Week 10 // 2025
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
That’s my guy. I just got to protect him.
Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy on the work he’s done in pass protection for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss
TEAM TO WATCH TEAM oF THE WEEK
VANDERBILT
No. 9 Vanderbilt moved to 7-1 for the first time since 1941 with a 17-10 win over then-No. 15 Missouri, sweetening Vandy’s first time hosting College GameDay since 2008.
The score was knotted 3-3 at halftime as the Commodores held the Tigers to a season-low 156 yards of total offense in the first half. Vanderbilt took the lead, 10-3, with 3:51 remaining in the third quarter on Makhilyn Young’s 80-yard dash to the house.
The game was again tied halfway through the fourth quarter when safety CJ Heard stripped the ball from Missouri and recovered the fumble to set up a critical drive for quarterback Diego Pavia. The Dores took the lead on a one-yard rush from Pavia for his 20th touchdown of the season, and Vanderbilt held on for the win.
Vanderbilt travels to No. 20 Texas on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. PHX on ABC.
HOUSTON
After a 24-16 road victory at then-No. 24 Arizona State, Houston now has seven wins on the season, nearly matching its eight total wins from the previous two seasons combined.
Houston shut out Arizona State 24-0 over the first three quarters in the two programs’ first meeting since Dec. 1, 1990. Quarterback Connor Weigman had a highlight-reel outing, throwing for 201 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 111 yards and two more scores.
Latrell McCutchin Jr. led the Houston defense, which held ASU to just 98 rushing yards, notching seven solo tackles and two pass breakups.
No. 22 Houston, ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 2022, hosts West Virginia on Saturday at 9 a.m. PHX time on FS1.
GAMES WATCH to
For a full schedule of Week 10 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
2025 BOWL PREDICTIONS
CFP SEMIFINAL at Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Ohio State
ESPN Schlabach – No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 1 Ohio State
GAME OF THE WEEK
#9 VANDERBILT AT #20 TEXAS
A top-20 matchup will kick off on ABC at 9 a.m. PHX this Saturday, as Vanderbilt travels to Austin seeking its fourth win over an AP-ranked opponent this season.
Sitting at 7-1 on the season, Vanderbilt’s seven wins before the month of November matches a school record set by the 1915 team. The Dores will face a Texas squad that overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Mississippi State on the road, 45-38, in overtime last week. Senior quarterback Mathew Caldwell, who entered the game in OT for an injured Arch Manning, connected with Emmett Mosley V to take the lead. On Mississippi State’s final possession, the Longhorns defense got home with a sack and fumble recovery to seal the win.
Pro Football Network – No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Ohio State
USA Today – Indiana vs. Alabama
On3 – No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Ohio State
RATE BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – UCF vs. Northwestern
ESPN Schlabach – Iowa State vs. Minnesota
Pro Football Network – Baylor vs. Northwestern
Athlon Sports – Iowa State vs. Northwestern
On3 – Iowa State vs. Maryland
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
BREECE HALL
New York Jets running back Breece Hall entered Sunday’s matchup in Cincinnati with high expectations, and the Iowa State alum delivered. The Jets and the Bengals exchanged blows until Hall’s dazzling game-winning play – a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Mason Taylor to secure the Jets’ 39-38 win, their first of the season.
Hall is now the only non-quarterback with a game-winning pass touchdown in the final 2:00 of the fourth quarter or overtime in the last 20 years. In addition to that victorysealing play, Hall led the Jets’ offense with 133 rushing yards and found the end zone twice on the ground.
In Iowa State’s 34-17 win over Oregon at the 50th Anniversary of the Fiesta Bowl, Hall carried the ball 34 times – one shy of the Bowl record – for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
notable performances
Drew Mestemaker North Texas
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the AP Player of the Week, threw for an American Conference-record 608 yards in North Texas’ 54-20 win at Charlotte on Friday. He completed 37-of-49 passes, with 16 going for 15-plus yards, as the Mean Green improved to 7-1 for the first time since 1977.
Mestemaker is the first FBS player with 600 passing yards and a 75% completion percentage in a game since Geno Smith in 2012. It was a furious comeback effort for North Texas, which trailed 17-7 before outscoring Charlotte 47-3 from the 8:30 mark of the second quarter through the end of the game.
