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You’ve probably heard plenty about how sensational this Saturday, Week 10 of the 2026 college football season, is going to be. And if you look at the schedule in front of you, it’s hard not to cancel all of your plans and post up in front of television for 12 straight hours. But just how good is this slate really?
That’s what we endeavored to find out for Sports Illustrated’s weekly watchability. When was the last time there was this much anticipation for a single college football Saturday?
Over the past 25 years, there haven’t been many instances where six matchups have featured 12 teams all ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll. In fact, the last such Saturday where that was the case was more than a decade ago. But that doesn’t mean been other weeks haven’t leapt off the page in other ways.
SI has highlighted five other highly anticipated Saturdays of the 21st century to get a glimpse at how this weekend stacks up. For each slate, we’ve highlighted the top six games, the marquee matchups, the number of top 10 showdowns on the schedule and more to help compare and contrast.
Before we dig back into the past 25 years, let’s set the stage by going over Saturday’s résumé, based on the week’s AP rankings. For more in-depth analysis of each matchup and picks, Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde has you covered in the Fourth Quarter of this week’s Forde-Yard Dash.
No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah (noon ET, ABC)
No. 10 Texas at No. 19 Missouri (noon ET, ESPN)
No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 8 Kentucky at No. 16 Tennessee (6:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
No. 2 Georgia at No. 12 Ole Miss (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
The Hurricanes face an uphill battle without star receiver Malachi Toney, who suffered a high ankle sprain in practice earlier this week. But the Irish are also down a handful of defenders including their leading tackler, linebacker Drayk Bowen. Even so, the Catholics vs. Convicts history combined with the talent on the field and the significant playoff ramifications make this the most anticipated game of the season.
Number of top 10 matchups: Two: BYU at Utah, Miami at Notre Dame
CFP rankings differences: Quite a few. All 12 teams in the top six games are ranked within the top 18 of the committee’s rankings, making the slate even more exclusive than the AP voters did. And every SEC team except Georgia rose at least a few spots—Alabama to No. 5, Kentucky to No. 6, Texas to No. 7, Ole Miss to No. 10, Tennessee to No. 13, LSU to No. 14 and Missouri to No. 18. The result of the SEC bump is a switchup in the two games that are considered top ten matchups: Miami at Notre Dame is out with the Irish all the way down at No. 11. Georgia–Ole Miss however, is in with the Rebels earning the tenth spot from the committee
This is the seventh-ranked matchup of the Saturday by CFP standards, with the Ducks creeping in at No. 23 and the Buckeyes landing at No. 12 after the loss to USC. And it sure feels like an elimination game. Oregon’s talented wide receiving corps led by Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart could run rampant in an underwhelming Ohio State secondary and Buckeyes’ backup quarterback Luke Fahey could be in for a long afternoon if the Ducks’ defensive line can get the sort of pressure it did last week against Northwestern.
Now that you’re prepped for what awaits this weekend, here’s a closer look at the other great Saturdays of the century. A reminder: the number you’ll see by each team’s name is that school’s AP ranking in the week leading up to the matchup.
No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU (BYU 28–24)
No. 4 Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana (Ohio State 19–15)
No. 6 Alabama at No. 14 Tennessee (Tennessee 26–10)
No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Ole Miss (Ole Miss 31–3)
No. 18 Oklahoma State at No. 20 Houston (Houston 35–32)
No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 LSU (LSU 31–0)
You don’t have to look far for a slate that was nearly as anticipated as this Saturday’s, considering six matchups featured teams that were all ranked in the top 22 of the AP poll. We’re not judging the slates based on results, but carnage took place within the top 10 in Week 7. Five of the top seven teams in the rankings lost on the same day for the first time since the AP poll started in 1936, highlighted by unranked Auburn’s upset of Georgia, BYU’s stunner of Notre Dame and Ohio State’s win by a misplaced cleat in Bloomington.
The scene in Provo will linger in the minds of Cougars fans for a long time. BYU jumped on the No. 2 team in the country and carried an 11-point lead into halftime, but the Irish just wouldn’t go away. After Bear Bachmeier scored his third touchdown of the game to put the Cougars back up late, Notre Dame had one last chance in the two-minute drill to steal a win. But CJ Carr’s pass to Jaden Greathouse fell incomplete, later sparking controversy over one second still seemingly remaining on the clock, and BYU fans poured onto the field after one of the biggest wins in program history.
