Week 10 of the 2026 college football season has arrived, which means we're now in the portion of the season where the College Football Playoff discussions for certain programs get very real.

While Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz doesn't care about where his team is ranked in the weekly CFP Top 25, the Hawkeyes certainly are in the playoff conversation at No. 19.

Releasing a viewing guide is a Thursday staple of our football coverage here on HawkeyeRoundtable.com, but since we're in the most crucial month of the season, we're going to mix things up and talk about some of the most important games that could impact Iowa's CFP chances.

With the Hawkeyes not playing until the evening window, you've got some time to keep an eye on some of these teams ranked ahead of Iowa.

*All game times CDT

Saturday

No. 9 BYU (7-1) @ No. 3 Utah (8-0)

Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT

Time/TV: 11 a.m. on ABC

The Holy War is always an instant classic these days, but there actually needs to be a legitimate Holy War because it's an absolute travesty this game is kicking off at 10 a.m. local time. I don't think either of these teams (especially Utah) would move too far down the rankings with a loss, but it would be interesting to see where the committee would move BYU if the Cougars can't get it done. Remember, BYU already owns a loss to a bad UCF team.

No. 7 Texas (6-2) @ No. 18 Missouri (6-2)

Location: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO

Time/TV: 11 a.m. on ESPN

Texas being ranked at No. 7 is absolutely ridiculous, but Hawkeye fans should be cheering for the Longhorns to escape Columbia with a victory here. Missouri would be eliminated from CFP contention with a third loss and it would open the door for Iowa to at least move up a spot if it can take care of business at Northwestern.

No. 5 Alabama (6-2) @ No. 14 LSU (6-2)

Location: Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA

Time/TV: 2:30 p.m. on ABC

There's absolutely no reason why a two-loss Alabama team (that got throttled by Tennessee) should come close to sniffing the top-five, but that's just the reality we live in today. The Tide should be on the verge of elimination with a loss here, but their position at No. 5 tells me they'll easily get in even with three losses. On the flip side, a loss for LSU would be detrimental for Lane Kiffin. You should probably cheer for Alabama here.

No. 23 Oregon (5-3) @ No. 12 Ohio State (6-2)

Location: Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH

Time/TV: 2:30 p.m. on CBS

Ohio State's playoff chances may be out the window if it loses to Oregon here, while the Ducks are suddenly alive themselves with a victory. Oregon may leapfrog its way into the top-15 if it can win in Columbus, but the safer pick Iowa fans would want to see lose is Ohio State, which has a tricky remaining schedule (Northwestern, Nebraska, Michigan).

No. 6 Kentucky (7-1) @ No. 13 Tennessee (6-2)

Location: Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN

Time/TV: 5:15 p.m. on ESPN

If Kentucky really wants to show the college football world it's a legit CFP player, a win here in Knoxville would do just that. The Wildcats already own a win over LSU and seem to be getting even better under Will Stein. Iowa could use a Kentucky victory here to allow the Hawkeyes to move up in the rankings.

No. 1 Miami (8-0) @ No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1)

I'm billing this Catholics vs. Convicts Part II. It's going to be a fantastic game in South Bend. Losing Malachi Toney is a major loss for Miami, but the Hurricanes are still extremely talented and probably have a chip on their shoulder considering they are 7.5-point underdogs. The Hawkeyes need a Miami win here because Notre Dame's position at No. 11 means that the committee doesn't value the Irish for their weak schedule, so they would likely be eliminated with a loss on Saturday.