In the CFB preview for Week 10, we look at what a wild ride this 2025 season has been so far.

Are you one of the people who expected Penn State to be a contender? Maybe you thought Brian Kelly and LSU would get over the hump? Perhaps you even expected Clemson to be in the conversation. Well, I have news for you: Two of them fired their coaches and the other one merely stinks this season.

Yet, when some teams fall, others must rise. The Vanderbilt Commodores, for example, are now in their second week in the Top 10. Indiana, who were good last year, look like a possible title contender. Georgia Tech has also surged into the Top 10 with BYU, while teams like Virginia, Cincinnati, Houston, and Memphis all occupy the Top 25.

It may be premature to say that this is a “changing of the guard.” Those failing teams mentioned above might turn it around in 2026. However, if you ever wanted to see a non-elite team with a title, this might be a good chance. The only problem is that someone is going to have to beat Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and a few others. Let’s be candid: Even though teams like Indiana, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and so forth are having great years, it would be very much on-brand for the sport for a big-name team like the Buckeyes or Tide to win the whole thing, anyway.

There is still a long way to go before we get to that point. Nevertheless, Week 10 in CFB begins November football for many teams. This is where the true contenders will make themselves known. If you are a fan of one of these upstart teams, you know there is still a lot of work to be done.

CFB Preview Week 10: Brian Kelly Fired

LSU dismissed their head coach, Brian Kelly, in the midst of his fourth season. His final game in Baton Rouge was a blowout loss to Texas A&M.

This season just never seemed to go LSU’s way, even though they are 5-3. Further, Brian Kelly never seemed to be a great fit for the program for various reasons. Despite having 9 and 10-win seasons as their coach, his tenure with the team will most likely go down as a flop. Such is life when the expectations are championships.

CFB Preview Week 10: Featured Games of the Week

This week, we curated a list of four games for our feature. We have a few teams on here we have not discussed yet this season.

• Vanderbilt at Texas: Whether or not Arch Manning (TEX) is good to go for this game, Vandy can win it, anyway. Even though the game is in Austin, this will be no easy ride for the home team.
• Navy at North Texas: The winner of this game out of the American will have a legitimate case to be ranked. UNT is one of the nation’s most high-powered offenses and should be fun to watch against a competent Navy team.
• USC at Nebraska: Both of these teams want to move up in the Big Ten. Nebraska may have some trouble slowing down the USC offense, despite their overall defensive effectiveness.
• Cincinnati at Utah: The Bearcats have one of the nation’s best quarterbacks this season, but can the Utah defense hold him at bay?

CFB Number of the Week

6. This is the number of undefeated teams left in FBS college football entering Week 10.