Ranking the 10 best games on college football's Nov. 7 schedule, from Texas-Missouri to Miami-Notre Dame

Ranking the 10 best games on college football's Nov. 7 schedule, from Texas-Missouri to Miami-Notre Dame originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

If you have plans scheduled for this upcoming weekend, you might want to cancel those. The Week 10 college football slate is absolutely loaded from top to bottom, with some great games across the country.

From heated rivalries to huge conference matchups with title game stakes and seven ranked vs. ranked games, there is a whole lot to tune into. With so many games to choose from, we'll rank the best ones to watch in an effort to help navigate a historically loaded day of action.

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Friday, Nov. 6

10. Virginia Tech at SMU: 7 p.m. on ESPN

If you're looking for some Friday night viewing, this is the game for you. Both ACC squads enter this one 6-2 but are still in the hunt for the conference title game behind Miami and Wake Forest.

SMU lost to Louisville earlier in the year and fell 30-27 on the road to Syracuse last week. First-year Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin's team has losses to Pitt and Cal but has solid ACC wins over Boston College, Georgia Tech and Clemson so far this season.

This one will be a fun quarterback battle between the Hokies' Ethan Grunkemeyer and SMU's Kevin Jennings, as both are playing great football. SMU averages 35.3 points per game, good for 26th in the nation. Virginia Tech's defense ranks 27th in total defense, and defensive lineman Aycen Stevens leads the ACC with eight sacks so far this season.

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Saturday, Nov. 7

9. No. 19 Iowa at Northwestern: 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox

If you're looking for a great defense going up against a top-tier offense, this game is for you. The immortal Kirk Ferentz's defense is giving up 12.5 points per game, which is fourth nationally. Linebacker Cam Buffington leads the unit with 70 total tackles and three sacks so far this season.

The Hawkeyes will go up against a Northwestern offense that's averaging 33.6 points per game. The Wildcats do have two losses to Indiana and Oregon on the road, but are undefeated at home so far this season. Look for Northwestern head coach David Braun to be a potential name in this upcoming coaching carousel cycle for sure.

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8. No. 23 Oregon at No. 12 Ohio State: 3:30 p.m. on CBS

This game would have been ranked a lot higher if both teams weren't playing with their backup quarterbacks. But Ohio State is not out of the Big Ten title or CFP hunt just yet, with the lone loss to USC.

If the Buckeyes want to win, freshman quarterback Luke Fahey will have to play better against Oregon's defense. He threw for 260 yards and a touchdown against the Trojans, but he overthrew several guys all night in his first start.

Oregon went from national title favorite to having three losses before the month of November. Dante Moore's backup Dylan Raiola had his best game of the season last week against Northwestern, throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns. The Ducks' main role the rest of the season might be playing Big Ten/CFP spoiler, and beating the Buckeyes in Columbus might be a great way to do just that. Oregon has struggled playing away from home, however, losing to Oklahoma State and Illinois this season.

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7. No. 7 Texas at No. 18 Missouri: Noon ET on ESPN

Both Texas and Missouri have been incredibly difficult to figure out this season overall. The Longhorns have signature wins over Ohio State, Tennessee and Ole Miss, but lost to the likes of unranked teams in Oklahoma and Florida.

You can say the same for Missouri, which has wins over then-No. 8 Florida and Texas A&M but a loss to Mississippi State and a blowout loss to Ole Miss. Texas quarterback Arch Manning hasn't played a true road game since the Sept. 26 win over Tennessee, and he threw an interception. The Tiger defense has recovered 13 turnovers on the season, tied for 22nd nationally.

Against Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas, the Tiger defense allowed an average of just 11 points per game. If Missouri's defense can play like that, an upset over Texas is on the table. Mizzou has 19 sacks this season and will be looking to add to that to pressure Manning.

Texas can't afford to lose three games if it wants to make the CFP, so the Longhorns can't exactly afford to lose here.
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6. No. 8 UCLA at Minnesota: Noon ET on Fox

P.J. Fleck already pulled off one Big Ten upset at home, taking down No. 15 Iowa two weeks ago. His team nearly pulled off another upset over Indiana on the road last week. The Golden Gophers now return home looking to hand the Bruins their first loss of the season.

The last time UCLA played on the road, the Bruins just barely beat Oregon 17-15. Without Nico Iamaleava at quarterback, UCLA's offense is led by running back Wayne Knight, who has 680 yards with 12 touchdowns so far this season. He has failed to reach 100 yards rushing in each of his last three games, but Minnesota's rush defense ranks 132nd nationally.

A UCLA loss wouldn't alter Bob Chesney's CFP hopes much, but the margin for error would be much slimmer, playing at Michigan and against USC to close out the season.

5. No. 6 Kentucky at No. 12 Tennessee: 6:15 p.m. on ESPN

I mean, who would have thought that Kentucky would be having this type of season? First-year head coach Will Stein has the Wildcats tied with Georgia atop the SEC, with just one loss to Alabama.

