What to Watch, Week 11: It's time to thin the College Football Playoff herd
What a great week for college football.
There are 12 one-loss teams remaining among the Power Five conferences and six of them play each other this weekend.
While the College Football Playoff picture probably won’t be a lot clearer after this weekend, we might be able to definitively cross some teams off the list, and by extension, count some conferences out of contention.
This is the beginning of the thinning of the herd and marks the first of four very exciting final weeks of the college football regular season as we march to the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Here’s what to watch in Week 11:
Game of the week:
No. 7 Kansas State at No. 6 TCU, 7:30 p.m. ET
Let’s go ahead and say the purple team will win this game. This is an important contest for both teams because both are in the College Football Playoff mix. This is TCU’s last big game, so it needs to make a statement to impress voters and then it needs some help from the teams above it. That shouldn’t be a problem since several of those teams play each other. Kansas State is just on the outside looking in, but it has the type of schedule that could catapult it into the playoff if it wins out. Both of these teams have been playing well all season, so this should be a close game. Expect a lot of offense in this game as both teams have steady quarterbacks and star receivers. The biggest wildcard will be whether TCU star running back B.J. Catalon, who’s practiced sparingly this week, will be good to go.
Game to watch:
No. 5 Alabama at No. 16 LSU, 8 p.m. ET
Alabama is about to enter the toughest end-of-the-season gauntlets of any team in the country, starting with this weekend’s game against LSU. Both teams have had an extra week to prepare for this game, but it’s difficult to really prepare for playing a night game in Death Valley. The Alabama offense, which has been great in its past two games, will have to be sharp and patient because LSU doesn’t give up a lot, especially in the passing game. Bama running back T.J. Yeldon has been nursing a foot injury in the past couple weeks, so that could be a concern as well. LSU is one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to pass efficiency defense and it will be locked in on Alabama star receiver Amari Cooper. This might not be the 9-6 game it was a few years ago, but it definitely won’t be last year’s Alabama domination.
Also check out…
No. 14 Ohio State at No. 8 Michigan State, 8 p.m. ET
Thanks to the struggles of the Big Ten this season, this is one of the few marquee matchups of the conference’s season. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has lost to one Big Ten opponent during his tenure with the Buckeyes and it was Michigan State during last year’s Big Ten title game. While he insisted that this wasn’t a rivalry, it’s clear there is a lot riding on this game. Both of these teams have one loss, and since the College Football Playoff committee isn’t a big fan of the Buckeyes losing to Virginia Tech, this game would go a long way toward pushing them toward one of the coveted New Year’s bowls. Michigan State, on the other hand, still has a chance to get into the College Football Playoff, but it needs this win to stay in the hunt. This game should be a lot of fun. Instead of a tradition, stodgy defensive Big Ten game, there should be some points scored and Michigan State should have a nice advantage against a soft Ohio State secondary.
Don't waste your time with:
Any of the early games
The morning games are usually hit and miss from week-to-week, but this week’s slate is especially awful. Even the contest between ranked Oklahoma and Baylor has lost a bit of its steam considering neither of those teams are as good as many expected them to be at the beginning of the season. Do you really want to see Ole Miss take out its frustrations on a lowly Presbyterian team or SMU-Tulsa fight for the bottom of the AAC? Perhaps, if you’re really looking for something to watch, Iowa and Minnesota might be worth your time. Personally, I’d suggest using the early-game time slot for spending time with your family, discovering a hobby or enjoying the fresh air. Then come back for the better football that begins at 3:30 ET.
Keep an eye on:
Blake Sims, QB, Alabama
Sims had some interesting comments this week about watching film of the Tide’s last game at LSU, studying former Tide quarterback AJ McCarron and trying to emulate his composure in a hostile environment. Death Valley is a tough place to play and Alabama has had a slew of communication problems on special teams and offense all season. All eyes will be on Sims as his tries to navigate the Tide through this pivotal game that could extend or end their College Football Playoff hopes. Sims, who is a first-year starter, will have to show the poise of a veteran if he want to pull out this win.
Upset alert:
No. 18 UCLA (-6.5) at Washington, 7 p.m. ET
It’s been really difficult to trust UCLA this season. One week the Bruins look amazing against Arizona State and the next they’re barely sliding by teams such as Cal and Colorado. Washington is the type of team that isn't really good enough to topple the best of the conference, but is good enough to give teams trouble, especially at home. With the exception of a weird game against Eastern Washington and, of course, Oregon, the Huskies have been strong on defense and should be able to get after UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley. This game will be close, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Huskies won outright.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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