The sprint to the finish of the 2026 college football regular season is here.

Week 11 features five games between teams in the top 25 of the College Football Playoff rankings and a host of other games between ranked teams and opponents who aren't that far outside the rankings. Here's what you need to know ahead of Saturday's slate.

Duke at No. 7 Miami

We were surprised to see the Blue Devils unranked in Tuesday night's CFP rankings.

Yes, Duke's two losses are to Georgia Tech and North Carolina, and yes, their last two games were against Boston College and NC State. But two wins by a combined score of 88-5 is impressive, no matter who the opponents are.

There are only two power conference teams who are 7-2 and unranked in the CFP's rankings. Both are in the ACC. SMU is also 7-2.

Saturday's game is the chance for more college football fans to learn about Nate Sheppard's greatness. The Duke running back has 191 carries for 1,189 yards and 17 scores. And there are still three games to go in the regular season. After four consecutive games with fewer than 100 yards, Sheppard had 18 carries for 217 yards and three touchdowns against NC State. He has eight rushing TDs over the past two games.

Miami is looking to rebound after its loss to Notre Dame. It took a while for Cooper Barkate and Elija Lofton to emerge against the Fighting Irish as Darian Mensah had his worst passing game of the season. Can the Hurricanes lean into the run game more than they did against Notre Dame? Javian Mallory had just three carries for 14 yards, while Mark Fletcher rushed 13 times for 57 yards.

If Miami gets the win, the Hurricanes can be on the brink of the ACC title game. Duke would have a third ACC loss and Wake Forest will either have two losses or SMU will have a third conference loss.

No. 18 USC at No. 9 Indiana

Can USC do something it's never done in Lincoln Riley's time with the Trojans?

Riley's USC teams have never beaten a ranked opponent on the road outside of Los Angeles. Over Riley's four-plus seasons in LA, the only win over a ranked opponent on the road came in 2022, when USC beat then-No. 16 UCLA 48-45 at the Rose Bowl. Outside of those games, USC is 0-7 as the visiting team against a team in the AP Top 25.

Both the Trojans and Hoosiers are coming off bye weeks. Week 10 was USC's second of the season after it played in Week Zero. Through three trips to the Central and Eastern Time zones this season, USC is 2-1 with one-score wins over Rutgers and Penn State, and an ugly 24-7 loss at Wisconsin.

Of course, USC rebounded after that Wisconsin game to take down Ohio State and immediately jump back into the top 25. Big plays fueled that win and it's unlikely that USC can count on replicating that formula against an Indiana defense that's been one of the best in the country — and can rush the passer better than Ohio State has this season.

The Hoosiers could start QB Grant Wilson after he took over in the second half for a banged-up Josh Hoover in the overtime win over Minnesota. No matter who starts at quarterback, we expect Indiana to try to overpower a USC defense that's giving up nearly 125 yards a game on the ground. Indiana's run game is still one of the best in the country despite the struggles through the air.

No. 2 Utah at No. 23 Arizona

Could the Big 12 title race get thrown into chaos on Saturday night? Wins by Arizona and Oklahoma State could put a huge wrench in a potential Utah vs. Texas Tech matchup in Arlington.

As it stands entering Saturday, Utah is atop the conference with a 6-0 record, while Texas Tech is 5-1. After them, there are five teams at 4-2: BYU, Houston, Arizona, Baylor and Oklahoma State. That group could increase to six, and all of them could be just a game back of the Utes.

How much of a letdown spot is this game for the Utes, who have taken down two ranked opponents and a Cincinnati team fresh off a win over the Red Raiders across the last three weeks? In the biggest Holy War to date, Utah jumped out to a big lead and then needed to come back from a BYU comeback to beat the Cougars 28-20.

A win over Arizona and a strong game from QB Devon Dampier can vault him into the Heisman conversation. Dampier has thrown for 20 scores and run for seven others while completing 68% of his passes.

After a loss at Texas Tech, Arizona needed some late-game wildness to overcome an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat TCU 29-28. The Wildcats are still dangerous, and Noah Fifita could be the best quarterback the Utes have played all season. He's completing 73% of his passes and has thrown for over 300 yards in each of Arizona's past four games.

No. 6 Texas at No. 21 LSU

LSU's playoff hopes are officially gone with a loss to the Longhorns, while Texas appears to be able to withstand a defeat and still make the postseason.

