Houston Cougars' senior punter, Australian ice-cream salesman turned superboot, Dane Roy, dives into the week 11 College football matches to keep an eye on.

#3 University of Alabama vs #2 Louisiana State University 

It’s week 11 of the College Football and the game we have all been waiting for is finally here - LSU Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide. The College Football Playoffs released their Top 25 during the week and surprising listed Ohio State Buckeyes as number 1 in front of LSU at 2 and Alabama at 3. Whoever wins this game is set to win the SEC west and have the front seat in the ride to the playoffs.

Both teams are 8-0 coming into this week, but LSU have had 3 wins against Top 25 teams whereas Alabama only have the one. The Tigers are 4th in the nation averaging 46.8 points per game but Alabama are 2nd, averaging 48.6, so it has all the ingredients for a shootout. 

Senior QB Joe Burrow has taken the Tigers to a new level this year. Burrow is 2nd in the nation in passing yards (2805) and TDs (30). Two players relishing the season their QB is having are WRs Ja'Marr Chase & Justin Jefferson who are both equal 7th in the nation in receiving TDs with 9 each. Chase, a sophomore, has 819 yards and Jefferson, a junior, has 749 yards this season.

For Alabama, junior QB Tua Tagovailoa has continued his impressive form in his collegiate career accounting for 27 TDs this year, which puts him equal 3rd in the nation. The junior has 2166 passing yards but hasn’t played since suffering a high ankle sprain against Tennessee on 19th October. Coach Nick Saban told the media he expects Tagovailoa to play this weekend. Junior WR, DeVonta Smith, has been very good for the Crimson Tide this season, equal 7th in the nation in TD receptions with 9, and also has a total of 721 yards.

Look out for:

A potential Heisman winner on show in this game. Whether that is Burrow or Tagovailoa, the winner of this game will boost themselves to the top of the watch list.

Verdict:

All the stats point to an LSU win but it’s against Alabama… at Alabama and LSU haven't won there since 2011. That's a huge ask for anyone, but if any team can do it, this is the team. Alabama have beaten LSU the last 8 times they have played, and every year people say this is the year LSU will win. So, here we go again. This should be the Tigers year. If LSU win here, expect them to go into the post season as number 1. I think a lot of people will be cheering for a Tiger victory here, myself included.

#17 University of Minnesota vs #4 Pennsylvania State University

The next big game of the weekend is a Big10 battle between two more undefeated teams, the #4 Penn State Nittany Lions and the #17 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Both these teams are 8-0 this season but Penn State has had a much harder schedule with 2 wins against ranked opponents, whereas the Golden Gophers haven’t played any ranked teams and the closest games they have been in were 3-point wins vs Fresno State and Georgia Southern. 

Penn State have allowed 9.6 points per game which is the second fewest in the nation. The Nittany Lions are 7th in the nation in team sacks with 30, averaging nearly 4 per game, which doesn’t bode well for Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan (1761 yards & 18 TD). The sophomore has been sacked 16 times this year, so you’d expect to see the Penn State defense feast on this weary O-Line. Minnesota have been very productive on offense this year, when they aren’t throwing the ball they have no problem running it. The Golden Gophers have 21 rushing TD and 18 receiving TD this year and leading the running backs is senior Rodney Smith, 889 yards and 7 TD. For Penn State, sophomore QB, Sean Clifford (1931 yards), threw 4 TD last game vs Michigan State and has 20 for the season. Sophomore WR KJ Hamler (620 yards & 8TD) is one player to look out for, averaging 16.8 yards per reception this year.

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Look out for:

The Minnesota offense (38 points on average) versus the Penn State defense (9.6). If Minnesota can put up a competitive score, they maybe able to push this game right to the end.

Verdict:

Penn State are ranked 4th for a reason. In the end this should be another win for them, as we all look forward to their matchup vs Ohio State in a few weeks.

University of Texas vs #16 Kansas State University

The third must-see game of the weekend is the very intriguing Big 12 match up between #16 Kansas State Wildcats and the Texas Longhorns. K-State are 6-2 this season with losses vs Baylor and Oklahoma State but are ranked 16th because of their huge upset win against Oklahoma a few weeks back. Texas are 5-3 this season, losing to LSU, TCU and Oklahoma. The Longhorns are 11th in the nation in points scored per game with 39.1, but in typical Big 12 fashion, their defense gives up a rather large score each week, averaging 31.5 points conceded per game, which puts them 97th in the nation.

Players to watch for the Longhorns: Junior QB, Sam Ehlinger, 2378 yards and 23 TD for the season. Ehlinger has 7 interceptions this season and 4 came last game in their loss to TCU. Senior WR, Devin Duvernay, 800 yards and 7 TD this season. For the Wildcats, keep an eye out on exciting QB Skylar Thompson. The junior has only thrown for 1336 yards this season and 7 TD, but he has rushed for 331 yards and 10 TD. Not your typical QB. Senior RB, James Gilbert, has 5 TD this season and 558 yards.

Look out for:

Ryan Bujcevski, Aussie punter and cousin to NFL pro-bowler Michael Dixon. The Aussie is averaging 41.4 yards per punt for the Longhorns this year.

Verdict:

This is going to be a close one. It seems like every Longhorn game is a close one these days. K-State are actually under dogs heading into this game. Strangely, they have beaten Oklahoma and TCU, two teams who Texas has lost to this year. It wouldn’t surprise me if this went to overtime. I would love to see Kansas State win this one at Texas, but I think the Longhorns bounce back here and (Cameron) Dicker the kicker saves them again.

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