Week 11 College Football Predictions: Picks for 7 Best Colelge Football Games This Weekend

Saturday’s Week 11 college football schedule isn’t quite as loaded as the ranked-versus-ranked gauntlet of matchups we got to enjoy last weekend. With that said, battles like Texas vs LSU, USC vs Indiana, Wake Forest vs SMU and Texas Tech vs Oklahoma State should provide football fans with plenty to enjoy.

Let’s dive into our Week 11 college football predictions.

Miami Hurricanes 28, Duke Blue Devils 21

There are some great narratives in Saturday’s Week 10 ACC clash between the Duke Blue Devils and Miami Hurricanes, with kickoff at noon ET on ABC. Blue Devils coach Manny Diaz, the architect of a defense that allows the fourth-fewest points per game (13.8) with the seventh-fewest passing touchdowns allowed (seven), takes on the program that fired him in his return to the city where he grew up. Meanwhile, Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate face their former Blue Devils teammates for the first time. Miami is a two-touchdown favorite at home, but we think Duke’s defense keeps it closer than that. Unfortunately for Diaz, running back Nate Sheppard is the engine of this offense and the one thing the Hurricanes defense does well is stop the run (64.3 rush yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry allowed). Miami wins, with Mensah throwing three touchdowns against his former team.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 35, SMU Mustangs 31

There are major College Football Playoff ramifications for both the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and SMU Mustangs in Saturday’s ACC bout. SMU, just weeks removed from a heartbreaking loss at Syracuse, is also seeking revenge after last year’s 13-12 loss at Wake Forest that was decided by a game-winning field goal with 12 seconds left. We expect plenty of points from both offenses, as the Mustangs enter Week 13 ranked 19th in scoring (37 PPG) and seventh in passing (321.6 passing yards per game) while the Demon Deacons rank fourth (43.3 PPG) and 11th (311.9 pass YPG) in both respective statistics. We give the edge at quarterback to Wake Forest’s Gio Lopez (18-1 TD-INT ratio), who’s done a better job at protecting the football this season than SMU’s Kevin Jennings (25-6 TD-INT). It’s hard to pick against a Rhett Lashlee offense at home, but Wake Forest is equally well-coached and we just have more confidence in the Demon Deacons avoiding that one mistake that decides a close game.

Related: Early 2026-27 College Football Coaching Carousel Predictions, including Wake Forest

Georgia Bulldogs 28, Missouri Tigers 10

This week’s matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs presumably brings with it the end of the Missouri Tigers appearing in the College Football Playoff rankings. In losses to Ole Miss (3 points and 35.3% third-down conversion rate with 378 total yards) and Texas (20 points, 336 total yards with an 18.8% third-down conversion rate), Mizzou’s offense has gone just 9-for-33 (27.3% conversion rate) on third down and mustered just 23 total points. In Week 11, it faces a Bulldogs defense that has allowed just 14 points per game (fourth-best in Power 4) with a 35.96% third-down conversion rate allowed. We’re all in on Georgia delivering another defensive clinic, with Gunner Stockton and Nate Frazier doing more than enough for Kirby Smart’s team to win it comfortably at home.

Indiana Hoosiers 27, USC Trojans 17

Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans beat Ohio State and have had two weeks to prepare for this Indiana Hoosiers defense. Here’s the problem: Riley-coached teams have historically been bad on the road and we’re just a few weeks removed from this Trojans offense putting up just 239 total yards and 3 points at Wisconsin. An unexpectedly shaky Hoosiers offense opens the door to this being a one-score game, but Indiana also is far better coached and the superior unit in this matchup is defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ defense. The architect of a unit that has allowed just 2.5 red-zone trips per game this season (eighth in FBS) and 4.1 yards per play (seventh) can contain what Riley draws up.

Utah Utes 31, Arizona Wildcats 24

The Utah Utes have had two statement wins in the last three weeks, first beating Houston by eight points and then repeating that margin of victory against BYU in the Holy War. It’s largely thanks to quarterback Devon Dampier (20-7 TD-INT, 2,053 passing yards, 482 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns). The senior has 284 rushing yards, 581 passing yards and nine total touchdowns in the last three games. While the Arizona Wildcats (7-2) are a very good football team and Utah is in jeopardy of a letdown performance back on the road, we feel confident in Dampier’s ability to deliver a win against a defense that allowed 31 points and 522 total yards to West Virginia and then 34 points and 472 total yards to Texas Tech. Utah can ride its ground game to another victory.

Texas Longhorns 24, LSU Tigers 20

The Texas Longhorns (7-2) come to Death Valley on Saturday night for a contest that certainly feels like it could define this season for both programs. A third loss in 2026 for Arch Manning should theoretically deal a damaging blow to the Longhorns’ playoff hopes and at least start a conversation about Steve Sarkisian’s role in the failure. On the other side, Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers have already lost three times to Top 25 teams this season and they just got embarrassed at home versus Alabama. One thing in LSU’s favor: Its defense ranks first in sack rate (11.3%) and three-and-out rate (45%) in the country, and there are far too many instances to count of Manning either taking bad sacks or making a careless decision with the football when pressured. He has, however, played better football as of late and this Longhorns defense is finally getting All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons back. Given Kiffin’s track record against top-10 teams, we’ll lean on Texas winning with its run game and defense.

Texas Tech Red Raiders 42, Oklahoma State Cowboys 38

While the Week 11 college football schedule might not be fantastic on paper, we couldn’t be more excited for Saturday night to close down with the Texas Tech Red Raiders against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Even putting aside the fact that this is a matchup of Top 25 ranked teams, college football fans should simply be elated because the scoring in this game will feel endless at times.

Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker, potentially the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, can take complete advantage of a Red Raiders defense that ranks 10th nationally in yards per pass attempt allowed (7.9). Also keep in mind, though, Oklahoma State’s defense ranks 120th (8.2 yards per pass attempt allowed) in that same category. Texas Tech quarterback Thomas Castellanos is also coming off consecutive games with multiple touchdown passes and 100-plus rushing yards, so it’s going to be a shootout under the lights. Which defense is the likeliest to generate a handful of stops dictates the winner and we’d give the Red Raiders the slightest edge.