The SEC is once again the headliner in Week 11.
The only two games featuring ranked teams both come in the SEC and also serve as elimination games for both the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff. No. No. 3 Georgia visits No. 16 Ole Miss in the afternoon before No. 11 Alabama takes on No. 14 LSU.
Of the four, only Georgia can feel good about its chances of still making the playoffs or the conference title game with a loss.
Since the SEC will dominate the day, don’t look past the Big 12 either. No. No. 9 BYU sits all alone in first place and is about to renew its rivalry with Utah, while No. 20 Colorado plays at Texas Tech in a game that will seriously dent 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: 3:30 PM | Television: ABC | Line: Georgia -2.5 | Total: 54.5
This game can’t simply be boiled down to whichever quarterback plays best, right?
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart entered the Heisman conversation after throwing 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 past five games. Beck has also shouldered more responsibility in Georgia’s offense this year; the Bulldogs have thrown it nearly 70 more times than they’ve run it, having run it more times than in 2023.
However, Beck has shown up when Georgia needs him, and a hectic 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 was being doubted. Considering that 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 torn apart in Athens. The Bulldogs rushed 35 times for 300 yards and five touchdowns in the 52-17 victory. This season, Ole Miss is much better up front thanks to its efforts in the transfer portal. If the Rebels upset at home, defensive improvements will be a major reason.
Time: 3:30 PM | TV: ESPN | Line: Clemson -6.5 | Total: 53.5
Clemson laid an egg at home against Louisville last week 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 was in full swing after Week 1 yielded just seven points in the first three quarters against the Cardinals and ultimately scored just 21 points despite running 101 plays.
The offense’s problem went through the air as Cade Klubnik threw 56 passes for 228 yards on 4.1 yards per attempt. The Tigers rushed 45 times for 222 yards. Can the offense get back on track against a Virginia Tech defense that is allowing 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 Drones has accounted for 16 total touchdowns.
Time: 4:00 PM | Television: Fox | Line: Colorado -3.5 | Total: 62.5
Considering how Texas Tech’s season has gone, this will be an exciting matchup. Five of the Red Raiders’ six conference games have been decided by a single score, including 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 had taken its first lead of the second half less than two minutes earlier.
Brooks already comes into the game with 1,047 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He powers a Tech offense that averages nearly six yards per play. But the defense has been cut to pieces by opposing quarterbacks. That could be good news for Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders is completing more than 73% of his passes for 2,591 yards this season and has thrown 21 touchdowns. The Texas Tech defense is allowing opponents to complete 62% of their passes for 308 yards per play. A big game for Travis Hunter (60 catches for 757 yards and eight touchdowns) will only cement his status as a Heisman favorite.
Time: 7:30 PM | Television: ABC | Line: Alabama -3 | Total: 58.5
The loser is out of the College Football Playoff race for good with a third loss, barring a wild end to the season.
Both teams were off in week 10; Alabama shutout 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 constant 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 against the Tigers, LSU had held Arkansas to 38 yards on 19 carries.
Alabama will need to have a lot more composure than in its last road game. The Crimson Tide have been penalized 69 times in eight games and had 15 penalties for 115 yards in their Oct. 19 loss to Tennessee. The Tiger Stadium crowd will be just as loud at night as it is at Neyland Stadium.
Time: 10:15 PM ET | TV: ESPN | Line: BYU -4 | Total: 40.5
The two heated rivals will meet for the first time since 2021 and the first time as Big 12 members late Saturday night. And in case you needed a reminder of the intensity of the rivalry, Utah RB Jaylon Glover provided one earlier this week. (There is profanity in the video below)
Utah also desperately needs 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 once again sidelined with a leg injury and Isaac Wilson is struggling 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 force more than 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 who has committed just one turnover. That ability to get the ball back has been huge for the Cougars as the defense has been beaten to the ground each of the last 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 can play. The junior has been out since suffering an injury against North Carolina on Oct. 12, and Georgia Tech has combined to score just 19 points in the two losses he has missed.
Michigan at No. 8, Indiana (3:30 p.m., CBS): The Hoosiers look to move to 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 season and have achieved that feat only three times, including this season. Michigan, meanwhile, needs to get two out of three wins against Indiana, Northwestern and Ohio State simply to guarantee a winning season.
No. 17 Iowa State at Kansas (3:30 p.m., FS1): The Cyclones are just three-point favorites as Kansas has been one of the Big 12’s underachievers so far this season. The Jayhawks need to win their final four games of the season to get to a bowl game, but may not have much of a home field advantage. This game takes place at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and you can expect a lot of Iowa State fans.
Oklahoma at No. 24 Missouri (7:45 p.m., SEC Network): The Sooners are now 2.5-point favorites 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 surprisingly in the first set of the CFP rankings and need to win to finish 10-2 and have a very, very good chance of making the postseason.
Nevada at No. 12 Boise State (8 p.m., Fox): The Broncos have a 24-point lead, so we don’t expect this one to be very close. It’s just on the list here because it’s a good chance to check out Ashton Jeanty if you haven’t been able to see much of him this season. Teams are loading up to stop college football’s leading rusher and he just keeps producing.
