While Week 10 will be remembered for the impact it had on a number of conferences, including the Big Ten in particular, the schedule for Week 11 might be the best of the season so far. With the College Football Playoff rankings set to be released, there are three nationally televised matchups of top-25 teams in particular that will be worth tuning in to watch. Meanwhile, there is at least one rivalry game in the ACC that is worth watching even though one of the teams involved isn’t currently ranked in the top-25. Here is a look at the top four nationally televised college football games for this week.
No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ No. 7 Miami Hurricanes
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET – ABC
The Fighting Irish is undefeated since a Week Two loss to Georgia but can’t afford a letdown this week at Miami. The Hurricanes are just as close to a CFP spot since the winner of this week’s game should get a substantial boost in the rankings. Notre Dame has already locked in signature wins over USC and NC State but they can’t afford to take a step back this week with a loss to Miami. Hurricanes quarterback Malik Rosier has the arm to stretch the Fighting Irish defense and this will be his chance to showcase his skill set on the national stage. This showdown between Notre Dame and Miami will undoubtedly be the college football game of the week.
No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs @ No. 10 Auburn Tigers
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – CBS
Georgia has already clinched an SEC East title but the Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in the country and looking for more this week. They can’t afford a letdown in Week 11 as they travel to face a tough Auburn side on the road. The Tigers still have the potential to crash the playoff party if they can win out. While a tough test with Alabama in their season finale lingers the reality is that Auburn has to win this game first in order for that game to matter. Georgia will be a tough opponent but the Tigers will have every opportunity to make a statement with a big college football win at home.
No. 8 TCU Horned Frogs @ No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners
Saturday, 8:00 PM ET – FOX
Baker Mayfield’s Heisman stock soared following another impressive performance in last week’s 62-52 win over Oklahoma State. Mayfield threw for 598 yards and five touchdowns in the win in order to keep the Sooners in the CFP hunt. Now Oklahoma needs to avoid a letdown at home when they host the Horned Frogs. A loss this week and all of the goodwill from their big win will go down the tubes.
TCU bounced back from a tough loss to Iowa State with a 24-7 win over Texas last week. Kenny Hill doesn’t have the same resume as Mayfield but he is just as capable of delivering a strong performance in this showdown. The Horned Frogs will be a tough beat for Oklahoma. This will determine Big 12 superiority.
Florida State Seminoles @ No. 4 Clemson Tigers
Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – ESPN
While this isn’t a matchup of top-25 teams, it’s impossible to overlook the implications of another key ACC showdown between Florida State and Clemson. The real question here is can Clemson stay on track – especially as a big favorite – or will Florida State get up for this game and play spoiler?
The Tigers are rolling right now thanks to their top-15 defense and an offense that has scored more than enough points without Deshaun Watson to keep them in the playoff mix. At the same time, Florida State has some close losses already this season and is very capable of pushing Clemson to the limit with nothing to lose this week. Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney said he expects the best out of the Seminoles on Saturday. The rivalry between these programs combined with Clemson’s status as a national title contender makes this a game worth watching on ESPN this Saturday.
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