Georgia, Texas, Ohio State among top-25 teams on upset alert in Week 10 as CFP push begins

Five teams inside the top 20 of the first CFP rankings that could go down this weekend Nov 5, 2026 at 1:56 pm ET • 4 min read You know it's a splendid college football weekend ahead for upset alert when the five teams included this week are matched against foes of equal -- or slightly lesser -- talent.That's what happens when Week 10 produces more than a half-dozen "good on good" matchups coming out of the first College Football Playoff rankings release of the season. From here, expect heavy fluctuation every Tuesday night through Selection Sunday as the committee decides on seven at-large berths along with the Group of Six's highest-ranked team.The other four spots go to the highest-ranked conference champions; those teams for now -- according to our estimation -- are Georgia (SEC), Utah (Big 12), Miami (ACC) and UCLA (Big Ten). No. 1 Miami is not included in this week's upset alert because the Hurricanes are a 7.5-point underdog at Notre Dame and will be without Malachi Toney. Here are the five teams with national championship hopes that could suffer a letdown this weekend. No. 2 GeorgiaOpponent: at No. 10 Ole Miss (+3.5)This one's going to truly test the defending SEC champions on both sides of the ball, considering the Rebels' talent at quarterback with Trinidad Chambliss and improved defensive showings in recent weeks. Since starting the season 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 38 points per game, Georgia's offense has cooled off considerably over the Bulldogs' last three outings, producing 20, 24, and 20 points against Alabama, Auburn and Florida, respectively. This Ole Miss offense found success twice last fall against Glenn Schumann's defense, as the Rebels and Bulldogs split their two meetings. Chambliss has torched Georgia in both career starts and gets the luxury of playing at home for the first time in the rubber match. If Ole Miss wins, a bevy of SEC Championship scenarios come back into play down the stretch. CFP Rankings winners and losers: Alabama playoff path widens, Notre Dame outlook takes a hit John Talty No. 3 UtahOpponent: vs. No. 9 BYU (+5.5)It just means more -- in the Big 12. One of Saturday's best games, things kick off early in Salt Lake City at 10 a.m. local time for the Utes' battle with the one-loss Cougars. Utah is our projected conference champion after Week 9 and would get a top-4 seed if Morgan Scalley's squad wins the conference. However, BYU and Texas Tech aren't far behind. The Cougars take the driver's seat with a win this weekend, despite losing at UCF recently. The Holy War's never been this meaningful in the CFP discussion. BYU's won three straight in the series since Utah won nine consecutive from 2010-2019. No. 8 UCLAOpponent: at Minnesota (+5.5)Not only do the Bruins have to deal with cross-country travel for this one and the numbers that play against West Coast teams in this spot, but kickoff is 12 p.m. ET. That puts the body clocks of UCLA players on an early-morning schedule. We're sure Bob Chesney and staff have a plan in place for that after experiencing similar jet lag at Maryland earlier this season, but it's still a concern for one of college football's three remaining unbeatens.The Golden Gophers would be ranked right now had they taken care of business in the final seconds of last week's overtime loss at Indiana after taking the lead on Luke Drzewiecki's 60-yarder in the final minute of regulation. This came after Minnesota's Week 8 win over then-15th-ranked Iowa, which put the Golden Gophers back on the CFP bubble. Both of these squads win with defense, and it feels like the first team to 20 points comes out victorious Saturday afternoon. No. 7 TexasOpponent: at No. 18 Missouri (+2.5)The Longhorns have played five games this season decided by a single possession and could be in for another SEC nailbiter against the Tigers. In the first of consecutive road matchups against top-20 competition, Texas must avoid mistakes against a team that thrives on takeaways. Missouri's plus-8 in turnover margin is second-best in the SEC behind Kentucky, and it hasn't beaten itself with only five giveaways. Texas comes in banged up with injuries sidelining several key starters, including Hollywood Smothers in the backfield and offensive tackle Trevor Goosby. The hope is edge rusher Colin Simmons returns, but that's no guarantee after he missed the Longhorns' wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The current national leader with three ranked wins this season, Texas further enhances its resume if it can fend off Missouri in CoMo. No. 12 Ohio StateOpponent: vs. No. 23 Oregon (+7.5)The Buckeyes are on the highway to the danger zone after last week's loss at USC. Ohio State must bounce back with a win over the Ducks, with freshman quarterback Luke Fahey making his second start, or this team's CFP hopes will further diminish. This one opened with Ohio State as a 9.5-point favorite and has already been bet down to near a touchdown late Wednesday. One of the nation's more dangerous three-loss teams, Oregon already has a couple of wins this season over nationally-ranked opponents (Boise State, USC) and swatted Northwestern at home in Week 9 with a furious comeback behind Dylan Raiola's 336-yard, three-touchdown outing. Ohio State has taken a step back defensively after leading the Big Ten in several statistical categories last fall and is now outside the top 3 in the conference in opponents' third-down conversion rate (12th), explosive plays allowed (6th), and red-zone touchdown percentage (8th). Ohio State is just 6-4 in its last 10 games overall under Ryan Day, and this is another possible landmine.