The Top 10 College Football Games of Week 11: SEC Eliminations and Colorado’s Rise
It’s admittedly a subdued slate of games this weekend, but even that includes a pair of top-20 SEC clashes, Colorado and Deion Sanders on the road in a big spot, a handful of undefeated teams with intriguing matchups and plenty of College Football Implications for the playoffs.
Let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 11, starting with honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable mention: Navy at USF, No. 23 Clemson at Virginia Tech, Arkansas State at Louisiana, Maryland at No. 1 Oregon, Oklahoma at No. 24 Missouri, Washington at No. 6 Penn State, Virginia at No. 18 Pitt
(All point spreads are from BetMGM; click here for live odds. Stream college football on fubo. All kickoff times are Eastern and Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
10. No. 17 Iowa State (7-1) at Kansas (2-6), 3:30 p.m., FS1
The fact that this game cracks the slate speaks to a lukewarm slate, especially after Iowa State lost for the first time last Saturday. The loss put a dent in the Big 12’s chances of sending multiple teams into the 12-team field, but for now the Cyclones are the conference’s second-best team and still clinging to the Playoff bubble. Kansas – hosting this game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City – was a huge disappointment, although it has been playing better lately, including a close loss to Kansas State a few weeks ago. The Jayhawks will have a chance to play spoiler this month as they take on Iowa State, BYU and Colorado over the next three weeks.
Line: Iowa State -3
GO DEEPER
Big 12 Chaos Meter: Is Colorado ready for Lubbock? Will BYU impress the CFP committee?
9. South Carolina (5-3) at Vanderbilt (6-3), 4:15 p.m. FuboSEC Network
Neither team is ranked or in the Playoff picture, but let’s give some love to a few SEC programs that exceeded expectations and were quite fun to watch. Vandy, coming off a road win at Auburn, is already bowl-bound and looking to surpass six wins for the first time since 2013, when James Franklin was the head coach. A win would keep the Commodores hovering near the crowded top of the SEC standings. South Carolina, fresh off a dominant second-half performance against Texas A&M and a stellar performance from quarterback LaNorris Sellers, is also looking to go bowling.
Line: South Carolina -3.5
8. No. 25 Army (8-0) at North Texas (5-3), 3:30 p.m., FuboESPN2
The undefeated Black Knights are the top group of five challengers for the CFP behind Boise State. Would an undefeated AAC champion Army close the gap on No. 12 Boise? That scenario would include a win over Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in a few weeks. But first, college football’s best offense will have to handle a solid North Texas team in the middle of a brutal stretch that included losses to Memphis and Tulane.
Line: Army -5.5
7. Florida (4-4) at No. 5 Texas (7-1), noon, FuboABC
The Gators are huge underdogs, but have also teamed up with Tennessee and Georgia this season. Making Texas sweat could depend on the availability of freshman quarterback DJ Laway, who is questionable after leaving the Georgia game with an injury; redshirt freshman walk-on Aidan Warner will start if Lagway cannot go. Anyway, this game is more about which version of Texas shows up. After an inactive week, the Longhorns haven’t looked good over the last two games, losing to Georgia at home and fending off Vanderbilt on the road. Lagway or not, Texas has no business letting Florida hang around if the Horns are a legitimate top-five team and title contender. Either way, Billy Napier isn’t going anywhere.
Line: Texas -21.5
6. No. 4 Miami (9-0) at Georgia Tech (5-4), noon, ESPN
It’s a rematch of last time’s no-kneel-down disaster season when Miami and Mario Cristobal inexplicably secured a certain victory by failing to take a knee in what should have been the game’s final moments. It’s probably safe to say that an undefeated Miami team, even one that has flirted with some upsets this year, won’t make the same mistake again. Georgia Tech hopes to get quarterback Haynes King back from injury, which would likely make Miami’s toughest remaining test in the regular season, with Wake Forest and Syracuse the only other games left on the schedule.
