5 ranked teams in danger of losing

We are in the last month of 2024 college football season, the first College Football Playoffs Rankings have been released, and it is the home stretch. But don’t worry, because that just means we’re turning the chaos up to 11, fitting for Week 11, and there will be even more teams on alert in the last four weeks before we start the conference. championship weekend.

It’s a fascinating Week 11 list with some huge SEC matchups between ranked foes, but also several undefeated teams facing tough matchups or even trap games with an upset on the line. But one undefeated in a big game that we don’t factor into our college football choices? The Indiana Hoosiers. Coach Cig’s team will take on Michigan in Week 11, but honestly, I have no doubt that Indiana will do it against a team they are clearly better at, especially in Bloomington.

Shoutouts to Clemson in Blacksburg, Iowa State in Kansas and even Colorado for not being upset. But that still leaves us with a few SEC contenders and three more undefeated teams for college football’s upset picks in Week 11.

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Record for Disrupted Choices 2024: 14-31

Opponent: in North Texas | Time: Saturday, November 9, 3:30 PM ET (ESPN) | Spread: ARMY -4.5

Army remained undefeated last week despite the surprising absence of star quarterback Bryson Daily, though that may say a lot more about Air Force than it does about the Black Knights without their dark Heisman Trophy contender in the fold. And with Daily’s availability for their Week 11 matchup with North Texas also in question, it puts the undefeated service academy in big trouble.

If Daily does play, this could look strange. North Texas’ defense is, to put it kindly, rotten and even if they used the triple option, the Black Knights would absolutely hang a big number on them. Even against another bad Air Force defense, Dewayne Coleman simply couldn’t move the ball as well as Daily in this offense.

On the other hand, scoring is all the Mean Green is capable of. While Army’s defense has been a force unto itself, North Texas should be able to come in and find their spot to put points on the board. Even with Daily, this could be a shootout, but without him, Jeff Monken’s team is in real danger of taking their first loss of the season.

Opponent: at Utah | Time: Saturday, November 9, 10:15 PM ET (ESPN) | Spread: BYU -3.5

BYU fans, I apologize again for the oversight in leaving the Cougars out of the initial AP Top 25 projections on Saturday night. And I know this sounds rich as I put the team on alert, which certainly won’t make this amazing fanbase any happier with me. But when it’s the Holy War, we all know anything can happen.

The most famous rivalry in college football and one of the most fun is back after a hiatus since 2021 and we’re heading to Rice-Eccles Stadium for what is now a conference game. And rest assured, I think BYU is by far the better team in this game. I had my doubts about Utah going into the season with Cam Rising and that’s even easier to see when the veteran quarterback isn’t leading the offense.

But again, all bets are off in the Holy War, especially since BYU has to be on the road for this game. Sure, Provo is a short drive from Salt Lake City, but the change in atmosphere makes it feel miles different. I honestly don’t have a football reason why the Cougars don’t win this game, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it given the nature of this rivalry.

Opponent: at 16 Ole Miss | Time: Saturday, November 9, 3:30 PM ET (ABC) | Spread: UGA -2.5

Perhaps more than people realize, this is a huge spot for the Georgia Bulldogs. Especially since their season-opening win over Clemson looks worse after the Tigers lost to Louisville and could turn into a pumpkin again, the only truly high-quality win on Kirby Smart’s resume this season is against Texas. Granted, that’s a big win, but when you factor in a loss to Alabama and now Ole Miss, things start to look worse.

Lane Kiffin’s Rebels scoring 63 points on Arkansas last week is certainly fresh in the minds of people coming into this game, but I’m actually more aware of these defenses. Simply put, I don’t see Ole Miss even seeing the 60-point mark on the horizon in this game, especially if Georgia’s defense plays to the ceiling like it did against Texas. On the other hand, Carson Beck is turnover-sensitive and Ole Miss has the right combination up front to put pressure on him.

Ultimately, I think Georgia is the better team in this match and should come out victorious. That said, if Beck’s turnover problems continue and the defense doesn’t play to its potential — which has been the case at times this season — this game in Oxford could be tricky for the Dawgs in a hurry. There is probably more disruption than anyone in Athens would like to admit.

Opponent: at Georgia Tech | Time: Saturday, November 9, 12:00 PM ET (ESPN) | Distribution: MIA -10.5

No, I don’t think Mario Cristobal will be stubborn and foolish not to take a knee at the end of this season and let Miami lose to Georgia Tech for the second year in a row. However, will that match be on the Hurricanes head coach’s mind? You can take that to the bench and, honestly, what we learned in that game last year is that Georgia Tech can be the right team to blow it against The U, even if there is a talent deficit.

The big question in this game is the status of Yellow Jackets starting quarterback Hayes King, who has been out for several weeks now. My feeling, based on Brent Key’s comments throughout the week, is that he will play, which should scare Miami a bit. With King, Georgia Tech has a unique and sharp offense that can put a Hurricanes defense that I still don’t fully trust (how can you trust a unit that gave up 31 points to Duke?) on its heels in this one.

If that does happen, Miami will need Cam Ward to play Superman for the umpteenth time this season. He’s already proven he can do just that, but are we absolutely certain there won’t be a moment where he falls short? I’m still not entirely convinced of that and with Miami underway in this film, it’s not hard for me to see that Cristobal and Co. sweating this one out or even realistically getting upset in Atlanta.

Opponent: at 15 LSU | Time: Saturday, November 9, 7:30 PM ET (ABC) | Spread: ALA -2.5

Here we are again. Full disclosure: Pretty much every time the Alabama-LSU game is on the schedule, the favorite is warned. That’s exactly what it’s like when these two powers of the SEC clash annually, and this year could be the best case for that. These are two extremely good teams, but also teams with obvious flaws, and Alabama being the road favorite is enough to make the upset easily within the realm of possibility.

Besides Death Valley being a tough place to play, Alabama’s defense, especially the secondary, still concerns me. And when you look at their two losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, both of which are also coming up, their secondary played their worst games of the season. Now they team up with LSU in Baton Rouge against the best wide receiver and quarterback they have seen this season. That is certainly not favorable.

Sure, Jalen Milroe could have a big day against this LSU defense and we could turn back the clock on a classic Alabama-LSU shootout. But Death Valley could certainly play a role in those types of games. With the advantages Brian Kelly’s team has in this one, they are ready to upset the Crimson Tide and send Bama away from the CFP.