It’s hard to believe that we’ve made it to week TEN of the college football season, but here we are. We enter November and it’s really any team’s race for the national championship. A few teams are starting to separate from the pack but that can change in 60 minutes any given Saturday. So, let’s review week 9 and then prepare for the best weekend of the college football campaign - November 7, 2026, week 10.
Week 9 Look Back
Team that made the biggest statement - USC - Last week I wrote
“The #2 Ohio State Buckeyes are coming to Los Angeles without one of the best QBs in the nation. The Buckeyes are ripe for the upset with upheaval at QB after the Julian Sayin injury. Then, there’s the southern California factor for midwest teams. But, USC was not good last week. So, it has a chance to rebound and make one heck of a statement against the #2 team in the country and a backup QB.”
Mission accomplished. The Trojans played as well as they possibly could on an uncharacteristically rainy Halloween evening in the Coliseum. USC true freshman TE Mark Bowman made a highlight reel play that helped propel the Trojans back into the B1G race and cooled Lincoln Riley’s seat out west.
Player that showed out…
Indiana WR Charlie Becker - Game and season on the line against Minnesota, Becker was nails. He made a 33-yard catch with just 12 seconds left to set up a 60-yard game tying field goal. Then, he roasted a Minnesota DB for the game winning TD catch in overtime.
….and other players on THE list
Minnesota K Luke Drzewiecki & Indiana K Patty McAteer - both hit 60-yard field goals under 19 seconds left in the game to go-ahead, then subsequently tie the game, one Indiana would eventually win.
Texas IDL Maraad Watson - BIG man TD, 61-yard scoop and score v. Mississippi State
Iowa State RB Aiden Flora - 221 yards rushing and two touchdowns v. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State RB Caleb Hawkins - 275 total yards and three TD v. Iowa State
South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers - 301 yards passing, three TD, 96 yards rushing, two TD in win over Oklahoma
Washington WR Chris Lawson - 12 receptions for 155 yards, including game winning TD at Nebraska
Louisville RB Isaac Brown - scored four TD on 12 touches in win over Stanford
Best Game of the Weekend - Iowa State - 51 vs. #24 Oklahoma State - 49
My goodness, what a game this was…if you didn’t mind zero defense being played. The two star RBs - Iowa State Aiden Flora and Caleb Hawkins combined for 496 total yards and five touchdowns on the night, but it turned out Iowa State K Kyle Konrardy was the hero again with the game winner with no time left to give Iowa State ANOTHER upset win over Oklahoma State in Ames.
Like the Draft? Here’s your guy that showed out - Iowa Staten RB Aiden Flora - I’m sticking with the theme here because I don’t know that I saw a FASTER RB turn the corner this week than Flora. Dude was FLYING down the sideline on his 75-yard TD run. That kind of speed will boost his draft stock down the road, if not this year on into the future.
“John’s Crush Roster” Member i.e Player I’m still crushing on - Texas Tech IDL A.J. Holmes Jr. - He put on a show against Arizona in the Red Raiders 34-26 win in Lubbock. He’s such a problem for interior offensive linemen due to his strength and power, but his quickness and speed up the field irritated Arizona’s offense all day.
Week 10 Look Ahead
Team that can make the biggest statement - BYU - The Holy War, as the rivalry with Utah is known, is not the most pure rivalry. It’s filled with PLENTY of hate on both sides. But, BYU needs a win on the road in a hostile environment to maintain its hopes to stay in the Big 12 and national championship races. 10 am local kickoff too…wow.
Player(s) to Watch - Missouri RB Jamal Roberts - With Ahmad Hardy back, not in full, but enough to garner attention, Roberts must stay on his roll with the Texas Longhorns coming to town. He has two 200 yard games and the Tigers have won every time in 2026 in which he’s gone over 100 yards.
