Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian go way back; their friendship dates back to their time at USC. Their relationship, forged through triumphs and failures, has strengthened in recent years as Sarkisian helped Kiffin work through sobriety and improve his personal life off the field.
On Saturday night, the old friends reunite, each trying to eliminate the other from the College Football Playoff race.
No. 21 LSU, fresh off its first home loss under Kiffin, is trying to avoid dropping home games in consecutive weeks for the first time since 1994. No. 6 Texas has won six straight games against ranked opponents, the longest active streak in the FBS. The loser may very well be eliminated from playoff contention.
It’s one of five ranked-on-ranked matchups in a week built for more chaos. A top-two team has lost in five straight weeks, tying 2007 for the longest stretch in AP Top 25 history.
No. 1 Georgia hosts No. 22 Missouri, which has never beaten an AP No. 1 team in 18 tries. No. 2 Utah, one of two unbeaten FBS teams remaining, visits No. 23 Arizona as a slight favorite against the Wildcats. Both of Arizona’s wins over top-10 teams since 2015 came against the Utes, and starting quarterback Noah Fifita is 2-0 against them.
On CBS, No. 9 Indiana hosts No. 18 USC, with the Hoosiers fighting for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and the Trojans trying to stay alive in the playoff race. Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover is off the injury report, but leading rusher Turbo Richard is out. A loss would all but end USC’s playoff hopes.
Meanwhile, No. 12 Texas Tech visits No. 25 Oklahoma State in the Dust Bowl.
Conference races are still in flux, but Georgia can clinch a spot in the final SEC Championship Game on Saturday with a win and some help.
Let’s get to our experts’ Week 11 picks.
No. 18 USC vs. No. 9 Indiana
7:30 p.m. on CBS CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App Paramount+ Premium: Five of Indiana’s six Big Ten games have been decided by a touchdown or less. The only exception was a 47-15 win against an overmatched Rutgers team. The Hoosiers haven’t shown the ability to pull away and dominate quality opposition. So long as IU limits catastrophic turnovers, it will win the game on the basis of its physicality on both lines of scrimmage. But it’s difficult to envision the Hoosiers suddenly pulling away from a team of USC’s caliber. The Trojans have a veteran quarterback in Jayden Maiava who can keep his team in the game. Pick: USC +7.5 — David Cobb
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 22 Missouri
3:15 p.m. on ABC, Fubo (try free): Missouri is capable of making things interesting if Georgia lets its foot off the gas pedal after a big win over Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have already made that mistake once against Auburn. Will Kirby Smart let them make another one in this spot? I find that hard to believe. The flagship university of the Show-Me State is going to have to show me that it can beat the Bulldogs before I feel comfortable betting on them. Georgia rolls for the third consecutive week. Pick: Georgia -15.5 — Austin Nivison
No. 6 Texas vs. No. 21 LSU
7:30 p.m. on ABC, Fubo (try free): LSU desperately needs this game after falling to 0-3 against ranked opponents, and faces a Texas offense with its own issues. But against the elite teams, the Tigers’ offense has run into speed bumps. The Longhorns are the best defense LSU will play this season, and that unit will help carry Texas to a playoff-clinching race. Pick: Texas +4 — Shehan Jeyarajah
No. 2 Utah vs. No. 23 Arizona
10:30 p.m. on Fox, Fubo (try free): The Wildcats are a good football team and should provide a big test for the Utes coming off last week’s win. That said, so far this season, when Arizona has played the best teams in the Big 12, it has proven to be lagging just a bit behind. Over 60 minutes, I expect that to be the case again on Saturday, even with a raucous environment in Tucson for their biggest home game in years. Utah won’t have it easy, but when the clock hits triple zeroes, I expect the Utes to move to 10-0 and cover the short number. Pick: Utah -2.5 — Robby Kalland
SportsLine’s proven computer model has simulated every Week 11 college football game 10,000 times. Visit SportsLine now to see the picks!
