Sunday, November 3, 2024

NCAA 2024 Week 11 picks

 We're back to the Mid-American Conference playing mid-week -- that's what I'm used to.

Tuesday Nov 5

Bowling Green Falcons at Central Michigan Chippewas : The Chippewas played well early in the season, but they have collapsed in conference play.  BOWLING GREEN by 16

Miami Ohio Redhawks at Ball State Cardinals : It has not been a great year for the Cardinals.  MIAMI OHIO by 18

Wed Nov 6

Ohio Bobcats at Kent State Golden Flashes : Ohio is competing for the division title, and a spot in the conference championship game.  This game will help.  OHIO by 20

Northern Illinois Huskies at Western Michigan Broncos : Speaking of divisional leadership, the Broncos are leading their division, and they intend to stay there.  WESTERN MICHIGAN by 17

Thurs Nov 7

Florida Atlantic Owls at East Carolina Pirates : I always enjoy watching the Pirates play, and I haven't had a chance so far this season.  It's nice to get them on Thursday night.  EAST CAROLINA by 15

Fri Nov 8

Cal Golden Bears at Wake Forest Demon Deacons : Cal is struggling in their first season in the ACC.  WAKE FOREST by 13

#19 Iowa Hawkeyes at UCLA Bruins : Big Ten teams have not faired well traveling to the West Coast this season, but Iowa is set up for this.  Their offense doesn't need to feel comfortable, they'll just lean on their stiff defense to hassle the struggling Bruins offense.  IOWA by 12

Rice Owls at Memphis Tigers : Rice fought hard last week, and Memphis fell.  I think both teams will regain their rightful place this week.  MEMPHIS by 14

Sat Nov 9

Top 25

Maryland Terrapins at #1 Oregon Ducks : No chance for the Terrapins.  OREGON by lots

Florida State Seminoles at #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : Same for the Seminoles.  NOTRE DAME by lots

Purdue Boilermakers at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes : The Boilermakers haven't won a Big Ten game yet.  That will remain.  OHIO STATE by lots

#4 Georgia Bulldogs at #11 Ole Miss Rebels : We have the first real challenge to a Top Five team this week, and it's a potential upset.  The Rebs are playing very well right now, while the Bulldogs offense has struggled a bit recently.  Georgia's QB is the only QB in FBS with more than two games with multiple interceptions.  If the Rebels defense force that, the Bulldogs could lose.  GEORGIA by four (and watch for an upset)

Washington Huskies at #5 Penn State Nittany Lions : The Huskies won't survive against the Penn State stifling defense.  PENN STATE by 17

Florida Gators at #6 Texas Longhorns : Florida gave Georgia fits last week, but they had the incentive of an intensive rivalry.  That edge is lacking here.  TEXAS by lots

Michigan Wolverines at #7 Indiana Hoosiers : The Wolverines are still figuring out their new offense.  The Hoosiers can score quickly.  By the half, Michigan will be behind too much for them to come back.  INDIANA by 20

#8 Miami Hurricanes at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets : There is a small chance of an upset, as Georgia Tech has the talent to do so (and they demonstrated that early in the season), but they haven't been playing up to that level recently.  MIAMI by 18

Mississippi State Bulldogs at #9 Tennessee Volunteers : The Vols are still competing for a shot at the conference championship, and they need to win every remaining game to do so.  This is a good start.  TENN by 16

#10 BYU Cougars at Utah Utes : This battle for Utah will not go the home team's way, as BYU strives to remain among the ranks of the unbeaten.  BYU by 23

#12 Army Black Knights at North Texas Mean Green : The Mean Green defense won't be able to stand up against the exhausting "grind it out" ground attack of the Black Knights.  ARMY by 20

#13 Alabama Crimson Tide at #17 LSU Tigers : LSU often plays Alabama tough, and both are fairly evenly matched this season.  Alabama will likely pull this out late in the fourth quarter, but a toughened Tigers defense may prevent that.  Upset Alert!  ALABAMA by two

#14 Clemson Tigers at Virginia Tech Hokies : Another possible upset, as the weakness of Clemson's early season opponents has shown they may not be properly prepared to face the tougher opponents in the ACC.  CLEMSON by six

Nevada Wolf Pack at #15 Boise State Broncos : Boise State should have no problem here.  BOISE STATE by lots

#18 Iowa State Cyclones at Kansas Jayhawks : Iowa State lost for the first time last week.  Now we see how well they bounce back.  Fortunately they face a team who has not lived up to their pre-season hype.  IOWA STATE by 13

#20 UNLV Running Rebels at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors : The time shift playing in Hawaii can often throw off the metabolism of opposing players.  Fortunately they are playing at a reasonable time, so UNLV has a shot.  UNLV by 17

#21 South Carolina Gamecocks at Vanderbilt Commodores : South Carolina pulled off an awesome win last week.  Vandy is interested in doing the same.  They've already established themselves as the "SEC Killer" this season.  Will the Gamecocks be their next victim?  Maybe, but it deserves to be an upset if it happens.  SOUTH CAROLINA by eight

Virginia Cavaliers at #25 Pitt Panthers : Like Iowa State, Pitt also suffered their first loss of the season.  Fortunately, they have a fairly easy opponent this week, so they can get over that upset and right themselves.  PITT by 16

Big Ten

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights : The Knight play tough at home, but Minnesota is on an incredible run.  They have confidence and drive, and they produce results.  MINNESOTA by 18

Other Games of Interest

 Syracuse Orange at Boston College Eagles : Syracuse played a strong game last week.  They have been alternating this season, so I fear they may falter this week.  I'll still give them a chance to win this one.  SYRACUSE by ten

West Virginia Mountaineers at Cincinnati Bearcats : The Bearcats have been up and down this season, but an extra week to prepare for this game should have gotten them up well.  CINCY by 12

Colorado Buffaloes at Texas Tech Red Raiders : Colorado is having a great season, but the Raiders would love to stop it, just like they stopped the unbeaten season of Iowa State last week.  I'm not sure they have it in them to slow down the strong Buffaloes offense.  COLORADO by 13

UCF Golden Knights at Arizona State Sun Devils : UCF can often be a threat, but they are bit declawed this season.  The Sun Devils, on the other hand, are doing quite well.  ARIZONA STATE by 17

Utah State Aggies at Washington State Cougars : Easy win for the Cougs.  WASHINGTON STATE by lots


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