Today, we truly have a full slate of college football games for the first time all year. Week 10 has the Pac-12 joining the fold for the first time. With the MAC playing earlier this week, we now have every major conference in college football playing again. It was a long road, but we finally got there! Which of the games today make for the most compelling college football matchups? Let’s dive right into the college football tv schedule for Week 10.
ACC college football games today — TV schedule
#25 Liberty at Virginia Tech — 12:00 PM ET | ACC Network
The Liberty Flames are undefeated heading into their game today against Virginia Tech. They’re averaging slightly more points per game than the Hokies while amassing nearly the same amount of yards per game and giving up far fewer. Yet it’s the hometown Hokies who come into today’s game as the favorites, by more than two touchdowns. Tech has surely been more battle-tested this season, playing an ACC schedule that includes a close loss at #8 North Carolina.
Liberty, however, is riding a six-game win streak and has looked dominant in nearly every game. Today’s game will test whether or not Liberty is truly ready to stand up to major college football programs.
Score prediction: Liberty 27, Virginia Tech 37
North Carolina at Duke — 12:00 PM ET | ESPN2
Score prediction: North Carolina 45, Duke 28
Boston College at Syracuse — 2:00 PM ET | ESPN3
Score prediction: Boston College 28, Syracuse 27
Pittsburgh at Florida State — 4:00 PM ET | ACC Network
Score prediction: Pittsburgh 28, Florida State 31
#1 Clemson at #4 Notre Dame — 7:30 PM ET | NBC
This game is arguably the highlight of the college football tv schedule in Week 10 and could be a preview of what we will see in the College Football Playoff.
Clemson, the number one ranked team in the nation, survived a scare last week to retain their status as ‘top dog’ in college football. Today’s game is crucial in the Tiger’s hunt for another championship run. Clemson will again be without their star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, as he still has not completed the ACC-mandated guidelines following a positive test.
Notre Dame comes into today’s game with college football dominance on their minds as well. Knocking off Clemson, even without Lawrence, would be a feather in the Irish’s cap and all but cement their status as one of the four teams standing when it comes to the College Football Playoff.
Score prediction: Clemson 34, Notre Dame 31
AAC games today — TV schedule
#18 SMU at Temple — 12:00 PM ET | ESPN+
Shane Buechele and the SMU Mustangs are a high-flying offense that likes to go up-and-down the field in a flash. The Temple Owls defense has allowed over 30 points in each of the team’s four contests this season. That’s not a great combination if you’re an Owls fan. SMU comes into Temple, having bounced back from a 42-13 drubbing against Cincinnati with a drubbing of their own against Navy.
Meanwhile, Temple comes in having lost three of four games on the season, and most recently, a 38-3 blowout at the hands of Tulane. Look for SMU to come out firing early and often and for Temple to be outmatched from the outset.
Score prediction: SMU 45, Temple 20
USF at Memphis — 12:00 PM ET | ESPN+
Score prediction: USF 17, Memphis 37
Tulane at East Carolina — 12:00 PM ET | ESPN+
Score prediction: Tulane 35, East Carolina 27
Houston at #6 Cincinnati — 3:30 PM ET | ESPN
The Houston Cougars are 2-2 on the season and have alternated wins and losses each week. Last week they lost decisively against Central Florida. If the pattern were to continue, they would pick up by far their biggest win of the season, knocking off a team with College Football Playoff spoiler aspirations in Cincinnati. Houston certainly has the offense to do it, as they average over 33 points per game and have outgained the Bearcats on average this season.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, their defense is likely to be what lets them down in today’s game against the Bearcats. Houston is allowing just under 35 points per game, while the Bearcats offense averages just shy of 40. Points should be scored early and often today, but Cincinnati should be on the right side of the scoreboard when all is said and done.
Score prediction: Houston 24, Cincinnati 48
Big Ten games today — TV schedule
#23 Michigan at #13 Indiana — 12:00 PM ET | FS1
The pick of the early part of the college football tv schedule today sees Michigan and Indiana go head to head. The season is still young in the Big Ten, but there may already be trouble brewing in Ann Arbor, MI. The Wolverines are just 1-1 on the season and are coming off a surprising loss to in-state rivals Michigan State. Rumors are swirling about a possible NFL reunion for Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh. Those voices will only get louder if Michigan can’t come out of Indiana with a win.
The 13th-ranked Hoosiers aren’t going to make it easy for Michigan, though. Indiana is coming in on the cusp of a top-10 ranking after a thrilling, if not controversial, victory over #8 Penn State to start the season and a victory over Rutgers last week. This will be another tough test for Indiana.
