We are officially in Championship November. Now, everything gets a little tighter and the games matter more now that the College Football Playoff rankings have been unveiled. Can Michigan State avoid a trap game? Will Baylor and Oklahoma State hold serve and apply some additional pressure to the Sooners? With only one ranked versus ranked matchup, will we see some upsets out of nowhere? Now, let’s get into it as we look at the best matchups in college football with our 2021 week 10 college football watch guide.
Note: All game times are in central standard time
2021 Week 10 College Football Watch Guide
Saturday
10:30 AM
Army vs Air Force 
The service academies get us started first in the 2021 week 10 college football watch guide. Air Force looks to secure its first Commander in Chief trophy since 2016 with a victory over Army. The Falcons come into this matchup with a 6-2 record after falling to San Diego State at home last week. Meanwhile, Army into this contest with three straight losses. However, they put up 56 points in the loss to Wake Forest last week. Expect the typical pageantry and hard-fought fourth-quarter matchup between these two programs.
11:00 AM
(9) Wake Forest at North Carolina 
The Demon Deacons were rewarded as the only ACC undefeated team with a top 10 ranking in the first College Football Playoff rankings. Wake Forest deploys one of the best offenses in the country led by Sam Hartman with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions. Now, the pressure is all on Wake Forest as a potential playoff contender. For the Tar Heels, they have had a disappointing season right now sitting at 4-4. They can play the role of the spoiler here and derail the hopes of the ACC’s best.
(5) Ohio State at Nebraska 
The Buckeyes survived a very game Penn State squad to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Now, they go back to the road to face a Nebraska team that has struggled this season. This could be viewed as a trap game for the Buckeyes with games against Michigan and Michigan State still on the horizon. For the Cornhuskers, they just keep losing games but keeping it close. They have lost six games by a total of 33 points. However, they face ranked opponents in their last three. Can the Big Red rise up again and rally for their coach who looks to be on the way out?
2:00 PM
(13) Auburn at (14) Texas A&M 
Believe it or not, it’s Auburn and not Alabama that controls their own destiny in the SEC West. In fact, they could even afford a loss and still make the SEC Championship Game. But, with that being said the red hot Tigers have to navigate an improving Aggie ball club. Texas A&M rebounded after back-to-back losses and is starting to play more consistently. They still have an outside shot at getting into the mix for a NY6 bowl invite. But, that all starts with a win against Auburn in our only ranked versus ranked matchup in the 2021 week 10 college football watch guide.
2:30 PM
(3) Michigan State at Purdue 
After their huge win over Michigan on Saturday, the Spartans are the king of the Big 10 for now. Now, they are in the position of being the hunted as they travel to West Lafayette to face upset-minded Purdue. Kenneth Walker III is one of the leaders for the Heisman now after his terrific five-touchdown performance. But, the Spartans must be wary of the letdown now. Purdue is fresh off an upset victory over Nebraska and did the same against Iowa three weeks earlier. Now, they have another chance to shock the world at home.
(11) Oklahoma State at West Virginia 
It appears to be a three-team race between Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Baylor to fight for the Big 12 Championship. The Cowboys could take a big step forward towards their first-ever trip to Arlington with a win over the Mountaineers. The Cowboys have used a blueprint of outstanding defense and a strong running game that they’ll continue to rely on. West Virginia lost three straight but have rebounded with back-to-back wins with Iowa State being the last. Now, can they make it two top 25 upsets in as many weeks?
(12) Baylor at TCU 
We stay in the Big 12 in our 2021 week 10 college football watch guide with another tough road matchup for a highly ranked Big 12 team. Baylor has been the surprise team in the Big 12 with their only loss being to Oklahoma State. They completed a second-half comeback win last week against Texas. Meanwhile, TCU will be playing its first game without Gary Patterson after the mutual separation from the Horned Frogs. Will the players rally around the situation and make this a competitive game?
3:00 PM
(17) Mississippi State at Arkansas 
Mississippi State was somewhat a surprise at number 17 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. Having said that, the Bulldogs are battle-tested with the upset victories over Texas A&M and Kentucky. But, now they hit the road which is always an adventure in the SEC. Arkansas has lost three of four games since starting 4-0. With the Razorbacks schedule that includes LSU and Alabama the next couple of weeks, this game is pivotal to ensure bow eligibility for the Razorbacks.
6:30 PM
(4) Oregon at Washington 
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the College Football Playoff rankings was the fact that Oregon was at the number four spot. The committee clearly valued the win over Ohio State in Columbus heavily and the Ducks will be looking for a repeat performance in hostile land at Washington on Saturday night. For the Huskies, it’s been very up and down this season at 4-4. However, Washington is coming off of a win at Stanford which is something that the Ducks were unable to accomplish earlier this year.
Texas at Iowa State 
This game is a little below the radar nationally, but still a very important game for both of these programs. Iowa State had aspirations of a Big 12 Championship and outside shot at the playoffs. However, they sit here at 5-3 and outside looking in on the Big 12 standings. Comparatively, the Longhorns are losers of three straight and each of which they have been leaders in the second half. It goes from bad to worse for the loser of this game which has already dropped lower than many people expected for either of these programs.
10:00 PM
(24) San Diego State at Hawaii 
The finale of the 2021 week 10 college football watch guide takes us to the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs suffered their first loss of the year to Fresno State at home last week, 30-20. They head to Hawaii to take on the Warriors which defeated those same Bulldogs in upset fashion earlier in the season. Hawaii’s up-tempo style of play versus the Aztec ground and pound attack should be a fitting end to an exciting Saturday of action.
