2024 Games of the Slot: Week 11
Breaking down which game to watch at each time slot this weekend
Despite a lighter slate, Week 10 delivered big with some major upsets and tossed the playoff race into an upheaval. But there’s a ton more games this weekend with playoff and conference race implications.
Which ones are begging for your attention? Don’t worry, SID Sports has you covered. As always, all times are in Eastern.
Friday Night
Game of the Slot: Iowa at UCLA (9 p.m., FOX)
Somehow, this has blossomed into what might be a very entertaining Friday night affair.
Like we discussed in yesterday’s Bracketology article, Iowa is technically still in the playoff race, but they’ll need a win here. The defense is still an elite Iowa unit, allowing only 18 points per game. The offense has been a revelation. They’ve scored 40+ points in three of their last four games. The dynamic duo of quarterback Brendan Sullivan and tailback Kaleb Johnson have this Hawkeye offense humming. They’ll need help to get into the playoff, but the first step is taking care of business.
UCLA, like Iowa, has experienced an offensive renaissance of sorts in recent weeks. Quarterback Ethan Garbers flipped a switch against Rutgers and the Bruins are rolling in their past two games. Garbers has completed 77.8 percent of his passes for 602 yards, six touchdowns and no turnovers those past two weeks. UCLA does have one of the nation’s worst running games and a defense that’s allowing 27.9 points per game this season.
On paper, Iowa should win this. But both of these programs have had weeks where the exact opposite of what you’d expect happens. With both of them hot going in, it should be a fun game to continue the stretch of quality Friday night football.
Multi-Box Games: Rice at Memphis (9 p.m., ESPN2), California at Wake Forest (8 p.m., ACC Network), New Mexico at San Diego State (10:30 p.m., FS1)
It’s not going to be the most intriguing game, but Rice at Memphis could be a decent game. Rice has fired their coach already amidst a disappointing 3-6 season, while Memphis was just eliminated from the playoff race. The Tigers are the much better squad with a quality offense, but things haven’t quite gone their way this season. The Calgorithm has been quieted, but with both teams sitting at 4-4 and fighting for bowl eligibility, there’s still a lot at stake in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest is heating up with wins in three of their last four, while Cal just ended a four-game skid with a win over Oregon State. Cal’s defense against Wake Forest’s offense should be a fun watch. In the Mountain West, we get a battle of first year coaches in Bronco Mendenhall (New Mexico) and Sean Lewis (San Diego State). Both teams have lost two straight and lean on their offenses, so expect a lot of points here.
Saturday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 2 Miami at Georgia Tech (ESPN)
The early slot on Saturday isn’t the best, but this is probably the most impactful game you can watch if you’re interested in the playoff race.
Miami jumped to the second spot in my rankings this week, but we’ll see if they can hold onto it. This is an immensely talented team that can enter that extra gear, but are often reluctant to. There’s three one-score wins over teams Miami should’ve run past easily on their schedule, and Georgia Tech is good enough to surprise someone.
For the Yellow Jackets, the Haynes-led backfield of quarterback Haynes King and tailback Jamal Haynes is mostly healthy and ready to go. They’re a dangerous combination that can take advantage of a Jekyll and Hyde Miami defense. The main issue with Georgia Tech is that they’re pretty average in every counting stat on both sides of the ball. Matched up against a team like Miami ranking at the top of most counting stats, that’s not the best recipe for success.
Multi-Box Games: West Virginia at Cincinnati (FS1), Florida at 5 Texas (ABC/ESPN+), Minnesota at Rutgers (NBC)
We’ve got an elimination game! Cincinnati is still in the Big 12 title race, but needs chaos and to win out. Both teams lean on their quarterbacks, Cincinnati with more success. Brendon Sorsby has had a great season, while Garrett Greene has been frustrating to say the least for West Virginia. Florida pushed Georgia for four quarters last week even with an injury to D.J. Lagway. Can they do that again against Texas? The Longhorns seem to have shaken out of their slump, but Florida is a trap game if I’ve ever seen one. Minnesota and Rutgers have both outperformed expectations, leading to a fun Big 10 matchup even if it doesn’t have many stakes. This should be a grind-it-out style game behind tailbacks Kyle Monangai and Darius Taylor, with quarterbacks Athan Kaliakmanis and Max Brosmer working in some passing. If you want to watch an old-fashioned smashmouth game, this one’s for you.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 3 Georgia at 14 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+)
The SEC is really coming out strong this week with two top-tier games. The first of which will go down in Oxford, Mississippi.
Georgia has been and will be an assumed national title contender under Kirby Smart, but the Dawgs haven’t looked the part since their win over Texas. Carson Beck suddenly looks pedestrian and can’t hold the ball. D.J. Lagway had a really solid game against the vaunted Georgia defense. The running game doesn’t have the same bite that it used to, despite Trevor Etienne transferring in. Make no mistake, Georgia is good, but they have to prove that they’re great this week.
For Lane Kiffin, this may be the biggest game since he’s been with Ole Miss. The Rebels are facing elimination in both the SEC and CFP races with a loss here. Ole Miss is coming in red hot after a 63-20 annihilation of Arkansas where Jaxson Dart and the Rebel offense were unstoppable. To get past Georgia, they’ll need similar play from their star signal caller. With an unpredictable defense to boot, Ole Miss has a lot of variability in this game. Are we going to get the team that trounced Arkansas without a sweat? Or are we getting the Rebels that struggled against Kentucky and LSU?