Score prediction: Michigan 31, Indiana 27
Nebraska at Northwestern — 12:00 PM ET | Big Ten Network
Score prediction: Nebraska 20, Northwestern 38
Michigan State at Iowa — 12:00 PM ET | ESPN
Score prediction: Michigan State 24, Iowa 21
Maryland at Penn State — 3:30 PM ET | Big Ten Network
Score prediction: Maryland 17, Penn State 34
Minnesota at Illinois — 3:30 PM ET | Big Ten Network
Score prediction: Minnesota 34, Illinois 10
Rutgers at #3 Ohio State — 7:30 PM ET | Big Ten Network
Rutgers surprised most college football fans when they came out and won the season opener against Michigan State. They came back to Earth last weekend with a 37-21 loss to Indiana. Today’s game could get ugly in a hurry for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers faces their biggest opponent yet — and for the season, for that matter — today as they face college football powerhouse Ohio State.
Justin Fields and the Buckeyes are coming into today’s game off a 38-25 victory over Penn State and looking to solidify their status as one of the nation’s best teams. With Trevor Lawrence out in Clemson, both Fields and Ohio State have a real shot at cementing themselves as the top dogs in the college football landscape. They’ll need a convincing win to do so, and they should be able to get it.
Score prediction: Ohio State 42, Rutgers 13
Big 12 games today — TV schedule
West Virginia at #22 Texas — 12:00 PM ET | ABC
The biggest player on the slate of college football games today is the Big 12. With only five games on the docket, four of them — a whopping 80 percent — feature ranked teams. The madness kicks off early, as the Mountaineers of West Virginia come to Texas to square off against the Longhorns.
Both teams come into today’s game sitting at 4-2, with 3-2 records within the conference. Each team is just a game behind in the loss column from Iowa State and Kansas State at the top of the conference. Today’s winner will still be very much alive in the chase for the Big 12 Championship. The Big 12 may not get a chance to be represented in the College Football Playoff, but there’s still a lot at stake today.
Score prediction: West Virginia 38, Texas 34
Kansas at #19 Oklahoma — 3:30 PM ET | ESPN2
Oklahoma sits alongside Texas, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State in the logjam of teams with three conference wins in the Big 12. With a victory over Texas already under their belts and showdowns with Oklahoma State and West Virginia looming on the schedule, Oklahoma may be in the best position of the four to break the logjam. But they have to get past Kansas, first.
Could today’s game be the proverbial college football “trap” game? I don’t think so. Oklahoma should jump out to an early lead and never look back. Kansas isn’t good, losing every game this season by at least 15 points. That trend will continue today.
Score prediction: Kansas 7, Oklahoma 48
Texas Tech at TCU — 3:30 PM ET | FS1
Score prediction: Texas Tech 38, TCU 30
#14 Oklahoma State at Kansas State — 4:00 PM ET | FOX
On a loaded Big 12 college football tv schedule, this is arguably the biggest game of the lot. Oklahoma State, yet another team in the 3-win logjam in the Big 12 standings, comes into today’s game against Kansas State as the highest-ranking team of the bunch. The Wildcats, on the other hand, sit ahead of the Cowboys in the conference standings yet come into today’s game unranked. Kansas State scores more points per game than the Cowboys, but the Wildcats also give up more points per game than Oklahoma State. State has the decided advantage in both yards per game and yards allowed per game.
Will the Oklahoma State defense prevail, or does the Kansas State offense have the edge? Despite losing their starting QB early, Kansas State has kept rolling this season. In today’s game, however, I can’t see that trend continuing.
Score prediction: Oklahoma State 34, Kansas State 21
Baylor at #17 Iowa State — 7:00 PM ET | FS1
Iowa State and Brock Purdy got the season off to a rocky start with a loss to Louisiana. Since then, the Cyclones have been rolling, with a three-point loss to #6 Oklahoma State standing as their only blemish since. Purdy has the Cyclones offense averaging over 30 points per game with over 400 yards of offense.
The defense has stepped up for the Cyclones, too, allowing only 26 points per game in a conference not known for its defensive prowess. On the other hand, Baylor’s defense is allowing just over 25 points per game in their own right. Iowa State is favored by 14 in today’s game, but they may have trouble reaching that spread. The game itself, however, should be in little doubt.
Score prediction: Iowa State 31, Baylor 24
Conference USA games today — TV schedule
UMass at #16 Marshall — 2:30 PM ET | ESPN+
This is one of the more underwhelming games on the Week 10 college football tv schedule. On one side, we have #16 Marshall, who comes into today’s game at 5-0 and averaging nearly 34 points a game while allowing less than 10 per game on defense. On the other side, you have 0-1 UMass, who were shut-out 41-0 on October 17th against Georgia Southern.
This one shouldn’t be close, and the spread reflects that. Marshall is favored by a massive 44.5 points. While they may not make that mark, this game should be one of the bigger blowouts in college football today.
