8:00 AM ET
ESPN staff
November is officially present and with it comes a apical 5 matchup that has each the stakes a instrumentality could inquire for.
Tennessee volition question to Georgia connected Saturday successful what should beryllium 1 of the astir highly anticipated SEC East games successful caller history. What's connected the line? Oh, conscionable the wrong way to a part crown, a spot successful the SEC rubric crippled and, ultimately, a steadfast spot successful the College Football Playoff mix.
The precocious illustration matchup isn't the lone apical 10 conflict betwixt SEC foes this play arsenic Alabama travels to LSU to play nether the lights astatine Tiger Stadium. The teams whitethorn travel successful with 3 losses combined but a large triumph successful this rivalry crippled would get either the Crimson Tide oregon the Tigers backmost connected the fringes of the playoff and a apt day with either Georgia oregon Tennessee successful the league rubric game.
Outside of the SEC action, Clemson travels to South Bend, wherever it mislaid to Notre Dame successful treble overtime successful 2020 contempt a standout show from then-freshman DJ Uiagalelei. The now-junior volition get different effort to topple the Irish and support the Tigers successful the CFP apical 4 for different week.
A week aft hammering Oklahoma State 48-0, Kansas State has the accidental to notch yet different prime triumph with Texas headed to Manhattan. And Thursday nighttime gets a sensation of the Fun Belt this week erstwhile Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina conscionable successful a important Sun Belt East clash.
These are the biggest storylines from the champion games of Week 10.
No. 1 Tennessee astatine No. 3 Georgia (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
One of the much ascendant units successful each of assemblage shot implicit the past 2 seasons has been Georgia's defense.
The Dawgs' defence a twelvemonth agone -- the 1 with 5 NFL first-round selections -- gave up conscionable 16 touchdowns successful 15 games connected the mode to Georgia's archetypal nationalist title successful 41 years. It's been much of the aforesaid this season, arsenic Georgia has held its archetypal 8 opponents to conscionable 7 touchdowns.
But Saturday successful Sanford Stadium, Georgia's defence volition beryllium tested successful a mode that it hasn't each play against a Tennessee discourtesy that leads the state successful scoring (49.4 points per game) and has scored 34 oregon much points successful each game, including 40 oregon much successful its past 4 games.
While cipher has been capable to dilatory down backmost Hendon Hooker and the Vols, they haven't faced a defence the caliber of Georgia's oregon a beforehand 7 connected defence that smothers the tally the mode the Dawgs do. They've fixed up conscionable 2 rushing touchdowns each play and are allowing 85.4 rushing yards per game.
"You tin accidental it each game, but you've got to triumph the enactment of scrimmage," Tennessee manager Josh Heupel said. "You've got to beryllium capable to tally the shot some, due to the fact that if they get you successful a clump of third-and-long situations, that's close wherever they privation you."
Tennessee moved the shot arsenic good arsenic anybody connected Georgia a twelvemonth agone successful a 41-17 loss, particularly aboriginal successful the game, but couldn't decorativeness drives. The Vols finished with 387 yards successful full discourtesy and 22 archetypal downs, but lone managed 55 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the Dawgs had 274 rushing yards.
If Tennessee is going to drawback a five-game losing streak successful this bid and instrumentality a immense measurement toward its archetypal SEC title crippled quality since 2007, the Vols volition person to find a mode to adjacent up those rushing numbers.
Georgia manager Kirby Smart didn't caput 1 spot seeing the Vols No. 1 and the Dawgs No. 3 successful the archetypal College Football Playoff rankings connected Tuesday night. Not that the defending nationalist champs needed immoderate other motivation, but determination it is. Think the "no-respect" taxable has been mentioned erstwhile oregon doubly connected the Georgia signifier tract this week?
Smart downplayed the rankings -- period. At slightest to reporters.
"We've dealt with this truthful agelong present with past twelvemonth going connected and knowing that it truly doesn't matter," Smart said. "It doesn't matter. It matters however you play." -- Chris Low
No. 6 Alabama astatine No. 10 LSU (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN app)
Set speech the evident penalties, and what stood retired from Alabama's defence during a adjacent telephone astatine Texas and nonaccomplishment astatine Tennessee was a deficiency of extent astatine cornerback. Outside of Kool-Aid McKinstry, determination conscionable weren't precise galore reliable options for manager Nick Saban to take from.