Texas moved up a spot to No. 6 after beating Missouri and the Tigers remained in the CFP's rankings. That's significant, as Texas can now boast four wins over teams in this week's top 25. A fifth win Saturday night almost assures Texas of a playoff spot even if the Longhorns lose to either Arkansas or Texas A&M over the final two weeks of the season.

LSU, meanwhile, is on the brink of missing the playoff in Lane Kiffin's first season and, if you really want to be pessimistic, is closer to 7-5 than it is to making the postseason. We're fascinated to see how aggressive Kiffin is against a very good Texas defense after his fourth-down failures against Alabama. LSU was 0-of-4 on fourth-down attempts in the loss to the Crimson Tide. Will he be dissuaded, especially if he faces an early fourth-down decision?

The Longhorns could have Cam Coleman back after he sat out the Missouri game and should have a healthier Colin Simmons. The star edge rusher tried to give it a go in his first game back from an ankle injury, but ended up sitting out the second half against Mizzou. No opposing offense has averaged over 6 yards a play against LSU all season, and none of the Tigers' last three opponents have accumulated over 300 yards.

Yet LSU has also forced just one turnover in that span. The Tigers may need a couple from Arch Manning to get the win.

No. 12 Texas Tech at No. 25 Oklahoma State

We're prepared for a second straight Texas Tech game to have over 100 total points.

In Week 10, Texas Tech took down West Virginia 53-48 thanks to a late safety on a sack of Mountaineers QB Michael Hawkins. Oklahoma State, meanwhile, had 49 points in the first half as it beat Kansas State 66-28.

This is not the Texas Tech defense we watched a year ago. While Jacob Rodriguez finished fifth in the Heisman voting and Tech allowed 11.8 points per game last year, the Red Raiders are giving up 24 points per game and 5.6 yards a play in 2026. Tech ranks 65th in opponent points per game.

Former Florida State and Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his two starts since taking over for Will Hammond as Texas Tech's quarterback. Castellanos rushed 23 times for 102 yards and threw for 362 yards and five touchdowns against WVU.

The OSU defense is better than West Virginia's — though that's damning with faint praise. Oklahoma State is 93rd in the country in scoring defense at 27.2 points per game. But if it can slow Castellanos and RB J'Koby Williams down enough, OSU's offense can take advantage.

QB Drew Mestemaker is sneaking up the Heisman odds and has thrown for 29 TDs and nearly 3,000 yards. RB Caleb Hawkins has rushed for 1,081 yards and has added 424 yards receiving. Both WR Wyatt Young and WR Justin Bowick have over 750 receiving yards.

Since scoring just 10 points in Week 1 against Tulsa, Oklahoma State hasn't scored fewer than 32 over its last eight games. Texas Tech has given up at least 25 points in its last four games. The ingredients are very much there for a shootout.

Other games to watch

No. 13 Wake Forest at SMU (-1.5) (Noon ET, ESPN): A win for Wake Forest puts the Demon Deacons in prime position for the ACC title game ahead of games vs. Georgia Tech and Duke. SMU isn't out of the ACC title picture either, and has No. 5 Notre Dame in Week 12. The Mustangs bounced back from a Halloween loss at Syracuse with a dominating Friday night win over Virginia Tech in Week 10.

Northwestern at No. 20 Ohio State (-12.5) (Noon ET, Fox): You have to go back to the 2011 season when Ohio State finished 6-7 to find the Buckeyes' last three-game losing streak. Northwestern's Aidan Chiles missed the Wildcats' loss to Iowa and his presence may be paramount to Northwestern's hopes of an upset. Northwestern had just 286 yards of offense on 69 plays against the Hawkeyes.

No. 8 Tennessee (-2.5) at Texas A&M (3 p.m. ET, ESPN): Yes, Texas A&M is just 1-5 in SEC play and still less than a field goal underdog to a top-10 opponent. That's how the SEC has gone this year. It wouldn't be surprising in the slightest to see the Aggies get the win as Tennessee is coming off a huge home win over Kentucky.

No. 22 Missouri at No. 1 Georgia (-15.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC): The Tigers were still somehow ranked after losing at home to Texas and need wins over Georgia, Kentucky and Oklahoma to even have a hope of making the College Football Playoff. Georgia looks like the clear top team in the conference after its demolition of Ole Miss following an easy win over Florida.

Florida at No. 11 Kentucky (-3.5) (6:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): The Wildcats are the last team provisionally in the playoff after their loss to the Volunteers. Florida, meanwhile, has lost four of its last five games after a 4-0 start. The Wildcats have won the last three matchups against the Gators in Lexington, including a 38-7 win in 2025.

Source: Yahoo Sports