College Football Week 10 Winners and Losers: Utah’s Coaching Transition Has Been a Sight to Behold

College football coaches are not democratically elected leaders, and they are not hereditary monarchs per se, but they have a lot more in common with the latter in the former.

Upon being hired, every coach in the country is asked to uphold a set of dynastic values, and instill that set of values in their assistants and players. It’s not an easy task, and many fail. Smooth transitions from one regime to the next are rare.

The airtight coaching transitions this century have been easy to spot: Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma, Urban Meyer to Ryan Day at Ohio State. After Saturday, we might have to add another to the list in Utah’s Kyle Whittingham seamlessly giving way to Morgan Scalley.

Here’s hoping your team transitioned from 0–0 to 1–0 on a cool, clear Saturday across most of the country. Welcome to Week 10’s live winners and losers.

Winner: Morgan Scalley

The Utes’ 28–20 win over BYU Saturday—their first, surprisingly, since 2019—cemented Utah as national title contenders, and Scalley’s coaching job as one of the most stunning of the season. Yes, the Utes started the year ranked No. 21, but losing your wildly successful coach of two decades is a significant disruption—not to mention installing Scalley was, and remains, a bit of a reputational dice roll. Utah didn’t play its best game, but got just enough from up-and-down quarterback Devon Dampier to watch the Cougars beat themselves (four interceptions, 11 penalties for 80 yards). Arizona looms Saturday after a miracle Friday-night win over TCU.

Loser: Matt Rhule

Nebraska—which entered this week No. 18 in ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings—has underperformed its advanced metrics so badly it’s making Rhule’s situation feel untenable, even with a $63 million buyout. Illinois (thriving once again under coach Bret Bielema) beat the Cornhuskers by double digits Friday in a game where it outgained Nebraska by 50 yards. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea is averaing 5.1 adjusted yards per attempt in his last two games, which is concerning even before accounting for the fact he led the Mountain West in that category in 2025. Nebraska needs two of three from Rutgers, Ohio State and Iowa to make a bowl game, which does not feel like a given.

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Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule looks over the stadium. — What looked like a promising season for Matt Rhule’s Nebraska program has fallen apart down the stretch. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Winner: UCLA

Coach Bob Chesney’s team reeks of 2024 Indiana, even without the James Madison connection. The Bruins aren’t in the business of obliterating good teams—their largest win over a team with a winning record is a 10-point victory over Wisconsin—but know how to get the job done under duress. Example: Saturday against Minnesota, where backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach threw two 75-yard touchdowns to wide receiver Aidan Mizell to turn a tie game in the early fourth quarter into a 34–20 victory. The Golden Gophers’ 20-point constituted the most points scored against UCLA since Sept. 19.

Winner: Texas

November in the SEC will largely consist of CFP elimination games, and the Longhorns impressed in the first. With wide receiver Cam Coleman out and defensive end Colin Simmons easing back from injury, Texas leaned on quarterback Arch Manning, who delivered one of his most complete performances of 2026. Manning tagged Missouri for 297 yards and three touchdowns, likely ending the CFP hopes of a team with one truly good win (Florida). The Longhorns are a win over LSU next Saturday away from a state of genuine CFP optimism after missing the field in ’25,

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