Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press
For the first time in the 2020 college football season, the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll changed hands.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are now on top after the Clemson Tigers’ Week 10 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and it may be a while before the SEC West side relinquishes that title, if it does at all.
In a normal season, Week 11’s clash with the LSU Tigers may be a tough hurdle to get over for the Crimson Tide, but with the national champion struggling, Alabama is expected to produce another dominant performance.
That could be the theme across Week 11 with no Top 25 matchups and a majority of the top teams scheduled to face weaker opposition.
The biggest potential for upsets likely will come against teams in the middle of the rankings in the Big Ten, as the Wisconsin Badgers and Northwestern Wildcats face tricky road trips.
AP Top 25
1. Alabama (6-0)
2. Notre Dame (7-0)
3. Ohio State (3-0)
4. Clemson (7-1)
5. Texas A&M (5-1)
6. Florida (4-1)
7. Cincinnati (6-0)
8. BYU (8-0)
9. Miami (6-1)
10. Indiana (3-0)
11. Oregon (1-0)
12. Georgia (4-2)
13. Wisconsin (1-0)
14. Oklahoma State (5-1)
15. Coastal Carolina (7-0)
16. Marshall (6-0)
17. Iowa State (5-2)
18. Oklahoma (5-2)
19. SMU (7-1)
20. USC (1-0)
21. Texas (5-2)
22. Liberty (7-0)
23. Northwestern (3-0)
24. Auburn (4-2)
25. Louisiana (6-1)
Coaches Poll
1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Ohio State
4. Clemson
5. Florida
6. Texas A&M
7. Cincinnati
8. BYU
9. Miami
10. Indiana
11. Georgia
12. Oregon
13. Oklahoma State
14. Wisconsin
15. Marshall
16. Iowa State
17. Coastal Carolina
18. Oklahoma
19. SMU
20. USC
21. Auburn
22. Liberty
23. Northwestern
24. Texas
25. Army (6-1)
Week 11 Schedule
All Times ET.
Friday, November 13
East Carolina at No. 7 Cincinnati (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Saturday, November 14
No. 9 Miami at Virginia Tech (Noon, ESPN2)
No. 10 Indiana at Michigan State (Noon, ABC)
No. 12 Georgia at Missouri (Noon, ESPN)
No. 15 Coastal Carolina at Troy (Noon, ESPNU)
Western Carolina at No. 22 Liberty (Noon, ESPN3)
Middle Tennessee at No. 16 Marshall (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
South Alabama at No. 25 Louisiana (2 p.m., ESPN+)
No. 2 Notre Dame at Boston College (3:30 p.m., ABC)
No. 3 Ohio State at Maryland (3:30 p.m., BTN)
No. 5 Texas A&M at Tennessee (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
No. 20 USC at Arizona (3:30 p.m., Fox)
No. 24 Auburn at Mississippi State (4 p.m., SEC Network)
No. 1 Alabama at LSU (6 p.m., CBS)
Arkansas at No. 6 Florida (7 p.m., ESPN)
No. 11 Oregon at Washington State (7 p.m., FS1)
No. 19 SMU at Tulsa (7 p.m., ESPN2)
No. 13 Wisconsin at Michigan (7:30 p.m., ABC)
No. 23 Northwestern at Purdue (7:30 p.m., BTN)
Predictions
Top 10 Remains The Same
Upon first glance, the Week 11 schedule could be filled with potential trap games for Top 10 teams.
However, the recent results delivered by the unranked opponents of Top 10 programs on Saturday will make you think otherwise.
Alabama’s rivalry with LSU is typically one of the must-watch games of the season, but the Tigers’ poor performances in a rebuilding season make them more likely to be the latest team to lose by double digits to the Tide.
The Tennessee Volunteers may have been a tricky opponent for the Texas A&M Aggies, but they disappointed in their Week 10 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Texas A&M also displayed an ability to avoid a so-called trap game by demolishing the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday.
Notre Dame and the Ohio State Buckeyes need to be wary of their respective matchups with the Boston College Eagles and Maryland Terrapins, but the pair of top-three teams should win comfortably.
Boston College has not beaten Notre Dame since 2008, and Maryland has to prove it can compete with a team of Ohio State’s caliber. Maryland’s two victories against the Penn State Nittany Lions and Minnesota Golden Gophers, two programs taking steps back compared to their 2019 results.
The Florida Gators and Cincinnati Bearcats should be favored to win big on home soil, while the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers both face opponents coming off disappointing results.
If the Top 10 teams take care of business, we could be in for a rather quiet weekend when it comes to changes at the top.
Big Ten Produces Biggest Upsets
Wisconsin and Northwestern face two unique challenges in Week 11.
If the Badgers are cleared to return to play, they have to visit an up-and-down Michigan team that will be hungry to prove Week 10’s disappointing loss to Indiana was a fluke.
The Wolverines have plenty of offensive firepower with Joe Milton at quarterback, and if they challenge whomever is the Wisconsin quarterback, they could force the Badgers to tumble down the rankings.
In their last two meetings at Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines have outscored the Badgers 52-20. If a similar performance comes out of Jim Harbaugh’s team on Saturday, it could be on the edge of the Top 25 again.
All of a sudden Northwestern has a target on its back in the Big Ten West after starting 3-0.
Although Purdue has one victory in its last six meetings with Northwestern, it could earn a winning streak against the Wildcats for the first time since 2006 and 2007 through its offensive star.
David Bell has turned in back-to-back 120-yard receiving games and he will be the most explosive offensive threat the Wildcats have faced so far this season.
If Bell torches the Northwestern secondary and the Purdue defense limits the visitors to 20 points or fewer, the Boilermakers could be the direct replacement for Pat Fitzgerald’s team in the Top 25.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
