College Football Week 11 in Review
Hey, everyone.
What a weekend of football! That was an all-time Saturday.
Notable games
LSU 46 Alabama 41
It’s not often that a game of this magnitude in any sport lives up to the hype. LSU and ROLL TIDE went head to head for four quarters with the Tigers emerging victorious. Alabama got off to a slow start and fought their way back into the game trailing 19-13 late in the 2nd quarter. LSU bagged a pair of TDs in the last 30 seconds of the first half (more Bama miscues) and took what proved to be an insurmountable lead (33-13) heading into the break. ROLL TIDE and their excellent (and hobbled) QB Tua Tagovailoa never quit and gave themselves a shot late in the game with a potential onside kick recovery. It didn’t work out and LSU grabbed the win. How about the performance of LSU QB Joe Burrow? He continues to amaze (31/39, 393, 3-0 TD to INT; 64 yards rushing) and is the clear favorite to win the Heisman Trophy as we go to press. More importantly, LSU is in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth and will almost certainly face Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama can still cobble their way into the playoff but need to win out and see what happens.
Minnesota 31 Penn St 26
Whoa, Nellie! The Golden Gophers kept their undefeated season alive with a big win over Penn St. They got off to a hot start and led 24-13 at halftime only to see Penn St charge back and get to the Gophers’ 25-yard line with a minute left in regulation. Minnesota salted the game away with an INT and still hold a two-game lead in the Big Ten West with three games to play. If they can win two of their final three games (Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin) they will be a participant in the Big Ten Championship Game! Penn St still needs to beat Ohio St on November 23rd to have a shot to win the Big Ten East. Nothing really changed for them. If they win out, they are almost certainly in the Playoff (would be 12-1 and Big Ten champs with wins over the Buckeyes and the West division winner). Very unlikely, but not impossible.
Oklahoma 42 Iowa St 41
The Sooners almost blew a 42-21 lead and had to hang on for dear life in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Iowa St went for a 2-point conversion and the lead with less than 30 seconds to play but couldn’t convert the opportunity. The Big 12 appears to be on a collision course for an Oklahoma vs Baylor Big 12 title match and we’ll get a potential preview when the two squads hook up this Saturday. The Sooners “defense” appears to be regressing to it’s typical form and will need to keep outscoring opponents in wild games for the rest of the year. Iowa St has endured a small handful of close losses and are a team to keep an eye on during bowl season.
Baylor 29 TCU 23 (3 OT)
The Bears gutted out a three-OT game to keep their undefeated season alive and stay alone atop the Big 12 standings with a conference mark of 6-0. They nailed a 51-yard FG with 30 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter to get to OT and then would not be denied in the extra frames. It was an even game (TCU 308-294 yard edge) but the Horned Frogs couldn’t put the game away in the first half when they had the chance (3 FGs). Baylor is in excellent shape despite having games with Oklahoma and Texas remaining on the docket.
Boise St 20 Wyoming 17 (OT)
The Broncos dueled with the feisty Cowboys on Saturday night and escaped with a 20-17 OT win. The Pokes gave Boise St all they could handle with their back-up QB and missed a relatively short FG in the first OT that would have extended the game. The Mountain Division of the Mountain West would have taken on an entirely different complexion if Wyoming was able to SHOCK the WORLD. Boise St is still in control, and more importantly, are still in contention for a major Group of Five bowl bid.
MEGALOCKS TOP 10 after WEEK 11
This is how we rate teams based on who would win a theoretical match-up on a neutral site. It is NOT meant to be a “playoff” ranking.
- Ohio St – Administered another beating. Tests with Penn St and Michigan loom.
- LSU – Massive win over Alabama. Essentially even with Ohio St in our ratings.
- ROLL TIDE – Slow start, fought to the end vs LSU. Still playoff contenders.
- Clemson – Still lurking in the weeds.
- Georgia – Haven’t allowed a rushing TD all year. Big game with Auburn this Saturday.
Next in line (in alphabetical order)
Auburn – Fill out the “on paper” Top 10. Schedule has been murder.
Florida – Talented on both sides of the ball. Legit top-10 team on paper.
Oklahoma – Explosive on offense. Defense is chock full of holes (again).
Oregon – Appear to be on a collision course with Utah. Need to win out for playoff shot.
Utah – Playing exceptional football the last month or so. Also need to win out to reach playoff.
BIG GAMES THIS WEEK!
Not too many epic match-ups this Saturday, but you still gotta watch!
Georgia at Auburn
The Bulldogs have to win out to get to the playoff. That means winning this game and taking down LSU in the SEC Championship Game. One step at a time. Auburn is coming in off a bye and have the DL to give Georgia fits. Should be a tight and low-scoring game. It’ll be interesting to see if the Tigers’ freshman QB Bo Nix can step up vs a big-time opponent.
Oklahoma at Baylor
Most likely a preview of the Big 12 Championship Game. It will be fun to see if these teams throw everything into this contest or save a couple of tricks for the (probable) next meeting. Neither team is playing their best football right now despite their combined 17-1 record.
Michigan St at Michigan
Rivalry game has lost a bit of its luster given how Sparty has gone in the tank. Not sure how you blow a 25-point lead at home to Illinois but that’s what they did last Saturday. Lots of hatred to go around in this one.
Wisconsin at CORN
This should be a layup for the Badgers but you never know. Minnesota will be watching this game with interest as a Nebraska win would almost guarantee them the Big Ten West. Will CORN be able to avoid making 14,000 mistakes? Tune in to find out.
Minnesota at Iowa
Speaking of Minnesota, let’s see how they come out after that monster home win vs Penn St. Iowa has been reduced to the role of Big Ten spoiler but are more than capable of filling that role.
Wake Forest at Clemson
The Demon Deacons have a potent offense and could make things interesting if the Tigers come out sleepwalking.
Navy at Notre Dame
The Middies are playing solid football and the Irish can definitely be had.
Enjoy Week 12!