CFB Week 10 winners, losers: Notre Dame, Tennessee improve CFP claims, Kyle Whittingham's Michigan struggles and the best running back no one's talking about

The first Saturday of November provided clarity in college football, weeding out the College Football Playoff contenders from the pretenders with six games featuring ranked opponents.

From three SEC blowouts to a season-saving win by Notre Dame, we break down Week 10's biggest moments with the following winners and losers.

Winner: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The College Football Playoff selection committee made things clear for Notre Dame (8-1) after ranking it No. 11 in its first 2026 poll. Lose again, and you're out.

The Irish's response? A 31-24 win over the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes (8-1, 6-0 in ACC). Wide receiver Malachi Toney's absence helped, but Saturday's result had more to do with Notre Dame.

Quarterback C.J. Carr was excellent, distributing the ball to 10 different receivers and finishing 29-of-40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns, jumpstarting an offense that lacked a dominant run game. Lead back Nolan James Jr. had 52 rushing yards and averaged 3.3 yards per attempt.

Notre Dame's schedule eases up from here, giving it a great shot at running the table and into the CFP.

Loser: LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin

Kiffin gave up being four wins away from a national championship at Ole Miss for this.

On Saturday, LSU (6-3, 3-3 in SEC) was all but eliminated from playoff contention (barring a 2007-esque end to the season) with a 31-13 home loss to the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2, 5-2 in SEC).

After accepting the LSU job amid an historic Ole Miss playoff run — the first in program history — Kiffin's controversial decision was always going to be measured against his ability to get similar results in Baton Rouge. Based on Year 1, he made a grave miscalculation.

Winner: Georgia Bulldogs

No. 2 Georgia (8-1, 6-1 in SEC) went on the road and eviscerated the No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels (6-3, 4-3 in SEC) for what might be the most impressive performance by any team this season.

The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and led 28-0 at the half. The Rebels didn't get in the end zone until a little over four minutes into the fourth quarter.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton out-dueled Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who was benched with the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs also dominated at the line of scrimmage, finishing with five sacks.

It was as thorough a win as we've seen this season, and Georgia did it against a top-10 team in a hostile environment. With the regular season winding down, the Bulldogs look like the country's best team. Come January, they might end the SEC's title drought.

Loser: Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham

Michigan's miserable first season under Whittingham reached another low in a 15-6 home loss to the rival Michigan State Spartans (3-6, 1-5 in Big Ten). The Wolverines turned the ball over four times, quarterback Tommy Carr was sacked five times, and they didn't score until 95 seconds remained, intensifying the heat on Whittingham's seat.

Making matters worse for the long-time coach, his former team, No. 3 Utah, is thriving without him, sitting at 9-0 after a massive top-10 win over No. 9 BYU. 

The 2026 campaign couldn't have gone much worse for Whittingham. And if Michigan doesn't show any improvement over its final three games, it might be his last.

Winner: Tennessee Volunteers

No. 13 Tennessee (7-2, 4-2 in SEC) entered Week 10 on the wrong side of the playoff bubble but should comfortably be in the field following a 34-6 win over the No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats (7-2, 5-2 in SEC), its second double-digit win over a CFP top-10 team this season. In Week 7, the Vols handled Alabama, 26-10, a win that looks much more impressive following the Tide's 18-point win at LSU.

Loser: Heisman favorites

Toney is hurt. Mensah flunked his only start against a ranked opponent. Ohio State's season is in flames, throwing a wrench into Jeremiah Smith's candidacy. Chambliss, an early favorite and fifth in Heisman odds after Week 9, continues to fade after the ugly loss to Georgia.