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We highlight the college football games of Week 11 that are the most important or should be the best games to maximize your viewing pleasure.
The 25 Best College Football Games Of Week 11
Three more top 10 teams lost in Week 10. The ACC is a total disaster, and we just started November. The American Conference has a CFP semifinal game already. Week 11 is full of good games and good storylines. We’ll go over them with you. Not every one of the best games features a marquee team. Some of the best games, like the Battle of the Bricks in Tuesday night MACtion, feature teams that many aren’t familiar with. We’ll guide you to those teams as well. Let’s take a look at the best that Week 11 has to offer and where to find these games. All times are Eastern time.
25. (2) Indiana at Penn State
Where to watch: Fox, noon
Don’t mind me, I just enjoy watching the best team in the country light people up. Indiana disposed of UCLA’s comeback in short order. Expect them to embarrass another team trying to put together a nice rebound story. Penn State has one more mulligan before it can’t make a bowl anymore. They’re going to need it here.
24. (1) Ohio State at Purdue
Where to watch: Big Ten Network, noon
Purdue has knocked off some big-name teams at home, but it’s usually in a night game. The Ohio State camp has been conspicuously quiet about the noon kickoff this week. Purdue did give Michigan problems last week. I’m curious to see if Ohio State is interested in this game or not. There’s also a good chance that the most exciting thing about this game is seeing whether Julian Sayin completes 80% of his passes again.
23. Colorado at West Virginia
Where to watch: TNT, noon
West Virginia knocked Houston out of the Big 12 race with a win in Houston last week. Colorado has allowed 50 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2022. The difference is that Colorado allowed those points to ranked USC, Washington, and Utah teams, two of those on the road, in 2022. This year, it was against Utah and Arizona. If West Virginia scores 50 in this one, there will be riots in Boulder.
22. Navy at (10) Notre Dame
Where to watch: NBC, 7:30 p.m.
This is a RINO game (Rivalry in Name Only). These teams have played every year since 1928 except for 2020. Navy has one once since 2011 (2016 in Jacksonville). Navy losing to North Texas was bad news for the Irish, though the CFP ranked them high enough that it may not matter. There is a very real possibility that Notre Dame is rewarded for two “good” losses without beating a ranked team at the end of the season. As with SMU and Indiana last year, the CFP painted itself into a corner with Notre Dame. If the Irish win out, they’re in.
21. Missouri State at Liberty
Where to watch: ESPN+, 1 p.m.
Missouri State has held its own in Conference USA in its inaugural FBS season. Bears fans have created a very fun atmosphere in Springfield. We don’t know if they’re going to travel yet, but Jacob Clark and Shomari Lawrence are fun players in the Missouri State offense. The Bears should get a bowl invite. No one cares about NCAA rules anymore anyway. This is a good measuring stick for Missouri State.
20. (5) Georgia at Mississippi State
Where to watch: ESPN, noon
The fact that Georgia is only favored by 8.5 points in StarkVegas shows that gamblers are paying attention. The Bulldogs haven’t played a full game yet. They look good in the first half, but not the second…or vice versa. We haven’t seen this iteration of the Georgia Bulldogs really go out and punish someone. Mississippi State is light-years ahead of last year, but they still can’t close. Just look at how Texas escaped that game at Davis Wade two weeks ago. Can Mississippi State set another home trap? Texas barely escaped, and Tennessee needed overtime to get out of Starkville.
19. James Madison at Marshall
Where to watch: ESPN2, noon
The Dukes have only lost one game. It was on the road against Louisville. A Sun Belt title is all but certain for Alonza Barnett III and James Madison. What is not certain is where they sit in the playoff picture. Some chaos has already happened in the American Conference. If more happens, it’s reasonable to think that a 12-1 James Madison team with its only loss at Louisville could crash the CFP party. Also, I want to see how Carlos Del Rio-Wilson bounces back from a miserable four-turnover effort against Coastal Carolina last week.
18. Southern Mississippi at Arkansas State
Where to watch: ESPNU, noon
Hey, just because the Fun Belt doesn’t have Thursdays to itself anymore doesn’t mean that we should quit watching. You know how some team hires some coach from a small school that most people haven’t heard of? Come catch one of those hot names in Southern Mississippi’s Charles Huff. He won a Sun Belt title at Marshall last year and has turned Braylon Braxton, a guy who lost his job at Tulsa, into a quarterback who is now garnering NFL attention. Arkansas State’s Jaylen Raynor isn’t too shabby himself. There are some really good players on display in this one.
