The College Football season begins in Week 11, and the teams that are at the top will know where they stand. Football Playoff committee. The first committee rankings will be released on Tuesday, setting the tone for a weekend filled with exciting games. Six of the top 10 teams have something to prove. The College Basketball Championship is unique. Football Not all wins are the same. Teams that have played the toughest competition must keep up the pressure to keep the committee interested. There are also the implications of the conference championship games, where there is still much to be sorted in the Big Ten and SEC. Chaos reigns over the ACC after Georgia Tech lost last week. In the Big 12, a multitude of scenarios are in play as they do every year. The SEC has two undefeated teams in conference play in Texas A&M and Alabama, but both still have some big games to navigate on their schedule, including this week. The Big Ten championship race is simpler. Ohio State and Indiana are on a clear path to an Indianapolis showdown, but both teams still have to do their part to make sure that they finish the job. 1 vs. No. 2 battle happens. This all sets up an exciting Week 11 and we have our predictions for six of the most important games scheduled for Saturday.
CBS Sports 136 – Notre Dame falls out of the top 10 college football rankings as Texas rebounds
Chip Patterson
In Lubbock, the only battle between two top-10 teams in the nation will be fought in Lubbock. This is where BYU, which has been undefeated all season, faces its toughest test yet against Texas Tech. This game will be decided by the trenches. Both teams had an advantage over most of their opponents this season. BYU’s teams have one of best rushing attack in the nation, with an average of 5.4 yards on each carry and 216 rushing yards per game. LJ Martin, Bear Bachmeier and other downhill-attacking players can be a problem for opponents. They challenge their physicality and willingness to hit throughout the 60 minute game. But they haven’t faced a Texas Tech defense. The Red Raiders have the nation’s best rush defense. They only allow 74 yards and 2.4 yard per carry per game. Skyler Gill Howard’s absence has made them weaker, but we saw that Kansas State was the best opponent this season in terms of rushing offense (126 yards with two touchdowns and 4.2 yard/carry) and had the most success. However, they’ll make BYU’s life tough up front. This game will probably be decided by which of the BYU defensive line and Texas Tech offensive line wins more consistently.
The performance of Texas Tech against K-State was impressive. I thought it was a good spot for an upset. The offense took a little while to get going but they finally did and the defensive team made some big stops. I think that this game will look very similar, with BYU having some success in the running game but not being able to produce explosive runs. Over the course of 60 minutes, I believe the Red Raiders will pull away and reclaim the Big 12 lead. PICK: Texas Tech 34-27 over BYU
Penn State, after giving it all in Columbus but it not being enough to win the game, will be welcomed home by an Indiana team who is beating up the rest of Big Ten like Halloween candy. Terry Smith deserves credit for making the team fight as hard against Ohio State, and for keeping the game close for an hour. However, I am concerned that this Penn State team might not have much left in the tank to play this game. Curt Cignetti and his team are not content with simply getting through their weaker points. They have won three of their last four games by an average score of 40 points. The message is clear in the locker room that each week’s mentality must be the same. This is especially true after the almost sleepwalking incident in Iowa. City The week before leaving for Oregon. This message has been heard, so there will be no letup for 60 minutes on either side — whether they are starters or back-ups.
It’s hard to believe that Penn State’s performance last week was anything like the Indiana games this season. By the time the final bell sounds, Beaver Stadium won’t be nearly as full except for those in red who made the trip to Bloomington. PICK: Indiana 38-13 over Penn State
This all-Bulldog matchup in Starkville is going to be a good test for the Georgia team, which hasn’t looked very dominant this season. Georgia won a close game against rival Florida and now travels to Mississippi State, which has made significant improvements. Mississippi State’s first SEC victory in two seasons came in a thrilling thriller last week in Arkansas, after failing to win upsets over Tennessee Florida and Texas. They’ll have one last chance to beat one of SEC’s biggest dogs, but Georgia must be prepared from the start or they could lose quickly.
