Week 11 of the college football season represents the first weekend where the College Football Playoff Rankings are now officially set in stone. Further raising the stakes of several of the biggest matchups across the country.
Fans will also be able to raise the stakes themselves by betting on this weekend’s marquee matchups. And college football analyst Joel Klatt would not be a bad person to trail, fresh off of a 5-0 week against the spread in Week 10 and a 66% overall record against the the spread this season.
Klatt made his picks once again ahead of Week 11’s exciting slate of games, which you can check out below along with his breakdown and exact score predictions for each matchup.
Klatt did not give a pick for this Big Ten matchup that he’ll be on the call for, which represents the largest spread across the FBS this weekend. As the Buckeyes will look to extend their streak of 45-straight wins over unranked opponents following their last unranked loss coming from Purdue in 2018.
“In subsequent weeks, we’ve gotten two games worth of answers about the defense, they’ve played terrific against both Nebraska and Penn State,” Klatt said about the Buckeyes. “And now you’ve got this answer about the rebuilt offensive line, that’s the most important part of what’s going on right now with Ohio State.”
Alabama and LSU’s matchup this weekend at Tiger Stadium serves as a potential College Football Playoff elimination game with both teams already sitting at two losses. A matchup where Klatt believes the Crimson Tide cover the spread with an outright win over the Tigers on the road.
“I don’t think the 2.5 is enough, I like Bama on the road at night against LSU to win this one 35-28. I just don’t think LSU is going to be able to overcome the one dimensional-ness of their offense and the fact that they do not stop a running quarterback,” Klatt said.
The Bulldogs visiting the Rebels is another ranked matchup in the SEC with high playoff stakes. A game where Klatt believes Georgia will cover and history will repeat itself based on the recent track record of both respective programs.
“52 straight wins against teams not named Alabama, 52,” Klatt said of Georgia. “Meanwhile Ole Miss is 0-4 against top-five teams and losing by an average of 21. Do we really think we’re about to see something that we have never seen before? My answer is no, Georgia 27, Ole Miss 20.”
The Michigan and Indiana programs have gone in opposite directions following the Wolverines’ national championship win. A matchup that the Hoosiers will dominate in the eyes of Klatt and stay unbeaten thanks to the chip on their shoulder following the College Football Playoff Rankings.
“They will not take their foot off the gas, I like Indiana 31-14 over Michigan in a huge win,” Klatt said. “They cover the 13.5, give the 13.5. Indiana will not stop on Saturday and this is a better team than Michigan, at this point, a far better team than Michigan.”
Colorado’s hopes for making the Big 12 title game became more realistic after Texas Tech handed Iowa State their first win of the season. But Klatt thinks the Buffs will hand the Red Raiders a close loss this weekend in a high-scoring affair that they don’t cover in.
“I got Colorado winning this one 34-31 in Lubbock, their dream run continues, they rise in the rankings,” Klatt said. “But I don’t like the 3.5, so I’ll take the points with Tech, but I think Colorado wins the game 34-31.”
An in-state rivalry closes out Klatt’s slate of games between now conference foes BYU and Utah. A matchup that starts a stretch of three straight-ranked opponents for the Utes where the Cougars will look to stay undefeated.
“There’s questions at quarterback, is it going to be Brandon Rose? Is it going to be Isaac Wilson? Is that enough experience against a really veteran BYU team?” Klatt asked about Utah. “I don’t think it is … BYU 27, Utah 17. I like them by 10, they’re covering the 3.5.”
