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Viewer's guide to Week 10: Can't-miss matchups, potential upsets, and more

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Most of the contenders for the College Football Playoff are taking the first weekend of November to recuperate.

No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Penn State, and No. 10 Oklahoma are all off this week. So, too, is undefeated No. 13 Minnesota. Fourth-ranked Clemson might as well be - the Tigers will host Wofford.

On the surface, it looks like a slate worth skipping for viewers. But there are two games between ranked teams. And sometimes, these are the weeks that provide the biggest surprises.

We already got a taste of that on Thursday when Appalachian State lost its first game of the campaign to Georgia Southern and No. 12 Baylor narrowly avoided a similar fate against West Virginia.

theScore is here to guide your viewing experience. Here's our look at the can't-miss matchups, under-the-radar games, and potential upsets for Week 10 (all times ET).

The early slate

Must-watch: No. 14 Michigan at Maryland (noon, ABC)

Michigan is allowing just 51.8 rushing yards per game over its last five. Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

First, let's be real: There isn't a must-watch game at noon this week. It might be the best opportunity you've had all season to do something fall-related or simply get out of the house for a couple of hours before the better matchups later in the afternoon.

But … if you insist? How Michigan performs after a 31-point win against Notre Dame is worth monitoring.

The Wolverines are improving and might have found something in sophomore running back Hassan Haskins, who's produced two 100-yard games in his last three. But Michigan still hasn't proven to be a great road team.

Remember when Maryland was ranked? At 3-5, the Terrapins are struggling right now. There's no telling which quarterback they will go with (Josh Jackson or Tyrrell Pigrome) after losing 52-10 to Minnesota last week.

Has potential: NC State at No. 23 Wake Forest (noon, ESPN)

Sage Surratt has 881 yards and nine touchdowns entering Week 10. Grant Halverson / Getty Images

Wake Forest fell from the ranks of the undefeated three weeks ago against Louisville, but it still has the inside track to earn a New Year's Six berth (if Clemson reaches the playoff). The Demon Deacons are also worth watching to see their efficient passing offense.

Junior quarterback Jamie Newman and sophomore pivot Sam Hartman have combined to throw 19 touchdown passes in seven games for Wake Forest. Sage Surratt is one of the top receivers in the nation, as he's already reached 150 yards four times this season.

North Carolina State is 4-3, but its only win over a Power 5 team came against Syracuse. The Orange are the lone ACC team that's winless in conference play.

Upset alert: Nebraska at Purdue (noon, FOX)

Nothing has gone to plan for Nebraska in Scott Frost's second season. Steven Branscombe / Getty Images

Will Nebraska make a bowl in 2019? Saturday's matchup with Purdue might be the game that ultimately decides it for the 4-4 Cornhuskers, who will play Wisconsin and Iowa down the stretch.

The disappointing season continued last week with a 38-31 home loss to Indiana. Nebraska's wins have come against South Alabama, Northern Illinois, Illinois, and Northwestern. The only good news? It sounds like sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez will return this weekend.

Purdue is a slight underdog in this one, but don't count out the Boilermakers. Jeff Brohm's team has been decimated by injuries - including star receiver Rondale Moore's hamstring issue - and it looked helpless on offense in a 24-6 loss to Illinois last week. But freshman quarterback Jack Plummer has shown flashes, and it's hard to imagine Nebraska pulling away from many opponents.

Keep an eye on: Houston at UCF (noon, ESPN2)

Otis Anderson ran for 205 yards last week against Temple. Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

The early slate is thin; other options included Boston College-Syracuse (meh), Northern Illinois-Central Michigan (eh), and Liberty-UMass (pass).

UCF-Houston might not be much better. Though the Cougars gave SMU a scare last week, losing 34-31, Dana Holgorsen's team nearly lost to UConn the week prior. At 3-5, Houston could finish below .500 for the first time since 2012.

The Knights will need Cincinnati to stumble in order to win the AAC East, but they appear to be in better shape after losing to the Bearcats and Pittsburgh earlier this season. Freshman quarterback Dillon Gabriel has thrown multiple touchdown passes in all but one game during 2019.

Midafternoon

Must-watch: No. 8 Georgia at No. 6 Florida (3:30 p.m., CBS)

D'Andre Swift ran for a season-high 179 yards his last time out against Kentucky. Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will save us from a completely drab weekend.