Slow starts are the Dawgs’ M.O. Kirby Smart’s Dawgs have been known to take their time to get going and then hit the gas later in the half. It’s taken them a bit longer than they would like to switch it on, and it has resulted in some very stressful games. Alabama has been the only team that has punished them, but Tennessee and Auburn have also had an early lead on Georgia, only for the Dawgs to come out ahead at the end. The cowbells will likely ring loudly in Davis Wade Stadium early on as Mississippi State takes the lead, but based on the way this season has played out for both sides, I don’t think it would surprise me in the least if Georgia finds a way to win in the final quarter. Georgia 37-31 Mississippi State No. Oregon at Iowa
The Ducks’ offense hasn’t been as explosive as we expected in Big Ten games, but they’ll be put to the test this week on the road when they visit Iowa City The Hawkeyes are up next.
The Hawkeyes, as is the norm with Iowa teams led by Kirk Ferentz in recent years, rely on a strong defense and a solid special team. Oregon’s offense, which has been struggling to consistently move the football this season, is going to need to give one of their best performances in order to avoid an upset on the road. Iowa is a defense that has been among the top in the nation at limiting explosives. It held Indiana’s scoring to 20 points, the lowest of the entire season. The Hawkeyes are tied with Oregon and Ohio State for the second-fewest 10+ yard plays in the country (56) It’ll be a battle of sustaining drives, and perhaps which defense can force a crucial turnover. It’s hard to know how much to take away from Oregon’s 28-7 win against Wisconsin in terrible weather, but going on the road to Iowa City It is no simple task to win a game in November. This line is short for a reason. It feels like the Ducks will have to prove themselves in their new conference, by winning a traditional Big Ten game with few points. PICK: Oregon 20-16 over Iowa
Watch Oregon vs. Iowa live Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming live on CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports App and Paramount+ Premium.No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 19 Missouri
Beau Pribula’s injury dampened the excitement surrounding this game. However, Matt Zollers performed well when he was thrust into action in the Vanderbilt match, and Eli Drinkwitz received a week off to adjust his offense and get up to speed. That latter point will present the biggest challenge to Texas A&M, as they’ll be flying a bit blind into this one. Zollers will not be as dangerous a runner as Pribula, but the Tigers may open up the passing game more. The Aggies will not have a lot of tape on which to base their game plan, as they won’t know what Mizzou’s intentions are in certain situations when Zollers is at the center. They’ll also have to be flexible and ready to adjust if Mizzou’s looks differ from what they had planned.
The Aggies’ offense has been a blaze all season. They have scored 31+ points in every game but one. The rushing attack is still going strong despite the loss of Le’Veon Moss to Florida. Marcel Reed, who has excelled as a passer and runner all season, has also been a standout. This will be the toughest test yet for the Mizzou defense. They have done a great job on defense, but also have benefited from having played teams who are more than happy to slug it. This game could be a shootout if the Aggies push the pace and Mizzou uses Zollers to open up the passing game. I won’t be surprised if there’s some early success from the Mizzou offense coming off the bye with a new QB, but I do expect Texas A&M to be able to keep pace and eventually pull ahead to remain unbeaten. PICK: Texas A&M 34-27 over MissouriLSU at No. Alabama 4
How much did the LSU players dislike Brian Kelly? What I’m most excited to learn this week is how much the LSU players disliked Brian Kelly. Kelly’s massive buyout was not enough to get rid of Kelly, who had been a disappointment in Baton Rouge. The Tigers offense has been flat all year. Frank Wilson is now in charge of the Tigers in the interim. His first assignment is to take on a Crimson Tide squad that is unbeaten in SEC play, and has just returned from a bye-week.
The LSU defense will be in serious trouble if they can’t get their form back. It’s interesting to see how much was due to a team not believing in the coach’s words and how much was just a team who got it figured out. They will need to have an offense that they haven’t shown all season. Garrett Nussmeier took a lot of punishment this season, and LSU’s line will need to figure out a way to keep the line in check to give the Tigers a fighting chance. A coaching change has the ability to ignite and motivate a group. We haven’t seen this happen yet, but we will in the future. You could convince my mind that the Tide are on upset alert, if this match were played in Baton Rouge. This year they have had three wins by one score and the FSU defeat. At home? At home? Alabama has been a buzzsaw in Bryant-Denny. They’ve won all four games at Bryant by at least two touchdowns, including Vanderbilt visits and Tennessee. I believe this game will be close at the half but Ty Simpson and his team will simply be too much to keep up for LSU’s offensive for four quarters. PICK: Alabama 33-24 over LSU
2025-11-03 22:06:46
