HOUSTON – Week 10 of the 2024 college football season is upon us, featuring 19 games featuring coaches named to the American Heart Association Paul “Bear” Bryant Watch List. Of these games, three feature games in which both teams are coached by watch list selections.
Alabama, BYU, LSU, Notre Dame, and Texas are idle this week.
Last Week’s Results (WATCH LIST TEAMS IN BOLD)
Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24
No. 19 Pittsburgh 41, Syracuse 13
No. 17 Boise State 29, UNLV 24
No. 1 Oregon 38, No. 20 Illinois 9
No. 3 Penn State 28, Wisconsin 13
No. 4 Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17
No. 5 Texas 27, No. 25 Vanderbilt 24
No. 6 Miami 36, Florida State 14
No. 14 Texas A&M 38, No. 8 LSU 23
No. 11 BYU 37, UCF 24
No. 12 Notre Dame 51, No. 24 Navy 14
No. 13 Indiana 31, Washington 17
No. 15 Alabama 34, No. 21 Missouri 0
No. 16 Kansas State 29, Kansas 27
No. 22 SMU 28, Duke 27
TCU 35, Texas Tech 34
South Alabama 46, Louisiana Monroe 17
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30
Jacksonville State (4-3, 3-0 CUSA) at Liberty (5-1, 3-1 CUSA) [CBSSN]
The flames look to bounce back from their first regular-season loss under head coach Jamey Chadwell. The Flames had won 20 consecutive games against CUSA opponents and 17 consecutive regular-season games. One streak still intact is the Flames’ home win streak, which currently sits at 12 games.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1
San Diego State (3-4, 2-0 MW) at No. 15 Boise State (6-1, 3-0 MW) [FS1]
Coach Spencer Danielson and his Broncos moved to 6-1 on the season with last week’s win over UNLV. Boise State holds a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series with SDSU and continues to be led by Ashton Jeanty’s eye-popping pace in the backfield. Jeanty leads the nation with 1,376 rushing yards, a total that is more than all but FBS teams have racked up over the course of the season.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) at No. 3 Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) [FOX]
Saturday’s premier Big Ten matchup features two top-five squads matching up in Happy Valley. In 39 previous meetings between the two schools, this marks only the second time that both teams have entered the game with a top-five national ranking. Ohio State won that meeting 38-7 in 1996. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has held the decided upper hand in this series – posting a perfect 5-0 mark against the Nittany Lions. Penn State coach James Franklin will look to change his fortunes against Ohio State (he is 1-9 all-time against the Buckeyes) while simultaneously keeping the Nittany Lions’ perfect season intact.
Duke (6-2, 2-2 ACC) at No. 5 Miami (8-0, 4-0 ACC) [ABC/ESPN+]
Coach Mario Cristobal looks to keep Miami undefeated against a Duke team that fell in overtime last week to SMU. Saturday’s meeting will be the 21st all-time meeting between the two schools in a series that Miami leads 15-5, however Duke has won three of the last five meetings.
Air Force (1-6) at No. 21 Army (7-0) [CBS/Paramount+]
The Black Knights were idle last week, but coach Jeff Monken’s squad moved up two spots in the national polls entering this matchup of service academy rivals. Army’s current No. 21 ranking is its highest in the national polls since the 2018 season, when Army finished No. 19. The Black Knights have won 11 consecutive games – the longest streak since the 1949-50 seasons, when Army won 17 straight.
Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) at No. 24 Illinois (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) [FS1]
Illinois is looking to start the season with six straight home wins for the first time since the 2001 season, a year in which the Fighting Illini captured the Big Ten title and competed in the Sugar Bowl. Head coach Bret Bielema is no stranger to the Golden Gophers – the Illinois boss has a career mark of 10-0 against Minnesota, including a 3-0 mark at Illinois.
Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2 SEC) at Auburn (3-5, 1-4 SEC) [SECN]
The Commodores fell out of the top 25 this week after a narrow loss to Texas. Thus far this season, the Commodores’ three losses have come by a combined 10 points – two to teams ranked in the top 10. Coach Clark Lea takes his squad to the Plains this weekend for the 45th all-time meeting between the two schools, in a series Auburn leads 22-21-1. Auburn is a perfect 9-0 in the series in games played on its home field.
No. 1 Oregon (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) at Michigan (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) [CBS/Paramount+]
Head coach Dan Lanning leads the nation’s top-ranked team into action Saturday against the defending national champions in the Big House in Ann Arbor. One of eight remaining undefeated teams, Oregon will face Michigan for the sixth time ever in a series the Wolverines lead 3-2. Michigan won the first three meetings in the series between 1948 and 1973, with Oregon winning the last two in 2003 and 2007.
Florida (4-3, 2-2 SEC) vs. No. 2 Georgia (6-1, 4-1 SEC) [Jacksonville, Fla.] [ABC/ESPN+]
Kirby Smart leads his Bulldogs back into action after an off week against longtime SEC rival Florida. The rivalry contest has been played in Jacksonville dating back to the 1933 season with the exception of a two-year hiatus in the 1990s. The Bulldogs have a 56-44-2 advantage in the series, with Smart holding a 6-2 mark against the Gators – including three straight wins.
Texas Tech (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) at No. 11 Iowa State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) [ESPN]
The Texas Tech Red Raiders have dropped two straight heading into Saturday’s matchup, and the task will get no easier for head coach Joey McGuire’s squad as they head to Ames for a matchup with coach Matt Campbell and his undefeated Iowa State Cyclones. Texas Tech seeks to do something it has not done since 2011 – knock off a top-10 opponent (Iowa State is No. 10 in the coaches’ poll, No. 11 in the AP) on the road. A win would clinch bowl eligibility for Texas Tech. Iowa State is one of eight remaining undefeated squads, and is undefeated entering November for just the third time in program history – and the first since 1938.
