What to Watch in Week 11

Thursday Night

#17 North Carolina @ Duke- 7:30 ESPN

#15 Utah @ Arizona State- 9:00 FS1

The Battle for the Victory Bell kicks off this weeks schedule as UNC heads to Duke.  UNC has dominated this series recently, winning all but 3 times since 1990.  Mitch Tribusky has been incredibly efficient this season only throwing 2 interceptions all season.  He should be able to keep this up against a bad Duke defense.  In the Pac 12, Utah heads to Arizona State, looking to keep pace with Colorado.  Utah still controls their own destiny in the Pac 12 South, and should win easily over a bad Arizona State squad. 

Friday Night

Boston College @ #18 Florida State- 7:30 ESPN2

BC heads down to Tallahassee to take on Florida State on a Friday Night.  The Eagles have struggled against ranked teams this season, losing by at 40 against the 3 they have played.  Florida State has struggled at times this season against unranked teams, and only beat NC State by 4 last weekend.

Saturday Day

Baylor @ #11 Oklahoma- 12:00 ABC

#16 West Virginia @ Texas- 12:00 FS1

Mississippi State @ #1 Alabama- 12:00 ESPN

Baylor heads to Norman as they need an upset to avoid losing their 3^rd straight game.  Oklahoma’s pass defense has been suspect this season, but Baker Mayfield has lead the offense to enough points that it hasn’t mattered in conference play.  Elsewhere in the Big 12, West Virginia takes on Texas.  Texas has re-established itself on the legs of D’Onta Foreman, and was able to knock off previously undefeated Baylor 2 weeks ago.  West Virginia needs a win if it has any hope of winning the Big 12.  In the SEC, the number one team in the land plays Mississippi State.  Alabama played a hard fought game against LSU last weekend, while Mississippi State is riding high following an upset win.  The Bulldogs will need to jump on Alabama early if they have any chance in this one.

Saturday Afternoon

#9 Auburn @ Georgia- 3:30 CBS

Texas Tech @ #13 Oklahoma State- 3:30 FS1

Pittsburgh @ #2 Clemson- 3:30 ABC

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is being played for the 120^th time in Athens on Saturday.   Auburn has surged up the polls in recent weeks, as they have found an offensive turnaround as they rely more on their running game.  Georgia has struggled to get Nick Chubb going this season, but have an excellent defense which should keep them in the game.  On FS1, Texas Tech takes on Oklahoma State.  Ok State has scored at least 35 points in each of its past 5 games, and should score more against one of the worst defenses in the country.  Tech’s only hope will be to have Patrick Mahommes and his offense to outpace the Cowboys.  In the ACC, Pitt heads to Death Valley South Carolina to take on Clemson.  Pitt averages over 200 yards per game on the ground and will try to shorten the game against the #2 ranked Tigers.  However, they will be running right into a tough Clemson defensive line lead by Christian Wilkins and Carlos Watkins.  On the other side of the ball, Deshaun Watson and company should be able to put up points against the Panthers. 

Saturday Night

#24 LSU @ #25 Arkansas- 7:00 ESPN

Ole Miss @ #8 Texas A&M- 7:30 SEC Network

#20 USC @ #4 Washington- 7:30 Fox

#3 Michigan @ Iowa- 8:00 ABC

LSU looks to bounce back following a tough loss to Alabama against Arkansas.  Arkansas had a huge win over Florida last week, and will try to keep that momentum.  LSu’s Leonard Fournette was shut down last weekend, but don’t look for that to happen 2 weeks in a row.  On the SEC Network, it will be battle of backup QBs when Ole Miss plays Texas A&M.  A&M had a tough loss to Mississippi State last weekend that dropped them out of playoff contention, and need to bounce back without Trevor Knight.  Chad Kelly has done everything for Ole Miss this season, and it will be interesting to see their offense without him.  In the Pac 12, Washington looks to stay undefeated against USC in a matchup of two of the leaders in passing efficiency.  USC has been a completely different team since switching to Sam Darnold at quarterback, and has the talent to pull of the upset.  In the Big 10, Michigan is heavy favorites heading to Iowa.  The Hawkeyes have struggled on offense this season, but have an excellent defense.  This one will need to be low scoring if they have a chance for an upset. 

Saturday Late Night

#12 Colorado @ Arizona- 10:00 FS1

California @ #23 Washington State- ESPN2 10:30

In the late night games, Colorado heads to Arizona.  Arizona has struggled this season, and has lost 6 straight games.  If Colorado really is the 12^th best team in the country, they should have no trouble.  In the nightcap, Cal heads to Washington State.  Cal has been able to put up big numbers on offense this season, but has struggled on the defensive side of the ball, while Washington State has had a more balanced attack this season.  If Washington State is able to slow down Cal at all, they should handled them easily.