Week 11 College Football Predictions

Penn State vs. Iowa

If you think I’m going to predict the Penn State game when the boys are 9-0, you’ve got another thing coming. In fact, I’m going to “do a Kirk Herbstreit” and go for the keys of the game.

First, Iowa RB Shonn Greene has run for over 100 yards per game in each of his nine games—although his worst effort was in Week 10’s loss at Iowa, where he "only" had 103 yards. If Greene controls PSU’s defense in the manner that Michigan’s Brandon Minor did in the first quarter-and-a-half a few weeks ago, it could spell problems for Penn State.

Secondly, the Daryll Clark situation: How’s the head of Penn State’s quarterback after getting thumped against Ohio State? Will he start?

And how about Penn State’s defense? Will this be the same defense which showed up so brilliantly in Columbus, or the one that was awful for one-and-a-half quarters against Michigan?

Finally, the PSU offense to Iowa defense matchup. The Nittany Lions weren’t wonderful at Ohio State, and Iowa’s defense is legit—giving up only 13.2 points per game.

Alabama vs. LSU

This is a game that both sets of fans have been anticipating. LSU fans still hate Nick Saban for leaving them only to return to college football—at their hated rivals. This is particularly true as ‘Bama is ranked first and LSU has been dreadful lately.

This is also a revenge game for ‘Bama. Remember, they lost a heartbreaker at home to this team last year. Oh, and there’s the small matter of the SEC West title thrown in, too. This will be a classic.

PREDICTION: LSU scores the upset 31-28.

Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech

Oklahoma State gave Texas the fright of its life a couple of weeks ago—and this offense could cause Tech a few problems of their own on Saturday night. Zac Robinson is the nation’s second-ranked passer in efficiency, but Graham Harrell has the unbeaten record and the small matter of Michael Crabtree at wide receiver.

PREDICTION: Texas Tech stays unbeaten 38-28.

Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M

Oklahoma has been great, and Texas A&M has been awful—even with last week's win over Colorado. I expect A&M to be boomed sooner than most in this game.

PREDICTION: Sooners run wild—Oklahoma 55, Texas A&M 21.

TCU vs. Utah (Thursday)

The Mormons and the Christians get together in Utah for a monster MWC clash, so don’t expect a whole lot of swearing. Anyways, TCU ****ing hammered BYU 32-7 earlier on in the season, and Utah are unbeaten—although their recent 13-10 victory over New Mexico wasn’t a whole lot to shout about.

This is going to be an absolute Thursday night classic. It’s a shame most people won’t be able to watch it, bearing in mind it’s on CBS’ College Sports Station.

PREDICTION: Joseph Smith happy—Utah 35, TCU 32.

California vs. USC

USC have been so good this season (barring one half against Oregon State), it’s really hard to see past a Trojans victory. But having said that, California is coming off a win against Oregon while USC struggled a couple of weeks ago against Arizona.

PREDICTION: Song Girls singing and high-kicking. Yaaaay! USC 55, Cal 14.

Notre Dame vs. Boston College

The biggest Catholic vs. Catholic tie of the season is upon us as these old rivals get together. It’ll be one of the last times, too...it’s over in 2012 (which is funny, since it was one of the games of the season).

Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen has been a vast improvement for the Irish this year, throwing for over 2,100 yards and 18 touchdowns. Boston College QB Chris Crane hasn’t been too untidy either, throwing for nearly 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns.

The key here will be BC’s defense. Will it be the one that conceded seven points in its first few games, or the one that gave up 27 and 45 in its last two?

PREDICTION: The Pope’s happy either way. Notre Dame 34, BC 25.