Georgia and Florida both have one loss, so they're even in the SEC East standings. This game won't just serve as a playoff-elimination tilt; it will likely decide the division, too.

The Bulldogs should provide a stiff test for Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, as the defense has allowed just six touchdown passes all season.

But there will also be pressure on Jake Fromm and the Georgia offense. The Bulldogs struggled with turnovers in their loss to South Carolina on Oct. 12. A week later, they battled tough weather conditions in a 21-0 win over Kentucky, succeeding with a run-heavy plan. It's been a while since we've seen Fromm at his best.

Has potential: No. 9 Utah at Washington (4 p.m., FOX)

Utah is just 1-12 against Washington all-time. Chris Gardner / Getty Images

Utah is the top-10 team that few around college football are talking about. But perhaps the Utes deserve more attention after beating Oregon State, Arizona State, and California by a combined score of 108-10 in October.

Utah's defense is performing up to the preseason expectations that made the team a trendy pick to win the Pac-12. And the Utes will be out for revenge at Washington, a school they can't seem to beat.

Last year, Washington beat Utah twice - 21-7 in Salt Lake City and 10-3 in the conference championship game. Though the Huskies have three losses this season, they're plenty capable of doing it again.

Upset alert: TCU at Oklahoma State (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Chuba Hubbard remains a workhorse, averaging 27 carries per game this season. Brian Bahr / Getty Images

Both the Horned Frogs and Cowboys earned wins last week that could turn around their respective seasons.

For TCU, it was a 37-27 victory at home over Texas, a matchup Gary Patterson seems to own. Young quarterback Max Duggan continues to improve, and TCU's run defense has held opponents to 3.2 yards per carry this year.

That run defense will come into focus against Oklahoma State, which features the nation's leading rusher in Chuba Hubbard, who's racked up 1,381 yards through eight games - a whopping 281 more than anyone else. Hubbard added 116 rushing yards last week in OSU's impressive 34-27 win at Iowa State.

However, the Cowboys should be on upset alert. Since the start of the 2018 season, OSU has gone 0-4 the week after beating a ranked team (Iowa State was ranked 23rd in Week 9).

Keep an eye on: Miami (Fla.) at Florida State (3:30 p.m., ABC)

Miami forced three turnovers in last week's road win at Pittsburgh. Joe Sargent / Getty Images

This certainly won't be the most high-stakes meeting between Miami and Florida State, but these intrastate rivals will provide an interesting barometer for each other.

The Hurricanes are coming off a bizarre October, which saw them pick up wins over Virginia and Pittsburgh while losing to Georgia Tech. If any single school is to blame for the chaos in the ACC Coastal, it's Miami. Still, Manny Diaz's defense is playing well enough to hang around in most games.

Florida State has gone 4-1 at home this season, which includes a 35-17 win over Syracuse in Week 9. With a game against FCS Alabama State coming up later this month, a victory over Miami would put FSU in position to reach a bowl game.

This matchup could be close, as the last five meetings between Miami and Florida State have been decided by less than a touchdown.

Evening

Must-watch: No. 15 SMU at No. 24 Memphis (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Memphis has defeated SMU in each of the past five years. Mitchell Leff / Getty Images

At 8-0, SMU has passed every test so far this season. It beat a Big 12 team in TCU and survived a three-overtime game against Tulsa.

A win as an underdog at Memphis, though, would top the Mustangs' resume.

The Tigers are 7-1, with their only loss coming by two points at Temple three weeks ago. They also might feature the best playmaker SMU has seen this season in running back Kenneth Gainwell. A redshirt freshman, Gainwell has produced 979 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, and 440 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

SMU ranks second in the country in sacks and will need its pass rush to disrupt quarterback Brady White. Patrick Nelson (10 sacks) could be the Mustangs' most important player on Saturday.

Has potential: No. 7 Oregon at USC (8 p.m., FOX)

Justin Herbert has one interception in 262 pass attempts this season. Abbie Parr / Getty Images

With Oklahoma's loss to Kansas State, Oregon's College Football Playoff hopes received a boost. If the Ducks can get past USC, they'll have a strong chance to reach the Pac-12 championship game at 11-1.