No. 13 Indiana (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) at Michigan State (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) [Peacock]
Head coach Curt Cignetti has his Hoosiers rolling heading into Saturday’s matchup with Michigan State. The two teams will square off for the Old Brass Spittoon for the 71st time, with the Spartans holding a 50-18-2 advantage in the series. However, Cignetti has Indiana off to its first 8-0 start in program history and is the first ever Division I head coach to start 8-0 in consecutive seasons at different schools.
No. 17 Kansas State (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) at Houston (3-5, 2-3 Big 12) [FOX]
The Wildcats escaped last weekend’s rivalry game with a 29-27 come-from-behind win over Kansas, and will now hit the road for a matchup with the Houston Cougars. Coach Chris Klieman is 1-0 all-time against Houston, leading the Wildcats to a 41-0 victory over Houston last year in Manhattan.
Louisiana Monroe (5-2, 3-1 Sun Belt) at Marshall (4-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) [ESPN+]
ULM looks to bounce back after last week’s 46-17 setback to South Alabama, facing a Marshall squad whose lone SBC loss was by one point. Coach Bryant Vincent and his Warhawks will face Marshall for the first time since the 1987 FCS Championship Game, a game in which the university – then known as Northeast Louisiana University – downed Marshall 43-42 in Pocatello, Idaho.
Navy (6-1, 4-1 American) at Rice (2-6, 1-3 American) [ESPN2]
Head coach Brian Newberry and Navy look to get back into the win column Saturday after last week’s 51-14 setback at the hands of Notre Dame. This week’s game marks the 13th time that Navy and Rice have met, and the first meeting between the two schools since 2009. The Mids are looking for their first 7-1 start since 2019, when Navy posted an 11-2 record, won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, and defeated Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
Arizona State (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (3-5, 0-5 Big 12) [FS1]
Coach Kenny Dillingham leads the Sun Devils into Stillwater for Saturday’s Big 12 matchup with an Oklahoma State team still looking for its first conference win. OSU leads the all-time series 3-2, and Dillingham is looking for his first win against the Cowboys – Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 2-0 all-time against Arizona State.
No. 10 Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0 SEC) at South Carolina (4-3, 2-3 SEC) [ABC/ESPN+]
Texas A&M’s huge come-from-behind win over LSU last week cemented the Aggies’ best-ever SEC start at 5-0, and with wins over both LSU and Missouri, coach Mike Elko’s squad is the only FBS team to take down two top-10 teams this season. The Aggies have won nine of the last ten meetings with South Carolina, including four of the last five.
Louisville (5-3, 3-2 ACC) at No. 11 Clemson (6-1, 5-0 ACC) [ESPN]
Clemson was idle last week, and coach Dabo Swinney’s squad returns to action at home against a Louisville squad receiving votes in both major national polls. Clemson leads the all-time series 8-0, and has a 22-game win streak in night home games dating back to 2013. Clemson has outscored ACC opponents by an average of 23.6 points this season.
Kentucky (3-5, 1-5 SEC) at No. 7 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1 SEC) [SECN]
Coach Josh Heupel and the Vols return to action after last week’s off week with the 120th all-time meeting between Kentucky and Tennessee. The Vols are in a three-way tie with Texas and LSU for third place in the SEC with four league games remaining. The Vols have won two straight entering play Saturday, and have been a difficult team to solve defensively – Tennessee has held opponents under 20 points for eight consecutive games, with the 19 points allowed in Tennessee’s sole loss of the season to Arkansas serving as the opponents’ high-water mark.
No. 18 Pittsburgh (7-0, 3-0 ACC) at No. 20 SMU (7-1, 4-0 ACC) [ACCN]
It’s a clash of the conference unbeatens as coach Pat Narduzzi and the undefeated No. 18 Pitt Panthers head to Dallas for a matchup with a 20th-ranked SMU squad whose lone setback this season came in a non-conference matchup with BYU. SMU leads the all-time series 3-2-1, with SMU winning the last three meetings between the two squads. The Panthers are 7-0 for the first time since 1982 and last started 8-0 in 1981 – while SMU’s 4-0 start in ACC play is the first for a team jumping into a Power 4 conference from a Group of Five in its first season – no other team has started better than 2-0. While SMU has never hosted Pittsburgh, this is not the first meeting between the two teams in Dallas – Pitt and SMU squared off in the 1983 Cotton Bowl, with SMU taking a 7-3 victory.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
- BLUE STREAK – Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty’s eye-popping numbers have garnered a great deal of attention this season. Jeanty carried the ball 33 times for 128 yards against UNLV, scoring his 18th touchdown of the season. It was the first game of the season that Jeanty did not have a run of 50 or more yards – his longest run against the Rebels was a 16-yarder.
- POINT DIFFERENTIAL – Four of the top five teams in point differential this season are coached by watch list coaches. Army leads the way outscoring opponents by 161 points, followed by Indiana (+123), Clemson (+118), Tulane (+108) and Oregon (+107).
- INJURY WATCH – Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was injured in the Nittany Lions’ win over Wisconsin this Saturday and is listed as a gametime decision.
- ACC-TION – The battle between SMU and Pitt could prove a pivotal one in the ACC standings this year. The outcome of the game may come down to the ability of SMU’s defense to force Pittsburgh’s offense to throw the ball.
- BYE BYE BYE – The tilt between Penn State and Ohio State features two teams with a better-than-average shot of making the College Football Playoff field. The first CFP ranking will come next Tuesday, and the winner of this game could find themselves in an advantageous position when the final field is set. The top four teams receive first-round byes, and Saturday’s game between the two Big Ten powerhosues could set the winning team on a shorter path to the championship.
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