Number of top 10 matchups: Two. Notre Dame at BYU; Ohio State at Indiana
CFP rankings differences: N/A; before CFP committee’s first rankings of the season
No starting quarterback, no problem for the Gators. Sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. threw two touchdowns to lead Florida to redemption after the program’s early-season rise was derailed by losses at Missouri and vs. South Carolina. The loss marked a second straight for the Longhorns, putting the pressure on Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian for the rest of the season.
No. 1 Alabama at No. 18 Mississippi State (Alabama, 31–24)
No. 2 Georgia at No. 10 Auburn (Auburn, 40–17)
No. 3 Notre Dame at No. 7 Miami (Miami, 41–8)
No. 8 TCU at No. 5 Oklahoma (Oklahoma, 38–20)
No. 25 Iowa at No. 6 Wisconsin (Wisconsin, 38–14)
No. 13 Michigan State at No. 11 Ohio State (Ohio State, 48–3)
There are quite a few parallels between Week 11 of the 2017 season and this upcoming Saturday: ranked games spread across the various conferences, a major prove-it game in the Big 12 and of course, a Notre Dame vs. Miami showdown. With three top ten matchups, it’s hard to find a higher ceiling than this, even if the actual games on the field didn’t deliver on the obvious hype.
There may have been bigger brands in the Notre Dame–Miami game, but the Horned Frogs and Sooners were playing to establish the top team in the Big 12, and with it, a clear favorite for the league’s best chance at a CFP bid. There was real hope for TCU for the first time since getting left out of the field at 12–1 in 2014, but this Baker Mayfield–led Oklahoma team was just too good. Sooners running back Rodney Anderson was the star on this particular Saturday, taking 28 touches for 290 yards and four total touchdowns.
Number of top 10 matchups: Three. Georgia at Auburn; Notre Dame at Miami; TCU at Oklahoma
CFP rankings differences: The committee liked these matchups a bit more than the AP voters did and actually helped contribute to seven games featuring teams all ranked in the top 21. Iowa went from No. 25 to No. 20 and TCU got a boost to No. 6, but the biggest difference was the committee putting Georgia at No. 1 and Alabama at No. 2—a result that ultimately wouldn’t matter when the two teams both made the CFP and played in the national championship game in January. That contest featured the infamous Nick Saban QB switch from Jalen Hurts to Tua Tagovailoa, a move that delivered Alabama another title.
This proved to be one of the better games of the week due to its vintage Big 12 nature: defense optional, points required. Mason Rudolph threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, Justice Hill added another three touchdowns on the ground and the Cowboys held on after trading scores with the Cyclones all afternoon. However, this game was always just going to be a battle to be the best-of-the-rest in the league with Oklahoma and TCU having a firm grip on the top two spots.
No. 5 Oregon at No. 20 Utah (Oregon, 51–27)
No. 4 Alabama at No. 14 LSU (Alabama, 20–13 in OT)
No. 9 Kansas State at No. 6 TCU (TCU, 41–20)
No. 13 Ohio State at No. No. 7 Michigan State (Ohio State, 49–37)
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 12 Arizona State (Arizona State, 55–31)
No. 10 Baylor at No. 16 Oklahoma (Baylor, 48–14)
This is the last time six AP top 20 matchups took place on the same day, but where this weekend lacks is the true star power. Alabama vs. LSU is always a treat (and delivered in particular this year), but a few big-name programs had already taken their licks this year, resulting in a less high-end slate. To make matters worse? The No. 1 team in the country at this time played at home against Tennessee-Martin this week. Not exactly something to get excited about.
