Contenders for title can step up
Irish can make case today against Miami
Time to start filling those slots for championship weekend.
Depending on how this weekend goes the matchup for Southeastern Conference championship could be set, along with half the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference and Pac-12 title game pairings. Here’s what needs to happen:
SEC: A victory by No. 1 Alabama against No. 18 Mississippi State, plus a loss by No. 10 Auburn to No. 2 Georgia, clinches the SEC West for the Tide. The Bulldogs have already clinched the East, practically lapping the field.
BIG TEN: No. 6 Wisconsin can clinch the Big Ten West by beating No. 25 Iowa. The Big Ten East still has some sorting to do, but the winner of No. 13 Michigan State at No. 11 Ohio State is in command. The Spartans would especially be in great shape.
ACC: Clemson can wrap up a third straight trip to the title game as Atlantic Division champs by beating Florida State or if North Carolina State losses to Boston College. The Coastal leader, No. 7 Miami, has a nonconference game against No. 3 Notre Dame, but the Hurricanes can win still the division if Virginia Tech (at Georgia Tech) and Virginia (at Louisville) lose.
PAC-12: No. 15 Southern California can lock up the Pac-12 South with a victory at Colorado or losses by Arizona and Arizona State. No. 9 Washington can’t clinch the North but a win over Stanford Friday night and a loss by Washington State at Utah would give the Huskies the opportunity to lock up that division before playing the Cougars in the Apple Cup.
BIG 12: No resolution in sight, but No. 8 TCU at No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 12 Oklahoma State at No. 24 Iowa State could provide a lot of clarity.
Aside from the division races, things to know about Week 11 of the college football season — another week with seven games matching ranked teams, including three top-10 matchups.
Best Game
No. 3 NOTRE DAME at No. 7
MIAMI: The game is dripping with nostalgia and soaked in College Football Playoff implications. The last time the Fighting Irish and Hurricanes played when both were ranked in the top-10 was 1990.
Notre Dame comes in higher ranked, but it is the Fighting Irish (8-1) who probably have more to lose. Another lose could all but eliminate them from playoff contention. A loss would be crushing to unbeaten Miami’s playoff hopes, but the Hurricanes could still win the ACC, finish 11-1 and likely be in the final four conversation.
Miami has the nation’s longest winning streak at 13 games, and has not lost since falling to Notre Dame last season.
Heisman Watch
This is the weekend Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield can put the Heisman Trophy in a headlock or open the door for another contender. Mayfield left last weekend as the clear front-runner, with the help of some less-than-stellar performances by top candidates like Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and Stanford’s Bryce Love. So now it looks like the Heisman is Mayfield’s to lose when he and the Sooners face TCU and the fifthbest defense in the country.
Numbers to know
2: Ohio State has yet to lose two straight games in five-plus seasons under coach Urban Meyer.
50 : Love leads the country with 10 runs of at least 50 yards. Washington’s defense has not allowed a run of 50 yards.
263: Combined average yards rushing per game for Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi State and Auburn. Those four SEC teams square off today.
378: Yards passing allowed per game by UConn, worst in the nation. The Huskies face No. 14 UCF, the No. 1 scoring team in the country (48.5 points per game) and averaging 325.5 yards passing. State Division II’s 20th-ranked EASTERN NEW MEXICO (8-1, 6-1 Lone Star Conference) plays its biggest game in years today at 7:05 p.m., when it hosts No. 4 Midwestern State (8-0, 7-0) at Greyhound Stadium in Portales. The contest will stream live on ESPN3.com and its platforms, which include WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
The Greyhounds, who lead Division II in time of possession and are second in rushing offense, can earn a share of the league title with a win.
ENMU’s Kamal Cass of Clovis leads the league in rushing (1,167 yards) and is 10th nationally in all-purpose yards per game(167.1).
For much of the season, the Greyhounds have honored fallen teammate Robert Grays. He sustained a severe neck injury in the fourth quarter of his team’s 31-13 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sept. 16, and he died Sept. 19.
WESTERN NEW MEXICO (3-7, 2-5 Lone Star) wraps up its season with a noon game at West Texas A&M (3-7, 1-6) in Canyon, Texas. The Mustangs rank fourth in the league and 15th nationally in passing yards per game (294.6) behind quarterback Javia Hall. NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS (2-8, 1-8 RMAC) concludes its season at Adams State (3-7, 3-6) today at 1 p.m.
Friday games
BYU 31, UNLV 21: In Las Vegas, Nev., Squally Canada rushed for 213 yards and a touchdown to lead BYU (3-8) to a nonconference victory over the host Rebels (4-6).
Rhett Almond’s 28-yard field goal with 5:39 left in the fourth quarter gave the Cougars a twoscore lead.
Johnny Stanton had two touchdown passes for UNLV, which had won its previous two games over Fresno State and Hawaii.
Next Friday, the Rebels will play at New Mexico at 7:30 p.m.
TEMPLE 35, CINCINNATI 24: In Cincinnati, Frank Nutile threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and Isaiah Wright had a 98-yard kickoff return as Temple kept its bowl hopes alive with a victory over Cincinnati.
The Owls (5-5, 3-3 American) held off an inspired second-half effort by Cincinnati (3-7, 1-5) to get the win.