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10 Moments From Week 10 Of The College Football Season That Fans Can’t Stop Talking About

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The most viral talking points from Week 10 of the 2026 college football season.


Week 10 of the 2026 college football season was one of the most anticipated in recent memory. The slate was loaded with ranked vs. ranked matchups that had major implications on the postseason.

A number of teams improved their standing in terms of College Football Playoff selection with resounding victories. Others now have ground to make up.

The week delivered in many ways with close battles that came down to the final play, even if some of the headliners wound up being blowouts.

10 most viral moments in Week 10 of college football.

These plays and outcomes had the viewers talking on social media. Those reactions were linked to individual performance, on-field controversy, and off-field drama.

Many of these moments had major impacts on the national title race. Let’s start in the ACC with one of the most controversial plays from the weekend.

What is a catch?

Miami trailed Notre Dame by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. They appeared to have tied the game on an Elija Lofton catch in the endzone to successfully overcome a 21-point deficit.

Lofton nabbed the ball out of the air but failed to maintain possession when landing on the ground. It was ruled incomplete. Miami turned the ball over on downs to give the ball back to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish ran some clock and stopped the Hurricanes’ final drive to secure a 31-24 victory.

Mario Cristobal ripped officials for the denial. He believes it was a catch. Miami was robbed. Rules analyst Gene Steratore broke the play down after the fact. He says the call was correct. The elements of a catch were not achieved. Miami now falls from the No. 1 spot in the rankings while Notre Dame gets its championship push back on track.

Arch Manning’s first down fumble.

The Texas Longhorns trailed Missouri by a touchdown during the third quarter of an SEC matchup. Arch Manning was hit on a third down play and lost the ball.

No whistles were blown on the field. After the ball flew forward 12 yards, Texas picked it up to convert a first down. The broadcast booth was in disbelief. Announcers thought the play should’ve been ruled an incomplete pass. The Longhorns later scored a touchdown to deadlock the score before winning by 14.

Missouri was on the losing end of a number of close calls. They have now been effectively eliminated from SEC and national title contention.

Colorado State coach attacks his own player.

During a blowout loss to Boise State, a coach and player got into a heated altercation on the Colorado State sideline. Fifth-year offensive lineman Toriyan Johnson was confronted by strength and conditioning coach Shelton Bynum, who ran up behind the veteran leader, grabbed him by the jersey and yelled in his face.

Head coach Jim Mora, Jr. addressed the situation after the game. It will be handled internally. The ugly incident summed up a night of frustrations for the Rams, who fell to 3-6 on the season.

Dog parachutes onto the field.

During the national anthem of a Big Ten matchup between UCLA and Minnesota, a dog parachuted onto the field. Ronin, a K-9 member of the Patriot Jump Team, stole the show before kickoff.

It was not Ronin’s first college football appearance. He and his handler took flight last year before a Golden Gophers game, too.

The contest that followed on Saturday was equally as entertaining. UCLA and Minnesota were deadlocked in the fourth quarter before the Bruins made a run to remain undefeated.

Kentucky calls the cops on Tennessee.

Kentucky fans snuck into Knoxville before kickoff vs. Tennessee to paint a The Rock, a massive 98-ton dolomite boulder located at the corner of Volunteer Boulevard and Pat Summitt Street on the main campus.

The boulder was unearthed during campus construction in 1966 and has been a fixture of campus life ever since. Painting The Rock has become a Vol tradition. On Saturday, Kentucky made it their own.

The Wildcats painted the stone blue, then called the cops on angry Tennessee students after a confrontation. Workers quickly painted over The Rock before the game, which the Vols won in convincing fashion.

Michael Hawkins’ mom is not happy.

West Virginia fell to Texas Tech at home, 53-48. They blew a 48-41 lead after being held scoreless in the fourth quarter. After the game, the starting quarterback’s parents voiced frustrations on social media.

Michael Hawkins’ dad took a shot at the defense while his mom took direct aim at the coaching staff. The public criticism created some transfer speculation surrounding the Mountaineers’ star player. It also highlighted an ugly trend after another disappointing defensive performance.

Coaches share powerful moment after Utah-BYU rivalry.

Utah beat BYU in the Holy War on Saturday afternoon to remain undefeated. The Utes are now in the driver’s seat to earn a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff invite.

After the game, the head coaches gathered at midfield while fans rushed onto the field. Kalani Sitake and Morgan Scalley shared an incredible moment that extended beyond the game itself.

Both coaches played on opposite sides of the rivalry as athletes. They’re now coaching on opposing sidelines in Utah’s biggest game. Despite being bitter foes, there is a respect that was seen in this awesome display of great sportsmanship.

LaNorris Sellers wins the game on one leg.

Sellers was injured just before halftime of a game between South Carolina and Texas A&M. It looked ugly, but he later returned to lead the Gamecocks to victory.

With under two minutes left in regulation, he ran for a 41-yard touchdown on one leg. He hobbled across the goal line, unable to put weight on his foot. He put the team on his back!

There were some questions about football IQ on the play. Texas A&M broadcasters accused Sellers of stat padding as the Gamecocks were up 10-9 at the time. He could’ve gone down to run some more clock. Shane Beamer rejected that narrative.

The quarterback finished the game with 251 passing yards and the decisive score. South Carolina won, 17-9.

Ugly brawls overshadow performance.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff beat Grambling State by a field goal in a massive SWAC contest. In doing so, the Lions moved into a first-place tie atop the division standings.

That outcome was overshadowed by an ugly brawl after the final whistle. During a postgame celebration, both benches cleared and a melee broke out.

A similar scene also unfolded during Villanova’s blowout win over Richmond. A late hit out of bounds sparked a major reaction that forced Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante to run across the entire field to break up the fight.

The final results were not what was being discussed after the fact. Instead, the poor showing of sportsmanship marred the contests.

Michigan and Nebraska make moves.

Both programs have fired their offensive coordinators amid disappointing seasons. The first came with Nebraska’s decision to move on from Dana Holgorsen. It followed a 24-13 loss to Illinois.

It was the Cornhuskers’ fourth straight game in which the offense failed to eclipse 17 points. They fell to 2-4 in Big Ten play as a result.

Up the road at Michigan, first-year play caller Jason Beck was canned after a loss to Michigan State. The Wolverines were held scoreless across the first 58 minutes of the 15-6 setback. They’ve scored 21 points or less in five of the last six games.

Beck was college football’s highest paid offensive coordinator. He is now unemployed, maybe to the delight of a few players.

Both programs will move in new directions while sitting at 5-4 and in 11th place in the conference standings.