Best Game of the Weekend - Pick one, honestly - Here’s how the day sets up…
#7 BYU at #3 Utah - 11 am CST
#10 Texas at #19 Missouri - 11 am CST
#9 Alabama at #15 LSU - 2:30 PM CST
#8 Kentucky at #16 Tennessee - 5:15 PM CST
#1 Miami, FL at #4 Notre Dame - 6:30 PM CST
#2 Georgia at #12 Ole Miss - 6:30 PM CST
12 of the sport’s top 19 teams square off on a SENSATIONAL SATURDAY.
John’s Top 3 - Best Miami, FL v. Notre Dame matchup - Each week I’ll give a quick top 3 on any topic. Last week, it was the three best NFL Draft QB prospects and this week it’s the best Miami, FL v. Notre Dame battles in history.
3. 2025 - Miami, FL - 27 vs. Notre Dame - 24 - last year’s contest was a bareknuckled brawl that Miami, FL set the course for its season by winning in Hard Rock Stadium.
2. 1989 - Miami, FL - 27 vs. Notre Dame - 10 - The Hurricanes waited all year for revenge for this game. I had a buddy of mine that was on that Notre Dame team. He told me a story about how much vitriol the Hurricanes…and their fans had for the Irish.
“So, we pull in on the buses like we always do. There’s this elderly man drinking a beer sitting in a folding chair on his RV. Didn’t think much of it, then he sees that it’s the Notre Dame football team. He puts his beer down, moons the bus and then turns and flips us off, vigorously. They wanted us badly…and then hammered us.”
1. 1988 - Notre Dame - 31 vs. Miami, FL - 30 - Quite simply, it’s the best college football game I can ever remember watching live for EVERYTHING that went into that matchup.
The Big 12 Pulse - Who’s rising, who’s slipping, who to watch
I don’t really have any idea what to make of Baylor at this point. The Bears are a blocked field goal away from being 6-2 and being right in the mix of the Big 12 race. Yet, they fired head coach Dave Aranda after said blocked field goal against Kansas. It would appear to be a program dealing with adversity, yet conquering it all at the same time. Interim head coach Joe Klanderman had the Bears READY when they went to UCF as Baylor destroyed UCF 41-9, a UCF team that had just beaten #2 BYU.
The SEC Pulse - Who’s rising, who’s slipping, who to watch
The coaching hot seat is something the media all loves as a talking point, and I know coaches in the SEC do honestly feel the pressure of every day/every week in this conference. I don’t know that any coach and team have handled all the noise as well as South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. Many wanted to count them out this year, but they’ve rebounded through the fire and the flames for statement wins AT #25 Florida, #16 Tennessee and then AT Oklahoma in three consecutive games.
Top 5 to Watch - This will give you an idea of where my eyes will be this weekend
5. The Holy War - It AIN’T so holy, but BYU and Utah always make it interesting.
4. Redemption time for Texas A&M…or South Carolina? - South Carolina blew a HUGE lead last year to A&M in College Station and needs a dose of redemption. But, A&M has been lousy in 2025 and can gain a measure of season redemption with a win over a top 25 team on the road.
3. Who, if any, stays undefeated? - UCLA, Utah and Miami, FL are the only three undefeated FBS teams in the sport and all three will get a stern test this weekend. UCLA has to travel to face a gritty Minnesota squad, Utah has the aforementioned meeting with #7 BYU and #1 Miami, FL will deal with a ton of hostility in South Bend against #4 Notre Dame
2. Who gets eliminated this weekend? - We’re at that stage in the CFB season where teams’ championship game/playoff hopes can go up in smoke with another loss. A third loss for either Alabama or LSU kills hopes, which will make that a war in Baton Rouge. Can Ohio State and QB Luke Fahey rebound against Oregon? A third loss would shut the Buckeyes’ season down too. Does the Kentucky/Tennessee loser have a chance to stay in the race without some help? Not really, so that one is massive too. Ole Miss can’t absorb another loss, but a Georgia second loss doesn’t help its cause at all.
1. The last time… - the last time #1 Miami met the #4 team in the nation in South Bend, IN, we got to see the greatest game of my lifetime. Can Miami, FL and Notre Dame deliver AGAIN??