Under-the-radar college football games in Week 10 that could impact playoff

While the value of the College Football Playoff committee’s weekly rankings are nominal at best in the long term, one thing they do offer is a window into the discussion process.

The committee’s first offering of the season served to reiterate one truth — schedule strength matters. We already knew that, of course, but that point does provide another lens through which to view the Week 10 games with indirect impact on the race.

Vanderbilt at No. 12 Auburn

Saturday, Noon ET, ESPN | Pregame.com line: Auburn by 26

The Iron Bowl is still a few weeks away. And, though it could wind up being for all the proverbial marbles in the SEC West, the surging Tigers must resist the extraordinarily strong temptation to think about it. Several of their intervening challenges figure to be quite formidable, including this sneaky date with the Commodores who can play a little defense.

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No. 5 Louisville at Boston College

Saturday, Noon ET, ESPN2 | Pregame.com line: Louisville by 24.5

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their remaining games aren’t going to move the needle. All they can do is keep winning and, barring a whole lot of unlikely events involving Clemson, plan on a nice New Year’s Six bowl invitation. Their opponents, naturally, will have their own agendas starting with the Eagles. BC still has a chance to get bowl eligible, and the Eagles might be feeling a bit more confident after getting into the victory column in the ACC last week at N.C. State. For all of their offensive woes, the Eagles still have a pretty sound defense that might at least pose a challenge for Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson.

Iowa at No. 23 Penn State

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, BTN | Pregame.com line: Penn State by 7

While Happy Valley has been considerably happier for the last couple of weeks, the Nittany Lions are nonetheless able to help others more than themselves at this point. As long as they keep winning, Michigan’s win holds its worth and Ohio State’s loss to them loses some of its sting. But PSU is still competing for an attractive postseason destination. The Hawkeyes have a tough finishing stretch and would like to get to the eligibility plateau sooner rather than later.

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No. 22 Oklahoma State at Kansas State

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2 | Pregame.com line: Kansas State by 2.5

Even if the Big 12 crown likely won’t mean a playoff spot, it still comes with a nice postseason perk. The Cowboys announced their presence in the league race with authority via their takedown of West Virginia last week. The Wildcats, however, can be feisty at home where they tend to show more scoring punch.

Air Force at Army

Saturday, Noon ET, CBS Sports Network | Pregame.com line: Army by 2

The playoff impact with this one is quite negligible, but its importance for the participants is anything but. For starters, the winner gets to six victories. That would be a particularly huge achievement for the Black Knights, who haven’t been bowling since 2010. Of course, the ultimate prize for these academy foes is the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. The Falcons, who upended Navy in September, can clinch the hardware for the second time in three years with a victory at West Point. Army, which hasn’t swept the series since 1996, will be more than a little motivated to take the first step Saturday.

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