2016 College football look ahead: Week 11

by Chris Asbrock

This season has been fantastic thus far. We have seen the rise of Washington and Louisville to national prominence and on the other side, we have seen the fall of Notre Dame. With upsets looming around every corner, every week, we look to see which teams can survive the long road to the college football playoff. So far this season, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Michigan Wolverines look to be the two best teams in the country. Whether or not they can survive any future upset bids remains to be seen. As it stands going into this weekend, there are teams looking to throw their hat into the discussion of the playoff while others look to be named in the top four rankings.

With the season heading into the final few weeks, the jockeying for position in the conference and nationally is mighty interesting. So as these teams look to stay alive and avoid the upset, lets take a look at three of the main storylines coming into this week 11 of the college football season.

1. Can the Huskies survive a revived USC Trojans attack?

The biggest game of the weekend will take place tonight in Seattle when the USC Trojans travel north to face the Washington Huskies. Washington comes into this game after making a statement last weekend, blowing the doors off the Cal Golden Bears. Washington was shafted by the playoff committee when they decided to place Texas A&M ahead of Washington. That didn’t sit well for either team as Texas A&M got blown out by Mississippi State and Washington destroyed Cal. Next up for the Huskies is a very tough game against the Trojans. USC has been a different team with quarterback Sam Darnold running the show.

2. Can Michigan survive a primetime trip to Iowa?

The Michigan Wolverines are certainly one of the best teams in the country and that was to be expected when Jim Harbaugh took over. The Wolverines have the best defense in the country and have dominated the teams in front of them. Jabrill Peppers is a player that can do it all and is a leader on this Michigan team. There is no doubt that if the Wolverines continue to play the football they are now, you will see them in the playoff championship game in January. They must first get past this tough trip to Iowa in primetime.

3. Oklahoma look to get back into the playoff picture

The Oklahoma Sooners were dealt some big blows early on this season when they suffered two big losses to Houston and Ohio State. Oklahoma is sitting at #11 in the current playoff rankings. It is hard to think but the Sooners could be back in the playoff picture if a few things break their way. The Sooners must continue to win if they have any hope of making it to a New Year’s Six bowl.

College Football Playoff Pairings: