2018 Week 11 Preview

There were a couple of amazing finishes last week. The biggest, of course, being West Virginia over Texas. Will Grier had what might be considered a Heisman moment at the end of that game, both with the perfect TD throw then taking it in himself for the game-winning 2-point conversion. Auburn and South Carolina also pulled out wins late in their games. Purdue upset another ranked Big 10 team and for the second year in a row, Florida got smashed by Missouri. Oh, and Alabama shut out LSU in Death Valley. The Tide looks unstoppable. Week 11 brings us some good matchups, four of which are ranked vs ranked. It should be an interesting weekend.

How I fared: 4-2 last week (last minute wins by Auburn and West Virginia were my losses), 33-27 overall

Notable Games
18Mississippi State at 1Alabama
Alabama showed they really are the best of the best when they went into Death Valley at night and shut out LSU. Mississippi State did a great job against Louisiana Tech last week, but the Bulldogs aren’t Alabama. It is possible that Alabama could have a bit of a letdown game, but I doubt it. It all depends on how Fitzgerald does against the Bama defense. To be fair, he could be the best QB that the Tide have played, but they are still Alabama.
I am picking Alabama

2Clemson at 17Boston College
Clemson absolutely demolished Louisville last week. The Tigers won 77-16. I’m convinced that Petrino is trying to get fired because how on earth can you lose that bad to a team when the starters don’t play much. Even Arkansas scored 30+ on Alabama. Clemson has an amazing offense and I think they are far and away the second-best team in the country. Boston College is very good, but they are not on the same level as Clemson. The Eagles do have a decent defense, so this shouldn’t be a major blowout. I don’t expect this to be a close game.
I am picking Clemson

24Auburn at 5Georgia
Auburn survived and came back to beat Texas A&M last week, but I still don’t think they are very good. Georgia had no real issues with Kentucky last week. Georgia has bounced back from their weird loss to LSU earlier in the season. I expected them to be a little better on offense this season, but they are doing alright. This is a big rivalry game which could lead to a closer score than expected, but I think Georgia wins this game comfortably.
I am picking Georgia

Oklahoma State at 6Oklahoma
After a big win over Texas a couple weeks ago, Oklahoma State lost to Baylor this past weekend. They are very up and down and hard to predict this year. Oklahoma survived a shootout with Texas Tech last week. It wasn’t as exciting as when Baker and Mahomes played, but it was fun. The first half was a back and forth game and the third quarter only featured one TD. OU’s defense isn’t as great as they looked early on. Bedlam is usually fun (not always close) and should be again this year. I think a lot of points will be scored in some fashion. It could be a close one because of the rivalry, but I think Kyler Murray and the OU offense are going to be too much for the Cowboys.
I am picking Oklahoma

10Ohio State at 18Michigan State
I personally do not understand why Michigan State is ranked so high after beating Maryland. They were not ranked in last week’s CFP rankings but now are all the way up to 18. Ohio State scraped by Nebraska by just 5 points last week. I think Ohio State is going to win this game, but I think it is going to be an ugly game. It will depend which two teams show up. A defensive game favors the Spartans and an offensive game favors the Buckeyes.
I am picking Ohio State

19Texas at Texas Tech
This should be another fun Big 12 game. Both are coming off close losses last week. The Texas defense has been in decline this season, but their offense has been impressive. This has the potential to be another close game for these teams. I think there will be lots of scores and lots of long plays. Texas has been back and not back this season depending on the week. I think after this week they will be back again.
I am picking Texas

7LSU at Arkansas
Arkansas is coming off a BYE week and LSU is coming off a big loss to Alabama. LSU is the only team that hasn’t scored on the Tide this season and Arkansas is the team that has scored the most on Alabama. So at least there’s that. The Tigers will be angry and Arkansas will still be Arkansas. It shouldn’t be a close one, but maybe the Hogs will come out swinging like they did against Alabama. The Razorback fans have been clamoring for a not-11 am start and they got their wish. It will be a cold night in Fayetteville and it might be a long one. It is the last home game of the season for the Hogs and I think a lot of people in Fayetteville are ready to move on to next season.

Top 25
18Mississippi State at 1Alabama
2Clemson at 17Boston College
Florida State at 3Notre Dame
4Michigan at Rutgers
24Auburn at 5Georgia
Oklahoma State at 6Oklahoma
7LSU at Arkansas
8Washington State at Colorado
TCU at 9West Virginia
10Ohio State at 18Michigan State
11Kentucky at Tennessee
Navy at 12UCF
Louisville at 13Syracuse (Friday)
Wake Forest at 14NC State (Thursday)
South Carolina at 15Florida
19Texas at Texas Tech
Wisconsin at 20Penn State
Northwestern at 21Iowa
Baylor at 22Iowa State
23Fresno State at Boise State (Friday)
25Washington BYE

Other Games
Ole Miss at Texas A&M
Troy at Georgia Southern
Arkansas State at Coastal Carolina
Oregon at Utah
Miami at Georgia Tech
Temple at Houston
South Florida at Cincinnati
California at USC