College Football Week 11: Outside the SEC

Week 11 of the college football season is looking to be one of the more entertaining weeks in an incredibly entertaining year for the sport. 20 of the 25 teams in the AP Poll Top 25 are outside the SEC. Let’s take a look at what’s on the agenda post-tailgate. Or mid-tailgate, if that’s your kind of thing.

No. 2 Michigan (9-0) at  No. 9 Penn State (8-1) [Noon ET, Fox]: 

Despite all of the off-field drama for this Michigan team, the Wolverines look to break double digit wins with no losses. Michigan has done incredibly well under the scrutiny of fans this season. Michigan has dealt with allegations of off-campus scouting and signal stealing by former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions for months now. This Wolverine squad has proved this time and time again this season that this controversy has not been on their mind through examples like winning three games with an absent Jim Harbaugh.

The key for this Penn State team to win this game is their run defense. The Nittany Lions have held their opponents to just 60.3 yards per game this season. The Wolverines have allowed more than 10 points only twice this season. They also have scored more than 30 points in every game. If the Lions can hold Michigan QB JJ McCarthy in the pocket, this game becomes significantly more interesting.

If Michigan beats the Lions, the 2023-24 Wolverines will have a 70% chance to reach the CFP and a 56% chance to win the Big Ten East. Rival No. 1 Ohio State’s chances to win the division will fall to 44%.

Miami (6-3) at No. 4 Florida State (9-0) [3:30 p.m. ET, ABC]:

It is no secret that Florida State has come into their own this season led by a fully matured Jordan Travis. Travis has all the weapons he needs in order to reach the ACC championship game undefeated. With receivers like Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson back from injury, the Seminoles will have a much easier time settling into games than when Ja’Khi Douglas had to step up with a 100-yard game. Regardless, the depth that this team has is a big reason for their massive success this season. Just ask Logan Copperwheat.

Miami has had a good season so far from a bird’s eye view. However, this Hurricane team gets more and more disappointing the closer you look. Even through improved lineman pickups on both sides of the ball, questionable quarterback play is a facet of this offense that the Florida State defensive line is sure to be salivating at. Florida State is going to need to focus in on run defense in order for this game to not turn into a high-scoring college football shootout.

No. 13 Utah (7-2) at No. 5 Washington (9-0) [3:30 p.m. ET, Fox]:

Washington has been one of the most impressive teams on the radar of college football teams this season. If Michael Penix Jr. is Heisman-worthy, it means big performances in these types of games. This kind of game will be essential to proving Washington is truly here to stay in CFP contention against a strong Utah defense. Utah has not shown to be the type of team that has proven to handle a significant amount of adversity. Just ask Oregon, who were able to pull away from the Utes early and stay there. Washington is not the type of team that is going to give up without a battle. Just ask Oregon.

The biggest question mark in this entire game relies on if the Utah offense can perform, and that’s about it. Hopefully there are some surprises within these 4 quarters. However, history is telling fans a certain kind of story about this Utah squad.

No. 24 USC (7-2) at No. 6 Oregon (8-1) [10:30 p.m. ET, Fox]:

Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans will look to rebound against the Oregon Ducks after a heartbreaker against Washington last week. The Trojans seem to be a bit of a litmus test for elite teams this season. Oregon have passed 8/9 of their tests as of this point in the season. It will be interesting to watch this USC team try and get their confidence back against an Oregon team that has more momentum than almost all teams in the entirety of Division 1 college football this season. Oregon QB Nix has taken on a good amount of this Oregon momentum himself. Nix has completed at least 70% of his passes in every game so far. He’s got 25 touchdowns and only two interceptions, while being on the brink of crossing the 3,000-yard threshold. With a good performance tonight, Nix’s Heisman chances look better and better.

Ducks running back Bucky Irving has been a beast for this Oregon offense. Irving has ran for 821 yards and nine touchdowns at an average of nearly 7 yards per carry. USC’s run defense, however, is one of the nation’s worst. The Trojans have allowed 186 rushing yards per game this season. This is an abysmal figure for a team as highly touted as USC at the onset of the season. USC, which has three losses in its past four games, still finds itself with a shot at making it to the Pac-12 title game. Hopefully this part of USC’s story this season will carry over into a nothing-to-lose mindset that will help USC reach the potential fans envisioned for their leading touchdown passer in Williams.