Notre Dame is a 7.5-point favorite over No. 1 Miami tonight, and that number is the story of the Week 10 college football schedule. The latest betting numbers show the line opened at 3.5 at BetMGM and has more than doubled. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and ESPN’s College GameDay is live from South Bend.
Why Notre Dame is favored over the No. 1 team
The Hurricanes are the top-ranked team in every poll, yet Vegas has made them the underdog. That alone is worth your evening. Miami sits at No. 1 only recently, so this is quite the welcome party.
The books are giving the No. 1 team a touchdown-plus. Not exactly a vote of confidence.
The reason is simple. Miami is playing without Malachi Toney, CBS Sports reports, and the market moved hard once that landed. That leaves Miami without its star.
Texas, Ohio State and the SEC on today’s college football games
Noon brings a Texas trip to Missouri. Complex lists the Longhorns as a field-goal favorite. The line has shrunk from 3.5 to about 2.5 at BetMGM, so the money clearly doesn’t love Texas on the road.
Then there’s Ohio State against Oregon. The Buckeyes are coming off a loss in their first game without Julian Sayin, and the spread has dropped from 10.5 to 7.5. The market is nervous, and Columbus should be too. Here is what Ohio State’s loss means for the playoff race.
Meanwhile, Alabama at LSU pits two two-loss SEC teams against each other. CBS has LSU favored by 5.5. Whoever loses will need a lot of help to stay in the playoff conversation.
Utah and BYU: the other top-10 matchup on the Saturday college football slate
Easy to miss behind the Miami hype: CBS counts six ranked matchups and two top-10 games on the Week 10 CFB schedule, and BYU at Utah is the other one.
Utah is a 4.5-point favorite after beating Cincinnati 49-25 last week. BYU running back LJ Martin is listed with a lower-body injury, and his status is unclear.
Why Week 10 matters for the playoff
Per Sports Illustrated, the season is in its final month, and playoff committee members will be watching today. Kickoffs run from noon ET to 10:30 p.m. ET, so check PrizePicks’ TV listings and Sportsnaut’s slate for college football TV times.
Boise State is seen as the clear favorite for the Group of Six automatic bid. That makes its 6 p.m. trip to Colorado State a quiet must-win.
So who blinks first in South Bend: the No. 1 team missing a star, or the favorite with everything to lose? By midnight we’ll know, and the playoff picture will look different.
