Week 11 College Football Gameday Preview
Posted on November 11, 2011 by Jacob Bunn
We are now deep into the month of November. This is the time when the college football regular season is at its best. Teams will be playing for BCS bowls, their conference championships, and some teams will be merely playing to participate in the bowl season. So with less than a month of the college football season remaining, let’s see what is in store this weekend:
2 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech
Tommy Tuberville’s Red Raider squad has already upended a team in the top three from the state of Oklahoma this year. Now, they have a chance to do it again, and this time it is in Lubbock. Anyone who is sure that Tech will pull the upset this weekend, though, may need to further examine the last two outings by that team. The Red Raiders were beaten by a combined 93-27 by Iowa State and Texas in subsequent weeks. I think the Cowboys have enough to take care of business this weekend.
19 Nebraska at 12 Penn State
Nebraska was kindly welcomed to the Big Ten last weekend when Northwestern came into Lincoln and defeated the Cornhuskers. Now, Bo Pelini’s squad will have a chance to get a win over Penn State in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions currently have a two game lead in the Big Ten Leaders division. And with games at Ohio State and Wisconsin to come, this is a crucial matchup for Penn State.
Florida at 13 South Carolina
This game has been for the division title the past several years. This season, though, it has less of an impact because of the mediocrity that both teams have exuded so far. South Carolina beat Georgia at the beginning of the year, but it has lost to Auburn and Arkansas from the west and struggled mightily against Mississippi State. If Georgia wins its final two SEC games against Auburn and Kentucky, it goes to Atlanta. But if the Bulldogs lose one of those games, the Gamecocks have new life. It can only happen, though, if South Carolina wins the only conference game left on its schedule, Florida. I am taking Steve Spurrier over the team he put on the map.
West Virginia at 23 Cincinnati
Believe it or not, this is a crucial game in the race for the Big East Championship. Believe it or not, Cincinnati is in the driver’s seat to win the Big East title. I picked West Virginia to capture the conference crown partially because of the weakness of the rest of the league. Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, and Syracuse have proven this year that the Big East is either stronger than we all predicted or (more likely) the conference is simply void of quality teams. Regardless, as of this year, the conference still has a BCS tie-in, and some team will have to represent it. I like West Virginia, though, to win this game and take a significant step toward making a November run.
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
When was the last time the Commodores were a double-digit favorite over another SEC team? But then again, Kentucky has been really bad this year. Last week, the Cats were able to capture an SEC win for the year against Ole Miss. That will be enough for one year. I will take James Franklin and his Commodore squad to even their record at 5-5. This game also marks the first time two African-American head coaches have met in the SEC.
TCU at 5 Boise State
Are you serious? This is one of Boise State’s ‘tests’ this season. I give the Broncos the credit they deserve for beating Georgia in Atlanta, but let’s not get carried away by calling a 7-2 TCU squad a challenge. At any rate, this is the most competition the Broncos will face from now until the end of the year, but it will not matter. I like Boise State to win easily and continue to march on toward a potential BCS (not championship) game.
Texas A&M at 14 Kansas State
Kansas State had a chance to beat Oklahoma State last weekend and came up just short. You have to think the Wildcats are fairly dejected this week. But then again, Texas A&M has had its share of struggles this season, including a loss to Oklahoma this past Saturday. I think the SEC-bound Aggies will beat Kansas State in Manhattan this weekend.
20 Auburn at 15 Georgia
The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry has an added twist this year. Last season, it was the Auburn Tigers clinching the SEC West on their home field with a win over Georgia. This Saturday, the Bulldogs will have a chance to further their cause toward an SEC Eastern crown. As mentioned above, they just need to win this game and next week’s contest against Kentucky to claim a trip to Atlanta. I think they will accomplish step one against Auburn this weekend.
Tennessee at 8 Arkansas
Tennessee has faded into oblivion once again this season. They would certainly be able to grab some headlines by defeating a top-ten team on the road. But let’s not kid ourselves; the Razorbacks will use this as the first of two tune-up games for the contest in two weeks in Baton Rouge.
3 Alabama at Mississippi State
After losing the ‘game of the century,’ the big question is what will be Alabama’s psychological status against Mississippi State. I think the Crimson Tide will be in a positive state of mind because there is still much for which it can play. I like Alabama to win the game this weekend in Starkville.
7 Oregon at 4 Stanford
Stanford may or may not control its own fate as far as the national championship. It depends most on whether or not Oklahoma State wins out. Most pundits believe the Cowboys would get the nod over the Cardinal if they both remain undefeated. If Stanford does not win this game, though, they probably will not even capture the divisional crown in the Pac 12. Instead, Oregon will. Everyone arguing for the Cardinal to be in the national championship game of it goes undefeated might want to tune in Saturday night to see if they can even win their own division.
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Email Jacob at jacob@bunnsports.com and follow him on Twitter at @JacobBunn
