College Football Week 11 Picks – Who Ya Got?

I have consistently said that time has practically stood still during the COVID plague. But every year, the college football season seems to be over about 15 minutes after it starts. I watch with rolled eyes as the playoff committee dismisses Cincinnati because their schedule is too weak because the AAC is weak. (Not good news when my school is about to enter that conference.) The debate further cements my expectation that eventually, the Power Five conferences are going to form their own association in competition with the NCAA, forcing the Group of Five conferences and FCS to melt into one group. In the meantime, we can still watch the current iterations and have some fun trying to predict it.

New Mexico State at ‘Bama – After having to work harder than they should have last week, all the 5^th-string players will get the entire second half to actually play in a game. The Evil Empire 59, NMSU 6

Samford at Florida – This is essentially Florida’s second bye week. Lizards 45, Samford 7

Ar-Kansas at LSU – LSU put up a good battle at ‘Bama last week, showing how much they love their outgoing coach. But love can only carry you so far. Pigs 31, LSU 24

Texas A&M at Misipi – If you watched last week, you know that A&M has a defense that can be absolutely suffocating. Misipi actually didn’t do as well as expected on offense last week. So who wins, great defense or great offense? I don’t think Lane has faced a better defense than this, with the possible exception of ‘Bama. A&M 23, Misipi 17

South Carolina at Missouri – I never thought I’d live to see the day when SC blew Florida’s doors off. Yet here we are. In the opposite of Beamer tradition, this team is much better on offense than defense. I think they can outscore these Tigers in this one. Fightin’ Chickens 38, Mizzou 27

Georgia at Tennessee – I disagree with the growing number of talking heads that think this is going to be a close game. This will bring the orange guys back down to earth very quickly. Big Ol’ Hairy Dawgs 33, Rocky Medium 10

Kentucky at Vanderbilt – That non-call on the face mask was about the worst officiating blunder of the season – and that’s saying something, since I watch Conference USA officiating every week. Did that mistake directly determine the outcome? Of course not, but it did add 30 extra yards to the ground Kentucky had to cover, which could have made a huge difference. I imagine they will be seething this week. Briars 34, Vandy 16

Misipi St at Auburn – Every time I think Auburn has turned a corner, they fall backwards. Every time I think they’re sliding into the abyss, they pull an upset. I’ve spent all week thinking this is one of those giant step backwards games. Since my intuition is always wrong, I’ll just pick the other way. WAR EAGLE 28, Jerry Clower U 27

Charlotte at Louisiana Tech – At 5-4, Charlotte is exactly what the record says – highly inconsistent. LT is consistently terrible, although they can put points on the board. Charlotte’s defense is also terrible. This comes down to which terrible unit makes 1 less terrible play. The game is absolutely crucial for the road team, which is certain to get destroyed by Marshall next week. The urgency should provide the motivation to make 1 less terrible play. 49ers 41, LTU 38

Last week’s record: 6-2

Season: 71-23