Two College Football Playoff contenders may be without their starting QBs this week

Two contenders in the College Football Playoff may be without their starting quarterbacks as we head into Week 10 of the season.
Penn State v Wisconsin
Penn State v Wisconsin / John Fisher/GettyImages
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Two College Football Playoff contenders may be without their starting quarterbacks heading into Week 10 of the 2024 season.

As we inch closer to the College Football Playoff committee's first initial rankings, there are several significant matchups on the horizon that will determine which teams are playing in conference title games and which ones are securing at-large bids in the 12-team playoff field.

Looking ahead to Week 10, we've got some injury updates to sahre with you.

First, on Penn State's Drew Allar. Allar, who has completed 71.3% of his passes for 1,640 yards and 12 touchdowns and four touchdowns, was injured in the Nittany Lions' win over Wisconsin on Saturday night. He went out right before the end of the second quarter and missed the second half with an injury to the left knee.

Now, No. 3 Penn State will welcome No. 4 Ohio State to Happy Valley on Saturday, but Allar's availability is in question. James Franklin shared on Monday that Allar may be a "game time decision" for the matchup against the Buckeyes. Sophomore Beau Pribula replaced Allar in the second half and Franklin revealed that both quarterbacks will get reps this week.

But, it's not just Allar who might be in question. A College Football Playoff contender in the same state may be dealing with the same situation in what is their biggest game of the season to this point, too.

The Pitt Panthers might not be considered a front-runner for the College Football Playoff, but they're currently sitting at a perfect 7-0 record and a 3-0 record in the ACC. If they continue to win — with games against SMU and Clemson coming up in November — they'll be in the ACC Championship game and will have a chance to grab that automatic-qualifying bid.

However, Pat Narduzzi revealed on Monday the status of the Panthers' starting quarterback Eli Holstein, and that could be troubling as the Panthers are set to travel to SMU this weekend.

Narduzzi revealed that Holstein, who was injured in the fourth quarter of Pitt's 41-13 blowout of Syracuse, is day-to-day and we'll have to "wait and see" whether he is able to go on Saturday or not. He also shared that backup Nate Yarnell will receive reps with the first-team this week in practice.

Saturday Blitz will keep you updated on the latest developments for Week 10.

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