College Football Week 10 Expert Picks, Predictions For Notre Dame-Miami, More

After the first College Football Playoff reveal of the 2026 season on Tuesday, it’s officially crunch time. The Week 10 slate could help determine that postseason picture. No. 1 Miami will try to remain perfect in its toughest test yet, visiting No. 11 Notre Dame. In the SEC, there are, essentially, a slew of elimination games. No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Kentucky, No. 7 Texas and No. 10 Ole Miss are all facing ranked opponents. If any pick up another loss, that could push them out one week after being included in the CFP field. Then in the Big Ten, No. 8 UCLA will try to stay on course for a playoff appearance, playing at Minnesota on “Big Noon Kickoff.” In just one week, the 12-team CFP could look completely different. We’re breaking down our straight-up picks and the matchups to watch closely throughout the weekend. When: Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TexasLine: SMU -6 RJ Young: SMUI don’t think the Mustangs’ Week 9 loss to Syracuse will linger. Laken Litman: SMUSMU rebounds from a crushing defeat at Syracuse. Ben Portnoy: Virginia TechIt’s been a weird year in Blacksburg, but I like what the Hokies’ offense has done in spurts. SMU has been playing with fire and got burned last week. I think Virginia Tech springs another upset. When: Saturday, noon ET (FOX)Where: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MinnesotaLine: UCLA -5.5 Young: UCLAWhile Minnesota’s performance was good last week against Indiana, the better quarterback is UCLA’s Ty Dieffenbach in this matchup. Litman: UCLAUCLA keeps its perfect record intact on the road against a pesky Gophers team. Portnoy: MinnesotaI know last week’s overtime loss to Indiana was an absolute heartbreaker, but Minnesota’s played enough physical, low-scoring football games they’ve got to win one eventually, right? Give me a big-time Gophers bounce back. When: Saturday, noon ET (ABC)Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UtahLine: Utah -5.5 Young: BYUThis is a must-win game for the Cougars to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Litman: UtahUtah keeps its undefeated season alive in this year’s Holy War and proves it’s the team to beat in the Big 12. Portnoy: UtahBYU beat Notre Dame without running back LJ Martin, but Utah has looked like a world beater in recent weeks. Couple that with a Cougars squad that has felt banged-up post-Notre Dame, and I think the Utes win what is maybe the biggest Holy War game ever. When: Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)Where: Memorial Stadium, Columbia, MissouriLine: Texas -2.5 Young: MissouriA rash of injuries and a ranked opponent on the road make this game tough to win for Texas. Litman: MissouriTexas’ lack of a consistent run-game hurts its chances on the road and could ultimately eliminate the Longhorns from CFP contention. Portnoy: TexasTexas continues to be maybe the most frustrating team in the country, but that’s what all that talent is for. Missouri’s Austin Simmons has been one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country. I still don’t think that’s enough in this one. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbia, OhioLine: Ohio State -7.5 Young: Ohio StateAfter being embarrassed last week at USC, the Buckeyes will demonstrate they’re still one of the 12 best teams in the sport against a ranked Oregon team. Litman: Ohio StateQuarterback Luke Fahey gets more comfortable in his first home start, while Oregon’s season continues to spiral. Portnoy: OregonWhy not go for another upset? Oregon looked like it found a little something in last week’s win over Northwestern. On the other hand, Ohio State feels like it’s teetering on the edge of the CFP, and I think Dan Lanning’s bunch salvages another big-time win this season. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LouisianaLine: LSU -5.5 Young: LSUThe Fightin’ Tigers know their cleanest path to the CFP is to go through the fifth-ranked team in the country. Litman: LSUQuarterback Sam Leavitt out-duels Alabama’s Keelon Russell and leads the Tigers to a critical SEC win. Portnoy: AlabamaI believe in quarterback Keelon Russell and what Alabama put on tape during the early part of the year. Roll Tide Roll. When: Saturday, 6:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)Where: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TennesseeLine: Tennessee -6.5 Young: KentuckyThe Wildcats’ quarterback play has been consistently good with Kenny Minchey, while Tennessee knows it can’t win if running back DeSean Bishop doesn’t power the offense. Litman: KentuckyCoach Will Stein gets another huge SEC road win, keeping the Wildcats in the hunt for a first-round CFP bye. Portnoy: KentuckyI’m convinced Tennessee is nowhere near where its ranking might indicate. The Vols are a mess at quarterback and while the defense has been great, they’re far too inconsistent offensively. This might be a grind-it-out type game. Kentucky has done that all year. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IndianaLine: Notre Dame -6 Young: Notre DameThe Fighting Irish can earn the best win anybody has all season if they simply play to their potential. Litman: Notre DameThis is a must-win game for the Fighting Irish, and they’ll get it done behind a masterful performance by quarterback CJ Carr in South Bend. Portnoy: MiamiMiami has looked to me like the best team in America through nine weeks. Notre Dame might be able to gash this defense on the ground, but I still like Darian Mensah to cement himself as a Heisman front-runner after this one, despite wide receiver Malachi Toney’s absence. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MississippiLine: Georgia -3.5 Young: Ole MissQuarterback Trinidad Chambliss is good enough to lead the Rebels past Georgia. Litman: GeorgiaThe Bulldogs may have had that hiccup vs. Auburn, but they’re not losing again. Portnoy: GeorgiaI don’t believe in Georgia’s offense, but it may not matter if its defense smothers teams the way it did last week against Florida. I think the Bulldogs are more sound defensively and that proves to be the difference by knocking Trinidad Chambliss off his game a touch. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Where: Ryan Field, Evanston, IllinoisLine: Northwestern -2.5 Young: IowaThe Hawkeyes’ defense can frustrate quarterback Aidan Chiles and the Northwestern offense. Litman: NorthwesternThe Wildcats bounce back after a devastating loss to Oregon last week. Portnoy: Iowa Hank Brown has been steady for the Hawkeyes under center and this squad seems to be finding its footing again offensively. Combine that with one of the nation’s better defenses and I think they can stymie whatever offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has up his sleeve for Northwestern.