College Football Week 11 Bold Predictions

1. Oregon gives Stanford taste of their own medicine with upset win over Cardinal

Stanford has only beaten the Ducks three times since 2001, but each of those times Oregon entered the game favored and with possible championship aspirations, only to have their hopes ruined by a scrappy Cardinal team.  This year, it's Oregon with the opportunity to play spoiler, as Stanford could be looking at a spot in the top 4 if they win out.  The Ducks have steadily gotten better since their OT loss to Washington State, and while they haven't been the same team since Mariota left for the NFL, I think they find a way to win this game.  Oregon stuns Stanford at home, 37 - 34.

2. Oklahoma gets revenge on Baylor with double-digit win

The Bears have embarrassed the Sooners a couple years in a row now, winning by a combined score of 89 - 26 over those two games.  Vegas is predicting a close game in favor of Art Briles' team this year, and Baylor may indeed be playing with a chip on their shoulder after feeling disrespected by the CFP committee in consecutive weeks.  But the Bears haven't faced a real challenge yet this season, while Oklahoma is much more battle-tested and, simply put, just looks like the better team to me.  Baylor's offense stalls against the first quality defense they face, as Sooners win 38 - 28.

3. Slobs pave way for 300+ rushing yards vs Illinois

Ohio State has been running all over the Fighting Ilini since Meyer arrived in Columbus; the Buckeyes totaled 1067 yards on the ground in those three "rivalry" wins.  But Illinois' run defense is decidedly better this year (allowing 139 yards per game vs 239 ypg in 2014, 238 ypg in 2013, and 193 ypg in 2012), and OSU's rushing attack is actually under-performing a bit compared to the previous 3 years as well (240 ypg vs 264 ypg in 2014, 308 ypg in 2013, and 242 ypg in 2012). But with Barrett back under center and the slobs starting to find their groove, I expect Ohio State to put up some big numbers on the ground. Zeke extends his streak of 100-yard games as the Buckeyes steamroll the Illini, 49 - 17.

4. Iowa falls to Minnesota

I'm picking on the Hawkeyes again this week.  I actually really like Iowa - they play good, sound football and have beaten some decent teams.  I just think the pressure of going undefeated will be too much for them to handle, and sooner or later they will lose.  The Gophers could present an interesting challenge this week, as their defense should keep it close.  I think Minnesota pulls off the upset, 24 - 20.

5. Missouri scores points

The Tigers' offense has been among the worst in the country this year, averaging a paltry 14.7 points per game, good for 127th (out of 128) among FBS teams.  And that's even with early-season games against Southeast Missouri State, Arkansas State, and UConn.  Considering the unrest in Columbia following the university president's resignation amid racial tensions, and the possible division even within the football team, I think we'll be lucky to see Missouri field anything resembling a competitive football team in their game against BYU this weekend.  Throw in the fact that head coach Gary Pinkel just announced his retirement (due to health concerns) and you've got a recipe for an unfocused group of kids.  BYU is no world-beater on defense, but they are in the top 40 in scoring defense nationally, so I think a shutout is a definite possibility.  I'm going out on a limb, though, and saying that the Tigers put together at least one decent drive and score some points.  Cougars still win, 20 - 3.