Multi-Box Games: 22 Colorado at Texas Tech (4 p.m., FOX), Michigan at 8 Indiana (3:30 p.m., CBS), South Carolina at 23 Vanderbilt (4:15 p.m., SEC Network)
Over in the Big 12, we’ve got a high-scoring matchup between two of the league’s best offenses. The winner will position themselves well for a conference title bid, while the loser is all but eliminated. It’ll be all gas, no brakes in Lubbock, just the way the Big 12 used to be. Michigan-Indiana is a great game to watch simply because of one thing: WIndiana still rolling. Seriously, this is the most under the radar team that deserves instant recognition. Why Kurtis Rourke is not getting Heisman buzz is beyond me. We’ll finish this timeslot back in the SEC with South Carolina and Vanderbilt, two teams that have pulled off major conference upsets. The matchup to watch here is South Carolina’s pass rush against Diego Pavia. Whoever comes out on top of that battle likely wins the game.
Wondering where these rankings are coming from? Check out this week’s SID Sports Top 25 and Players of the Week!
6-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 13 Alabama at 16 LSU (7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+)
The second of our two premier SEC games, this one is for sure a playoff elimination game. With both teams sitting at two losses, a third is going to doom their playoff chances.
Alabama had their get-right game after their first tough stretch under Kalen DeBoer in a 34-0 win over Missouri last weekend. For this week, Alabama’s hopes will rest on Jalen Milroe. The LSU defense has struggled against scrambling quarterbacks like Marcel Reed last week, and Milroe may be the best they’ve faced yet. I think the Alabama secondary is up to the task to take on the LSU passing attack, so keep your eyes locked on Milroe.
LSU had a great first half last week, jumping out to a 17-7 halftime lead over then-top 10 Texas A&M, only to squander it in a 38-23 loss. Starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has been the Tigers’ offensive engine this season, especially with multiple season-ending injuries in the running back room. But that engine stalled out in the second half, tossing three interceptions as the LSU offense found the endzone only once. Their defense is still suspect, and as we discussed, will have their hands full against Milroe, Ryan Williams and the Tide offense. Can Nussmeier and the LSU offense right the ship?
Multi-Box Games: Washington at 11 Penn State (8 p.m., Peacock), UCF at Arizona State (7 p.m., ESPN2), Nevada at 12 Boise State (8 p.m., FOX)
This first game is really intriguing to me in the sense of how does Penn State respond following a tough loss to Ohio State? Their offense did next to nothing, which won’t fly against a strong Washington offense. If the Nittany Lions can’t respond well, it’s time to start asking some tough questions about James Franklin. Back for some Big 12 chaos, UCF is looking to play spoiler against Arizona State. The Sun Devils have been a revelation in Kenny Dillingham’s second season, while the much-hyped Knights have faultered under a mess of quarterback injuries. But this is the Big 12, where anything can happen. Nevada and Boise State are here for one reason - Ashton Jeanty. Well, that and the Broncos’ sudden transformation into a well-balanced offense. Let’s see how Jeanty and Maddux Madsen do against a surprisingly solid Nevada defense.
West Coast After Dark
Game of the Slot: 7 BYU at Utah (10:15 p.m., ESPN)
Friend, the Holy War is on the docket. This is a tale of two completely opposite schools. Mormon vs. secular. Blue vs. red. Dream season vs. nightmare season.
BYU is riding high with a perfect record and clear path to the playoff. They’ve got a great win over SMU on the resume and are becoming more and more balanced as the season progresses. The defense is an elite unit. The offense is commanded by Jake Retzlaff to perfection. For some reason, the Cougars are being cast aside for one- or even two-loss Power Two teams, but they shouldn’t be. BYU is very good.
Utah is in the dumps with Cam Rising’s career ending with yet another injury (or did it?). True freshman Isaac Wilson has played admirably, but the Utes, once preseason Big 12 favorites, have plunged into the bottom half of the conference. They may be fighting for bowl eligibility at 4-4, but there’s one thing more important than that: ruining the arch-rival BYU’s shot at the playoff.
Rivalry games are always wild and unpredictable. Especially so when you have two teams vasty over- and under-performing preseason expectations. This will be a toxic, chaotic, wonderfully college football game.
Multi-Box Game: Utah State at 19 Washington State (10:30 p.m., The CW), UNLV at Hawaii (9 p.m., CBS Sports Network), Fresno State at Air Force (9:45 p.m., FOX)
Washington State’s playoff hopes rest on Texas Tech, but the Cougars will have to take care of business against a Utah State team drifting into nothingness. Don’t expect this to be close. UNLV-Hawaii presents a fun schematic game with the Rebels’ go-go offense against the Rainbow Warriors’ run and shoot. That alone should make this a fun watch. Finally, we see a similar tale in Fresno State’ spread attack against Air Force’s service academy option scheme. Again, some potential for fun, but nothing expected.
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I reeeeeeeeeeeallly don’t wanna have the tough convos about James Franklin. But I get it 😞