Score prediction: UMass 3, Marshall 42
North Alabama at Southern Miss — 3:00 PM ET | ESPN3
Score prediction: North Alabama 17, Southern Miss 38
Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic — 6:00 PM ET | Stadium Network
Score prediction: Western Kentucky 14, Florida Atlantic 27
Mountain West games today — TV schedule
Fresno State at UNLV — 3:30 PM ET | CBS Sports Network
Score prediction: Fresno State 37, UNLV 20
New Mexico at Hawaii — 11:00 PM ET | Spectrum
Score prediction: New Mexico 24, Hawaii 38
Pac 12 games today — TV schedule
Arizona State at #20 USC — 12:00 PM ET | FOX
Welcome to the college football tv schedule, Pac-12! The games today finally give us more or less a full slate of games on the schedule for the first time all season. Football has been strange this season, and there’s more strangeness yet to come, but it’s good to have all of the Power Five conferences finally back.
Arizona State and USC kick things off early for the Pac-12, with a rare 9:00 AM local kickoff time. USC comes into today’s season opener as the 20th ranked team in the nation, but they’ll have to contend with Arizona State’s sophomore phenom Jayden Daniels. USC is led by a sophomore phenom in his own right with Kedon Slovis. It should be a great duel to watch for fans across the nation.
Score prediction: USC 36, Arizona State 28
UCLA at Colorado — 7:00 PM ET | ESPN2
Score prediction: UCLA 34, Colorado 26
Stanford at #12 Oregon — 7:30 PM ET | ABC
For the Oregon Ducks, today’s game marks a new era. Today is their first college football game without Justin Herbert on the sidelines since he arrived in Eugene. The Ducks kick off their post-Herbert life with Pac-12 rivals Stanford.
These two teams could not have finished the 2019 season more differently. Oregon wrapped up last season with victories over #5 Utah and #8 Wisconsin to cap off a three-game win streak. Meanwhile, Stanford lost four in a row to end the season, including three against unranked opponents.
But all of that was last year. Today marks a new season, with new hopes and the same goals: a Pac-12 title. The road to that title begins today.
Score prediction: Stanford 17, Oregon 31
Washington State at Oregon State — 10:30 PM ET | FS1
Score prediction: Washington State 35, Oregon State 32
SEC games today — TV schedule
#8 Florida vs #5 Georgia — 3:30 PM ET | CBS
Arguably the biggest game on the college football tv schedule today features two SEC teams. This, perhaps more than any game on the schedule up to today, should have major College Football Playoff implications. On one side is the #5 Georgia Bulldogs’ vaunted rushing attack, averaging just over 175 yards per game on the ground.
On the other side are Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts, and the high-flying Gators passing attack. Florida averages nearly 350 yards per game through the air and is averaging 42 points per game in the young season. Meanwhile, that passing attack will have to contend with a swarming Georgia defense that allows just over 16 points per game. Something is going to have to give.
Score prediction: Florida 28, Georgia 30
Vanderbilt at Miss. State — 3:30 PM ET | SEC Network
Score prediction: Vanderbilt 14, Miss State 28
#7 Texas A&M at South Carolina — 7:00 PM ET | ESPN
Quarterback Kellen Mond has the Texas A&M Aggies sitting with a 4-1 record and boasting a win over #4 Florida. That resume is good enough to have the Aggies sitting at #7 ahead of their game today against South Carolina. The Gamecocks sit at 2-3 but also boast a win over a top-25 team thanks to their 30-22 upset of #15 Auburn.
Both offenses score around 30 points per game, and both defenses allow around 30 points per game. On paper, they’re two evenly-matched teams. On the field, it’s probably not going to play out that way. The Aggies should have the firepower to weather any storm the Gamecocks may throw at them today.
Score prediction: Texas A&M 35, South Carolina 28
Tennessee at Arkansas — 7:30 PM ET | SEC Network
Score prediction: Tennessee 28, Arkansas 27
Sun Belt games today — TV schedule
ULM at Georgia State — 12:00 PM ET | ESPN3
Score prediction: ULM 35, Georgia State 48
Arkansas State at Louisiana — 12:00 PM ET | ESPNU
Score prediction: Arkansas State 47, Louisiana 38
Troy at Georgia Southern — 1:00 PM ET | ESPN3
Score prediction: Troy 27, Georgia Southern 30
Appalachian State at Texas State — 3:00 PM ET | ESPN+
Score prediction: Appalachian State 49, Texas State 20
South Alabama at #15 Coastal Carolina — 8:00 PM ET | ESPNU
The darlings of the college football world, Coastal Carolina, keep on winning. More than that, they keep winning impressively. Aside from a three-point win over Louisiana, Coastal Carolina has won each of their last five by at least two scores. They’re averaging just over 40 points on the season, thanks to the balanced attack of Grayson McCall and CJ Marable.
But the Chanticleers aren’t relying solely on offense to cruise to their 6-0 record. Tarron Jackson and company have the Coastal Carolina defense giving up just 18 points per game on the season. South Alabama is going to have their hands full in the game today. Expect another convincing win for the Chanticleers as they knock on the door of a top-10 ranking.
Score prediction: South Alabama 17, Coastal Carolina 41
You can follow Chris on Twitter @CSpoonerPFN and Pro Football Network @PFN365.