But that mightiness person changed 2 weeks agone against Mississippi State erstwhile Eli Ricks yet stepped into the starting lineup aft 7 games and shined. Against a pass-happy Bulldog offense, Ricks played up to his potential, broke up 4 passes and allowed lone 1 completion.
While it took longer than expected since transferring during the offseason -- Saban said they worked hard to amended Ricks' fundamentals and knowing of a caller antiaircraft strategy -- his coming retired enactment comes astatine an opportune time. On Saturday, he'll acquisition a reunion of sorts, returning to LSU wherever helium became an All-American arsenic a freshman 2 seasons ago.
Long with carnal skills, Ricks could lucifer up nicely against talented receivers Kayshon Boutte and Malik Nabers. Quarterback Jayden Daniels is playing his champion shot of the season, having thrown for 597 yards, 5 touchdowns and nary interceptions successful wins against Florida and Ole Miss.
But Saban said what's important for Ricks is to effort not to bash excessively overmuch against his erstwhile team.
"I deliberation it's important that helium conscionable goes into this crippled and is himself and doesn't deliberation helium has to bash thing fantastic conscionable due to the fact that he's playing against a squad helium utilized to play for," Saban said. "I deliberation that's ever important psychologically for guys to beryllium capable to absorption connected what's successful beforehand of them and bash their occupation well." -- Alex Scarborough
No. 24 Texas astatine No. 13 Kansas State (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, FS1)
The Longhorns' crippled against the Wildcats presents a conundrum. Texas is coming disconnected a bye week but blew a second-half pb against Oklahoma State successful a nonaccomplishment to the Cowboys the week before. Last week, Kansas State bushed No. 9 OSU 48-0. The Longhorns are coming disconnected their 5th consecutive roadworthy nonaccomplishment and their 1-6 roadworthy grounds successful the past 2 seasons is the worst successful the Big 12.
Yet the Longhorns are favored by 2.5 points, conscionable the 5th clip since the 1978 FBS/FCS divided that a squad unranked successful the AP canvass is favored connected the roadworthy against a apical 15 opponent.
So what gives? K-State manager Chris Klieman says helium sees it connected film.
"If there's 1 happening I'd accidental conscionable watching Texas, they bash arsenic bully a occupation arsenic anybody that we've played arsenic acold as, we're getting our champion players the shot and we're going to marque definite that you person to support our champion players for 4 quarters from sideline to sideline whether it's the wide receiver to the choky extremity to the moving back," Klieman said.
The Wildcats would look acceptable to support them, ranking sixth nationally successful antiaircraft ratio and allowing conscionable 15 violative touchdowns -- the fewest successful the Big 12.
It volition beryllium a conflict betwixt 2 of the champion moving backs successful Big 12 history, the Wildcats' Deuce Vaughn vs. the Longhorns' Bijan Robinson. Both are among the apical six successful league past (minimum 25 games played) successful vocation scrimmage yards per crippled -- Robinson is 4th astatine 130.4 yards per crippled portion Vaughn is sixth with 128.4. Texas is the lone Big 12 schoolhouse that hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher this year, a trial for Vaughn.
The Longhorns person won 5 consecutive against K-State, which is the longest progressive streak against a league opponent. But 5 of the past six games person been decided by six points oregon fewer. Both inactive person a changeable astatine a Big 12 rubric crippled appearance, but the Wildcats tin apt thwart the Longhorns' hopes with a win.
"I deliberation that we've played bully football," Texas manager Steve Sarkisian said this week. "I deliberation we've got a squad that's committed for this last period of the season, but we person to beryllium cautious not to look down the road. We've got to absorption connected this crippled and we've got to grip our concern this week, and it's going to beryllium a heck of a game." -- Dave Wilson
No. 4 Clemson astatine Notre Dame (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
Two years ago, DJ Uiagalelei started arsenic a existent freshman connected the roadworthy against Notre Dame and delivered a show that -- successful ample portion -- acceptable expectations soaring erstwhile helium officially became the Clemson starting quarterback.
Uiagalelei threw for 439 yards and 2 touchdowns successful a 47-40 double-overtime nonaccomplishment to the Irish, arsenic Trevor Lawrence sat retired with COVID-19. Based connected his 2 starts that year, Uiagalelei headed into the 2021 play arsenic a preseason Heisman hopeful -- the latest successful a enactment of highly palmy Clemson quarterbacks.
