College Football: Week 11

Well, we're getting into the final third of the season and obviously, it's the most important third. The remaining undefeated teams are in control of their own destiny while every team below is hoping and praying for an upset. And for a college football fan like me, I just want a good game on TV from 12 noon to midnight.

As for my Week 10 picks, they weren't too shabby. I went a respectable 10-5, including calling that Baylor would lose by 10 or less. I am particularly proud of that call. But this week, there are some tough calls and a good amount of games involving ranked teams playing a fellow ranked team. And of course, plenty of national title chances on the line once again.

TOP 15 GAMES

GAME OF THE WEEK
1. #8 Oklahoma State vs. #2 Texas Tech - Tough call to make this one the best but after seeing both teams play Texas, I am convinced that this one is bound to go to the end. OK State's offense is just as good as Texas so Tech's defense can't plan on taking it a little easier. Tech's offense has to make sure they play all 4 quarters this game unlike against Texas. Should be a good game to the end and while I think Tech will be ready for the Cowboys, I think OKLAHOMA STATE is the better team overall and has learned their lesson from losing at Texas.

REST OF THE BEST
2. #1 Alabama @ #15 LSU - If you read this blog regularly, you know I think Bama is overrated. I think the schedule has been kind to them and the games they have played against mediocre opponents, they have looked flat. Now, they already have a huge road win in the SEC against UGA so I know they are more than capable of doing that again. Nick Saban is a great coach but you know what, so is Les Miles. He will have this team upset-minded and ready to go. Not to mention the Tigers defense has a lot to prove after giving up 52 to UGA. So in my APPY pick, I'm taking LSU to give Bama their first loss.

3. #3 Penn State @ Iowa - So I've already called the other two unbeatens to lose. What about the third? Well, this game is on the road, which is a bit scary. The team is coming off a bye week, which can sometimes be a blessing or a hindrance. Meanwhile, Iowa is 5-4 and coming off a loss to Illinois. And with them being one win away from being bowl-eligible, you know they want this game bad. Iowa is not the hardest place to play and quite frankly, the Hawkeyes just aren't good enough to win this one. PENN STATE avoids the upset.

4. #11 TCU @ #10 Utah (THU) - At the beginning of the season, many would have thought this was the second-best Thursday night game. But now, this is the marquee one. TCU has been great all season, except for when Oklahoma reminded them that are in the Mountain West. And they are getting respect. They are ranked ahead of teams like OSU, Georgia, and Mizzou (who I am pretty sure would destroy TCU). Meanwhile, Utah has been less than stellar coming into this one. In fact, they've had some close calls. But it's at home and it's a big game. So I'll take UTAH in a close one.

5. #12 Ohio State @ Northwestern - This is a tough one to call. OSU is coming off a bye week, which means they will probably start off cold. Meanwhile, NW is flying high after an upset win in Minnesota. NW has a good offense, so if OSU's defense isn't ready, the Wildcats could easily grab a two-score lead. And coming back isn't exactly Pryor's strong suit. I know OSU is out to prove that they are still a dominant team after another loss but the Wildcats are gonna keep this one close. OHIO STATE wins but not by more than 10 points. Buckeyes 31-28

6. #22 Georgia Tech @ #19 North Carolina - I'm frustrated with the ACC. No team will take charge. But GT and UNC are the closest teams to doing that. GT may be without QB Josh Nesbitt, which is big since he has been running the option offense to near-perfection. Without him, Jaybo Shaw is at QB and this team struggles. UNC has been playing great despite injuries and after a week off to rest and get healthy, you have to like their chances to pull out the win. Both teams need this to take a big step forward to the ACC Championship game and in my mind, it will be NORTH CAROLINA who does it.

7. #4 Florida @ Vanderbilt - Some are saying Florida is the hottest team in college football right now. Tough to disagree, considering the way they have beaten their opponents since the Ole Miss loss. It was after that game when Tim Tebow said he and his team would not disappoint Gator fans for the rest of the year. Well, so far, so good. Vandy has dropped from Top 25 darling to their normal middle-of-the-road status but this is still a good team. And they have a chance to upset the Gators if Florida isn't ready to go. I wanna see Vandy win but common sense is telling me FLORIDA.

8. #21 California @ #7 USC - Every part of me is hoping Cal just destroys the Trojans in SoCal. But that's hard to foresee when looking at what USC has done since the Oregon State loss. The defense has given up just 20 points while the offense seems to be scoring on every possession. Cal is coming off a confidence-boosting win over Oregon so they may be coming into this game playing their best football. But USC is too good and will win big.

9. Cincinnati @ #20 West Virginia - I had a friend tell me that he thinks Cincinnati is going to win out and head to Orange Bowl representing the Big East. Well, as bad as the Big East is this season, he may be right. Cincy just beat a struggling USF squad while West Virginia just took down UConn. WVU is the only team undefeated in conference so a loss here puts them in a tie with a lot of teams. And after a 1-2 start, seeing them 5 in a row is an encouraging sign. I'll take WEST VIRGINIA in a blowout.

10. #23 Maryland @ Virginia Tech (THU) - This is another tough one to call. Maryland's 2 losses have come against unranked foes though they are 3-0 against ranked ones. VT was ranked just two weeks ago but have lost their last two. So what now? Well, the game is in Blacksburg and I don't see a Frank Beamer squad taking three on the chin. VIRGINIA TECH wins it.

11. Notre Dame @ Boston College - Talk about two teams that feel like they threw away their chance of being ranked. Notre Dame was up on Pitt 17-3 at the half and 24-17 with 5 min left but lost in 4OT. BC was down 17-0 but fought back to take a 21-17 lead, just to give up 10 more points and lose 27-21 to a bad Clemson team. Both teams are 5-3 so the winner becomes bowl-eligible. My pick: BOSTON COLLEGE

12. Clemson @ #24 Florida State - The monkey is off of Dabo Swinney's back. He has a win as Clemson head coach. Now, he gets to try again against an FSU team that should have beaten GT if not for an unfortunate goal-line fumble with less than a minute to go. This game should have been Bowden Bowl Ten but now, it's just an ACC game involving underachieving teams. But since I have to pick a winner, I'll pick FLORIDA STATE.

13. Oregon State @ UCLA - May be hard to believe but Oregon State can still win the Pac-10 title. Just like USC, the Beavers have just one loss (Week 1 vs. Stanford). So if they win out, they'll be the ones heading to the Rose Bowl, not the Trojans. But UCLA is no slouch. They've played well this season despite a lack of talent. But I gotta go with OREGON STATE with the Pac-10 title on the line.

14. #6 Oklahoma @ Texas A+M - If all is right with the world, this game won't be close. But this game reminds of the Mizzou-Baylor game. Heading into an inferior team's place and expecting to roll. Well, because of that, I think the Aggies keep it close. They don't win but keep it close. OKLAHOMA wins.

15. Louisville @ #25 Pittsburgh - Which Pitt team is going to show up? If it is the one that narrowly beat BG or the one that lost to Rutgers, than they are in trouble. If it's the team that took down USF or the second-half Panthers versus ND, then they have a good shot. Pitt has been an enigma all year while Louisville has just been decent at best. They also have a win over USF but that was a home game. I honestly don't know which Panther team will show up so I'll flip a coin. Who won it? PITTSBURGH did.