The 2024 college football season is entering the home stretch this weekend with prime positioning in conference title races up for grabs and College Football Playoff implications radiating through multiple matchups. With Tuesday’s release of the first CFP Rankings, we now have a firm idea of where teams stand in the national pecking order.
One team that could be primed to rise with a win Saturday is No. 8 Indiana, which hosts Michigan in a Big Ten showdown on CBS. The Hoosiers are 9-0 but ranked behind five one-loss teams since they’ve played a light schedule under first-year coach Curt Cignetti.
Beating a Michigan team anchored by a strong defense would mark a quality win for IU and further validate its unexpected rise to prominence. Elsewhere, a big slate of SEC games is also on tap as the league wades through a muddy mess of teams near the top of the standings.
Be sure to stick with CBS Sports all day Saturday for college football coverage from the opening kickoff onward. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the best games in Week 11 with cited picks from best sports betting apps available.
All times Eastern
No. 11 Alabama at No. 15 LSU
7:30 p.m. | ABC, fubo (Try for free) — Which Garrett Nussmeier shows up Saturday night? The LSU quarterback was fantastic in the first half two weeks ago against Texas A&M, but he fell apart in the second half as he threw three interceptions and watched a 10-point lead melt into a 15-point loss. Alabama’s defense is not going to scare many quarterbacks in the secondary, but the Tide can mix things up and force them into mistakes thanks to their defensive line. Milroe is the straw that mixes the Tide’s drink. If he can find room and rush for 50-ish yards, Alabama wins. I’d feel more confident with this pick if it wasn’t at night, but we’ll stick with the Tide as the slight favorite. Pick: Alabama -3 via DraftKings — Brandon Marcello
Florida at No. 5 Texas
Noon | ABC, fubo (Try for free) — Florida is a 20-plus point betting underdog for only the fourth time in the last 30 years. If Yale transfer Aidan Warner gets the nod at quarterback in place of DJ Lagway, he will face a relentless defense that ranks near the top in most statistical categories. Texas has won 17 consecutive games against unranked teams, and eight have come by at least 20 points. This has all the makings for a blowout win for the home team. Pick: Texas -21.5 via Fanatics — Cameron Salerno
Michigan at No. 8 Indiana
3:30 p.m. | CBS, Paramount+ with Showtime, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App — Indiana is for real. The Hoosiers faced their first honest bit of adversity — besides briefly losing quarterback Kurtis Rourke to injury — when they fell behind 10-0 to Michigan State early in Week 10, trailing for the first time all season. They subsequently ripped off 47 unanswered points to secure their ninth double-digit win of the year. The law of averages says Indiana is going to get taken to the brink at some point. It won’t be this week, though. Michigan is spiraling, and its struggling offense won’t be able to keep up, especially since Indiana boasts the Big Ten’s best rush defense. Pick: Indiana -14 via DraftKings — Will Backus
No. 3 Georgia at No. 16 Ole Miss
3:30 p.m. | ABC, fubo (Try for free) — Ole Miss rediscovered its top gear offensively in a 63-31 win at Arkansas last week. Now, the Rebels welcome a Georgia team that has alternated between dominant and vulnerable. Unless UGA quarterback Carson Beck snaps out of his recent funk, the Bulldogs will find themselves in serious trouble. Even if Beck cuts back on his recent turnover woes, Ole Miss is better equipped defensively this season to eliminate Georgia’s running game. Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart has a bevy of playmakers at his disposal and the confidence to stress the Georgia defense. Look for Ole Miss to find a way in a game that may define coach Lane Kiffin’s tenure with the program. Pick: Ole Miss +2.5 via FanDuel — David Cobb
SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for six outright upsets in Week 11 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates every matchup 10,000 times.