but this one left Kentucky fans stewing over more than the scoreboard.
Josh Heupels decision to keep the offense on the field late and add another touchdown instead of taking a knee became the flashpoint after the game, drawing plenty of anger from the Kentucky side. In a rivalry game that was already one-sided, the late score only added to the frustration and gave Wildcats fans one more thing to talk about as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious After Tennessee Loss
Kentuckys trip to Neyland Stadium ended with a loss to Tennessee, but the frustration around this one goes well beyond the final score. The Wildcats had plenty of reasons to feel they were on the wrong end of a game that turned on a few pivotal moments, especially with two officiating decisions drawing immediate attention as the kind that can swing field position, momentum and maybe more.
One came near halftime, when a potential defensive pass interference call against Tennessee went unmade, and another arrived in the third quarter on an offsides look involving Qua Moss that also went uncalled. With three games still left, Kentucky can still keep its season alive and even put itself in position for a College Football Playoff push if it runs the table, but the sting from this one is going to linger until the next chance to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Playoff Push Took A Brutal Hit In Knoxville
Kentuckys trip to Knoxville was supposed to be another step in a College Football Playoff push, but it turned into a night of self-inflicted damage at Neyland Stadium. The Wildcats controlled the clock and outgained Tennessee, yet the scoreboard told a far harsher story in a 34-6 loss that was shaped by turnovers, penalties and a string of missed chances.
Three giveaways loomed over the defeat, and Kentucky never found a way to turn its edge in possession into points when it mattered. The loss dropped the Wildcats to 7-2 and left their playoff hopes in a far more precarious spot, with little margin left for error as the season moves into its final stretch. [Read more 🡒]