The SEC headlines again in Week 11.
The only two games with ranked teams both come in the SEC and also serve as elimination games for both the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff. No. 3 Georgia visits No. 16 Ole Miss in the afternoon before No. 11 Alabama hosts No. 14 LSU.
Of the four, only Georgia can feel OK about its chances of still making the playoffs or the conference title game with a loss.
As the SEC will dominate the day, don’t look past the Big 12 either. No. 9 BYU sits all alone in first and is set to renew its rivalry with Utah, while No. 20 Colorado plays at Texas Tech in a game that will seriously hurt the loser’s conference title hopes.
Here’s what to watch in Week 11. All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.
Time: 15:30 | TV: ABC | Line: Georgia -2.5 | Total: 54.5
This game can’t simply boil down to which quarterback plays the best, right?
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart has jumped into the Heisman conversation after he threw for 515 yards and six touchdowns in the Rebels’ Week 10 win over Arkansas. The six TDs were twice as many as Dart had thrown in Ole Miss’ first four SEC games combined.
Georgia QB Carson Beck, meanwhile, has fallen out of the Heisman conversation after throwing 11 interceptions over the last five games. Beck has taken on more responsibility in Georgia’s offense this year as well; The Bulldogs have thrown it nearly 70 times more than they have run it after running it more than they threw it in 2023.
However, Beck has shown up when Georgia needs him, and a frenetic defensive front could pose a problem for the Rebels. Just look at how Georgia dominated Texas in the trenches in Austin and how Kirby Smart said after the game that his team had been doubted. Considering Georgia is a slight favorite in this one, it’s harder for Smart to say his team is being counted out.
A season ago, Ole Miss’ defensive line was hurt in Athens. The Bulldogs rushed 35 times for 300 yards and five TDs in the 52-17 win. This season, Ole Miss is much better off thanks to its efforts in the transfer portal. If the Rebels score at home, their defensive improvement will be a big reason why.
Time: 15:30 | TV: ESPN | Line: Clemson -6.5 | Total: 53.5
Clemson laid an egg last week at home against Louisville and now likely needs to win to have a shot at the ACC title game.
The Tigers can’t afford another loss with Miami and SMU ahead of them in the standings and both teams staring at easy schedules. An offense that had roared after Week 1 scored just seven points in the first three quarters against the Cardinals and ended up scoring just 21 points despite running 101 plays.
The offense’s problems were through the air, as Cade Klubnik threw 56 passes for 228 yards on 4.1 yards an attempt. The Tigers rushed 45 times for 222 yards. Can the offense get back on track against a Virginia Tech defense that allows opposing QBs to complete just 56% of their passes?
Virginia Tech didn’t have QB Kyron Drones or RB Bhayshul Tuten against Syracuse, but coach Brent Pry said Wednesday night that both players have a “good chance” to play against the Tigers. Tuten is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and is just 49 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark through eight games while the Drones have accounted for 16 total touchdowns.
Time: 16.00 | TV: Fox | Line: Colorado -3.5 | Total: 62.5
Given the way Texas Tech’s season has gone, this will be a close game. Five of the Red Raiders’ six conference games have been decided by a single point and that includes Tech’s 23-22 win over No. 17 Iowa State a week ago. The Red Raiders scored the go-ahead TD with 20 seconds left on a five-yard run by Tahj Brooks after Iowa State took its first lead of the second half less than two minutes earlier.
Brooks enters the game with 1,047 yards and 10 rushing TDs already. He runs a Tech offense that averages nearly six yards per play. But the defense has been torn apart by opposing quarterbacks. That could be good news for Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders is completing over 73% of his passes this season for 2,591 yards and has thrown 21 TDs. The Texas Tech defense is allowing opponents to complete 62% of their passes for 308 yards per game. A big game for Travis Hunter (60 catches for 757 yards and eight TDs) will only solidify his status as a Heisman favorite.
Time: 19:30 | TV: ABC | Line: Alabama -3 | Total: 58.5
The loser is surely out of the College Football Playoff race with a third loss barring a wild finish to the season.
Both teams were off in Week 10; Alabama shut out Missouri 34-0 at home while LSU lost 38-23 at Texas A&M on the road. The Aggies were dominant on offense in the second half after QB Marcel Reed entered the game in place of Conner Weigman.
Will LSU’s defense fare better against the running threat of Alabama QB Jalen Milroe? Reed rushed nine times for 62 yards and three scores after entering the game. The week before A&M rushed for 242 yards on the Tigers, LSU had held Arkansas to 38 yards on 19 carries.
Alabama will need a lot more composure than it did in its last road game. The Crimson Tide has been penalized 69 times through eight games and had 15 penalties for 115 yards in its Oct. 19 loss to Tennessee. The night crowd in Tiger Stadium will be as rowdy as it was at Neyland Stadium.
Time: 10:15 PM ET | TV: ESPN | Line: BYU -4 | Total: 40.5
The two bitter rivals meet for the first time since 2021 and the first time as Big 12 members late Saturday night. And if you needed a reminder of the intensity of the rivalry, Utah RB Jaylon Glover provided it earlier this week. (There is profanity in the video below.)
Utah is also in desperate need of a win. The Utes have lost their last four Big 12 games following a win over Oklahoma State and are 4-4 overall. Utah is averaging just 22.8 points per game as Cam Rising is out again with a leg injury and Isaac Wilson has struggled in his place. The freshman brother of former BYU QB Zach Wilson is completing just 55% of his passes and has thrown as many interceptions (eight) as he has touchdown passes.
The Cougars are forcing over two turnovers per game and you have to go all the way back to BYU’s Week 3 game against Wyoming to find an opponent that has committed just one turnover. That ability to get the ball back has been huge for the Cougars as the defense has hit the ground running over the past two weeks.
Other games to watch
No. 4 Miami at Georgia Tech (Noon, ESPN): Can Georgia Tech keep this one close? That could depend on the health of quarterback Haynes King. Coach Brent Key said earlier this week that he is hopeful King will be able to play. The junior has been out since getting hurt Oct. 12 against North Carolina and Georgia Tech has scored just 19 points combined in the two losses he missed.
Michigan at No. 8 Indiana (3:30 p.m., CBS): The Hoosiers are looking to go 10-0 before an off week and a trip to Ohio State in Week 13. The Hoosiers have never had more than nine wins in a single season and have only accomplished that feat three times including this season. Michigan, meanwhile, needs to win two of three against Indiana, Northwestern and Ohio State simply to ensure a winning season.
No. 17 Iowa State at Kansas (3:30 p.m., FS1): The Cyclones are just three-point favorites because Kansas has been one of the Big 12 underachievers so far this season. The Jayhawks need to win their final four games of the season to get to a bowl game, but they may not have much of a home-field advantage. This game is at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and you can expect a lot of Iowa State fans in attendance.
Oklahoma at no. 24 Missouri (7:45 p.m., SEC Network): The Sooners are now 2.5-point favorites on the road as Missouri appears likely to be without QB Brady Cook. He started against Alabama with an injured ankle and then suffered an injury to his throwing hand. The Tigers were somewhat of a surprise in the first set of the CFP rankings and need to win to go 10-2 and have a very, very outside shot to make the postseason.
Nevada at No. 12 Boise State (8 p.m., Fox): The Broncos are favored by 24 points, so we don’t expect this one to be very close. It’s on the list here simply because it’s a good chance to check out Ashton Jeanty if you haven’t been able to see him much this season. Teams have loaded up to stop college football’s leading rusher and he just keeps producing.
