College football's Week 10 slate opens with the sport taking a hard look in the mirror. The Sporting News revisited its 2026 preseason rankings and found plenty of misses — Oregon was projected at No. 2, Penn State at No. 18, and the preseason 1-2 pairing of Oregon and Ohio State didn't hold up the way prognosticators expected.

The timing is pointed, because Ohio State and Oregon meet Saturday in the weekend's marquee matchup. Yahoo Sports broke down three offensive keys the Buckeyes need to hit to leave with a win, framing the game as one where Ohio State's attack has to execute in specific areas rather than simply out-talent the Ducks.

The matchup headlines a loaded opening weekend of November football. Yahoo's seven games to watch list for Week 10 captures the stakes bluntly: the month starts with a bang, and several of the teams the preseason polls misjudged will get a chance to rewrite their stories on the field.

For Oregon, Saturday is also a shot at vindicating at least part of that No. 2 projection — or confirming why the preseason consensus looks shaky in hindsight.