LSU vs. Arkansas, Alabama vs. Ole Miss, TCU vs. Texas, and more

We’re approaching the home stretch of the college football regular season.

While Week 11 doesn’t have the high-profile matchups we saw in Week 10, there is a lineup of games with College Football Playoff and conference title implications. At the top of that list is Arkansas, which after Alabama’s big upset at No. 7 presents LSU. Elsewhere, no. 4 TCU is a touchdown underdog on the road against Texas, and there’s also an intriguing matchup between two-loss Alabama and Ole Miss.

Time: Noon | TV: ESPN | Line: LSU -3.5 | Total: 63

Improbably, LSU is now in the driver’s seat in the SEC West in Brian Kelly’s first season in Baton Rouge. The Tigers pulled off a big upset last week, stunning Alabama, leading to a stunning one-point victory with a two-point conversion in overtime. It’s a tricky place where a letdown feels like a possibility. LSU goes on the road with an early kickoff against an Arkansas team that laid the egg at home and lost to Liberty as a two-touchdown favorite. This is an Arkansas team that was ranked in the top 10 in late September. Now it’s 5-4 and looking to play the role of spoiler.

Time: 3:30 pm | TV: CBS | Line: Alabama -11.5 | Total: 64.5

It’s early November and Alabama has two losses and is on the outside looking in when it comes to the College Football Playoff picture. It’s an unfamiliar position for Nick Saban’s program, now that the Crimson Tide are heading back on the road to face an undefeated Ole Miss team. Lane Kiffin, on the other hand, wants to beat his former boss — a win that suddenly makes the Rebels more viable in the national title picture. Ole Miss started the year 7-0, but didn’t play many above-average opponents during that stretch.

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Time: 3:30 pm | TV: ESPN2 | Line: Tulane -1.5 | Total: 54.5

It’s a big game in the American Athletic Conference race New Year Six of Bowls Image. At 8-1 overall and 5-0 in AAC play, Tulane is in first place in the AAC and the highest ranked Group of Five at No. 17. UCF, 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play, is ranked 22nd. There are no other G5 teams currently ranked, so the winner of the AAC is the front-runner in the clubhouse for a spot in the Cotton Bowl.

Time: 7 pm | TV: FS1 | Line: BU -2.5 | Total: 53.5

Behind undefeated TCU, the Big 12 race is very crowded. The top two teams in the league make the championship game, and Kansas State, Texas and Baylor sit at 4-2 in conference play. K-State lost to Texas last week, so the Wildcats really need to go to Waco and win on Saturday night. Baylor, meanwhile, has quietly strung together three straight wins after a two-game losing streak to start October. The Bears took care of Kansas and Texas Tech last week before going to Norman to beat Oklahoma. Kansas State is one step ahead of Baylor, who won the Big 12 title last season.

Time: 7:30 pm | TV: ABC | Line: Texas -7 | Total: 64.5

With Big 12 title implications also at play in this game, the stakes are huge for TCU. The Horned Frogs, now 9-0 on the year, moved up to No. 4 in the CFP rankings Tuesday night. TCU has been winning several tight games to get to this point. In fact, six of its nine wins were decided by 10 points or less. Many of those victories have come from behind. That high-wire act explains why the Horned Frogs are seven points behind in Austin on Saturday. Texas has been favored by oddsmakers all season; A visit from Alabama was the only time the Longhorns trailed on the year. But UT hasn’t always lived up to that billing. Texas enters this game with a 6-3 record, although all three of those losses came by one possession.

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