Predicting Week 11's Biggest Performances in College Football
All eyes will be on a trio of big games for Week 11: Oklahoma at Baylor, Oregon at Stanford and LSU at Alabama.
However, when those games aren't on, be sure to flip around your television to check on the following seven matchups.
There's a great chance that these contests will set up several highlight-reel plays and gaudy stat lines.
A few players who have had Heisman Trophy hopes, or still do going forward, have made the list of potential big Week 11 performers, including Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, Georgia's Todd Gurley and Fresno State's Derek Carr.
Click on to see what you might be able to expect from that trio, as well as several other talented players this weekend.
Teddy Bridgewater vs. Connecticut
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Week 11 Matchup: at Connecticut, 8:30 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN
Connecticut is still searching for its first win of the 2013 season.
It won't come this week against Louisville.
The Cardinals are led by one of the nation's best quarterbacks, Teddy Bridgewater. Meanwhile, UConn has allowed more than 350 passing yards in each of the last two games.
Bridgewater and the Cards will make it three this weekend. The junior has tallied 300 yards in six games this year and has tossed 23 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
He'll have another enormous passing performance on Friday.
Prediction: 26-of-31, 401 YDS, 5 TDs, 0 INT
Todd Gurley vs. Appalachian State
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Week 11 Matchup: vs. Appalachian State, 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday
Todd Gurley had a phenomenal return to the field last week against Florida, one of the top rushing defenses in college football.
The sophomore tallied 100 rushing yards, 87 receiving yards and two touchdowns. If Florida couldn't stop Gurley, then Appalachian State has no chance.
This isn't the Appalachian State team that beat Michigan and won three straight FCS national championships. This team is 2-7 and has allowed 232.9 rushing yards per game.
The Mountaineers were gouged on the ground for 328 yards by The Citadel, 298 yards by Charleston Southern and 291 yards by Georgia Southern.
Then only thing that will stop Gurley from running all over this Mountaineer defense is if he is pulled early in a blowout.
Prediction: 18 CAR, 181 YDS, 3 TDs | 2 REC, 34 YDS
Derek Carr vs. Wyoming
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Week 11 Matchup: at Wyoming, 10:15 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2
Fresno State has started an ugly trend of going down to the wire with teams they should handle with much less difficulty.
The Bulldogs will bite that trend this weekend. Derek Carr and the 'Dogs are taking on a Wyoming defense that is in shambles and recently fired its coordinator.
That firing came after the Cowboys were shredded for 482 passing yards by David Fales and San Jose State. The turmoil on that side of the ball is coming at the wrong time for the Cowboys, as they'll play host to the nation's No. 4 passing offense.
Carr is coming off his best game of the season, amassing 487 yards through the air against Nevada. He'll have a similar performance Saturday night.
Prediction: 40-of-54, 461 YDS, 5 TDs
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Bishop Sankey vs. Colorado
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Week 11 Matchup: vs. Colorado, 8 p.m. ET Saturday on Pac-12 Network
What happens when one of college football's best running backs is unleashed on one of the nation's worst rushing defenses?
We'll find out Saturday night when Bishop Sankey takes on Colorado, but it'll probably be pretty ugly.
Sankey is No. 3 nationally with a total of 1,162 rushing yards and an average of 145.3 yards per game. The junior is also coming off his best game of the season, a 241-yard, two-touchdown performance against California.
Meanwhile, Colorado is 98th nationally against the run. And on the same day Sankey ripped Cal apart, Arizona hung 405 rushing yards on the Buffaloes.
To make matters worse for CU, Sankey will be coming off a bye week. Last time he had a bye, he tallied 208 rushing yards and two total touchdowns against Illinois.
Prediction: 29 CAR, 227 YDS, 3 TDs
Keenan Reynolds vs. Hawaii
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Week 11 Matchup: vs. Hawaii, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on CBS Sports Network
Here is another case of one of the nation's best rushing attacks against a porous rushing defense.
Hawaii isn't quite as inept against the run as Colorado or Appalachian State, but the Warriors still rank 76th nationally defending the rush, and they have given up more than 150 yards six times and in each of their last five games.
Meanwhile, Navy is the No. 9 rush offense in the country. The Midshipmen have broken 200 yards on the ground seven times and much of that is thanks to signal-caller Keenan Reynolds running the option at optimal efficiency.
The sophomore leads all quarterbacks and ranks No. 2 among all players with 14 rushing touchdowns. The winless Warriors aren't going to slow Reynolds' roll.
Prediction: 5-of-11, 88 YDS, 1 TD | 25 CAR, 120 YD, 3 TDs
Melvin Gordon and James White vs. BYU
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Week 11 Matchup: vs. BYU, 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN
Wisconsin's leading rusher Melvin Gordon, who is also one of the most productive running backs in the nation, had his worst rushing output of the season (62 yards) last week against Iowa.
For most teams, that statistic would be a huge problem—not for UW. The Badgers still dominated the Hawkeyes 28-9 because they have another back who is just as talented as Gordon.
James White led the way last week 132 rushing yards and two scores. White and Gordon represent the most dangerous rushing tandem in the country with 1,878 yards between them.
Whichever back has the hot hand is bound to have a big game against BYU. A few teams have struggled to run against the Cougars, but no team will present an offensive front as strong as that of Wisconsin.
UW has eclipsed 200 yards rushing in all but one game this year, against Ohio State, and has broken 250 five times. Gordon and White have both gone over 100 yards rushing in four games this year, and it could happen again this weekend.
Gordon Prediction: 21 CAR, 121 YDS, 2 TDs
White Prediction: 16 CAR, 106 YDS, 1 TD
Michael Sam vs. Kentucky
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Week 11 Matchup: at Kentucky, 12 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPNU
Missouri has a couple of potential roadblocks on its journey to the SEC East Division title. However, Kentucky isn't one of those roadblocks.
Mizzou is led by one of the nation's best defensive linemen, Michael Sam. The senior is tied for No. 1 in the nation with 10 sacks and is second nationally with 16 tackles for a loss.
While Sam is one of the most disruptive players in the nation, he'll be going against one of the most easily disrupted offenses in the country.
The Wildcats rank No. 62 in tackles for loss allowed and No. 88 in sacks allowed, giving up 20 total sacks at a rate of 2.5 per game.
Sam will add to his sack total this week and, depending on what the rest of the nation's leaders do, he could have sole possession of the sack lead at the end of the weekend.
Prediction: 6 TAK, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 SACK, 1 HUR, 1 FF
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
