Week 11 brings a loaded Saturday slate, with five ranked matchups in the CFP rankings and No. 22 Missouri facing its biggest test yet at No.
1 Georgia. The picks are in, and the panel sees a day full of tight finishes, a few road upsets, and one heavyweight showdown in Athens that could get weird in a hurry.
At Georgia, Missouri is staring at a massive number, but not everyone expects the Bulldogs to run away with it. Sammy Stava thinks the Tigers will hang around before Georgia pulls away late, calling for a 37-26 Bulldogs win.
Matthew Gustafson also has Georgia on top, but with a more controlled finish, 31-21. Josh Matejka doesn’t buy the upset either, predicting Georgia “sleepwalks to a lazy 33-17 win.”
The day’s other marquee noon-to-afternoon window features No. 18 USC at No.
9 Indiana, and this one has the panel leaning toward the Hoosiers at home. Stava likes Indiana 28-24, pointing to Curt Cignetti’s edge on the sideline.
Gustafson sees another close one and backs Indiana 24-21, while Matejka expects the Hoosiers’ edge and Cignetti’s energy to carry them through again, 27-24.
No. 2 Utah heads to No.
23 Arizona in a game that has upset potential written all over it. Stava believes Utah’s coaching and quarterback play will be enough, taking the Utes 30-24.
Matejka also stays with Utah, predicting a 28-21 road win and saying the Utes are the best story in college football right now. Gustafson, though, goes the other way, calling for Arizona to land the upset and hand the nation’s second-ranked team another loss, 35-31.
In the night game at LSU, the panel splits again when No. 6 Texas visits No.
21 LSU. Stava trusts Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian to get it done in a tough environment, picking Texas 24-20.
Gustafson is also on the Longhorns, 30-24, citing what’s left on Texas’ schedule and LSU’s place below the top tier of the SEC. Matejka takes the opposite side, arguing that Death Valley at night is still a brutal place to walk into and choosing LSU 29-24.
The late kickoff in Stillwater closes things out with No. 12 Texas Tech at No.
25 Oklahoma State, and this one looks like a shootout. Stava likes Texas Tech 47-40, saying he doesn’t trust Oklahoma State in Year One under Eric Morris after losses to Tulsa and Iowa State.
Gustafson sees the Cowboys protecting home field and takes Oklahoma State 49-42. Matejka goes with Texas Tech too, but mostly because it was the first thing that came to mind, picking the Red Raiders 48-45.
In Other News...
Mizzou-Georgia Suddenly Has A Travel Problem Fans Didnt See Coming
Missouri got to Athens before the Federal Aviation Administrations nationwide ground stop hit, so the Tigers are already in place for Saturdays game against Georgia. The FAAs safety-related order has created widespread delays and cancellations across the country, turning what is normally a routine travel day into a logistical mess for teams, officials and broadcast crews trying to get where they need to go.
For Missouri, the good news is that its own travel is already out of the way, but the broader ripple effect still matters around an SEC matchup like this one. The officiating crew and broadcast crew for Missouri-Georgia are confirmed to be on their campuses, while other teams around the country are now weighing alternate travel plans or even delayed kickoffs as they work around the flight restrictions. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Fans Had The Same Reaction To Georgias First-Half Statement
Georgia wasted little time turning Saturdays matchup into a statement, jumping on Missouri early and carrying a 31-7 lead into halftime. Gunner Stockton was efficient and in control for Georgia, while Nate Frazier did plenty of damage on the ground, and the Bulldogs defense set the tone from the opening snap by forcing an interception on Missouris first play.
For Missouri, the first half was the kind of stretch that leaves a crowd restless and searching for answers. The Tigers were held to 115 total yards and never found much rhythm against a Georgia defense that kept shrinking the field, leaving Missouri fans with the same uneasy reaction as the scoreboard kept tilting further the wrong way. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces An Early Test As Jason Crowe Jr. Tries To Back It Up
Missouri heads to Chicago with a quick chance to steady itself after an uneven first week. The Tigers are 2-1 and coming off a loss to Saint Louis, then a 38-point win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville that was fueled by freshman Jason Crowe Jr.s record-setting 34-point performance, a reminder of how much scoring punch he can bring when Missouri gets rolling.
Marquette is also 2-1 and trying to bounce back after falling to Michigan, which adds a little more edge to this matchup at the United Center. The Golden Eagles have enough talent to make this an early measuring-stick game for Missouri, with Royce Parham and Nigel James Jr. among the players the Tigers will have to track if they want Crowes breakout night to be more than just a one-game headline. [Read more 🡒]