5 teams with most at stake in action-packed college football weekend

Week 10 is set to be a doozy.

In total, six Associated Press top 25 matchups are on deck, led by a pair of top-10 games (Miami-Notre Dame, BYU-Utah) and also including four ranked SEC showdowns. 

As captivating as the set promises to be, the stakes are somewhat dulled by virtue of the 12-team playoff. For some, a loss could be nothing more than a minor speed bump on the path to a College Football Playoff berth.

But for others, losing Saturday will put a serious dent into their playoff hopes, perhaps squashing them completely. Below, we look at the five teams with the most at stake ahead of an epic college football weekend.

1. (tie) No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-2, 4-2 in SEC) / No. 15 LSU Tigers (6-2, 3-2 in SEC)

It's the end of an era this Saturday, the final time Alabama and LSU will play in the regular season on a yearly basis, the rivals' next game not until 2028.

But the two are going out with a bang, meeting with plenty on the line. No, this isn't a Game of the Century akin to the 2011 meeting, but Saturday's loser will kiss any realistic chance of qualifying for the College Football Playoff goodbye. 

Of the two, the Tide appear more vulnerable, with ESPN Analytics only giving them a 43 percent chance of winning. This could also be Alabama's last opportunity to pick up a quality win. Whereas LSU, the only team in the country that ranks in top five in total offense (510 yards per game) and defense (258.4 yards per game), has No. 10 Texas (6-2, 3-2 in SEC) and No. 16 Tennessee on deck in Weeks 11-12, Alabama plays Vanderbilt (3-5, 0-5 in SEC) and Auburn (4-4, 2-4 in SEC), which has been outscored by 51 points the past two weeks, to round out SEC play. That does put pressure on the Tigers, however; if they can't beat the Tide at home, what chance do they stand against the Longhorns and Volunteers?

2. No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-1)

After falling at No. 7 BYU (7-1, 4-1 in Big 12) on Oct. 17, the Irish have little margin for error. Notre Dame will have a difficult time convincing the committee it deserves a playoff spot if it loses its only two games against ranked opponents. But a win Saturday over the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes (8-0, 6-0 in ACC) would put the Irish back in the conversation for the No. 1 overall seed.

3. No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels (6-2, 4-2 in SEC)

Ole Miss didn't play well for large portions of both their losses, falling by 24 at Florida in September then trailing by 21 at half of an eventual 34-27 road loss at Texas two Saturdays ago. With No. 2 Georgia (7-1, 5-1 in SEC) coming to  town, the Rebels can't afford another dud if they want to make back-to-back playoff appearances. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, once a Heisman frontrunner, will have to be much better than in his past two games when completing 54.7 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

4. No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers (6-2, 3-2 in SEC)

The Vols lost a classic trap game to South Carolina (5-3, 3-3 in SEC) in their last outing, one week after a decisive 26-10 win over Alabama, giving them only 21.2 percent odds of making the playoff, per ESPN's Football Power Index. But a home game against No. 8 Kentucky (7-1, 5-1 in SEC), one of the year's biggest surprises, could put Tennessee right back in the CFP mix.