What to watch: Week 11 college football viewing guide

The SEC is the headliner once again 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. 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 OK about its chances of still making the playoff 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 severely 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.

No. 3 Georgia at No. 16 Ole Miss

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: 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 has surged 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 from the Heisman conversation after he’s thrown 11 interceptions over the past five games. Beck has carried more responsibility in Georgia’s offense this year too; the Bulldogs have thrown it nearly 70 more times than they’ve run it after running it more than they threw it in 2023.

Beck has shown up when Georgia needs him to, however, and a frantic 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. Given that Georgia is a slight favorite in this one, it’s harder for Smart to say that his team is being counted out.

A season ago, Ole Miss’ defensive line got mauled 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 up front thanks to its efforts in the transfer portal. If the Rebels score the home upset, its defensive improvements will be a big reason why.

No. 23 Clemson at Virginia Tech

Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: ESPN | Line: Clemson -6.5 | Total: 53.5

Clemson laid an egg last week at home against Louisville and now likely has to win out 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 been roaring after Week 1 mustered just seven points in the first three quarters against the Cardinals and ended up scoring just 21 despite running 101 plays.

The offense’s issue was through the air, as Cade Klubnik threw 56 passes for 228 yards at 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 is allowing opposing QBs to complete just 56% of their passes?

Virginia Tech didn’t have either QB Kyron Drones or RB Bhayshul Tuten against Syracuse, but coach Brent Pry said Wednesday night that both players have a “good chance” of playing against the Tigers. Tuten is averaging 6.7 yards a carry and is just 49 yards away from the 1,000-yard mark through eight games while Drones has accounted for 16 total touchdowns.

No. 20 Colorado at Texas Tech

Time: 4 p.m. | TV: Fox | Line: Colorado -3.5 | Total: 62.5

Given how Texas Tech’s season has gone, this is going to be a close game. Five of the Red Raiders’ six conference games have been decided by a single score 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 to go 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 powers a Tech offense that averages nearly six yards per play. But the defense has been gashed 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 the Heisman favorite.

No. 11 Alabama at No. 14 LSU

Time: 7:30 p.m. | TV: ABC | Line: Alabama -3 | Total: 58.5

The loser is assuredly 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 he entered 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 to have much more composure than it did in its last road game. The Crimson Tide have been penalized 69 times through eight games and had 15 penalties for 115 yards in their Oct. 19 loss to Tennessee. The crowd at night in Tiger Stadium is going to be just as rowdy as it was in Neyland Stadium.

No. 9 BYU at Utah

Time: 10:15 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN | Line: BYU -4 | Total: 40.5

The two heated rivals 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 it earlier in the week. (There is profanity in the video below)

Utah is in desperate need of a win, too. The Utes have lost their last four Big 12 games after a win over Oklahoma State and are 4-4 overall. Utah is averaging just 22.8 points per game as Cam Rising is again sidelined because of 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 a 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 gashed on the ground in each of the past two weeks.

Other games to watch

No. 4 Miami at Georgia Tech (Noon, ESPN): Can Georgia Tech keep this one close? That may depend on the health of quarterback Haynes King. Coach Brent Key said earlier in the week that he’s hopeful that King will be able to play. The junior has been out since he was injured on Oct. 12 against North Carolina and Georgia Tech has scored just 19 points combined in the two losses he’s missed.

Michigan at No. 8 Indiana (3:30 p.m., CBS): The Hoosiers are looking to go 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 single season and have only accomplished that feat three times including this season. Michigan, meanwhile, needs to win two out 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 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 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 seems 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 CFP rankings and need to win out to go 10-2 and have a very, very outside shot of making 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 simply on the list here because it’s a good chance to check out Ashton Jeanty if you haven’t been able to watch him much this season. Teams have been loading up to stop college football’s leading rusher and he just keeps producing.