Saturday Predictions: Week 11

The B1G Ten game we've been waiting for all season has
finally arrived. Ohio State and Michigan State battle for
leadership of the East division in East Lansing. Leon Halip

After an exciting weekend of Southeastern Conference football, we'll be getting probably the last relatively calm week of SEC football before the end of the season. But don't despair; it'll be anything but boring. The rest of the country is really stepping up with their number of marque games, as 10 of the 19 non-SEC Top-25 teams will be playing another member of the Top 25. Some teams will make or break their season this Saturday...

Only four teams from the state of Florida are active this week, and only Florida State will be playing at home. Florida Atlantic and FIU can each potentially pick up a win on the road against similarly weak teams. Florida State will try to avoid a let down against Virginia in Tallahassee. The Cavaliers have a decent defense, although the Seminoles should win as long as they avoid turnovers. Jameis Winston suffered a slight ankle injury in last Thursday's game; the Noles may want to take this as an opportunity to develop a running game that has been fairly lacking thus far this season.

The Gators head north to Nashville, seeking to avenge last season's loss to the Commodores. Both teams are coming off their most impressive wins of the season (Florida won by 18 against Georgia, Vanderbilt by 14 against Old Dominion). Vandy is not a strikingly good team, although they seem to have improved since the season began. The 'Dores finally seem to have found an answer at quarterback in Johnny McCrary. Vandy also has a solid running back in freshman and Gainesville-native Ralph Webb. Vanderbilt has a scrappy quality and has made many games closer than they probably should have been. The Gators will likely employ a rush-heavy offense, though expect more passing attempts than last week against Georgia.

Kentucky is looking for its tenth win over Georgia since the
two teams began playing annually in 1956. Georgia cannot
afford to lose if they hope to challenge for the SEC East.
Kentucky, meanwhile, is facing the threat of a losing season
after winning five of their first six. Andy Lyons

A week after their demolition in Jacksonville, the Bulldogs will be looking for another win in Lexington. Georgia only allowed 27 passing yards in last week's blowout loss, but gave up 418 rushing yards. Expect nothing of the like this week, as Kentucky's offense is not tooled to replicate Florida's success. Kentucky's air-raid offense has proven inconsistent and has failed against better secondaries; the Cats will need to gain yards through the air in order to beat the Dawgs. The Wildcats have struggled against better rushing attacks and are faced with a tremendous challenge in limiting Nick Chubb.

Ole Miss, Auburn, and Mississippi State are all expected to win easily, leaving only one other intriguing match-up in the SEC. Once again Alabama will be traveling to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers. LSU is hoping to re-enter the SEC West race, though they'll need a bit of luck along with a win against Bama this Saturday. Alabama has a more balanced team, theoretically, although LSU is more battle-tested and is playing at home. A win by Alabama would end the Tigers' SEC title hopes while a win by LSU would put Bama's on life-support.

Elsewhere in the nation, Oregon takes on Utah in Salt Lake City. The Utes have the ability to win if they manage to move the ball on the ground and limit the effectiveness of Marcus Mariota (not an impossible task). Utah has a proclivity for winning close games. Arizona State, whom some may have written off after a blowout home loss to UCLA earlier this season, has the chance to jump right back into the playoff discussion with a win over Notre Dame this Saturday.

It's the Battle of the Purple when TCU takes on Kansas State
at home this Saturday. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

A titanic Big 12 match-up looms from Fort Worth. There, Kansas State will attempt to remain undefeated in conference play, though don't anticipate TCU to make it easy. The Horned Frogs will be a considerable favorite to win the Big 12 if they manage to get by the Wildcats on Saturday. That game will be played after the outcome of the Oklahoma-Baylor game is already known. A Baylor victory in Norman will eliminate the Sooners' hopes for at least a share of the conference championship, while an Oklahoma victory probably puts Baylor's own title hopes out of reach.

Two of the four ranked Big Ten teams meet in East Lansing this Saturday night. In all likelihood, this game will decide the winner of the conference's East division. The Spartans have a distinct intangible edge, having had an extra week to prepare and home-field advantage. The Buckeyes must overcome these two factors and the Spartan defense to escape with a win.

State of Florida:

• FIU (3-6) over Old Dominion (3-6), 24-21
• #2 Florida State (8-0) over Virginia (4-5), 34-17
• Florida Atlantic (3-6) over North Texas (2-6), 31-27
• Florida (4-3) over Vanderbilt (3-6), 24-14
• Miami (6-3), BYE
• South Florida (3-6), BYE
• UCF (5-3), BYE

Southeastern Conference:

• #17 Georgia (6-2) over Kentucky (5-4), 45-35
• #12 Mississippi (7-2) over Presbyterian (5-4), 49-0
• #3 Auburn (7-1) over Texas A&M (6-3), 45-3
• #1 Mississippi State (8-0) over UT Martin (5-5), 49-10
• #4 Alabama (7-1) over #14 LSU (7-2), 20-14
• Arkansas (4-5), BYE
• Missouri (7-2), BYE
• South Carolina (4-5), BYE
• Tennessee (4-5), BYE

Top 25:

• #5 Oregon (8-1) over #20 Utah (6-2), 31-28
• #9 Kansas State (7-1) over #6 TCU (7-1), 31-24
• #7 Michigan State (7-1) over #13 Ohio State (7-1), 34-24
• #11 Arizona State (7-1) over #8 Notre Dame (7-1), 27-24
• #16 Oklahoma (6-2) over #10 Baylor (7-1), 38-31
• #18 UCLA (7-2) over Washington (6-3), 24-17
• #19 Clemson (6-2) over Wake Forest (2-6), 34-9
• #21 Arizona (6-2) over Colorado (2-7), 38-21
• #22 Duke (7-1) over Syracuse (3-6), 31-24
• #23 Marshall (8-0) over Southern Miss (3-6), 35-13
• #24 West Virginia (6-3) over Texas (4-5), 34-31
• #25 Wisconsin (6-2) over Purdue (3-6), 38-24
• #15 Nebraska (8-1), BYE