But 2021 did not spell smoothly arsenic Uiagalelei and the Clemson discourtesy struggled, and questions astir his semipermanent aboriginal person been the taxable du jour successful 2022. Though Uiagalelei has played acold amended than helium did a twelvemonth agone -- with 2,150 full yards, 21 full touchdowns and 4 interceptions -- getting benched aft turning the shot implicit 3 times against Syracuse brought the doubters backmost arsenic Uiagalelei and No. 4 Clemson instrumentality to Notre Dame.
Coach Dabo Swinney has spent the past 11 months defending his quarterback, and did it again aft helium brought successful Cade Klubnik to assistance rally Clemson to a 27-21 triumph implicit the Orange. Though Swinney pulled Uiagalelei from that game, helium has reaffirmed aggregate times implicit the past 2 weeks that Uiagalelei remains the starter.
"You enactment your ace connected the mound and determination is simply a definite expectation," Swinney said during his play quality conference. "But adjacent the champion of the best, adjacent happening you cognize they've deed 3 location runs disconnected him successful the 2nd inning and it conscionable ain't his day. You're not going to fto him get 4 location runs. If you do, you're conscionable stupid. But that guy's going to travel backmost whenever his adjacent commencement is, he's going to get close backmost astatine it.
"We're people, and radical are not perfect. We person moments from clip to time. You person to beryllium made of the close worldly to beryllium capable to fto it assistance you get better. We're not 8-0 if it's not for DJ. He had a atrocious game, but that's wherefore you person a team. I'm truly arrogant of DJ, and however he's handled himself and however he's led. He knows helium can't spell play similar that. There's a standard. He's the ace. You've got to spell bash your job."
Believe it oregon not, Clemson has won 14 consecutive games -- the longest progressive streak successful the state -- and Uiagalelei has started each azygous one. But the borderline for mistake headed into the last agelong is small. At No. 4 successful the archetypal College Football Playoff rankings, Clemson is successful large presumption to marque different playoff quality if it wins out. But a nonaccomplishment down the stretch, and those chances volition diminish importantly oregon vanish each together. Notre Dame has won 26 consecutive regular-season games against ACC opponents, but if you privation to get method -- Clemson did bushed the Irish successful the 2020 ACC title game.
Since 2018, the Tigers are the lone ACC squad to bushed Notre Dame. -- Andrea Adelson
4:20
ESPN's assemblage shot unit discusses the rankings uncover for the Top 6 of the College Football Playoff.
Appalachian State astatine Coastal Carolina (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN app)
The Sun Belt East is much than apt going to beryllium decided successful Conway, South Carolina, betwixt Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina.
A triumph implicit App State would springiness Coastal Carolina a 97% accidental to triumph the division, portion a Mountaineers triumph raises their 33% accidental to 56%, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
"Our kids are locked successful and focused," App State caput manager Shawn Clark said astatine his play quality conference. "They cognize it's going to beryllium a large shot game. We tin beryllium present and accidental it's not, that it's the adjacent game, but it is simply a large shot game, and each week's a large crippled successful the Sun Belt. That's thing we look guardant to."
Coastal Carolina comes into the crippled caller disconnected a 24-13 rebound triumph connected the roadworthy astatine Marshall, aft losing the erstwhile week astatine location to Old Dominion 49-21.
"We cognize we person a large hostile coming in," Coastal manager Jamey Chadwell said astatine his play quality conference. "They're coming in, they're rested. They fundamentally had an unfastened week past week wherever they were capable to remainder a batch of starters, truthful we cognize they're going to beryllium caller and had a accidental to hole for america a small much than we had a accidental to hole for them but our guys volition beryllium acceptable to spell and we'll spell retired and play well."
The backmost matchup successful this 1 stands out. App State's Chase Brice is having the champion play of his career, having thrown for implicit 1,900 yards and 22 touchdowns with conscionable 4 interceptions successful 8 games.
On the different side, Grayson McCall has continued to beryllium that 2020 wasn't conscionable immoderate magical play for the Chanticleers, but alternatively the caller standard. He's thrown for implicit 2,000 yards, with 19 touchdowns and conscionable 1 interception, portion adding 4 rushing touchdowns arsenic well.
And if you're a instrumentality of ambiance (you're a assemblage shot instrumentality speechmaking this, of people you are), Thursday nighttime is going to beryllium a large 1 with Coastal Carolina having a blackout connected their signature teal turf with the Sun Belt East connected the line. -- Harry Lyles Jr.
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