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College Football

Burning Questions – Week 11

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
9 minute read
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Saturday
Ole Miss at Texas A&M (-13.5/67.5), 12 p.m. ET: Can SEC passing leader Jordan Ta'amu feast on a vulnerable A&M secondary? Will an inability to move as liberally as he normally does due to a foot injury suffered vs. South Carolina last week hinder the Rebels offense? How will Ags QB Kellen Mond rebound from his worst performance of the season? Will blowing a fourth-quarter lead at Auburn linger? If Mond's accuracy issues linger, how quickly wil Jimbo Fisher turn to backup Nick Starkel? Can Trayveon Williams take some pressure off the passing game early by getting off to a good start as he seeks out a sixth 100-yard rushing game?

BYU (-14/57) at UMass, 12 p.m. ET: Who will 35 mile-per-hour wind gusts wind up bothering most since the Minutemen are used to inclement weather? Can UMass continue to flourish via WR Andy Isabella and short passses? Will BYU bounce back after averaging just 11 points over its last two games to hold serve as a road favorite and remain bowl eligible?

Navy at UCF (-24/65.5), 12 p.m. ET: Are the Knights prepared well enough to face the triple option to let their edge in athleticism do the heavy lifting defensively? Can UCF win a 22nd straight contest convincingly enough to move up in the CFP rankings after last week's conquest of Temple failed to help them move up from No. 12? Will Navy be motivated to spoil Homecoming after UCF snapped the Midshipmen's 17-game home winning streak in last season's first meeting between the programs? Is QB McKenzie Milton healthy again?



TCU at West Virginia (-12/55.5) at Maryland, 12 p.m. ET: Will the possibility of snow and wind gusts in Morgantown derail the terrific Will Grier-led passing attack? Will Dana Holgorsen's Mountaineers be foiled by Gary Patterson's crew for the fourth time in five seasons? Can TCU do enough offensively behind inexperienced backup QB Mike Collins, who barely completed half his passes in last weekend's loss to K-State? Will the Frogs' offense be better equipped to survive the loss of dismissed star WR/KR KaVontae Turpin than they were on short notice last week?

Kansas at Kansas State (-10/46.5), 12 p.m. ET: Is this the season where the Jayhawks have improved enough to end a run of 10 straight Sunflower Showdown setbacks? Will Skylar Thompson be available to play QB after suffering an apparent head injury last week or will this be the Alex Delton show for K-State? After rescuing its bowl hopes by taking down TCU, is this part of a late run to salvage Bill Snyder's streak of bowl appearances? Can RBs Pooka Williams and Khalil Herbert keep the offense in sound down-and-distance situation to fuel an upset bid?

Akron at Eastern Michigan (-11.5/42), 12 p.m. ET: Which of these .500 teams will be able to move one step closer to bowl eligibility, which has historically not been a given for either program before current head coaches Terry Bowden and Chris Creighton got to town? After Zips QB Kato Nelson left last week's loss to NIU with an ankle injury, is redshirt freshman Alex Ramart ready to take over and pick up a road win? With Mike Glass III nursing an injury himself, can Tyler Wiegers continue to play clean ball from the pocket to complement the Eastern Michigan defense? Although snow should stay away, which team will handle windy, freezing weather best?

Maryland at Indiana (-1/55), 12 p.m. ET: Do the Terps have enough in the tank in what's been a draining, emotional year to secure a bowl berth here since remaining games against Ohio State and Penn State aren't likely to produce wins? Can the Hoosiers get to .500 and give themselves a chance to improve on last year's 5-7 finish despite games at Michigan and home against Purdue remaining? After last week's demoralizing loss in Minnesota sent many IU fans hopping off the bandwagon with hoops season now here, will there be enough support for the home team in freezing Bloomington? Will Maryland RB Ty Johnson make it back from a calf injury or will it be the Anthony McFarland show in the backfield?

SMU (-18.5/66.5) at UConn, 12 p.m. ET: Can ISU star running back David Montgomery, the Big 12's rushing leader, pick up his fifth 100-yard game in a row? Does KU freshman RB Pooka Williams continue striking a blow for the Jayhawks with his ability to break big gains? Coming off an upset of TCU, will the Jayhawks have the requisite confidence to flirt with another upset? WIll Cyclones freshman QB Brock Purdy continue his emergence by again hooking up with standout WR Hakeem Butler?

Wisconsin at Penn State (-8/53.5), 12 p.m. ET: How will snow flurries and wind gusts affect Penn State's big play passing game since Trace McSorley should be healthy? Can the Nittany Lions avoid slipping under .500 in Big Ten play? How will Jack Coan fare in his second road start after struggling in his first appearance in Evanston upon taking over for the injured Alex Hornibrook? Can Jonathan Taylor, Taiwan Deal and Garrett Groshek victimize Penn State's run defense, which ranks 10th in the conference (172.2 ypg)? Can the Nittany Lions add to their Big Ten-leading sack total of 29?