Blake Horvath Navy
Quarterback Blake Horvath rushed for 174 yards and a career high-tying four touchdowns to lead Navy to a 42-32 victory over Florida Atlantic. Horvath is tied for second in the country with 12 rushing touchdowns.
Navy was down 7-0 early, but answered right back with Horvath running for a seven-yard score to tie the game. Horvath’s biggest rush of the day was for 31 yards to put the Midshipmen up 42-19 in the fourth quarter.
It marked the 10th-straight win for Navy dating back to last season, with the Mids one of just six remaining unbeaten FBS teams.
BIG NEWS
The Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup at a new time of 2:30 p.m. on Friday, December 26. As we eagerly await kickoff in downtown Phoenix, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news for Week 10:
BIG 12 BIG TEN
• Eight of the Big Ten’s 18 teams are in this week’s AP poll - including No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon, No. 21 Michigan and No. 23 USC, with Washington, Iowa and Illinois all receiving votes
• Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is tied for the NCAA lead with 24 passing touchdowns. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Oregon’s Dante Moore are tied for eighth with 19 each
• Washington’s Jonah Coleman scored his nation-leading 13th rushing touchdown of the season on Saturday against Illinois. Iowa’s Mark Gronowski sits at fifth overall with 11
• Ahead of their matchup on Saturday, Indiana and Maryland both boast a top-20 scoring defense. Indiana is third in the country (10.9 points per game) and Maryland is 18th (17.3). Maryland ranks third in the nation by allowing only three defensive touchdowns through seven games
• USC’s Bishop Fitzgerald is tied for first in the nation with five interceptions this season. Indiana’s Louis Moore is tied for third with four
• The Big Ten claims FBS’s top two red zone defenses with Ohio State (.500) in first, followed by USC in second (.591)
• BYU (10th), Texas Tech (13th), Cincinnati (17th), Houston (22nd) and Utah (24th) give the Big 12 five teams ranked in this week’s AP Top 25. It marks the first time the conference has had five ranked programs in the month of October since 2022
• ESPN’s College GameDay will make a Big 12 visit this week for the top-25 showdown between Cincinnati and Utah in Salt Lake City
• Six Big 12 programs are bowl eligible, with another two that are one win away entering Week 10
• Only eight FBS programs have active winning streaks of seven games or more with two programs in the Big 12: BYU (10) and Cincinnati (7)
• Texas Tech ranks fourth in the country in both scoring defense (12.4 points per game) and scoring offense (43.6 points per game). Utah and BYU also rank in the top 25 in both categories
• Six of the top 25 nation-leaders in passing touchdowns are from the Big 12, including Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson (2nd, 23 touchdowns), TCU’s Josh Hoover (3rd, 22), Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby (T-7th, 19), Kansas’ Jalon Daniels (T-11th, 18), Arizona’s Noah Fifita (T-16th, 17) and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson (T-24th,15)
news in the foundation
AIRWAVES TO ACTION: RYAN HATCH ON DRIVING YOUTH, SPORTS AND EDUCATION THROUGH FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION
Ryan Hatch grew up in Utah chasing a dream familiar to many young athletes: competing at the next level. His sport of choice was tennis, and by the early 1990s, he appeared destined for a scholarship. Injuries, however, forced him to change course to broadcasting.
“I found that the only thing I loved more than playing sports was talking about them,” Hatch says.
At the time, sports talk radio was still in its infancy. When his home state prepared to launch its first station dedicated to the all-sports format, Hatch persuaded the management team to give him a chance despite still being in high school.
Community spotlight
D-BACKS MANAGER TOREY
LOVULLO WINS 2025 FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION VIP GOLF SHOOTOUT
The Fiesta Sports Foundation held its annual VIP Shootout at the 2025 PNC Bank Fiesta Sports Foundation Par 3 Challenge last Thursday afternoon at Mountain Shadows Golf Club. The event included 11 Phoenix-based VIPs and media members who were all paired with nonprofits in a closest-to-the-pin competition.
All participating nonprofits received a $1,000 donation from the Fiesta Sports Foundation and plenty of photos with their celebrity partner. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo earned $5,000 for “No One Fights Alone,” after his shot landed 5’4’’ from the hole.
