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We’re in the home stretch now. A week after getting seven Top 25 matchups from a blockbuster Week 10, this Saturday features another five ranked meetings and College Football Playoff implications galore. Who says the Football gods don’t give with both hands?
Here are the top 10 games of Week 11, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable Mention: No. 8 Tennessee at Texas A&M, Michigan at No. 16 Oregon, No. 19 Ole Miss at Oklahoma, Oregon State at No. 24 Boise State, Florida at No. 11 Kentucky, North Texas at UTSA
(All point spreads are courtesy BetMGM. All kickoff times are Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
10. Baylor (6-3) at No. 10 BYU (7-2), 3:30 p.m., Fox
BYU dropped only one spot in this week’s CFP rankings after the road loss to Utah, keeping the Cougars in the current 12-team field and leaving the door open for the Big 12 to get three teams into the Playoff. BYU will have to win out the regular season to stay in the mix, starting Saturday against Baylor, which has won two straight since firing coach Dave Aranda, scoring more than 40 points in both games under interim coach Joe Klanderman and behind a rejuvenated DJ Lagway at quarterback.
Line: BYU -7.5
9. Duke (7-2) at No. 7 Miami (8-1), noon, ABC
The Hurricanes tumbled down the CFP rankings after losing to Notre Dame, falling from No. 1 to No. 7. Miami managed to keep it close without star receiver Malachi Toneybut the Canes have only one good win: at Wake Forest. Beating Duke won’t earn them many plaudits, but the Blue Devils are hanging around again this season, thanks in large part to running back Nate Sheppard, who is second in the FBS with 1,189 rushing yards. The Canes can’t afford a loss to former coach Manny Diaz.
Line: Miami -13.5
8. No. 13 Wake Forest (8-1) at SMU (7-2), noon, ESPN
A sneaky big game in the ACC and CFP races. Wake Forest is just outside the 12-team bracket and alone in second place in the conference, riding a six-game winning streak. Miami will be rooting for the Demon Deacons to keep it rolling, but Notre Dame is likely pulling for SMU, which the Irish host next week. Wake — which counts Louisville in September as its best win? — needs to keep winning and get some help to crack the Playoff. For the Mustangs, it’s the last home game for quarterback Kevin Jennings, a three-year starter who spent all five seasons at SMU.
Line: SMU -1
7. Illinois (6-3) at No. 4 UCLA (9-0), Fri., 9 p.m., Fox
The CFP committee finally (begrudgingly?) put some respect on UCLA’s namebumping the Bruins to No. 4 after a road win at Minnesota. Not quite enough to put them ahead of two-loss Alabama, but UCLA is one of only two remaining unbeatens in FBS (Utah) and in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. The dream first season continues under coach Bob Chesney, who has a chance to tie the program’s single-season wins record with a victory Friday. It will have to come on a short week against an improved Illinois squad that has won four in a row.
Line: UCLA -10
6. Northwestern (6-3) at No. 20 Ohio State (6-3), noon, Fox
Life comes at you fast. On the heels of a top-five road win at Indiana, the Buckeyes have lost two in a row without injured quarterback Julian Sayin, including giving up 38 straight points to Oregon at home last weekend. The Bucks have lost three games for the first time since 2011 and are in danger of dropping another to Northwestern. The bloom is off the rose a bit for the Wildcats, who have also lost two straight, but Chip Kelly’s innovative offense could be trouble for an Ohio State defense that has been stuck in the mud.
Line: Ohio State -14
5. No. 22 Missouri (6-3) at No. 1 Georgia (8-1), 3:30 p.m., ABC
Mizzou’s reward for a two-touchdown home loss to Texas when a bunch of questionable calls went against it? A road game against the top-ranked Dawgs. The Tigers have the schedule to crawl back into the Playoff race but might not have the firepower, especially after watching Georgia demolish Ole Miss 42-7 — the same Ole Miss that beat Mizzou 31-3. We’ll find out Saturday, but as the season winds down, Georgia once again has a dominant defense and is back at No. 1 in the polls. Same as it ever was.
Line: Georgia -16
4. No. 2 Utah (9-0) at No. 23 Arizona (7-2), 7:30 p.m., Fox
The Utes are all alone atop the Big 12 standings and basking in the afterglow of a Holy War victory. (Not going so hot for their former coach, either.) Their 15 straight wins dating to last season make up the longest active winning streak in the FBS. Life is good, unless Arizona and Noah Fifita can spoil it in Tucson. The Wildcats have lost both ranked matchups thus far — BYU and Texas Tech — but both were on the road. Fifita enters Week 11 fourth in the FBS in passing yards and third in completion percentage. There’s definite letdown potential here for Utah.
Line: Utah -2.5
3. No. 12 Texas Tech (8-1) at No. 25 Oklahoma State (6-3), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
The Red Raiders escaped a barnburner against West Virginia in which the two teams combined for 101 points (53-48) and 1,220 yards. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos, whose eligibility has been in limbo all season, has revitalized the offense and allowed Tech to control its own destiny: Win out, and the Red Raiders return to the Big 12 title game — and likely the Playoff. Oklahoma State is the toughest game left, with the Pokes third in the country in scoring offense (43.9 points) and yards per play (7.5) under quarterback Drew Mestemaker. Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris is a narrow home favorite against his alma mater, with a chance to shake up the conference and CFP races.
Line: Oklahoma State -3.5
2. No. 18 USC (7-2) at No. 9 Indiana (8-1), 3:30 p.m., CBS
Tough idle week for the Hoosiers, who fell from No. 4 to No. 9 in the CFP rankings despite not setting foot on the field last weekend. Though it’s probably a more reasonable spot for the defending champs, who have questions at quarterback and zero ranked wins. They can change that on Saturday against a USC squad that saw its ranking go the opposite direction despite an idle week of its own. After a win against a depleted Ohio State, Lincoln Riley has gone from hot-seat watch to a Playoff path, with this trip to Bloomington and a regular-season finale across town against UCLA.
Line: Indiana -9.5
1. No. 6 Texas (7-2) at No. 21 LSU (6-3), 7:30 p.m., ABC
This is everything you want from a college football game. Big-name programs. Big-name players and coaches. Iconic setting. And a guarantee that one of these fanbases will end the night in absolute shambles. A third loss for Texas puts its CFP chances on thin ice and will spark another round of hard questions about Steve Sarkisian and Arch Manning. A fourth loss for the Tigers would officially sink any glimmer of CFP hope and render Lane Kiffin’s first season a resounding disappointment. Will the stakes be the same with a 24-team Playoff? Maybe not. But we can worry about that later and enjoy this one while we still can.
Line: LSU -4
Source: www.nytimes.com
