College Football Week 11 Preview: Spots to Target

We’re now in Week 11 of the college football season, where a lot of teams lose motivation to finish this season out. We’re also heading toward rivalry week, which means there will definitely be some flat spots ahead. Let’s take a look at some situations to keep aware of this weekend.

All odds are per DraftKings Sportsbook.

Flat Spots

Georgia Tech at Clemson

Noon ET
Clemson -14.5

Despite what Dabo Swinney said after the game, I’m still not going to completely buy into Clemson down the stretch. The Tigers just had No. 15 Notre Dame in their building and now host Georgia Tech, who is playing better football but still doesn’t move the needle. This is a Yellow Jackets team that could certainly make things interesting especially if Clemson is still partying after their last win. It also bears watching all week the Tigers injury situation because they were missing a ton of starters on offense in the win.

NC State at Wake Forest

2 p.m. ET
NC State -2.5

The Wolfpack just beat Clemson and Miami at home in two emotional games. They now have six wins on the season, so bowl eligibility has been clinched. Now they hit the road to take on a Wake Forest team that has been a massive disappointment. The Deacs will have a couple of extra days to prep for this one after losing 24-21 to Duke Thursday. It would be very NC State for them to be extremely flat here on the road as a favorite. 

West Virginia at Oklahoma

7 p.m. ET
Oklahoma -12.5

The Sooners lost their last Bedlam game for quite a while and are now 7-2, which means no CFP and potentially no Big 12 title game appearance. The Sooners are one of the programs I feel like will let down big time once their larger scale goals are gone. They host a West Virginia team that is 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12, so this is very important in the conference standings. I don’t know if I trust the Mountaineers defense, but I certainly don’t trust the Sooners one either.

Oklahoma State at UCF

3:30 p.m. ET
Oklahoma State -2.5

The Cowboys were the winners in that final Bedlam game, and now they are 5-1 in the Big 12, which makes them tied for first. They’ll get a lot of publicity this week for the win, and I think that means they could be a little flat at UCF Saturday. The Knights got their first conference win although ironically it was against Cincinnati, who was with them in the AAC last year. Still, John Rhys Plumlee and RJ Harvey could make this very interesting for the Cowboys if they aren’t focused and ready for this one.

Sandwich Spot

Maryland at Nebraska

Noon ET
Maryland -1.5

Maryland’s season has gone downhill fast, having lost four straight. Last weekend they fell 51-15 to Penn State at home in a game that wasn’t close at all. They get one last chance to play spoiler Nov. 18 when they host Michigan. Stuck in between those two games is a road trip to Nebraska to play a Cornhuskers team coming off a rough loss to Michigan State. Nebraska is one game behind Iowa in the Big 10 West standings so it’s an important game. I have a feeling we get a very good effort from the home team.

Look-Ahead Spot

Texas Tech at Kansas

Noon ET
Kansas -3.5

Kansas passed a huge test last week, winning at Iowa State after the Oklahoma victory. I had the Cyclones in that one and lost terribly. Here comes another test for the Jayhawks as they have the 121st Sunflower Showdown coming up Nov. 18. Before then, Texas Tech comes to town and the Red Raiders are trying to get bowl eligible as they sit 4-5 on the season. They’ll have a few extra days to prepare after playing last Thursday so that may help as well.

Stanford at Oregon State

5:30 p.m. ET
Oregon State -21

The Beavers are coming off a solid 26-19 win over Colorado. They are 7-2 on the season and in the thick of the race for the conference title. Next week Washington comes to Corvallis for a huge game. Before that, though, is Stanford, who isn’t playing beautiful football, but is coming off a nice win over Washington State on the road. I don’t think OSU is going to lose, but they may not be the most focused with what’s ahead. 

Smash Spot

USC at Oregon

10:30 p.m. ET
Oregon -14.5

Now USC is definitely done. They poured a lot into a 52-42 home loss to Washington and now are 7-3 overall with two of those losses coming in PAC-12 play. I know the Trojans just fired their defensive coordinator, but Oregon’s offense has scored 81 and 63 points already at home this season. There’s an outside shot Bo Nix can win the Heisman, so you know they’ll want to show off once again. Smash Oregon’s team total over Saturday.

Tulsa at Tulane

Noon ET
Tulane -23

Tulane will be the highest-ranked G5 team in the newest CFP rankings, but there are some challengers to their crown. They are coming off a very unimpressive 13-10 win at East Carolina and haven’t looked great the last few weeks. The Green Wave now host Tulsa, who is the worst team in the conference and has given up 43 at Washington and 69 at SMU. I think the Golden Hurricane are ready for the offseason. The Green Wave fly over their team total in this one.