ACC & Big 12 Week 11 Preview
Throughout the college football season, members of the Florida Citrus Sports Team Selection Committee are out on the road to meet with fans of our partner schools (including new Big 12 partners) to spread the word about the Russell Athletic Bowl’s new matchup and our brand-new home field opening for the 2014 bowl season.
Here are three of the notable games across our partner conferences where we will be in attendance this weekend:
No. 6 TCU (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) hosts No.7 Kansas State (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) on Saturday following a one-point win over West Virginia in week ten. The Horned Frogs trailed the Mountaineers the entirety of the game until kicker Jaden Oberkrom scored the game-winning field goal as time expired. TCU jumped one spot in the College Football Playoff rankings as a result of the win and Kansas State moved up two spots after defeating Oklahoma State 48-14 last Saturday. The Wildcats are the current leader of the Big 12 but both TCU and Baylor are still in contention for the title – Kansas State will play Baylor the final week of the season. When the Horned Frogs faced the Wildcats in 2013, Kansas State earned the 33-31 win as kicker Jack Cantele scored the go-ahead field goal with three seconds remaining in the game.
After losing its first game of the season to West Virginia in week nine, No. 12 Baylor (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) bounced back to defeat Kansas last Saturday, scoring 60 points against the Jayhawks. The Bears travel to Memorial Stadium on Saturday to face No. 15 Oklahoma (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) who had a decisive 59-14 win over Iowa State in week ten. The Sooner defense faces a tough test against Baylor’s powerhouse offense that leads the nation in yards per game with an average of 590.3. Both teams boast high-scoring averages – the Bears score an average of 50.4 points per game and the Sooners average 41.5 per game. When Baylor hosted Oklahoma in 2013, the Bears remained undefeated on the season with a 41-12 win over the Sooners.
Despite being down 21-0 to Louisville near the end of the first half, Florida State (8-0, 5-0 ACC) roared back to scored 35 points in the second half. The win kept the Seminoles at No.2 in the CFP rankings and unbeaten in their last 24 games. Florida State returns home in week 11 to host ACC opponent Virginia (4-5, 2-3 ACC). The Cavaliers will be on the road for the second week in a row after a tough loss at Georgia Tech in week ten. When Virginia and Florida State met in 2011, the Cavaliers upset the then No. 23 Seminoles scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 1:16 left in the fourth quarter. Florida State has the advantage in the 16 game series with a record of 13-3.