The 2019 college football season has now moved into November. Some teams are out of bowl contention, while others are trying to get to the New Year’s Six, or even the College Football Playoff. Week 11 will feature three games between AP Top 25 teams. Here is a preview of those games:
#5 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-0) vs. #13 Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-0)
When: Saturday, November 9 | 12:00 PM EST
Watch: ABC
Penn State will head to Minnesota to face a surprisingly undefeated Golden Gopher squad. In the month of October, Minnesota outscored their opponents 168-41. They averaged 42 points per game, which is more than they allowed their opponents for the entire month. However, this may be the biggest test for P.J. Fleck and the Golden Gophers as they host the fifth ranked team in the country. It’ll be interesting to see if Minnesota can continue to “row the boat” against Penn State.
Penn State has been showing their defensive skills this season as they’ve allowed just 77 points throughout their first eight games of the season. That is an average of a little under 10 points per game. If they can continue that trend against this currently top 25 Minnesota team, they should be able to move to 9-0 on the season.
#1 Louisiana State Tigers (8-0) vs. #2 Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0)
When: Saturday, November 9 | 3:30 PM EST
Watch: CBS
The top two ranked teams in the nation will face off this weekend. LSU edged out the Crimson Tide for the number one spot, likely because of their wins over Florida and Auburn. Their offense also started the season by scoring at least 40 points in their first six games. They understandably didn’t meet those numbers when they scored 23 against Auburn. Their defense did step-up by holding Auburn to 20 points. Which side of the ball will perform better in Tuscaloosa?
At the time of writing, it is not 100 percent known if quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will play or not. Quarterback Mac Jones still helped the team put up 48 against Arkansas by throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns. LSU will likely provide a much tougher test should he play. The team clearly has offensive talent which could give Jones confidence under center.
#18 Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2) vs. #16 Wisconsin Badgers (6-2)
When: Saturday, November 9 | 4:00 PM EST
Watch: FOX
These two Big Ten teams remain in the top 25 at 6-2. Both of them lost their games consecutively, with Wisconsin on a two game losing streak heading into this one. A win against a ranked opponent in November will be a big bonus for one of these teams’ resumes, as the winner could still be in contention for a New Year’s Six bowl.
Iowa started out 4-0 with their most notable win coming against Iowa State 18-17. They then lost to ranked opponents in Michigan and Penn State, by seven points and then five points. They bounced back by beating Purdue and Northwestern, two struggling teams. A win against a ranked Wisconsin team would be a notable feat before they host Minnesota, who should also be a top 25 team when they face each other.
Wisconsin was 6-0, outscoring opponents 220-29. Then one of the most surprising games of the season happened. Wisconsin trailed for the first time of the season when Illinois made a go-ahead field goal to beat the Badgers 24-23. This came at a bad time for the team because they were in the top 10 getting ready to take on Ohio State. That game went very poorly for Wisconsin when they lost 38-7. They Badgers will have a chance to get back in the win column when they host Iowa on Saturday.
Feature Image Courtesy of Flipboard.
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