Miami had no problem passing its first test as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, and No. 18 LSU, No. 23 SMU and No. 24 Northwestern also cruised to easy wins in the early window of games Saturday.
No. 6 Indiana overcame a balky offense to beat Michigan in overtime, and the number of unbeaten teams dropped to four with No. 8 Texas Tech losing at Cincinnati.
The No. 1 team in the AP poll had lost the previous two weeks. Miami was never threatened against Pittsburgh, scoring on seven of its first eight possessions in a 52-23 win.
The Hurricanes' Darian Mensah threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns, with three of them going to Malachi Toney, who finished with 16 catches for 194 yards. Toney had 159 receiving yards in the first half, matching Pitt's total yardage through two quarters.
Sam Leavitt threw for 387 yards and three TDs in LSU's 38-17 win at Auburn, which was coming off its upset at Georgia last week. SMU scored touchdowns on its first six possessions of the second half while wiping out a 20-17 halftime deficit and routing California 59-20. Aidan Chiles threw for three touchdowns for the third time this season and rushed for two scores to lead Northwestern past Rutgers 42-14.
Indiana struggled mightily on offense against Michigan in its 13-6 overtime road win. The Hoosiers generated 212 yards, the second-fewest in Curt Cignetti's three seasons, and Josh Hoover was just 8-of-18 passing for 81 yards.
Cincinnati's 37-24 win over Texas Tech was the Bearcats' first victory over a top-10 opponent in five years. The Red Raiders had trouble controlling running back Cole Tabb, who ran 16 times for a career-high 173 yards. His 58-yard burst for a touchdown put the Bearcats up by 19 points with 6 minutes left.
-- No. 2 BYU, which has its highest ranking since its 1984 championship season, was favored by just 6 1/2 points at UCF.
-- No. 11 Tennessee, which had its only blemish in a three-point loss at Texas, was a 2 1/2-point underdog at South Carolina, which improved to 3-3 after its big win at Florida.
— No. 13 Alabama (5-2) hosted Texas A&M (4-3) without much margin for error as Kalen DeBoer's crew tried to end a two-game skid against a puzzling but talented Aggies team.
— No. 15 Iowa (5-1) climbed steadily from its preseason No. 22 ranking to No. 14 before it got handled by Ohio State. After an easy win at Washington and a bye week, the Hawkeyes were back in the middle of the pack just in time for a trip to Minnesota (4-2) for the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry game. The Gophers would love to win the pig trophy for just the third time since 2014 and deal a blow to Iowa's chances at a Big Ten title and CFP appearance.
No. 7 Mississippi (5-1, 3-1 SEC), led by star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, is a 3 1/2-point underdog for its primetime visit to No. 19 Texas (4-2, 1-2), which has lost two straight.
The point spread probably has something to do with the fact that Texas has the nation's 11th-ranked defense, but it will be put to the test by Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy and receiver Deuce Alexander, who have accounted for a combined 2,725 yards this season. The Ole Miss defense also just held the conference’s leading rusher, Missouri’s Jamal Roberts, to just 39 yards last week.
That's not great news for a Texas offense with a scuffling ground game and questions about whether Arch Manning would even start against Grandpa Archie and Uncle Eli’s alma mater.
The late show is Houston (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) at No. 10 Utah (6-0, 3-0), with the Utes as 6 1/2-point favorites in the Big 12’s showcase game this week.
Utah is coming off a three-point win at Colorado and none of its opponents so far this season is better than .500.
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Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover (10) scores a touchdown during overtime in an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Lon Horwedel)
PARIS (AP) — Hugo Tekedam hopes Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers provides inspiration to French youngsters.
Tekedam plays for the Paris Musketeers and though he’s a star wide receiver, he knows he’s probably past the point of having NFL dreams. But he’s hopeful for the next generation.
“It’s a great opportunity. You’ve got to get the people interested,” the 24-year-old Tekedam said.
American football is barely on the French sports radar, which is dominated by soccer. Other sports like rugby, basketball, cycling and tennis also are popular.
The Saints-Steelers game could nudge the sport forward as well as shine a light on the Musketeers, who bill themselves as France’s first fully professional American football team.
The Musketeers play in the European Football Alliance, which recently completed its inaugural season.
“What we have experienced the last four years, once you get somebody interested, they remain interested,” Musketeers general manager John Booker said. “They really enjoy the sport, they enjoy the atmosphere.
“And obviously the NFL is the best in the world at that, in this sport, the atmosphere and everything that comes with it,” he added. “So I really believe the number one thing that’s going to come out of this is awareness of the sport.”
The French federation of American football has reported growth in recent years, but its number of clubs is in the hundreds. By comparison, France has an estimated 12,000 amateur soccer clubs.
Getting introduced to the sport at a younger age — even through flag football, which the NFL has heavily promoted internationally — will lead to more U.S. college prospects, Booker said.
“Athletically, they just start the sport too late,” he said. “So it’s very important that we get guys playing earlier so that they do get those opportunities.”
Booker, a former offensive lineman who played for San Jose State, said Tekedam “definitely would have played college football if he grew up in America.” Tekedam had eight touchdown receptions last season.
Paris native Maceo Beard-Aigret, a safety, is on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad through the league's International Player Pathway program.
French-born offensive lineman Ismaël Camara committed over the summer to play for Texas next year.
The Musketeers, founded in 2022, were coached by former NFL linebacker coach Jack Del Rio for the past two seasons, but his contract has expired.
The EFA, which in late August appointed former NFL player Markus Kuhn as president, is adding a new team — the London Guard — for its 2027 season, which begins next spring.
Each team can have a limited number of Americans — the Musketeers' quarterback last season was Zach Edwards, who played Division III college football in Minnesota.
The imported players receive housing and expenses paid as well as 2,000 euros per month after taxes, Booker said.
Another team, the Paris Lights, plays in a different league: the American Football League Europe.
What the French players lack in experience they make up for in enthusiasm, Booker said.
“The French players love the sport differently than the Americans do,” he said. “The French guys, it’s like they’ve won the lottery. When they get a really good coach and they’re able to learn more, they’re so excited because they don’t have that in their country.”
Tekedam started playing the sport at age 12, but infrastructure and coaching were limited. Still, he excelled and enrolled at a prep school in Florida in hopes of playing for a U.S. college.
“I had some offers, but they weren’t full rides," he said. “They were partial offers. I couldn’t afford the other part.”
So, he returned home to Paris and joined the Musketeers, who last year struck up a partnership with the Saints in marketing and youth development.
The French players typically have other jobs, too. Tekedam works as a football coach on the side and sees that as a long-term career path.
“A lot of kids have potential and talent,” he said. “I’m trying to work on that, to see where I can help them.”
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A general view of the Stade de France with NFL field marking on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, ahead of Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints. (AP Photo/Greg Payan)
