It’s a loaded Week 10 slate on paper, with the first CFP rankings giving the day even more juice. Seven ranked matchups are on the board, four of them in the SEC, and Missouri’s home date with Texas sits right in the middle of the chaos. From there, the day keeps rolling with Alabama-LSU, Kentucky-Tennessee, Miami-Notre Dame, and Georgia-Ole Miss.
At Faurot, No. 18 Missouri gets a shot at No.
7 Texas in an 11:00 a.m. CST kickoff on ESPN, and the picks lean toward the Tigers pulling the upset.
Sammy Stava sees Texas as vulnerable because of health concerns and Arch Manning’s uneven road play, saying Simmons outplays Manning and Missouri uses the home crowd to its advantage in a 28-24 win. Matthew Gustafson calls this the kind of week where prediction feels like a guessing game, but he still expects the chaos to continue and Missouri to finish the job 27-24.
Josh Matejka goes the same direction, pointing to Manning’s struggles and Missouri’s defense before calling for the Tigers to win 24-21.
The afternoon brings another massive SEC test with No. 5 Alabama visiting No.
14 LSU at 2:30 p.m. CST on ABC.
The line has LSU favored by 6.5, and the panel splits on whether Alabama can handle the pressure after landing at No. 5 in the first CFP rankings with two losses. Stava takes LSU at home, 24-20.
Gustafson sees the Tigers as Alabama’s toughest remaining obstacle, but he thinks Kalen DeBoer finds a way to keep the Tide moving forward with a 30-24 win. Matejka, though, thinks LSU gets the statement result and puts DeBoer’s tenure “on thin ice,” with the Tigers winning 30-24.
No. 6 Kentucky heads to No.
13 Tennessee for a 5:15 p.m. CST kickoff on ESPN, and the Volunteers are laying 5.5 points.
Stava likes Kentucky’s Year One under Will Stein, but still thinks Neyland at night is too much, with Tennessee surviving 38-35. Gustafson says this game will tell us who’s real and who’s pretending, and he trusts the Vols at home for a 28-24 win.
Matejka is high on Kentucky, but not quite that high, and he expects Tennessee to use the matchup to prove itself to the committee with a 31-24 victory.
The night window gets even bigger with No. 1 Miami at No.
11 Notre Dame at 6:30 p.m. CST on NBC, where the Irish are favored by 7.5.
Stava says Miami’s status as the nation’s top team comes with a major setback in the loss of Malachi Toney, and he thinks Notre Dame turns that into a statement win, 35-31. Gustafson isn’t sold on Miami as the country’s best team either, and he believes South Bend and Toney’s absence help Notre Dame notch its first big win of the season, also by 35-31.
Matejka agrees that losing Toney is a huge blow and says Notre Dame gets the résumé boost it needs with a 33-27 win.
Georgia-Ole Miss closes the set, with No. 2 Georgia traveling to No.
10 Ole Miss as a 3.5-point favorite in a 6:30 p.m. CST game on ABC.
Stava calls Georgia the SEC’s most consistent team and expects the Bulldogs to handle a tough road trip in Oxford, 31-23. Gustafson says Georgia has the conference’s strongest case as the most complete team and believes Ole Miss will miss Kewan Lacy too much, with the Bulldogs leaving with a 31-27 win and a path toward No. 1 next week.
In Other News...
Mizzou Just Sent A Clear Message By Bringing Back SLU
Missouris nonconference calendar just picked up a familiar in-state edge, with the Tigers set to meet Saint Louis for the first time since 2001 in a Nov. 6 game at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The matchup, which Dennis Gates helped bring together, will carry the Regions Bank Show-Me Showdown name and is slated to return annually for the next three years, giving both programs a chance to renew a series that has been absent for more than two decades.
For Missouri, the move is about more than local pride. A game like this can matter when NCAA Tournament resumes are being weighed, and both coaches have acknowledged the significance of putting two respected programs on the same floor. It also gives fans in the state a rare chance to see the rivalry feel real again, with a neutral-site setting that should make the first edition feel like an event rather than just another date on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous 2027 Offense Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Missouris offense got a meaningful boost for the future with Austin Simmons back in the fold for 2027. The starting quarterback, who transferred in after three seasons at Ole Miss, has already settled in as the Tigers starter this season, and his return gives the program some much-needed continuity at the most important position on the field.
There is still a wrinkle, though, because Simmons deal leaves the door open for the 2027 NFL Draft. Even so, his presence keeps Missouris long-term offensive picture much clearer, especially with several other skill-position players also eligible to return in 2027. For a team trying to build around stability, that kind of roster overlap matters. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Just Got A Much Tougher SLU Problem Than Expected
What had looked like a straightforward nonconference tune-up for Missouri now comes with a lot more uncertainty. Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz confirmed that Robbie Avila will be dressed and available for the Billikens upcoming game against the Tigers after St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jason Sengheiser granted Avila an injunction that gives him a fifth year of eligibility and blocks the NCAA from enforcing roster limits to keep him off the floor.
For Missouri, the timing matters because Avila changes the complexion of a game that already carried plenty of attention across the state line. His case follows a similar court allowance for Mark Mitchell to rejoin the Saint Louis roster, adding another layer to a matchup that now feels a little less like a routine early-season test and a little more like a look at how much roster chaos can shape November basketball. [Read more 🡒]