Week 11 of the 2026 college football season is about to kick off, and new conference alignments are throwing us some wild, first-time matchups that could shake things up big time across the league. We’re talking epic clashes nobody has seen before.
New Blood, New Beefs: Inaugural Conference Showdowns
Get ready, because LSU and Texas, two absolute powerhouses, are about to clash in the SEC for the very first time! We’re talking the No. 14 Tigers hosting Arch Manning and the No. 7 Longhorns, with LSU currently holding as a 3.5-point home favorite. Can you believe we’re finally seeing this? It is going to be a slugfest.
Then there’s USC vs. Indiana, another inaugural Big Ten showdown. The No. 4 Hoosiers are favored by 7.5 points at home over the No. 20 Trojans. That’s a serious spread for a ranked matchup, especially when these two programs are meeting for the first time in their conference history. And don’t sleep on the ranked battle between Utah and Arizona, where the Wildcats are getting 2.5 points as the underdog. These kind of battles are where legends are made, folks!
The Model’s Money Picks: Wake Forest and Ole Miss Poised to Deliver
But hold up, because SportsLine’s proven model, the one that runs 10,000 simulations on every FBS game to find the best values, has dropped its real bombshells for Week 11. It’s locked in some picks that could make some serious noise.
First up, the model is absolutely loving No. 11 Wake Forest (-1.5, 61.5) to cover versus No. 25 SMU in a noon ET kickoff. Seriously, the Demon Deacons are an ACC-best 7-2 against the spread, which is also tied for the fifth-best FBS record overall! They’ve won five straight games by over 20 points, and their only defeat this year? To then-No. 5 Miami, a game where Wake Forest *still* managed to cover. Meanwhile, SMU’s defense just coughed up 28 points in back-to-back games, both coming against ACC teams without winning conference records. The model predicts Wake Forest covers well over 50% of the time. That’s not just a pick, that’s a statement!
Then we’ve got No. 19 Ole Miss (-1.5, 49.5) covering on the road at Oklahoma. The Sooners are coming off a victory over Florida, sure, but they’re a miserable 4-9-1 against the spread after a win since the start of last season. Ole Miss, on the other hand, got soundly defeated by Georgia in their last outing, but the Rebels are resilient, covering in each of their last three games following a loss. Plus, Ole Miss has more balance on both sides of the ball than Oklahoma, whose offense is a clear weak link and leads the SEC in turnovers. The model’s got Ole Miss covering well over 50% of the time, too.
This isn’t just Week 11, it’s a pivotal moment with these new conference foes and the model dropping some serious truth bombs. You need to hit up SportsLine to grab all the picks for every FBS matchup. Don’t leave money on the table, folks. Get ready for some wild football!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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