17. Northwestern at (19) USC
Where to watch: Fox, 9 p.m. (Friday)
USC escaped Lincoln, Nebraska, last week after Dylan Raiola’s broken leg. The Trojans are back at home in the Coliseum to face a pesky Northwestern team. FPI heavily favors USC (90.8%) and Vegas agrees (-14.5). I think that’s high. Northwestern’s defense held Oregon to 34 points and has had success running the ball in recent weeks. USC can be had in the run game. This could be uncomfortable for the Trojans.
16. Houston at Central Florida
Where to watch: FS1, 8 p.m. (Friday)
Big 12 lunatics have taken to calling this the “Space Race.” You know, because Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark hates fun. He has tried in vain to rid the world of the terms “Farmageddon” and “Revivalry.” He stopped the tortilla tradition at Texas Tech. So Big 12 fans have retaliated by naming a bunch of games. Space Race makes sense since Houston is the birthplace of NASA, and Port Canaveral is less than an hour from Orlando.
As for the game itself, Houston was a dark horse to make the Big 12 Championship until they lost to West Virginia, the worst team in the league. UCF is likely the second-worst team in the league, and Houston is on the road this week. Vegas doesn’t trust Houston anymore. The Cougars are 1.5-point road dogs. FPI also favors Central Florida at 60.4%.
15. Kansas at Arizona
Where to watch: ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.
We have two really good off-the-radar quarterbacks in this one. Jalon Daniels is having a stellar senior season. The team around him isn’t following suit. Arizona’s Noah Fifita is quietly having a really good season after a dreadful 2024 campaign. This quarterback duel is going to be worth the price of admission. It’s just a bonus that Vegas expects this to also be a good game (Arizona -4.5).
14. Air Force at San Jose State
Where to watch: FS1, 6 p.m.
Air Force has allowed 281.5 passing yards per game. That’s 132nd out of 136 teams. San Jose State loves to throw. I’m going to tune in just to see if Walker Eget breaks 500 passing yards. If he does, Danny Scudero could have over 300 receiving yards. There could be some history made at CEFCU Stadium in this matchup!
13. San Diego State at Hawaii
Where to watch: Spectrum, 11 p.m.
The last game of the night is another big one in the world of the Mountain West. With the perceived weakness of the ACC and the CFP rankings to back it up, a universe exists in which the American and Mountain West can both get into the CFP. It would take even more ACC chaos, but with what we’ve seen so far, do you really think we can rule it out? The Aztecs are 7.5-point road favorites. FPI agrees, giving the Aztecs a 63.9% chance of a win.
12. Nebraska at UCLA
Where to watch: Fox, 9 p.m.
Nebraska gets a sneak peek of the TJ Lateef era with Dylan Raiola out for the rest of the year with a broken leg. Nebraska became one-dimensional after Raiola left the USC game. UCLA had a week off to lick the wound of getting pantsed by Indiana. The Bruins still have bowl hopes. Nebraska is just hoping to survive life without Raiola. UCLA opened as a slight favorite in Vegas (-2.5), but the line has already moved to -1.5. Money is coming in on Nebraska. FPI agrees, with the Cornhuskers a hefty 68.3% favorite.
11. LSU at (4) Alabama
Where to watch: ABC, 7:30 p.m.
There’s a reason that LSU fired Brian Kelly before the bye week. Okay, part of it was the absolute meltdown on the sidelines and his stubbornness, but LSU also wanted the new coach to have two weeks to work with players before this game. It didn’t really do any good for Penn State against Ohio State last week. Vegas expects a little more here, with the Tide only favored by 10.5 points. FPI is thinking along the same lines, with Alabama favored at 80.9%.
10. Florida at Kentucky
Where to watch: SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.
This game means absolutely nothing, but it should be close due to the ineptitude of both offenses and the relative strength of both defenses. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who found some pleasure in the Kentucky-Auburn game last weekend. I’m old enough to remember Florida kicking the hell out of Kentucky — even during the Tim Couch years — for 30 years before the Cats won in Gainesville in 2018. Kentucky has won two of the last three. That had as much to do with Billy Napier getting fired as anything else. Vegas (-3.5) expects a close game, as does FPI (58.8% Florida).
9. UTSA at South Florida
Where to watch: ESPN, 7:30 p.m. (Thursday)
The crumbs that the CFP threw to the Group of 5 make this an important game. South Florida still has a shot with Memphis losing the Battle of the Bones and Tulane getting punked by UTSA in the Alamodome. UTSA is a much different team on the road. FPI says as much with South Florida an overwhelming 85.8% favorite. Vegas also calls for the running of the Bulls with USF a 13.5-point favorite.
8. Wake Forest at (14) Virginia
Where to watch: ESPN, 7 p.m.