Vanderbilt at Missouri (-13.5/63), 12 p.m. ET: Will emphatically pulling off last week's upset of Florida in Gainesville set the Tigers up for a strong finish now that they've finally secured their first SEC win? Will Vandy head coach Derek Mason be able to snap an embarrassing 0-6 run coming off a bye? With Emanuel Hall healthy, will Mizzou be at full strength with TE Albert Okwuegbunam (shoulder) and RB Tyler Badie (foot) listed as questionable? Can Vandy win consecutive SEC road games for tje first time since 2013?

Illinois at Nebraska (-17.5/70), 12 p.m. ET: Can the Illini take advantage of an opportunity to get to .500 in November for the first time since 2014? Will the 'Huskers rise up to at least protect Memorial Stadium in a lost first season under Scott Frost? Can Nebraska improve to 3-2 in games where its favored after dropping its first two at home to Colorado and Troy? Does RB Mike Epstein make it back to try and help Illinois win in Lincoln for the first time since 1929? Can former Husker A.J. Bush continue his steady play at QB to give the Illini a chance?

South Carolina at Florida (-6.5/54), 12 p.m. ET: Can Will Muschamp improve to 2-1 against his former employer by winning in Gainesville for the first time since before his dismissal back in 2014? Can Jake Bentley continue a late-season resurgence against an impressive Gators defense? Will a South Carolina defense that has been victimized by injuries have pass-rushing LB Bryson Allen-Williams in the mix to help take some pressure off a painfully thin secondary? Can Gators QB Feleipe Franks take advantage of his latest opportunity following last week's benching after his replacement, Kyle Trask, was lost to a broken foot?

Tulsa at Memphis (-17/65.5), 12 p.m. ET: Can an improved Golden Hurricane find a way to contain explosive Tigers RB Darrell Henderson, one of four running backs in this game that rank among the AAC's top 15 in yardage gained? Can Tulsa be effective on early downs to stay out of situations where the Tigers can come after QB Seth Boomer? Will the Golden Hurricane follow up racking up a season-high 638 yards with another strong effort after finally snapping a seven-game skid?

Ohio State (-4.5/48) at Michigan State, 12 p.m. ET: Will snow slow down a Buckeyes squad that thrives on blocking effectively down field and taking advantage of their speed and athleticism? How will QB Dwayne Haskins handle his first dose of truly inclement weather? Does Ohio State need style points given its poor showing in the latest CFP poll? Will J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber be able to flourish against a Sparty run defense that ranks first in FBS in yards allowed? Will MSU QB Brian Lewerke pay Mark Dantonio back for the confidence he's showing in calling him the unquestioned starter? With top RB L.J. Scott still out and No. 1 WR Felton Davis done with a torn achilles, are there enough weapons in place to hang with Ohio State?

North Carolina at Duke (-9.5/58), 12:20 p.m. ET: There's no question that the "throwing the records out" cliche applies to this rivalry, so will the Tar Heels salavge their season some by doubling their win total with this road upset? Can Duke keep the Victory Bell for the third straight season? Do losses to talented teams by 10 points or fewer over the last month indicate the Tar Heels are finally ready to turn the corner? Will key Duke LB Joe Giles-Harris make it back from a nasty-looking knee injury? How about RB Brittain Brown?

Temple (-12.5/64) at Houston, 7 p.m. ET: Will Ryquell Armstead suit up for the Owls after coaches were cryptic regarding his availability all week? Will All-American DT Ed Oliver participate or will he again be absent for a depleted defense?

Miami at Georgia Tech (-14/60), 7 p.m. ET: Will the latest ride on the QB carousel produce a win for Miami with N'Kosi Perry back in ahead of Malik Rosier? Will the Yellow Jackets get revenge for last season's painful 25-24 loss?

Florida State at Notre Dame (-16.5/50), 7:30 p.m. ET: Will the snow that most in South Bend awoke to on Saturday morning clear out as expected by the time the evening kickoff rolls around? How are the boys from Florida going to handle temperatures dipping into the 30s? Will veteran QB Brandon Wimbush make the most of being able to close out his junior season with a start in the final home game ahead of the injured Ian Book? Can FSU QB Deondre Francois be effective, whether he starts or not, while nursing a rib injury and working behind an offensive line missing multiple starters? Do the 'Noles have a major upset in them or will their final home games (vs. BC and Florida) become must-wins as they look to get bowl eligible?

Follow Tony Mejia on Twitter at @TonyMejiaNBA or e-mail him at mejia@vegasinsider.com 4

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