Top 5 Football Games Week 11 Breakdown
Doesn’t it seem like any game that follows the gigantic clash last week between LSU and Alabama is a letdown? Over 18 million viewers, the biggest total for a regular-season college game in nearly 25 years, tuned in to see LSU knock off Alabama 9-6 on an overtime field goal. But the show must go on, and this week four top-25 matchups dot the spotlight. One of those matchups is an early battle between two Atlantic Coast Conference foes on a Thursday evening. The weekend’s biggest matchups are in the Pac-12 and the Big Ten, but the Penn State game is suddenly getting attention for all the wrong reasons. Suffice to say the brouhaha surrounding Joe Paterno and everyone in State College will overshadow the story behind what should be a great game.
#17 VIRGINIA TECH AT #21 GEORGIA TECH (8 p.m. Thursday at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia)
This might be a week where the two teams wished for the comfort and warmth provided by the Georgia Dome. Virginia Tech (8-1, 4-1) is a half-game ahead of Georgia Tech (7-2, 4-2) in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division race, meaning this division is still up for grabs. Georgia Tech broke a two-game losing streak by topping Clemson, 31-17, behind quarterback Tevin Washington’s 176 rushing yards and one touchdown. Virginia Tech could benefit by stopping the Yellow Jackets’ rushing attack; 394 of Georgia Tech’s 443 total yards came on the ground. Washington only passed for 60 yards and was intercepted once, so Virginia Tech may not have to respect the pass too much if Washington doesn’t try to throw. The Hokies, meanwhile, had a heck of a time holding off a surprisingly strong Duke squad in a 14-10 victory. The two big weapons on Virginia Tech are running back David Wilson (23 carries, 148 yards against Duke) and quarterback Logan Thomas (17-for-28, 190 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against the Blue Devils).
#6 OREGON AT #3 STANFORD (8 p.m. Saturday at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California)
The big game of the weekend comes from the Pac-12, where Stanford entertains Oregon in a matchup of top-10 squads and a showdown that will decide the league’s North Division title. Or will it? Stanford (9-0, 7-0) comes into the matchup a half-game ahead of Oregon (8-1, 6-0). Stanford has one league game after this week, against lower-quality California, while Oregon has games against USC and Oregon State. Something tells us this conference won’t get decided right away. It took Stanford a while to warm up, but the Cardinal eventually topped Oregon State, 38-13, as Andrew Luck threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns and Stanford gained 507 yards total offense. Oregon topped Washington, 34-17, in the final game at Husky Stadium. Oregon’s biggest weapons are running back LaMichael James (156 yards, one touchdown against Washington) and quarterback Darron Thomas (169 yards, one touchdown).
#16 NEBRASKA AT #10 PENN STATE (Noon Saturday at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania)
After all that has happened in the past week on the Penn State campus, yes, a game still has to be played. The scandal rocking college football and the child molestation charges surrounding the Penn State staff are just part of the off-field drama overshadowing what should be a solid football game. This is an inter-division matchup, with Penn State (8-1, 5-0) on top of the Leaders Division and Nebraska (7-2, 3-2) currently tied for second with Iowa and Michigan in the Legends Division. The teams’ respective Legends and Leaders standings won’t move with this game, but time is running short on both teams’ chances to reach the Big Ten Championship. Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno secured his NCAA Division I record 409th career victory with a 10-7 win over Illinois on October 29, the last time Penn State played; a 3-yard Silas Redd touchdown with 1:08 remaining in the game secured the win. Meanwhile, Nebraska blew a golden chance to gain ground in the Legends race when it lost 28-25 to Northwestern despite 289 yards passing and two touchdowns by quarterback Taylor Martinez.
#18 AUBURN AT #23 GEORGIA (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia)
The Southeastern Conference’s game of the week doesn’t quite have the lilt that LSU-Alabama did, but hey… it’s SEC football, so why quibble? Like Nebraska-Penn State, this is an inter-division matchup, and this one also could have bearing on the SEC title game. Georgia (7-2, 5-1) enters the contest in first place in the SEC East Division, a half-game ahead of South Carolina, while Auburn (6-3, 4-2) is suffering the aftereffects of Cam Newton’s departure and is in fourth place in the SEC West. Auburn may not win the division title, but it sure can affect the outcome of the title game with a win here. Auburn had last week off and previously beat Ole Miss, 41-23, on October 29 behind Michael Dyer’s 177 rushing yards and Clint Moseley’s 160 passing yards and four touchdowns. Georgia had a much easier time last week in non-league play, beating New Mexico State 63-16 as it scored 42 second-quarter points en route to victory. Aaron Murray threw for 238 yards and five touchdowns.
#12 MICHIGAN STATE AT IOWA (Noon Saturday at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa)
Michigan State’s in-state rival found out last week that Iowa is a dangerous place to play. So the Spartans are duly warned heading out to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes in a game that could tilt the Big Ten Legends standings toward one team. Michigan State (7-2, 4-1) is one game ahead of Iowa (6-3, 3-2) in the conference standings, but when you break down into divisions the Spartans and Hawkeyes are tied with Nebraska at 2-1. Should Iowa win here, it could be in contention entering the final week of the regular season. Iowa’s stalwart defense hounded Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson and his offense all game in a 24-16 victory. Robinson was sacked once and intercepted once despite throwing for 194 yards; Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg accounted for two touchdowns and 171 yards. Michigan State needed a rally to top Minnesota 31-24 as Kirk Cousins threw for 296 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and running back Le’Veon Bell had 96 rushing yards and two scores.
