Our Week 11 College Football predictions take us to the second week of November. There are a few games on the card this week that could affect the college football playoff rankings, especially if the favorite loses the game. We have three big games between ranked teams on tap. The #8 Buckeyes head to East Lansing to take on #24 Michigan State. #18 Mississippi State heads to #1 Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide. And #2 Clemson heads to the northeast to take on #17 Boston College.
Let’s dive deeper into each of these and a few more for our college football predictions of the week. I’m coming off a hot week last week going 5-2 so get on the old man Morris train and ride me to victory this week.
Auburn +14 (O/U 52.5) at Georgia
Big rivalry game despite Auburn’s poor record this year. And a big comeback win for the Tigers last week beating Texas A&M. Georgia took down SEC East runner-up Kentucky 34-17 with ease last Saturday, putting up 331 yards on the ground while limiting the Wildcats’ rushing duo of Terry Wilson and Benny Snell to a measly 85 yards. Compare that to the Tigers, who managed just 19 yards on 21 carries last week. Auburn won’t be able to punch their way out of this bag and will lose big as Georgia preps from the final stretch.
Ohio State -3.5 (O/U 51) at Michigan State
We’ve got a brawl on our hands in East Lansing Saturday. Michigan State ranks first nationally in rush defense (71.7 yards per game), but its pass defense is 98th, surrendering 254 yards a game through the air. That’s exactly where Ohio State can and will take advantage especially because Dwayne Haskins has the arm to do it. Buckeyes are ranked #3 in the country in passing. The Bucks will keep pace with Michigan setting up the showdown after Thanksgiving. This game will look and feel a lot like the Michigan/MSU game and the Buckeyes win easily.
Clemson -19.5 (O/U 56.5) at Boston College
This is the last real test for Clemson this season, including whatever team the Coastal Division sends to the ACC championship. BC has the talented running back AJ Dillon (897 rushing yards, eight touchdowns), but will he be able to get it going against that loaded front seven for Clemson, who are limiting opposing teams to 90 rushing yards a game. Clemson also has 32 sacks (tied for second nationally) and an increasingly solid quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. We could be wrong, but at least on paper it just feels like the Tigers will be too much for the Eagles.
Mississippi State + 24.5 (O/U 53) at Alabama.
There’s no question in anyone’s mind that Alabama is the best team in the country after last week’s performance against #3 LSU. And yet the Tide has to turn right around and face another ranked opponent in Mississippi State on Saturday. Believe it or not, MSU is actually more dangerous on offense than the Tigers are.
The player to watch for the Bulldogs will be quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who ranks third among quarterbacks and fourth in the SEC with 839 rushing yards this season. On the flip side, the Tide have given up 36 rushing yards to quarterbacks this year (though they did give up 98 on the ground to Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond). It will also be interesting to see how Alabama’s high-paced offense fares against a Bulldogs defense that rank seventh nationally in yards allowed. Could this be the week that Bama has a letdown? We’ll take a chance and say yes, especially because we’re getting 23.5.