In a down year for Oklahoma, the Big 12 turned to chaos, allowing Kansas State and TCU to square up in Fort Worth with one loss each. The Wildcats had been regularly in the mix to start the decade under coach Bill Snyder, but the Horned Frogs were finally on the verge of breaking out in the Big 12, after their move from the Mountain West at the start of the 2012 season. This win proved to be one of the validating moments in a season filled with them as the Horned Frogs, led by dual-threat quarterback star Trevone Boykin, racked up 553 yards and dominated. If only it had been enough to get them into that year’s CFP …
Number of top 10 matchups: One. Kansas State at TCU
Key CFP rankings differences: This weekend may have lacked the truly elite matchups of this Saturday, but all of the 12 programs featured in the six best games landed inside the top 17 of the committee’s rankings. Notre Dame (No. 10) and Arizona State (No. 9) also both found themselves in the top 10, giving a bit more juice to a matchup that ultimately featured an Irish side that bombed out with four straight losses to close the year.
The Aggies were ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP poll earlier in the year until a three-game collapse that culminated in a 59–0 loss at Alabama threw the season off kilter. So head coach Kevin Sumlin made the difficult call to bench quarterback Kenny Hill for true freshman Kyle Allen, a move that would prove inspired two weeks later on the Plains. Allen would throw for four touchdowns and Texas A&M would use three turnovers to withstand giving up 363 yards on the ground and steal the upset.
No. 11 Michigan at No. 2 Notre Dame (Michigan, 47–21)
No. 6 LSU at No. 3 Auburn (Auburn, 7–3)
No. 19 Nebraska at No. 4 USC (USC, 28–10)
No. 7 Florida at No. 13 Tennessee (Florida, 21–20)
No. 17 Miami at No. 12 Louisville (Louisville, 31–7)
No. 15 Oklahoma at No. 18 Oregon (Oregon, 34–33)
Before 2014, this was the last time six teams in the AP top 20 did battle on the same day, and the most unique element of it was that it took place in September. A pair of early season SEC bashes stood out, but also there were some big-brand conference crossovers between Nebraska and USC (rest assured, this was not a Big Ten game at the time) and Oklahoma and Oregon.
With two teams in the top 10 meeting, all eyes were on sorting out an early glimpse at the SEC—and fans were handed an absolute slog. Defense won the day in a game that featured 12 punts and just two scores. Auburn stole the win with just 181 yards and proved that it could hold an LSU team with tons of offensive talent (JaMarcus Russell, Dwayne Bowe and Early Doucet to name a few) to its worst output of the year.
Number of top 10 matchups: One. LSU at Auburn
CFP rankings differences: N/A, pre-CFP era
If you thought 12 punts and two scores was bad, can I interest you in 15 punts and no touchdowns? That’s what happened in Fort Worth as the future Big 12 foes combined for five field goals in another defense-first chess match. In a game that features Graham Harell, Danny Amendola and future Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris, TCU’s kick Chris Manfredini won the day.
No. 18 Penn State at No. 4 Ohio State (Ohio State, 13–7)
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 11 Florida State (Notre Dame, 34–24)
No. 17 Iowa State at No. 7 Texas (Texas, 21–10)
No. 13 Iowa at No. 8 Michigan (Iowa, 34–9)
No. 15 USC at No. 14 Oregon (USC 44–33)
No. 19 Alabama at No. 16 Tennessee (Alabama, 34–14)
Last but not least, another deep slate took place all the way back in 2002 with top 19 matchups in the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC. Once again, there weren’t any games that truly climbed the hype meter all the way to the top, seeing as none of the top three teams in the country play a ranked opponent this week, but the depth was there. Plus there was a critically important matchup for teams known for their gold helmets…
The Irish arrived in Tallahassee at 7–0, their best start in nearly a decade, back during the tail end of the Lou Holtz era. First-year coach Tyrone Willingham had a major chance to prove himself against one of the game’s great coaches in Bobby Bowden, who had just delivered Florida State two national championships in the 1990s, including as recently as ‘99. And the Irish delivered, taking no time to strike with a 65-yard touchdown on their first play from scrimmage and ultimately rolling to a 10-point victory.
Number of top 10 matchups: Zero
CFP rankings differences: N/A, pre-CFP era
The 5–2 Mountaineers welcomed in what was still one of the best rosters in the sport for an old Big East matchup and had a clear argument to being the second best team in the conference that year. Still, they were no match for the high-flying offense built around Ken Dorsey and Andre Johnson and couldn’t keep pace. All in all, not a very deep week of games outside of the best six matchups.
PODCAST: Listen to Sports Illustrated’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, on Apple and. Watch the show on SI’s college YouTube channel or on SI TV.
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