CFB: Key Storylines to follow in Week 11
With the first College Football Playoff rankings unveiled on Tuesday, a fresh set of questions have been raised. Week 11 will go some way to providing answers or perhaps add to the lack of clarity. As always, the SEC provides the marquee matchups this week, but the battle atop the Big 12 may offer the most intrigue. Here are our key storylines to follow.
Will the real Georgia please stand up
Which version of the Georgia Bulldogs will we get come Saturday? We’ve had the porous defense that allowed Alabama to rack up points in the first half, the dialled-in group that made Texas and Quinn Ewers look lost for answers, and this week, Carson Beck’s three head-scratching picks left Georgia in a scrap with Florida.
This week, the opponent is Ole Miss, which leads the country in sacks. A defensive line that boasts Suntarine Perkins, Princely Umanmielen, and Walter Nolen will certainly ask questions of this offensive line. Beck’s performance has dipped majorly when pressured. His PFF grade under pressure is 35.7, and his turnover-worthy play percentage jumps to 8.8%.
The difference between the Rebels and Florida is that a Jaxson Dart-led offense will certainly have a better chance of converting turnovers into points. Even without star receiver Tre Harris due to injury, Dart threw for 515 yards last week, with Jordan Watkins and Cayden Lee picking up the slack.
With this result, Lane Kiffin’s and Ole Miss’s playoff hopes lie in the balance. It’s not one that the Georgia Bulldogs can afford to take lightly.
Is Colorado a legitimate Big 12 contender?
The Big 12 remains wide open, and a surprise name is involved at the top in Colorado. Colorado’s strides on defense and in the trenches on offense have led them to a 6-2 record. Surprisingly, the last four games on their schedule look much less scary than they did going into the year. Utah, Kansas, and Oklahoma State have all underachieved, and if the Buffs can hold their nerve, a foray into the playoffs and a Travis Hunter Heisman run will be on the cards.
Their game against Texas Tech offers quite the juxtaposition. On the one hand, there’s Deion Sanders, whose recruiting ethos has been considered to be laid back by many. Instead, he relies on the transfer portal to restock his roster. Across from him, Joey McGuire is quite the opposite. Even competing in the recruiting hotbed of Texas, McGuire has brought in good talent, and anyone in the state will tell you the hard work he puts in with high school coaches.
A Red Raiders victory in this one throws the conference into further disarray, muddying the picture and levelling the records of these two. Can Colorado live up to their billing as favourite and keep ESPN’s fever dream of the Sanders in the playoffs alive?
Alabama and LSU seek to end one another’s postseason hopes
The stakes are always high when these two schools meet, even more so when they can put pay to each other’s National Championship dreams. Alabama had a signature win over Georgia, giving them some leeway, but for LSU, the Texas A&M loss left them fighting an uphill battle. The pressure will only intensify on these two head coaches should they add another loss.
On the face of it, ‘Bama come into this with more confidence. They shutout Missouri last week and had three interceptions to boot. That will be a major concern to Tigers fans who have Garrett Nussmeier’s second-half meltdown against the Aggies fresh in the memory. The matchup between the Alabama corners and LSU’s electrifying wideouts will be one to watch closely.
Brian Kelly has won one, lost one against Alabama so far in his tenure as Head Coach of LSU. He will be keen to avoid the same mistakes as last year’s 42-28 loss, when Jalen Milroe ran for 155 yards and four touchdowns. A repeat would be the nail in the coffin for LSU’s championship aspirations.
Is the Holy War where BYU lose their undefeated record?
We are getting to the time of year when common sense goes out of the window. An increase in conference games and rivalry weeks means picking winners is all the more difficult. Take this one: an undefeated BYU should roll over Utah easily, particularly considering the Utes are without their starting QB Cam Rising. However, we know the Holy War is unlikely to be that straightforward. These games mean more and therefore, unpredictability reigns.
Having started the year 4-0, the Utes are now on a four-match losing streak, something they will be desperate to snap against the Cougars. The key battle in this one will likely be how Isaac Wilson, Utah’s freshman QB, can cope with a marauding BYU defense. Wilson, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach, will be keen to get one over on his brother’s alma mater. Standing in his way is the likes of defensive end Tyler Batty and middle linebacker Jack Kelly.
The oddsmakers have BYU as four-point favourites. They must beat Utah convincingly if they seriously aspire to be a playoff team. For the Utes, retirement is on the horizon in the next few years for Kyle Whittingham. He’ll be desperate to bolster his 11-4 record against the Cougars.
Rory-Joe Daniels
NFL & Cfb contributor
AS A LONG-SUFFERING CINCINNATI BENGALS FAN, RORY HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL FOR OVER 20 YEARS. HIS PASSION FOR THE DRAFT LED HIM TO GET ENTANGLED WITH COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND HE HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT PROSPECTS AND THE CFB LANDSCAPE EVER SINCE.