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Jackson's Week 11 college football predictions for all ranked games and top-25 matchups. His picks for Texas Tech vs. BYU, Texas A&M vs. Missouri, and more.
Week 11 College Football Predictions
The first College Football Playoff Rankings are here, but we’ll continue to go by the AP Poll as we have done all season for this column. The 2025 college football season is flying by, but there are still plenty of must-watch matchups with CFP implications.
The Week 11 slate is headlined by the biggest regular-season Big 12 game of the year, as the undefeated BYU Cougars travel to take on the dominant Texas Tech Red Raiders. It’s not the juiciest slate overall on paper, but that’s usually when the biggest upsets and surprises happen. Let’s get to it!
No. 24 Washington at Wisconsin
Demond Williams continues to show he is one of the country’s brightest young quarterbacks, and head coach Jedd Fisch could be coaching his way into an elite job based on his turnaround at Arizona and Washington. Meanwhile, Wisconsin has lost six straight games and is 0-6 against Power Four foes.
The wheels are falling off in Madison under Luke Fickell, and that will be evident again on Saturday against a much better Husky squad.
Prediction: Washington 31, Wisconsin 17
No. 22 Memphis vs. Tulane
Tulane was upset by UTSA last week, further proving the American Conference is the unpredictable Wild West in 2025. In the first College Football Playoff poll, Memphis was selected as the No. 12 seed as the fifth-highest-ranked projected conference champion.
The Tigers are 4.5-point home favorites in the matchup with the Green Wave, but these are two evenly matched teams between two rising coaches, and I expect Jake Retzlaff to bounce back in a big way after a disastrous Week 10 showing.
Prediction: Tulane 33, Memphis 30
No. 20 USC vs. Northwestern
The Trojans have two losses, but they might control their own path to the CFP if they can run the table. If you’re a USC fan, it was good to see Lincoln Riley’s team win an ugly Big Ten-style slugfest at Nebraska last week, something they’ll have to continue to do as a relatively new member of the conference.
USC cannot afford to slip up here, as dates against Iowa and Oregon loom. They’ll take care of Northwestern — easily.
Prediction: USC 38, Northwestern 17
No. 18 Miami vs. Syracuse
Mario Cristobal has proven to be one of the country’s greatest compilers of talent, but the Canes suffered yet another loss under his watch as a double-digit favorite at SMU last weekend. It seems like Miami can compete with anyone, but it hasn’t lived up to its potential.
There’s still a potential path to the College Football Playoff, but it got much more difficult following another heartbreaking loss. However, Syracuse has been one of the worst teams in the Power Four conferences since Steve Angeli went down, so Miami should roll in this spot.
Prediction: Miami 40, Syracuse 7
No. 15 Vanderbilt vs. Auburn
The final score of last week’s Vandy vs. Texas game is deceiving. The Commodores suffered just a three-point loss, but they were trailing by 24 points entering the fourth quarter before a rally. Is Vandy declining, or is Texas ascending? It could be a little of both, but a matchup with Auburn, which just fired Hugh Freeze, is a get-right matchup after the tough defeat.
Auburn’s defense may keep Vandy’s offense in check, but the Tiger offense has been lifeless all season long.
Prediction: Vanderbilt 23, Auburn 13
No. 14 Louisville vs. Cal
Cal has been competitive in most of its contests, and the Golden Bears need to secure just one more win to qualify for a bowl game. Its best chance will probably come next week against Stanford, though, because the matchup with Louisville is expected to be one-sided.
I do think Justin Wilcox and his gritty team will cover the 20.5-point spread, though.
Prediction: Louisville 34, Cal 17
No. 12 Virginia vs. Wake Forest
Virginia isn’t flashy or dominant. But they keep winning games, and that’s all that matters, right? The Cavs rank fourth in the ACC in total yards per game (439.0) and third in rushing yards per game (186.7). The program was patient with Tony Elliott, and it’s panning out. Maybe some other programs should learn from this.
Wake Forest isn’t a great football team, but the Demon Deacons have fought hard against the likes of Georgia Tech, and they beat SMU a few weeks ago. I expect another competitive game, with Virginia likely to sneak out another close win.
Prediction: Virginia 24, Wake Forest 20
No. 10 Notre Dame vs. Navy
The Irish began the season 0-2, but it almost feels inevitable that a 10-2 finish is coming, along with a College Football Playoff berth. Notre Dame ranks third nationally in yards per pass attempt (9.9), and Navy ranks 110th in yards per attempt allowed (8.1). Expect plenty of explosive downfield passes from CJ Carr in this rivalry matchup.
Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Navy 20
No. 8 BYU at No. 9 Texas Tech
The game of the week is set to kick off in Lubbock, Texas, at noon Eastern, as Texas Tech, which ranks second nationally in scoring margin per game (+26.6), takes on Kalani Sitake’s 8-0 Cougars. The preseason assumption was that the Big 12 would be a single-bid league in the College Football Playoff, but both of these squads may be there in the end if the Red Raiders win here.
Texas Tech has a significant talent edge and is a 10-point home favorite in this spot, but BYU has a way of forcing opponents into slugfests. Can BYU pull off the upset? Yes. Will they? I don’t think so, but I do think it’ll be a close game with a dramatic finish in typical Big 12 fashion.
Prediction: Texas Tech 27, BYU 26
No. 7 Ole Miss vs. The Citadel
Last year’s Ole Miss team found a way to lose three games despite stomping Georgia, but Lane Kiffin’s 2025 squad has found a way to take care of business so far. The Rebels seem to be headed for the CFP, and as long as Ole Miss brings its D-minus game against the outmatched Citadel, this should be an easy win.
Prediction: Ole Miss 54, The Citadel 10
No. 6 Oregon at Iowa
Many might still perceive Oregon as a high-flying offense that often gets involved in shootouts, but that’s not the case in 2025. Oregon is one of the best defensive teams in the country, and it does its damage on offense via ground attack. Iowa has averaged fewer than 120 passing yards per game, and the Ducks lead the nation in average yards per attempt allowed.
It’s supposed to be a cold, rainy day in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, so everything points toward an ugly, low-scoring affair. I just trust Oregon to hit a couple of explosives, which could be all it takes to collect a win here. If Iowa’s offense does much of anything, it’ll be a surprise.
Prediction: Oregon 24, Iowa 10
No. 5 Georgia at Mississippi State
Whether you’re a fan of the SEC or not, the point spreads have been fascinating this year. Georgia is the No. 5 team in the nation, yet is only favored by just over a touchdown against Mississippi State in Starkville this weekend. State just won its first conference game of the Jeff Lebby era in Week 10, and it should be motivating to put up a strong fight against a suspect Georgia defense.
This was a close game in Athens a year ago, and I expect the same to happen in Starkville. It’s just a shame this isn’t a night game under the noise of the Cowbells. Georgia will take home the victory in the battle of the Bulldogs.
Prediction: Georgia 34, Mississippi State 28
No. 4 Alabama vs. LSU
The Alabama vs. LSU matchup always sets up to be one of the most exciting games of the season, with SEC Championship and College Football Playoff implications on the line. This year is a bit different since LSU has already suffered three defeats and fired head coach Brian Kelly, but we’ve seen teams rally around interim coaches on several occasions this season.
The Tigers still have talent in bunches, and maybe a change of philosophy will prove to be beneficial. I don’t expect LSU to get run out of the building, but I do expect Alabama to win at home.
Prediction: Alabama 27, LSU 17
No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 19 Missouri
Despite the loss of quarterback Beau Pribula, this may not be an easy out for Texas A&M on the road. Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers didn’t look overwhelmed when he was called into action against Vanderbilt a few weeks ago, and Eli Drinkwitz has had a bye week to game plan offensively.
However, the Aggies continue to answer the call, and then some, in its toughest matchups of the season. They might have the most complete team in the SEC, as we’ve seen them win in a variety of ways. Aggies win another here and improve to 9-0.
Prediction: Texas A&M 34, Missouri 24
No. 2 Indiana at Penn State
This game was circled in the preseason, but James Franklin is gone, and the Nittany Lions’ season has imploded. Indiana hasn’t played with its food this season and let inferior teams stick around, and I don’t expect it to happen here, even in Happy Valley.
Curt Cignetti will find a way to motivate the Hoosiers here.
Prediction: Indiana 37, Penn State 17
No. 1 Ohio State at Purdue
Ohio State keeps rolling along and looks like the best team in the country, by far. Indeed, the Buckeyes haven’t faced a murderer’s Row of competition, but they’ve been dominant on both sides of the football, and Purdue is probably the worst team in the Big Ten.
The only change this game is competitive is if Ohio State sleepwalks.
Prediction: Ohio State 45, Purdue 6
