The list of realistic contenders for the College Football Playoff is still large, but the number of teams that can afford a loss and remain in contention is not. This weekend, there are some elimination games, so to speak, with the losing team likely falling out of consideration for the 12-team field.
Alabama at LSU is the most clear-cut example. Both teams have two losses and some quality wins on their resumes. A third loss would likely be fatal for either team’s title hopes. Alabama is favored on the road, but only by three points as of Monday.
The other big SEC clash of the week has Georgia at Ole Miss. The Rebels, like LSU and Alabama, have two losses and can’t afford a third. Georgia has one loss and probably could remain in contention with two, but it wouldn’t be a clear path to the Playoff at that point. The spread on this one is even tighter, with the Bulldogs favored by 2.5 points on Monday’s line.
In the Big Ten, undefeated Indiana hosts Michigan and is favored by 14.5 points. We are living in a weird parallel universe where Indiana, historically one of the worst power-conference programs, is favored by more than two touchdowns against a defending national champion. That said, if you’ve seen either team play this season, this spread almost feels light. The Hoosiers trailed for the first time all season last Saturday at Michigan State, down 10-0 and then scored the next 47 points. Indiana has never won 10 games in a season before and can reach that number with a win against the 5-4 Wolverines.
The Big 12 has a few sneaky close spreads. Iowa State, 7-1 and coming off its first loss of the season, is only favored by three points at 2-6 Kansas. Colorado, suddenly in the heart of the Big 12 race, is favored by 3.5 points at Texas Tech, which is coming off beating the Cyclones. Undefeated BYU has a rivalry game at Utah and is only favored by 4.5 points. The Big 12 title race got weird last week and has a chance to get even weirder this week.
Four AP Top 25 teams are on bye this week: No. 13 SMU, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 22 Kansas State and No. 25 Louisville.
Here are the odds and schedule for every game featuring an AP Top 25 team, plus a few other notable games in Week 11.
Odds update live and are from BetMGM. All games listed are on Saturday and kickoff times are Eastern. Rankings from the AP Poll. For information on streaming, click here.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
No. 4 Miami at Georgia Tech — Noon on ESPN
Florida at No. 5 Texas — Noon on ABC
Purdue at No. 3 Ohio State — Noon on FOX
No. 2 Georgia at No. 16 Ole Miss — 3:30 p.m. on ABC
Michigan at No. 8 Indiana — 3:30 p.m. on CBS
No. 17 Iowa State at Kansas — 3:30 p.m. on FS1
No. 18 Army at North Texas — 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 19 Clemson at Virginia Tech — 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
No. 21 Colorado at Texas Tech — 4 p.m. on FOX
South Carolina at No. 24 Vanderbilt — 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
Maryland at No. 1 Oregon — 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Mississippi State at No. 7 Tennessee — 7 p.m. on ESPN
Florida State at No. 10 Notre Dame — 7:30 p.m. on NBC
No. 11 Alabama at No. 14 LSU — 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Oklahoma at Missouri — 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
Washington at No. 6 Penn State — 8 p.m. on Peacock
Nevada at No. 12 Boise State — 8 p.m. on FOX
Virginia at No. 23 Pitt — 8 p.m. on ACC Network
No. 9 BYU at Utah — 10:15 p.m. on ESPN
Utah State at No. 20 Washington State — 10:30 p.m. on The CW
(Photo of Tre Harris: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
