Written by Ben Kercheval at CBSSports.com
One election may be over, but voting for the top four teams in college football is an ongoing process that will take us through the first week of December. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has released two mock rankings, but there’s an entire month of football left to be played.
The overriding theme for Week 11 is not what happens if X team wins, but what happens if they lose. The Big 12’s playoff hopes are little more than a slow heart beat, meaning any slip-up is potentially catastrophic. The Nov. 19 game between Oklahoma and West Virginia — or even the Bedlam game between the Sooners and Oklahoma State — depends in large part on this weekend’s results.
Here are the five best matchups with playoff implications for Week 11.
No. 3 Michigan (9-0) at Iowa (5-4)
5. Michigan has steamrolled its way through its schedule and only two wins were by single digits. Even then, neither game felt in doubt. But late-season conference road games should always be approached with a sense of caution. The Wolverines could have a playoff argument as a non-divisional champ if their only loss is to Ohio State, but that’s it. That means Michigan has to win its final road game before Nov. 26 (and not look ahead when playing Indiana in Week 12).
No. 9 Auburn (7-2) at Georgia (5-4)
4. Lost in the fawning over Alabama going full Negan on a series of Glenns week after week is Auburn’s quiet rise in the SEC West standings. The Tigers were 1-2 a little less than two months ago and coach Gus Malzahn was on the hot seat. Then time literally ran out on Les Miles at LSU and Auburn has won six straight games. A road trip to Georgia is the last hurdle — apologies to Alabama A&M — before an Iron Bowl with potentially huge ramifications spanning across all of college football. So, yes, it’s kind of important.
No. 16 West Virginia (7-1) at Texas (5-4)
3. West Virginia’s remaining schedule doesn’t have many marquee games that would send the Mountaineers skyrocketing up the playoff standings. The importance of the Nov. 19 game at home vs. Oklahoma is contingent on both teams winning in Week 11. In other words, the ‘Eers have more to lose vs. Texas than they have to gain. And the Longhorns are a two-point favorite.
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