College Football Week 11

This weekend has several big conference matchups in the SEC and Big 12. Wilcats vs Tigers, Bulldogs vs Tide, Gators vs Gamecocks, Cowboys vs Longhorns. Should be an interesting day of football. Lets go...

#25 Texas A&M @ Baylor
This should be a great matchup of talented Texas schools. A&M has found its spark since moving Ryan Tannehill to QB. They are scoring points and are coming off an upset over #8 OU. Baylor looks to get back on track after falling to OSU 55-28, and it wasn't even that close. Both teams are strong on the offensive side, with Baylor having a more balanced attack. The Aggies are slightly better on defense, yet still lack consistency. I look for RG3 and co to pull off the win in Waco, 34-27.

#19 Mississippi State @ #12 Alabama
I'll admit that until I didn't realize MSU was even ranked until today. How could I have missed such key wins over powerhouses Kentucky, UAB, Houston, and Alcorn State? Sure, they did beat Florida at home, by this is the Florida of the last few years. I look for the Tide to remind everyone that they are the defending champs and are still a powerful force to be reckoned with. I look for the Tide to roll 38-7.

#23 South Carolina @ #22 Florida
The Old Ball Coach is still searching for legitimacy at USC. A win over Florida, combined with the win against Bama earlier in the year will definitely help to provide that boost. A win in The Swamp would put them in line for the SEC East title. Florida thinks they may have turned the corner after 3 straight losses a few weeks back, but a big win over Vanderbilt doesn't convince me of that. I think the Gamecocks come in with a lot to play for and pull out the win on the road, 17-13.

#10 Oklahoma State @ Texas
Well, another week of Texas football is upon us. The Horns welcome, reluctantly, the OSU Cowboys and their high-flying offense to Austin. The Cowboys rank #3 in Passing yards and Scoring offense. They do give up 28 points per game on average, so a good Texas offense could score some points. Unfortunately a "good" Texas offense hasn't been seen consistently this year. OSU has three key offensive stars, QB Brandon Weeden, RB Kendall Hunter, and WR Justin Blackmon. I'm looking for Aaron Williams and Curtis Brown to take on Blackmon and slow him down. Will Muschamp will have some special blitz packages to pressure Weeden and limit how much time he has to throw the ball. If they can stop Kendall Hunter from having a huge day, they could give the offense a chance to win.

On Offense, the Longhorns need to stay balanced. They can't afford to start throwing the ball every play and expect to win. I hope to see Fozzy Whitaker get the ball early and often today and take advantage of it. Garret Gilbert continues to get the nod from the Texas coaches, despite his 5 INTs last week. If he can avoid turnovers, look off defenders, and make more accurate throws, then he should be the guy and he should be able to move the offense and score some points. If he starts throwing picks, the UT coaches should see what young Case McCoy can do. All the other positions on the team are subject to change based on performance on the field. It doesn't say that you're giving up to give a different guy a chance, it shows your team that no one player is bigger than the rest of them. I hope that Gilbert silences his critics tonight with a solid performance.

If Texas can win the turnover battle and the defense can limit OSUs passing game and make them one-dimensional, the Horns have a chance to pick up the win at home. If OSU gets up by a couple scores early, like they have in the past, this could be a long night for the Longhorns. I have to think the Texas coaches and players have a great game-plan this week like they did against Nebraska, and I look for them to pull out the win, 38-27.

Hook'em!