College Football Audit — 2026 Week 10

2026 Week 10 · published 2026-11-06

Every week has one game that makes you stop scrolling. This week it's Miami at Notre Dame, and it's really a collision between the most explosive offense in our set and one of its stingiest defenses.

Miami averages 47.6 points a game, the best number we have, and has won eight in a row. Notre Dame allows just 13.4, the second-lowest in the group among teams with matchups this week. The matchup math is lopsided in both directions: Miami's offense against Notre Dame's defense grades at +34.3, the biggest mark of the week, while Notre Dame's offense against Miami's defense is a healthy +22.6. Something has to give. Miami's last outing was a 38-35 survival against North Carolina, so the defense isn't bulletproof. Notre Dame just handled Navy 35-13. This is the game that tells us whether Miami's streak is built on pure firepower or something sturdier.

2026 Week 10 snapshot

Scoring tells the story of the week. Miami leads at 47.6 points a game, with Oklahoma State next at 41.1, Georgia at 41, and Notre Dame and Louisville both at 40.4. At the other end, Merrimack averages 18, the softest number in the set.

That makes Wake Forest against Merrimack the widest scoring gap of the week at 21.1. Wake Forest, at 39.1 a game, just beat Virginia 51-7. Merrimack edged Wagner 19-14. The numbers aren't flattering to the visitors, though I'd note Merrimack's offense against Wake Forest's defense grades essentially flat at +0.1, so the story is more about what Wake Forest's offense can do than about a defensive collapse.

Several matchups come out almost dead even on scoring: NC State against Duke (0.1), Tennessee against Kentucky and Kansas against UCF (0.6 each), and Texas Tech against West Virginia (0.2, in the visitor's favor). Those are the games where one turnover or one special-teams play could swing everything.

Team form (week matchups)

Miami's streak is the headline, but Utah and UCLA have also won eight straight. UCLA has the more unusual résumé, a 27-0 shutout of Nevada and a defense allowing just 13.4 a game. The Bruins visit Minnesota, which lost 23-16 to Indiana last time out and averages 25.3.

Oklahoma State is the week's most fascinating team in the form department. The Cowboys score 41.1 a game, 10.2 above the league average, but also allow 27.1. Their last game was a 51-49 loss to Iowa State, which is exactly what that profile looks like when it goes wrong.

At the bottom, the slumps are real. Maryland has lost six straight, and Michigan State has lost six in a row too. Vanderbilt has dropped five, Mississippi State four, and Nebraska, Florida State and Georgia Tech three each. Mississippi State hosts Vanderbilt, so one of those losing runs gets a fresh chapter, and Michigan hosts Michigan State, where both teams score under 22 a game.

On the positive side, Kentucky has won six straight, including a 34-17 win over Vanderbilt, and travels to Tennessee, which fell 27-24 to South Carolina. Wake Forest has won five in a row. Iowa's 30-0 win over Wisconsin was the most lopsided shutout of the week, and Duke's 47-2 rout of Boston College wasn't far behind.

Player rates in this week's matchups

The passing leaders over their last 14 games are a fun group. Ashton Daniels of Florida State leads at 350 passing yards per game, with Billy Edwards Jr. of North Carolina at 341 and Oregon's Dylan Raiola at 336. Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker is at 323, and Iowa State's Jaylen Raynor at 309. Daniels and Edwards face two of the softer scoring defenses in the set, as Florida State visits Boston College and North Carolina visits UConn. Raiola gets the toughest assignment, with Ohio State's defense allowing just 15.5 a game.

Iowa State owns the ground game and the air game. Aiden Flora averages 221 rushing yards per game, and Oklahoma State's Caleb Hawkins is next at 194. Missouri's Jamal Roberts is at 138, Penn State's Cam Wallace at 135 and Cincinnati's Cole Tabb at 131. Roberts and Missouri host Texas, whose defense allows 17.1.

Receiving is led by Iowa State's Jamal Polite Jr. at 171 yards per game. Northwestern's Griffin Wilde is at 146 and Wake Forest's Carlos Hernandez at 136. Oregon's Dakorien Moore is at 128 and Oklahoma State's Justin Bowick at 124. Iowa State's production is a reminder that the 51-49 shootout with Oklahoma State wasn't an accident. Now the Cyclones visit Baylor, where the home defense allows only 15.3 a game, and that's a different kind of test.

Notes on the numbers

Each team is graded on points scored and allowed per game for this week's featured set. Every offense is then lined up against the defense it actually faces.

2026 Week 10 team scoring vs featured-set average

2026 Week 10 matchup comps — offense vs the defense it faces

Home PPG is what the home offense usually scores; Away PPG allowed is what the visitor’s defense usually gives up — Home off vs away def is simply that offense minus that defense (positive means the home attack outpaces this opponent). The mirror columns do the same for the away offense against the home defense.

2026 Week 10 passing yards per game leaders (through Week 9)

2026 Week 10 rushing yards per game leaders (through Week 9)

2026 Week 10 receiving yards per game leaders (through Week 9)

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Data attribution: Stats for informational analysis only. Verify figures against official league sources.