Oregon barely survived an upset of its own last week, defeating Washington State 37-35. But there were some positives in the victory. The Ducks ran for a season-high 306 yards, including 257 by sophomore CJ Verdell, and defensive back Jevon Holland produced an interception return for a touchdown.

The matchup between Oregon's talented pass defense and USC's receivers will take center stage on Saturday. While the Ducks rank 13th in yards per pass attempt allowed, USC's offense is flowing with Kedon Slovis back at quarterback. In three games since he returned from injury, the freshman has thrown eight touchdowns and only one interception.

Upset alert: UAB at Tennessee (7 p.m., ESPNU)

Tennessee's path to a bowl: Beat UAB and two of the following: Kentucky, Missouri, or Vanderbilt. Silas Walker / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Tennessee has been an improved team over the last three weeks, defeating Mississippi State and South Carolina while playing Alabama closer than the final score (35-13) indicated. The Volunteers certainly wish they could play their September schedule again, but October provided some optimism for Jeremy Pruitt's program in his second year.

Still, Tennessee is unsettled at quarterback and could potentially use two pivots against UAB.

The Blazers won't be pushovers. They're entering Knoxville at 6-1, they've held opponents to 15.7 points per game, and they're 17-4 since the start of last season.

Counterpoint: In UAB's only game against a team with a winning record, it lost to Western Kentucky 20-13. And the Blazers have gone 0-4 against SEC teams under Clark, losing by an average of 22.8 points.

Keep an eye on: Virginia at North Carolina (7:30 p.m., ACC Network)

Despite a 4-4 overall record, UNC is tied atop the ACC Coastal. Grant Halverson / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The ACC Coastal has certainly lived up to its billing as the most chaotic division in the Power 5 conferences.

Entering Week 10, every team in the division has at least two conference losses, but no team has more than three. Conceivably, any of the six schools could still earn the opportunity to play Clemson in the ACC championship game.

The winner of this matchup, though, will stand alone at the top of the division at the end of this weekend. Virginia and North Carolina are both 3-2 in conference play. The Cavaliers have lost two of three (to Miami and Louisville), which dropped them back to the pack after looking like the clear favorites. Seven of North Carolina's eight games this season have been decided by less than a touchdown, so expect some excitement in Chapel Hill.

After dark

Has potential: Colorado at UCLA (9 p.m., Pac-12 Network)

A win Saturday would give UCLA its first three-game win streak since 2015. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

You might look at the late-night schedule and think you can stop watching early in Week 10. But Colorado and UCLA provide so much potential for things to get crazy.

The Bruins are becoming more impossible to predict by the week. They were part of the ridiculous 67-63 game with Washington State in September. Since then, they lost at home to Oregon State by 17, won at Stanford, and beat a then-ranked Arizona State squad. Through it all, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has gotten better at limiting his turnovers.

Colorado has alternated between close losses and blowout losses while dropping four in a row. But the Buffaloes own a win over Arizona State and have an offense that's capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

The forecast calls for a lot of points, as these teams feature two of the worst pass defenses in FBS. Colorado's allowed 327.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 129th out of 130 FBS schools (only UMass has fared worse). Meanwhile, opposing quarterbacks have thrown 24 touchdowns and just three interceptions against UCLA's defense.

Keep an eye on: BYU at Utah State (10 p.m., ESPN2)

Jordan Love's numbers are down this season, but Utah State would still improve to 5-3 with a win over BYU. Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

If bad defense isn't your thing, or if you don't get the Pac-12 Network, BYU-Utah State is the second-best game on the late-night menu.

The last time we saw the Cougars, they were finishing a 28-25 upset of Boise State. The victory, which improved BYU to 3-4, continued an odd season in Provo. BYU owns victories over USC and Boise State, but losses to Toledo and South Florida.

Last week, Utah State lost a chance to keep pace with Boise State in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West, falling a game behind with a 31-7 loss to Air Force. One year after throwing for 3,567 yards and 32 touchdowns, quarterback Jordan Love has produced 1,620 yards, eight touchdowns, and nine interceptions through seven games. He'll look to get his season on track Saturday. The Aggies have beaten the Cougars by scores of 45-20 and 40-24 over the last two seasons.

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