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Only three weeks remain in the regular season. Ole Miss and Penn State try to keep their playoff hopes alive with wins against top-four teams while Bo Nix looks to seal his invite to New York for the Heisman ceremony with a dominant performance against USC.
Week 11 is already here. Let’s take a look at what to watch for in college football this weekend.
The five-star game: No. 3 Michigan (9-0) at No. 10 Penn State (8-1) | 12 p.m. ET
Michigan is at the center of the biggest controversy in college football in years, stemming from former analyst Connor Stalions allegedly stealing signs from future opponents by going to their games and recording them, far outside the appropriate means by which teams are allowed to learn other teams’ signs.
How does this factor in to the game against Penn State? That’s the million-dollar question. The Wolverines haven’t played anyone good yet this season. We’ll learn a lot about them on the road against the Nittany Lions. They were in a similar spot last year before steamrolling Penn State, 41-17, on Oct. 15, 2022.
For Penn State to win, it won’t only need sophomore quarterback Drew Allar to go toe-to-toe with Michigan’s Heisman candidate at quarterback, J.J. McCarthy. The defense, one of the best in football, must assert itself against college football’s fifth-ranked scoring offense (40.7 points per game). The unit excels at forcing three-and-outs and has the highest sack rate (12.5 percent) in the country. Defense end Adisa Isaac, in particular, needs to have a big game. He leads the Nittany Lions with 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
The Heisman game: USC (7-3) at No. 6 Oregon (8-1) | 10:30 p.m. ET
The Heisman and the final spot in the College Football Playoff might come down to the Pac-12 Championship. Ducks quarterback Bo Nix is one of the leading contenders for the Heisman, along with Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and the two are set for a collision course on Dec. 1.
A week after Penix got to pad his stats against USC’s defense, Nix gets the same opportunity at home. The former three-year Auburn QB leads the country with an absurd 78.1 percent completion percentage. Former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones holds the record for highest completion percentage in a season (77.4 percent), which he set in 2020. Over its last six games, USC’s defense has allowed an average of 44.2 points and 483.7 yards per game. Even after head coach Lincoln Riley fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, look for Nix to carve up the Trojans on Saturday.
Upset special: Rutgers (6-3) at No. 22 Iowa (7-2) | 3:30 p.m. ET
The Scarlet Knights played exceptionally well against No. 1 Ohio State (9-0) last week and won’t let the loss to the Buckeyes slow them down against the Hawkeyes. Iowa is averaging 12.3 points per game over its past three games, and its low-scoring offense could play into the hands of a Rutgers offense that is best when it feeds junior running back Kyle Monangai. Over his last three games, he has 72 carries for 416 yards. The Hawkeyes are fourth in scoring defense (13.7 points per game) but allow 121.4 rushing yards per game. This game will come down to the fourth quarter, where Monangai will wear down the Iowa defense that’s been asked to do so much all season.
Under-the-radar game: Miami (6-3) at No. 4 Florida State (9-0)
The version of Florida State that shows up in its rivalry against Miami will determine whether this game is worth watching after halftime. If the Seminoles that held LSU to its lowest point total of the season show up, this could be over by the end of the first quarter. However, Florida State struggled in road wins against Boston College, Clemson and Pittsburgh, and if that version is present, this game could come down to the wire.
Miami started a promising 4-0, including a 48-33 win against Texas A&M, before head coach Mario Cristobal ruined its perfect season with one of the worst coaching decisions ever against Georgia Tech. The Hurricanes have talent on defense to make things interesting. Defensive back Kamren Kinchens has 10 interceptions over the past two seasons while linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. have combined for 11 sacks and 21 tackles for loss.
Wild-card game: No. 9 Ole Miss (8-1) at No. 2 Georgia (9-0) | 7 p.m. ET
The Bulldogs have had a few close calls this season but have yet to stumble. They’ve won 36 regular-season games in a row (an SEC record) and are two wins shy of tying the SEC record for most consecutive wins including the postseason (28), which Alabama set in 1978-1980. Ole Miss escaped with wins against LSU and Texas A&M in games with a combined score of 93-84. The Rebels are going to have to play better defense if they want to pull off the landmark win of the Lane Kiffin era. Georgia has started slow multiple times this season, a promising sign for Ole Miss.
Per oddschecker, the Bulldogs are an 11-point favorite, but the Rebels certainly have the firepower to pull off an upset that would flip the sport on its head.
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