College Football Watching Guide (Week 11 2024)
Back loaded.
This week’s the semi-calm before the storm.
The season’s winding down. Things are hurtling toward the endgame. Eyes are trained on the Heisman race, the conference title matchups, and yes, the Playoff.
ESPN’s already begun publishing Playoff rankings–though if you’re a Solid Slate subscriber, you don’t need to watch their show, because I’ll tell you every week who’s still in line for the Playoff with my PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR, delivered straight to your inbox.
Not many earth-shattering matchups, but what is on offer should be very enticing. Check it out below!
FREE SLATE
Early
The schedule-makers have reverted to the mean after last week’s weirdness, and the best time to not watch football this Saturday is once again in the early afternoon. Most of the good games occur later in the day, so while the weather’s not too chilly, I recommend you take a good walk through the leaves. That’s what the Solid Spouse and I will likely get up to. (Or if you have to rake that pesky foliage, now’s the time!)
EARLY SLATE
Big Screen
Miami at Georgia Tech
12:00pm/11:00am (ESPN)
This is probably the last chance for someone to stop the Canes. Miami’s a juggernaut, boasting the best offense in football based on points scored and yards racked up. You could say they’ve benefitted from a weak schedule and you’d be correct, and yikes, does their pass defense need work, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re the odds-on favorite to win the ACC.
The Yellow Jackets, meanwhile, have kind of underachieved since getting my hopes up by beating Florida State to open the year. They’re middling at nearly everything, not really excelling or stinking. They’re also suffering a two-game slide thanks mostly to an injury to veteran quarterback Haynes King, as Tech tries to figure out whether Zach Pyron or Aaron Philo’s the better choice to start while he recovers. Getting up for this game and getting bowl eligible would be a positive turnaround.
Small Screen
West Virginia at Cincinnati
12:00pm/11:00am (FS1)
Not kidding, this is the only other thing worth watching in this time slot. I would’ve said Florida/Texas on ABC, but with the Gators’ DJ Lagway likely out of action, I think the Horns romp. What was I talking about? Oh, right, West Virginia. The whole team runs through Garrett Greene, but he’s hurt and likely not to play against Cincinnati. Thankfully, the Mountaineers are pretty good at run blocking. Maybe they can scheme up a ball-control offense.
Cincinnati’s scheming up a route to bowl eligibility, meanwhile. Their strategy all year has depended on outscoring opponents. Their defense is the bend-don’t-break type, allowing about 400 yards a game and yet only 21-ish points on average. It’s doable for Brendan Sorsby against West Virginia’s woeful secondary, but after a loss last week to Colorado and with Iowa State coming up, Cincinnati cannot overlook this one.
MIDDLE SLATE
Big Screen
Georgia at Ole Miss
3:30pm/2:30pm (ABC)
Two teams fighting for Playoff contention. Georgia’s in slightly less danger of missing out, which you’d know if you subscribed to the Solid Slate and received my PLAYOFF ELIMINATOR email early every week! (Hint, hint.) The problem the Dawgs keep having is an inability to establish a run game. They’re excellent at everything else, and to be fair, they still rack up points in bunches.
Georgia’s pass-heavy approach will hurt the Rebs if they can’t step up in the secondary. They’re overwhelmingly quick and they score a ton on offense, but they can’t stop the pass consistently. There’s only so much Jaxson Dart can do for Ole Miss, and if they lose one more game they’re officially out of Playoff contention.
Small Screen
Colorado at Texas Tech
4:00pm/3:00pm (FOX)
The Buffs can probably win out and make the Playoff, which would be a monumental achievement. They seem to have figured out how to play just enough defense to hamper opponents. Meanwhile, on offense Shedeur Sanders just throws the ball and scrambles. I don’t think Coach Prime knows what a halfback is. But it’s working.
The Raiders just got done playing two close games. They lost a nail-biter to TCU after they fell apart late, and then did just enough to beat Iowa State. The offense is a throwback to the Briles-era Baylor approach: spread the field, then run to open up the pass. The defense is a throwback to that same approach: there is no defense. Hey, it’s gotten them to bowl eligibility! Expect points in this one. How many? All of them.
Watch The Score
South Carolina at Vanderbilt (4:15pm/3:15pm, SEC Network)
Michigan at Indiana (3:30pm/2:30pm, CBS)
Clemson at Virginia Tech (3:30pm/2:30pm, ESPN)
NIGHT SLATE
Big Screen
Alabama at LSU
7:30pm/6:30pm (ABC)
The SEC’s doing a great job of scheduling the best or second-best game every single week. Both of these teams fall out of Playoff contention with a loss, so this is a crucial matchup. The Tide would really like to avoid starting off the Saban-less era of their program outside the Playoff picture. To do that, something needs to stand out. Alabama does everything well, but nothing spectacularly. And that’s notable. In previous years you could always point to one feature of any given Alabama team that would carry them to greatness. Not so with this edition.
Can the Tigahs take advantage of their rival’s perceived weakness? Garrett Nussmeier remains a blinding bright spot in Brian Kelly’s passing attack, hurling the pigskin for over 400 air yards in last week’s loss to the Aggies. Even the Bayou Bengals’ defense is merely middle-of-the-road. If Baton Rouge’s finest put all the pieces together, they could put a stop to the Tide’s Playoff dreams in Death Valley.
Small Screen
Washington at Penn State
8:00pm/7:00pm (Peacock streaming service)
You know my feelings about placing games on streaming services. Any of the games below would be fine replacements for this one if you don’t subscribe to Peacock, but if you do, this one might surprise. The Huskies are flying a touch under the radar. Their losses are to Wazzu, Iowa, and Indiana (three very good teams) and Rutgers (by three points). Will Rogers is a reliable hand passing the ball, but this team’s strength is its solid, stalwart defense.
That defense could give a tired Nittany Lions squad fits. They just dropped one to Ohio State, for what seems like the umpteenth year in a row. But don’t count Penn State out. They’re firmly in Playoff contention, and what their offense lacks in punchiness their defense makes up for. Seriously, they do not allow other teams to score. If they have a good week of practice, the Huskies better watch out.
Watch The Score
Oklahoma at Missouri (7:45pm/6:45pm, SEC Network)
UCF at Arizona State (7pm/6pm, ESPN2)
Virginia at Pitt (8pm/7pm, ACC Network)
Nevada at Boise State (8pm/7pm, FOX)
LATE SLATE
BYU at Utah
10:15pm/9:15pm (ESPN)
Time for a HOLY WAR!!! This testy rivalry is finally a Power conference tilt, and boy am I excited about that. The Cougars have impressed everyone this year, coming out of nowhere to lead the Big 12. If they win this one, they’ll probably take an undefeated record into the conference title game. They’ve done it with takeaway-minded defense and highly efficient offense, limiting mistakes and forcing them from others. If that continues, it bodes well.
The Utes, meanwhile, were the belle of the ball entering the season, but with Cam Rising again on the shelf due to injury, they’ve underachieved. The offense is in a tailspin, and has defaulted to a clock-chewing mentality that benefits their defense. Thankfully, that unit is doing fine, probably the most fine in the conference. A low-scoring affair favors the boys in red.