Saturday Predictions: Week 11

After losses to Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida, a victory
over Auburn could be the difference between a merely
disappointing season and an unmitigated disaster for the
Georgia Bulldogs. AP Photo/John Amis

I hope college football fans enjoyed the two great games we had last night. Hopefully we get more of the same thrilling action this weekend. Tonight there's just one game, between Colorado and USC at 9:00. The Buffaloes will be major underdogs at home, so keep an eye open for an upset but don't expect it.

To start Saturday, we have Duke hosting the Pittsburgh Panthers. Another loss will eliminate the Blue Devils from ACC title contention, while a loss for Pitt will likely spell their own elimination. Both teams are looking to rebound from embarrassing losses in the previous week.

This year did not go as planned for Georgia or Auburn. Both teams were favorites to win the SEC in the preseason; now, both have already been eliminated from title contention. They'll look to make their own seasons a little brighter and their rival's just all that more miserable. Georgia must perform better on offense in order to compete with Auburn on the road.

Florida has already won the SEC East, but must also defeat South Carolina in order to remain in consideration for a playoff berth. Although they began the year very poorly, South Carolina has picked up their game on offense in the last month. If possible, they will need to attack a strong Florida defense in its weakest points in order to score on the Gators. Florida's offense, on the other hand, has frequently stuttered in recent weeks. The Gamecock defense ranks near the bottom of the SEC, although the Gator offense may not be capable of exploiting it.

At half past noon, NC State and Florida State will kickoff in Tallahassee. In recent years, FSU has done well in weeks following a loss. However, NC State has historically been one of Florida State's more competitive conference opponents. The Wolfpack will require an outstanding performance from their quarterback to overcome the FSU defense and offensive backfield.

The big game at 3:30 will feature Alabama and Mississippi State. Some believe Alabama to be the nation's best team, however, they have not played a quarterback as good as Mississippi State's Dak Prescott. Prescott leads his team in passing and rushing and is responsible for 25 touchdowns against just one turnover. However, if any defense can be expected to shut down such a dominant player, it should be Alabama's. The Bulldogs could shock the college football world in Starkville, even if the odds are against them.

UNC could finish their regular season 12-1, with a win over
Clemson in the ACC Championship. Even then, they are not
assured a spot in the playoffs. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The North Carolina Tar Heels will seek their ninth consecutive win of the season when they play Miami in Chapel Hill. North Carolina should win this game barring disaster.

Tampa will host a ranked team when Temple visits South Florida. The Bulls have played well on defense over the last several weeks, have a solid rushing game, and make plays with their quarterback. For these reasons, the Bulls are only a slight underdog to the nationally-recognized Temple (although the Owls are built in much the same way). Anticipate this game to be a classic battle of run-first offenses and good defenses.

The other two ranked teams in the American Conference, Houston and Memphis, will battle for control of the AAC West. Memphis is coming off their first defeat, a bad one to Navy, while Houston had a close call last Saturday against Cincinnati. This game should be close; look for the team that forces more turnovers to emerge victorious.

LSU may still be disappointed after last week, but must not get caught up in "could-have-beens" if they wish to defeat Arkansas. Arkansas is one of the better four-loss teams in the country, and have the ability to upset the Tigers, even in Baton Rouge. If LSU can not restart their running game, they may very well drop a second-straight game.

Highly-ranked Stanford plays Oregon in a critical Pac-12 matchup. Stanford can clinch a division title with a win over Oregon. They should do this, considering their superior defense and reliable offense. However, the Ducks are not turkeys on the field, and could keep the game competitive given they hit enough big plays.

Missouri has attracted much attention for their university's problems last week. Their football team will not get it easy this Saturday night, as they play BYU in a "neutral site" game in Kansas City. Missouri has been fairly awful on offense through their SEC schedule. However, their defense should still keep BYU's offense in check. Expect a low-scoring contest in which the deciding score may have been forced by the defense or a busted scheme, as it should be very difficult for either team to sustain drives.

The Oklahoma defense has been embarrassed for two straight
years. They'll need much better play this year to knock off the
undefeated Baylor Bears. Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

We might find a barn-burner in Waco when Oklahoma takes on the Baylor Bears. Baylor has beaten Oklahoma three times in history – all within the last four years. In the last two games, Oklahoma was humiliated by the Bears, being beaten by a combined score of 89-26. Oklahoma must get more production out of their running backs to keep up with the high-flying Baylor offense, while replicating some of the defensive success Kansas State had against the Bears.

Arizona has lost five of their last seven games (three in lopsided blowouts), but can find redemption if they manage to defeat Utah late on Saturday. The Wildcats cannot afford to play sloppy against Utah's defense (on of the Pac-12's best). A loss could knock the Utes out of playoff contention.

Even later at night, Washington State takes on UCLA. The Bruins have reeled off three-straight wins after two bad losses in the middle of the season. It could be difficult to pick up a fourth against a very confident Cougars squad.

State of Florida:

• 11 Florida (8-1) over South Carolina (3-6), 17-10
• Middle Tennessee (4-5) over Florida Atlantic (2-7), 31-20
• 16 Florida State (7-2) over North Carolina State (6-3), 31-24
• 23 North Carolina (8-1) over Miami (6-3), 45-24
• Marshall (8-2) over FIU (5-5), 42-27
• South Florida (5-4) over 22 Temple (8-1), 21-17
• UCF (0-10), BYE

Southeastern Conference:

• Auburn (5-4) over Georgia (6-3), 31-27
• Tennessee (5-4) over North Texas (1-8), 56-7
• 2 Alabama (8-1) over 17 Mississippi State (7-2), 24-20
• Vanderbilt (3-6) over Kentucky (4-5), 10-6
• Texas A&M (6-3) over Western Carolina (6-3), 56-21
• 9 LSU (7-1) over Arkansas (5-4), 31-24
• Missouri (4-5) over BYU (7-2), 14-13
• Mississippi (7-3), BYE

Top 25:

• 1 Clemson (9-0) over Syracuse (3-6), 49-21
• 3 Ohio State (9-0) over Illinois (5-4), 38-20
• 4 Notre Dame (8-1) over Wake Forest (3-6), 42-17
• 5 Iowa (9-0) over Minnesota (4-5), 31-21
• 12 Oklahoma (8-1) over 6 Baylor (8-0), 49-45
• 7 Stanford (8-1) over Oregon (6-3), 38-35
• 8 Oklahoma State (9-0) over Iowa State (3-6), 42-21
• 10 Utah (8-1) over Arizona (5-5), 28-21
• 13 Michigan State (8-1) over Maryland (2-7), 31-20
• 14 Michigan (7-2) over Indiana (4-5), 38-17
• 15 TCU (8-1) over Kansas (0-9), 70-14
• 18 Northwestern (7-2) over Purdue (2-7), 30-17
• 19 UCLA (7-2) over Washington State (6-3), 34-31
• 20 Navy (7-1) over SMU (1-8), 45-21
• 21 Memphis (8-1) over 24 Houston (9-0), 35-31
• 25 Wisconsin (8-2), BYE