But Kentucky's next three games will show us just how for real Stein's team truly is. The Wildcats go on the road to face a Tennessee team that knocked off Alabama in Knoxville earlier this season, and nearly took down Texas at home.

Vols quarterback George MacIntyre plays more like a game manager for Tennessee's offense, which relies heavily on running back DeSean Bishop. Tennessee should be able to run the ball against Kentucky, which gives up 113 rush yards per game. We'll learn a lot about just how good both of these teams are in this one.

4. No. 9 BYU at No. 3 Utah: Noon ET ABC

It is not rivalry week just yet, but we are in for a treat in this year's Holy War. This is one of college football's most heated rivalries, and this year marks the first time ever that both teams are ranked inside the Top-10.

Although BYU looked like a legitimate CFP contender after taking down Notre Dame at home, the Cougars have fallen off in the last two weeks. BYU lost on the road in double-overtime to a mediocre UCF team two weeks ago, then just barely got past Arizona State 27-20.

Utah, meanwhile, has been playing lights out all season. First-year head coach Morgan Scalley looks as comfortable as ever leading the Utes. Utah survived its first big test of the season by beating then-No. 14 Houston a couple weeks ago, but this will be the best team it has faced so far.

If you haven't seen Utah quarterback Devin Dampier play yet, this is a great chance to do so. He's thrown for 1,876 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions so far this season, rushing for another 393 yards and five scores.

BYU will likely be without running back LJ Martin, who hasn't played since Oct. 3 Quarterback bear Bachmeier has carried the load of the offense in his absence, with a combined 2,086 yards of total offense so far. Don't be surprised if this one turns into a shootout.

3. No. 5 Alabama at No. 14 LSU: 3:30 p.m. on ABC

There are few rivalries like Alabama-LSU in the SEC. The only downside of this year's matchup is that we don't have a night game in Death Valley. The CFP committee chose to look past Alabama's losses to Georgia and Tennessee and rank the Tide comically high.

LSU, meanwhile, has one-score road losses and are currently outside of the 12-team CFP. That might be just the motivation that head coach Lane Kiffin and his team needs to send a message. The Tigers have dominated Mississippi State and Auburn in recent weeks. Quarterback Sam Leavitt has played better in recent weeks, throwing for 677 yards and seven touchdowns in his last two games.

Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell will make his first-ever start at LSU, and he has been inconsistent in recent weeks. He's thrown a combined three interceptions against Tennessee and Texas A&M, and defenses have figured out how to stop him on the run. LSU feels like it has an edge in this one, but when it comes to rivalry games, all bets are off.

This is potentially a CFP eliminator game, as whoever loses is out with three losses.

2. No. 2 Georgia at No. 10 Ole Miss: 7:30 p.m. on ABC

I almost put this one behind Alabama-LSU, but this one gets the edge. Georgia has the nation's best defense, and has to go up against one of the most dynamic signal-callers in the country in Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss.

This one is also massive when it comes to CFP stakes. A loss for Georgia likely won't knock the Dawgs out of it. But with an upset loss to Auburn earlier in the year, Georgia could end up with three losses if the Dawgs fall in the SEC Championship Game.

Ole Miss cannot afford to lose another game with losses to Florida and Texas already. The Rebels have yet to lose a game at home, but Georgia is the best team Ole Miss has faced by a mile.

Chambliss is far and above the better quarterback between him and Gunner Stockton. But if the Dawgs force four turnovers like they did against Florida last week, that gives the Dawgs an edge.

1. No. 1 Miami at No. 11 Notre Dame: 7:30 p.m. on NBC

It doesn't get better than this, folks. For a second straight season, the Catholics vs. Convicts rivalry has huge CFP stakes, and it feels like we're in the 1980s again.

Miami has one of the most electric offenses in the country, led by Darian Mensah at quarterback. He has an embarrassment of riches around him, from Mark Fletcher to Malachi Toney and Javian Mallory. But the biggest question mark isn't whether or not Miami can score, it's can the defense get a stop.

The Canes defense ranks 28th in total defense, but is 122nd in defending the run. In wins over North Carolina, Florida State and Wake Forest, Miami gave up an average of 31 points. Late in games against UNC and FSU, the offense has had to bail out the defense.

But the CFP committee is not a fan of Notre Dame, ranking them 11th even before this week's game. That means if the Irish fall to Miami, a CFP berth is likely off the table. Outside of the Irish's loss to BYU and this week's game, ND does not have a ranked team on its schedule. QB CJ Carr and the Irish are likely one of the best offenses Miami has faced this year. On the other side, Notre Dame's top-ranked defense is the best Miami has faced, and it could be able to limit Miami's offense down the stretch. ND is listed as a 5.5-point favorite, but it feels like it could be closer than that.