This would have been a huge game in ACC circles if Wake hadn’t been throttled in Tallahassee last week. All that Wake can do now is play spoiler. Wake’s defense has been sneaky-good except for the FSU game, but in all fairness, Florida State’s offense leads the nation in yards per game. Virginia got a win by more than one score last week for the first time since September 20. Vegas has the Wahoos as a 6.5-point favorite at home. Virginia’s days of living dangerously may not be over just yet.
7. Florida State at Clemson
Where to watch: ACC Network, 7 p.m.
This game will not mean what many thought it would, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be a good game. Clemson is currently just a 2.5-point favorite. Florida State’s offense averages 510.5 yards per game. That’s the most in FBS. Clemson allows 350.3 yards per game, so something has to give. I expect a wild one in upstate South Carolina. The best part is that Google/YouTube’s feud with The Mouse won’t affect this game.
6. Duke at Connecticut
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network, 3:30 p.m.
This would be a hell of a basketball game, but this football game has some intrigue to it as well. Darian Mensah is fifth in FBS with 2,572 passing yards. Connecticut’s Joe Fagnano is sixth with 2,529 yards. Both defenses are pass funnel defenses, meaning they push things to the air. Mensah has 21 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. Fagnano still hasn’t thrown an interception in 304 passing attempts this year. This is going to be like a Blue Angels air show. Duke is a heavy favorite in FPI (72%) and Vegas (-9.5), but I think it could be closer than that. Whenever you have a game with two good quarterbacks who don’t make mistakes, things get fun.
5. Auburn at (16) Vanderbilt
Where to watch: SEC Network, 4 p.m.
Auburn is not the type of team you want to face when coming out of a game like Vandy had at Texas. Hugh Freeze was finally canned, so you should see a better version of the Auburn offense in this one. We all know that the Auburn offense was wasting a great season by the Auburn defense. Vegas sees what I’m seeing, with Vanderbilt just a 6.5-point favorite. FPI is a little more with Vandy at 70.9%. If I were a Vanderbilt fan, this game would make me very nervous.
4. (3) Texas A&M at (22) Missouri
Where to watch: ABC, 3:30 p.m.
Wait a minute…how did Missouri get another home game? This is what passes for a tough game in the A&M realm of SEC scheduling. The Aggies dodge Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma this year. All five of those teams are ranked higher than Missouri. FPI has this closer than Vegas does. The Aggies are 6.5-point road favorites in the desert, but only 56.6% according to FPI. It’s kind of a shame that Faurot Field isn’t enclosed yet. It would have created a hell of an atmosphere for the Vandy game and this game.
3. Tulane at Memphis
Where to watch: ESPN, 9 p.m. (Friday)
The College Football Playoff committee didn’t rank a single Group of 5 team this year. The five highest-ranked conference champions still get in no matter what, but the absence of the American Conference teams speaks volumes about what the CFP thinks of that pesky fifth guaranteed spot. Not having an American team in the rankings all but assures that the AAC will not get two teams in, no matter what happens. That’s disappointing that the committee won’t even consider that the American might be better than the ACC, despite the AAC doing better out of conference than the ACC. That means this game is VERY important in the Go5 race for a playoff spot. Memphis is a heavy favorite (72.5%) in FPI since Tulane lost to UTSA last week. The spread in Vegas has dropped four full points and now has Memphis as a 3.5-point favorite.
2. (9) Oregon at (20) Iowa
Where to watch: CBS, 3:30 p.m.
We saw Iowa play Indiana tough at home, one of the few teams to play Indiana tough. The Hawkeyes didn’t beat a team with a conference win until Week 9 when they smacked Minnesota to take back Floyd. Yes, in the age of super-mega-big-ass conferences, we’re seeing more and more teams make it into November without being tested. Iowa passed the test against Indiana, not losing until the final few minutes of the game and only losing by five points.
On the other side, the same can be said for Oregon. They also lost at home to Indiana, and the best win for the Ducks might be Northwestern since Penn State collapsed. We really don’t know much about either of these teams, which adds to the intrigue. FPI is heavily behind Oregon (70.3%), while Vegas has the Ducks at a 6.5-point favorite.
1. (7) BYU at (8) Texas Tech
Where to watch: ABC, noon
What do we have here? Two Big 12 teams in the top 10? Is the conference finally getting some much-deserved recognition? It’s not a coincidence that the two largest NIL pools in the Big 12 have ascended to the top of the conference. This could be a preview of the Big 12 Championship. Kind of boring, right? As per usual, Vegas isn’t respecting the Cougars. Tech is a double-digit (-10.5) home favorite. FPI is much more respectful of what the Cougars have done this year, giving BYU a 39.2% chance of an upset. How much do we believe in home-field advantage, especially now that tortillas can’t be thrown at will?
