College GameDay 2013: Week 11 Schedule, Location, Predictions and More

With the biggest games on the college football schedule this week having already taken place on Thursday night in Stanford, Calif., and in Waco, Texas, the ESPN College GameDay crew had no other choice but to head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for its show on Saturday.

According to the show's official Twitter account, No. 13 LSU at No. 1 Alabama is the feature game of this weekend. 

The game is almost as big as No. 3 Oregon at No. 5 Stanford was and as big as No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 6 Baylor will be. It isn't as if one of the Southeastern Conference's biggest rivalries isn't a major draw. Every year, the Tide's road to the BCS title game includes a battle with LSU. This year will be no different.

LSU Looking to Play Spoiler

If Bama loses, the game will still have an enormous impact on the national championship picture. Losing this late in the season could drop Bama too low to overcome the remaining undefeated teams in the nation.

If you take out Bama's 21-0 win over LSU in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game the programs have split the last six regular-season meetings and those games have been decided by an average of just 5.3 points per game.

Perhaps this contest will break the string of blowouts that have coincided with the College GameDay crew coming to town. Take a look at this statistic from ESPN Stats:

LSU is playing for a spot in a BCS bowl game after its realistic national championship hopes were dashed in a Week 8 upset loss to Ole Miss. Now, the Tigers get a chance to play spoiler against the team they likely hate the most in their conference.

Quarterback AJ McCarron and the Crimson Tide have been tested just once this season. Bama knocked off Texas A&M, 49-42, in College Station, Texas, but the team has only faced one other ranked team all season. 

The Tide defeated Ole Miss when the Rebels were ranked 21st in the nation in Week 4, but they have only smashed through primarily weak SEC opponents over the last four weeks.

Aside from Alabama's potential opponent in the SEC title game—should it make it that far—this game figures to be one of two tough impediments to block the Tide from a second straight undefeated regular season.

Of chief concern for LSU on Saturday will be its vulnerability against top-notch running games. As ground attacks go, there are few as formidable as that of the Tide. Alabama is averaging 210 yards per game on the ground this season.

Usually, the front seven is a strength of the Tigers, but in 2013, that hasn't been the case. LSU ranks just 49th in the nation against the run. It is allowing 148 yards rushing per contest in eight games this season.

The Rebels ran for 176 yards against LSU, and the Tigers' inability to slow the Rebels on the ground was the biggest reason they were upset. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger's three interceptions didn't help matters either.

Heading into a battle with a team like Alabama that runs the ball well and ranks in the top 10 on defense against the run and pass, the Tigers are in for a long night in Tuscaloosa. 

Look for Bama to win convincingly, 35-17.

Here's a look at two other important matchups, as well as the entire schedule and predictions for Week 11.

Can No. 2 Florida State and No. 9 Auburn avoid Upset Bug

The Noles Won't Flinch

The Seminoles have played and won three humongous games against ranked opponents over the last four weeks. Most recently, the Seminoles proved themselves to be the kings of Florida by thrashing Miami, 41-14, in Week 10.

On Saturday, the Noles will travel to Winston-Salen, N.C., to take on Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons almost upset the Canes on Oct. 26, but ultimately fell, 24-21, after a late touchdown. Can Wake Forest stand firm at home against one of the most talented squads in the country?

Winning would be a difficult task for Wake Forest with all of Florida State's weapons. When you factor in the absence of injured wide receiver Michael Campanaro, who will miss four-to-six weeks with a broken collarbone, per Heather Dinich of ESPN.com, it is difficult to see the Demon Deacons scoring enough points to keep pace with the Noles.

Jameis Winston and Co. haven't scored less than 41 points in a game this season while the Demon Deacons' modest attack has topped out at 34 points. Without Campanaro, that attack should be even less deadly. Winston will continue his march towards a Heisman Trophy, as the Noles will win big, 42-17.

What About the Tigers?

Auburn has one loss, but if it can make it past Tennessee on Saturday and Georgia in Week 12, the Tigers still have legitimate national championship hopes. The stakes may be high for the Iron Bowl on Nov. 30 if Auburn and Alabama hold form until then.

Perhaps the Tigers' biggest challenge is not looking past the Tennessee Volunteers. 

The Vols proved they can be tough at home after they upset then-No. 11 South Carolina, 23-21, on Oct. 19, but the Noles have proven they are even tougher than the Canes.

The running game will again be a key in this contest. 

The Tigers are averaging 306.2 yards per game rushing behind the three-headed monster of Tre Mason, Nick Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne. Expect the Tigers to take the Vols crowd out of the game early by dominating the time of possession.

Auburn will keep its national championship hopes alive with a 44-20 win on the road.

Here's a look at the entire Week 11 college football schedule, complete with predictions.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Time (ET)	Matchup	Prediction
12:00 PM	No. 2 Florida State at Wake Forest	Florida State
12:00 PM	No. 8 Missouri at Kentucky	Missouri
12:00 PM	No. 9 Auburn at Tennessee	Auburn
12:00 PM	Kansas State at No. 25 Texas Tech	Texas Tech
12:00 PM	Vanderbilt at Florida	Flordia
12:00 PM	TCU at Iowa State	TCU
12:00 PM	Penn State at Minnesota	Pen State
12:00 PM	UAB at Marshall	UAB
12:00 PM	Western Kentucky at Army	Army
12:00 PM	Southern Methodist at Cincinnati	Cincinnati
12:00 PM	Iowa at Purdue	Iowa
12:21 PM	Arkansas at Ole Miss	Ole Miss
12:30 PM	Appalachian State at Georgia	Georgia
12:30 PM	Virginia at North Carolina	Virginia
1:00 PM	Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan	Western Michigan
2:00 PM	Tulane at UTSA	Tulsa
3:00 PM	USC at California	California
3:30 PM	Mississippi State at No. 15 Texas A&M	Texas A&M
3:30 PM	Brigham Young at No. 24 Wisconsin	Wisconsin
3:30 PM	Nevada at Colorado State	Nevada
3:30 PM	Illinois at Indiana	Indiana
3:30 PM	Syracuse at Maryland	Maryland
3:30 PM	Nebraska at Michigan	Michigan
3:30 PM	Boston College at New Mexico State	New Mexico State
3:30 PM	UTEP at North Texas	North Texas
3:30 PM	Hawaii at Navy	Hawaii
3:45 PM	Tulsa at East Carolina	East Carolina
4:00 PM	Kansas at No. 14 Oklahoma State	Oklahoma State
4:00 PM	No. 22 Arizona State at Utah	Arizona State
4:00 PM	North Carolina State at Duke	N.C. State
4:00 PM	Florida International at Middle Tennessee	Florida International
4:30 PM	Tennessee-Martin at Memphis	Memphis
5:00 PM	Old Dominion at Idaho	Idaho
7:00 PM	Virginia Tech at No. 11 Miami (FL)	Miami (FL)
7:00 PM	Houston at No. 21 UCF	UCF
7:00 PM	Texas at West Virginia	Texas
7:00 PM	Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech	Southern Mississippi
7:00 PM	Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe	Louisiana-Monroe
8:00 PM	No. 13 LSU at No. 1 Alabama	Alabama
8:00 PM	No. 23 Notre Dame at Pittsburgh	Notre Dame
8:00 PM	Colorado at Washington	Washington
8:00 PM	Utah State at UNLV	Utah State
10:00 PM	No. 19 UCLA at Arizona	UCLA
10:15 PM	No. 16 Fresno State at Wyoming	Fresno State
10:30 PM	San Diego State at San Jose State	San Diego State