CFB: Week 11 Preview
Team Rankings:
1. Alabama (8-0, 95)
2. LSU (8-0, 95)
3. Ohio State (8-0, 94)
4. Clemson (9-0, 91)
5. Penn State (8-0, 85)
6. Oregon (8-1, 77)
7. Georgia (7-1, 73)
8. Utah (8-1, 70)
9. Oklahoma (7-1, 65)
10. Baylor (8-0, 59)
The Crimson Tide (8-0) stay at the top of our rankings despite their lack of high level victories. They have been simply dominant, earning a +267 point differential, which is the best in the SEC. LSU is second in the conference at +214. The two will matchup in the Tuscaloosa this weekend and the winner will be the #1 team in the nation next week. Ohio State is waiting in the wings with impressive wins over #17 Cincinnati (42-0) and #16 Wisconsin (38-7). Clemson only has one win against a top-25 foe when they beat #12 Texas A&M (24-10) at home. Penn State rounds out of top five after a few nice wins against #17 Iowa (17-12) and #16 Michigan (28-21). Four of the top five teams will play each other in the next month. Oregon, Georgia, Utah, Oklahoma, and Baylor finish out the top-10 teams in our opinion.
Week 11 Picks:
Wake Forest @ Virginia Tech
#5 Penn State @ Minnesota
Kansas State @ Texas
Washington State @ Cal
Picks Records:
Caleb Henderson: 38-12
Charles Post: 41-9
Chinedum Wejinya: 43-7
Tyler Taylor: 33-17
Playoff Picks:
1. Alabama (13-0, SEC champions)
2. Ohio State (13-0, Big Ten champions)
3. Clemson (13-0, ACC champions)
4. LSU (11-1, SEC West runner-up)
Wake Forest (7-1) comes into Week 11 with only one loss and a shot at reaching the ACC championship game if they can upset Clemson later this month. Before that, though, they have to get through Virginia Tech (5-3). Both teams have hopes of competing for an ACC title and this game will go a long way in deciding who goes. #5 Penn State (8-0) hits the road to face fellow undefeated foe Minnesota (8-0). The Golden Gophers haven't faced a ranked team thus far so this is their first opportunity to prove just how good they are. Kansas State, fresh off their upset over Oklahoma, will look to continue this streak versus Texas. Meanwhile, Washington State heads to Cal. In the game of the week, #2 LSU travels to #1 Alabama with the SEC West title on the line. We'll take Virginia Tech, Penn State, Texas, Cal, and Alabama.
Heisman Standings:
1. Joe Burrow (LSU, 20)
2. Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma, 16)
3. Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama, 11)
4. Chase Young (Ohio State, 5)
5. Justin Fields (Ohio State, 4)
Joe Burrow (2,805 yards, 30 touchdowns) becomes the first player this season to get all first place votes and earn all 20 available points. At this point in the season, it's certainly his award to lose and a game against Alabama is the perfect game to solidify that. Jalen Hurts (2,469 yards, 21 touchdowns) isn't too far behind, though, and he'll have a couple chances towards the end of the year to climb to the top spot if Burrow happens to slip up. Tua Tagovailoa (2,166 yards, 27 touchdowns) has had his statistics take a bit of a hit because he's been injured for the last two weeks. With that said, he has the same opportunity to show up on the biggest stage against LSU tomorrow night. Behind him is a pair of Ohio State players in Chase Young (29 tackles, 13.5 sacks) and Justin Fields (1,659 yards, 24 touchdowns).
Photo Credit: Fox.
