Week 11 in college football features key conference battles in the Big 12, SEC West and Big Ten West. With the final month of the regular season approaching, these matchups will have major ramifications. No. 8 Oklahoma will visit No. 12 Baylor, No. 14 Texas A&M will travel to Oxford to take on No. 16 Ole Miss and No. 20 Minnesota will take on No. 22 Iowa in Iowa City.
The season has already been wild and there’s sure to be more chaos on Saturday. Where could that chaos take place? It’s nearly mid-November, so you never know.
Oddsmakers have released their opening lines for the weekend’s biggest games. Let’s break down what they think and preview the upcoming slate. Odds are from Caesars Sportsbook. Rankings are from last week’s College Football Playoff rankings
The best games
No. 14 Texas A&M (-1) at No. 16 Ole Miss: The Aggies are fresh off of a defensive slugfest with Auburn and still have a legit chance at winning the SEC West. The Rebels topped ex-coach Hugh Freeze and Liberty last week. Quarterback Matt Corral has a perfect opportunity to pad his Heisman Trophy résumé on the big stage vs. a stout defense.
No. 8 Oklahoma (-6.5) at No. 12 Baylor: The Sooners are undefeated and entering a critical stretch of their schedule that should impress College Football Playoff selection committee members — provided they can run the table. The Bears were stunned at TCU last week and need a win over the Sooners to stay in the conference championship race.
No. 1 Georgia (-20) at Tennessee: The Volunteers’ offense has emerged as one of the most explosive in the country, and it’ll be the biggest test the Bulldogs’ stifling defense has faced all year. It appears that Georgia coach Kirby Smart has settled on Stetson Bennett IV as his long-term answer under center, but this might be the first time all season that he has to stretch the field.
No. 20 Minnesota at No. 22 Iowa (-6.5): The Hawkeyes have fallen off after climbing all the way up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25, but they now find themselves in a massive Big Ten West battle with the Golden Gophers. Both teams have 4-2 conference records entering this important stretch.
Other big games
No. 7 Michigan at Penn State (-1): This is one of the most surprising lines of the weekend. The Wolverines are squarely in the mix for the playoff and one of the most balanced team in the country. Meanwhile, Penn State’s up-and-down season is riding high after the win over Maryland last weekend.
Purdue at No. 5 Ohio State (-19): The “Spoilermakers” have stunned two top-five teams so far, but now they have the big challenge of repeating the feat in the Horseshoe. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has become the focal point of Ohio State’s offense and the first-year starter will have a ton of pressure keeping pace opposite a Purdue offense led by receiver David Bell.
No. 10 Notre Dame (-4.5) at Virginia: Oddsmakers aren’t too high on the Fighting Irish even though they put together their most complete game of the season in a win over Navy. The Cavaliers had week off to lick their wounds after losing a wild game at BYU on Halloween weekend.
Best of the rest
- New Mexico State at No. 2 Alabama (-50.5)
- Maryland at No. 3 Michigan State (-13.5)
- Washington State at No. 4 Oregon (-14)
- No. 19 NC State at No. 9 Wake Forest (-2.5)
- TCU at No. 11 Oklahoma State (-12.5)
- No. 17 Mississippi State at No. 12 Auburn (-5)
- No. 18 Kentucky (-21) at Vanderbilt
- Northwestern at No. 21 Wisconsin (-24)
- Nevada (-1) at No. 24 San Diego State
- Houston (-25.5) at Temple
- Georgia State at Coastal Carolina (-10)
- Louisiana (-7) at Troy
- North Carolina at Pittsburgh (-5)
- Southern Miss at UTSA (-33)