Line: Miami -11.5
Miami’s Xavier Restrepo leads the ACC in receiving yards (856) and touchdowns (nine). (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
5. No. 9 BYU (8-0) at Utah (4-4), 10:15 p.m., FuboESPN
It is the first Holy War: Big 12 edition. Utah has won nine of the last 10 against BYU, but the Cougars claimed the most recent bout in 2021, and the Utes are in a dive. Utah has lost four straight, lost quarterback Cam Rising to injury for the season and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig resigned. This means the pressure is all on BYU, who is undefeated and at the top of the Big 12 standings with a pair of quality wins, yet still finds itself insulted by the CFP committee. The Cougars deserve better, and they could very well prove it. Beating Utah won’t do much to improve their resume, though the team will have to be wary of a Utah team eager to spoil its rival’s dream season.
Line: BYU-4
GO DEEPER
With BYU-Utah returning, it’s the Cougars who are playing for an undefeated season
4. Michigan (5-4) at No. 8 Indiana (9-0), 3:30 p.m., CBS
Indiana trailed Michigan State for the first time all season last week, trailing 10-0 early, then proceeded to put away 47 unanswered points to start 9-0 for the first time in program history. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke played well in his return from injury and the Hoosiers remain a role model under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, but the first set of Playoff rankings suggests the team, like BYU, still faces some helmet bias. This isn’t the Michigan of last year, but it’s still a big name and the defending champion. Another resounding victory for Indiana should help the name gain some well-deserved respect.
Line: Indiana -14.5
3. No. 20 Colorado (6-2) at Texas Tech (6-3), 4 p.m., Fox
Colorado, fresh off an inactive week — and Travis Hunter heading into the Heisman campaign — suddenly has a lot on the line. The Buffs are tied for second in the Big 12 after Kansas State lost for the second time, and have a path to the Big 12 title game and CFP. For all the attention Colorado has received under Deion Sanders, good and bad, the program is in the top 20 and performing as well as it has in a long time. Tech has been more erratic lately, losing two in a row to Baylor and TCU (with a hint of controversy) and then claiming a huge win over undefeated Iowa State last weekend. The Red Raiders can do well on offense, and the first meeting between these teams since 2010 has the potential to be a big one.
Line: Colorado-3.5
2. No. 3 Georgia (7-1) at No. 16 Ole Miss (7-2), 3:30 p.m., FuboABC
Ole Miss needs a win to stay in the Playoff race. The Rebels have mostly clobbered those below them in the food chain, including last week’s nearly 700-yard wallop against Arkansas, but can Lane Kiffin and company win a must-win game against a higher-ranked opponent? The Rebels listed 26 players on Wednesday’s injury report, but on that front, Lane Kiffin exudes a touch of playmaking ability. The Ole Miss defense has been harassing quarterbacks lately, and Georgia quarterback Carson Beck has not lived up to Heisman hopeful, first-round projected expectations over the past three games, throwing eight interceptions. We’ve also seen the Dawgs defense match up against high-level competition, and the Rebs have the top offense in the SEC. Georgia would still be in good Playoff shape with a loss, but the conference race would become a lot more interesting.
Line: Georgia -2.5
1. No. No. 11 Alabama (6-2) at No. 15 LSU (6-2), 7:30 p.m., FuboABC
This gets the top spot because of the history between the two, but also the fact that this is essentially a Playoff elimination game: the path to the twelve-team field becomes much more difficult with three losses. Both teams are coming off inactive weekends, which should have given the LSU defense ample time to prepare for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and his running ability after Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed split the Tigers a few weeks ago. But the Tide is 0-2 in SEC play, and we all know how loud Death Valley gets at night. The Playoff narrative will be the dominant narrative of this game, although part of that will be how vitriolic the discourse becomes for the losing head coach.
Line: Alabama -3
(Top photo: Tim Warner/Getty Images)
