It's all Miami-Notre Dame all the time for the next 48 hours, but man can't live off of one college football game alone. And with the Hurricanes in a primetime slot for the eighth time this season, there are plenty of hours of football we can watch leading up to the big game.
And the initial CFP rankings put everything in a blender, so there will be a lot decided over the next couple of days that will determine what happens when the new rankings are released on Nov. 10.
2 ACC games that are worth keeping an eye on
Virginia Tech at SMU, Friday (7 p.m.; ESPN)
This is a sneaky good game as there is a logjam of teams nipping at Wake Forest's heels to be the representative in the ACC Championship Game opposite of Miami. Virginia Tech has been an intriguing team to me all season. The Hokies are probably a year away, but they are still good enough to make the championship game in James Franklin's first year. SMU is a much different (and better) team at home, so this feels like an important game for the Mustangs and Rhett Lashlee's tenure.
Duke at NC State, Saturday (12:30 p.m.; CW)
The Blue Devils will be coming to Hard Rock Stadium in Week 11, and they could be 7-2 and possibly ranked in some poll. Duke has an excellent running back, Nate Sheppard, that's worth watching. The most interesting thing about NC State is the potential of Russell Wilson or Philip Rivers coaching them.
These 5 games will have major CFP implications
No. 9 BYU at No. 3 Utah, Saturday (Noon, ABC)
No. 7 Texas at No. 18 Missouri, Saturday (Noon, ESPN)
The noon block is pretty good. First there's the Holy War being played at . . .10 a.m. local time. Luckily, there's not a lot of alcohol being consumed at those tailgates to begin with. Every BYU-Utah game follows a similar script — hard hitting, nasty, and very personal. It's a rivalry that deserves a little more attention outside The Beehive State.
Texas-Missouri is interesting from a CFP standpoint. While the Longhorns have a pretty strong case at No. 7, a third loss is a killer, and they would have to be punished for it . . .you think? I wonder how much the FSU talk has gotten Eli Drinkwitz out of his bag this week. These are the games that can help a coach in contract negotiations.
No. 5 Alabama at No. 14 LSU, Saturday (3:30 p.m.; ABC)
No. 23 Oregon at No. 12 Ohio State, Saturday (3:30 p.m.; CBS)
Speaking of three-loss teams being punished, does it really matter to Alabama? If the committee is going to overemphasize every Crimson Tide win and neglect all their losses, why do the results of their games even matter? We know if LSU loses, the Tiger faithful can probably start buying those Citrus Bowl tickets.
Meanwhile, Ohio State has to prove they can win without Julian Sayin. Ryan Day made it clear that Sayin isn't coming back for a while, so it's Luke Fahey's show. And if three-loss teams are the new two-loss teams, is Oregon a CFP threat with a win? So many questions can be answered in the 3:30 games.
No. 2 Georgia at No. 10 Ole Miss, Saturday (7:30, ABC)
By this point, we're going to be fully engaged with the Hurricanes and the Irish, but if there is a game to flip to during commercials or put on the smaller second TV in the man cave, this is it. Trinidad Chambliss against that fire-breathing Bulldogs defense is a heck of a matchup. It's been three weeks of No. 2 teams falling on the road. Is Georgia next in line?
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