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College football viewing guide, Week 11

 
Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman KC McDermott gets fired up before the start of the game vs. Virginia Tech last weekend. (Monica Herndon, Times)
Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman KC McDermott gets fired up before the start of the game vs. Virginia Tech last weekend. (Monica Herndon, Times)
Published Nov. 9, 2017

Must-see and meh time frames Saturday:

Lamest time window: Noon is the only slot without obvious College Football Playoff implications, so plan accordingly.

Noon: No. 13 Michigan State at No. 11 Ohio State is fine, but No. 12 Oklahoma State at No. 24 Iowa State should be a high-scoring blast.

3:30: No. 10 Auburn can be a playoff spoiler by beating No. 2 Georgia at home.

7: No. 1 Alabama continues its tough November at No. 18 Mississippi State.

8: If you like defense, watch No. 3 Notre Dame at No. 7 Miami. If you like offense, then No. 8 TCU at No. 5 Oklahoma is for you. There's no wrong answer.

Heisman watch

5. Notre Dame RB Josh Adams: A big game against this Miami defense could make him challenge Mayfield for the top spot.

4. Stanford RB Bryce Love: An ankle injury has slowed his bid.

3. Louisville QB Lamar Jackson: His 426 yards of offense per game are almost 50 more than anyone else in the country.

2. Penn State RB Saquon Barkley: A freakish talent, but has only 100-yard rushing game since Week 4.

1. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield: On pace to break the NCAA passer rating record … that he set last year.

Eye on the NFL draft

Mayfield is unquestionably a great (but undersized) college quarterback with a chance to remind scouts he could be great in the NFL, too. TCU is giving up only 4.4 yards per play — fifth nationally — and has the country's No. 6 scoring defense. This will be Mayfield's toughest test so far, and his best opportunity to silence any next-level doubters.

'GameDay' breakdown

Thanks to Adams' big plays and the blocking of two first-round offensive linemen, the Irish average a nation's-best 7 yards per rush. Miami's weakest link on defense is how it defends the run; the 'Canes have allowed 52 rushes of at least 10 yards (No. 91). If UM can't contain Adams and the run game, its win streak will stop at 13 games.

Deep South's Oldest Rivalry

If you're looking for a reason why No. 10 Auburn might knock off undefeated, No. 2 Georgia, here it is: The Tigers have an elite run defense and have given up only six rushing scores all season. If it stops (or at least slows down) the Bulldogs, UGA will rely on true freshman QB Jake Fromm to win on the road in one of the toughest environments in the SEC.

Audible

"We explained what a fullback is to our defense. They were very intrigued." — Washington coach Chris Petersen, whose Huskies play Stanford's traditional offense late Friday

By the numbers

1982 Georgia's last 10-0 start, which it can match with a win Saturday

1,368 Rushing yards by Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor heading into Saturday's game against No. 25 Iowa

2,670 School-record career rushing yards by South Alabama RB Xavier Johnson (Chamberlain High)