5 biggest games of Week 11 with College Football Playoff implications on the line

As the weather starts to turn, are you sitting comfortably regarding the College Football Playoff? Entering Week 11, roughly 27 teams are still varying degrees of alive to make the 12-team field. Several are vying for the Group of Five's designated spot. Others are hoping to win their conference championships. Even more are just hoping they can somehow find a way into it as an at-large team.

While some teams have played nine games this college football season, everybody has played at least eight. With every passing weekend, we get more and more evidence as to who should be included in the 12-team playoff, as well as others to the contrary. This is about to be a postseason unlike any other, so we should enjoy the lead-up while we can. We will get so cool amazing matchups.

So what I want to do today before this week's slate of games kick off is to identify which ones will carry the greatest amount of playoff consequence. Some are more obvious than others, while others could sneak up on you a bit. My favorite thing about this exercise is we will inevitably get results be the end of the day Saturday, or very early into the wee hours of Sunday morning for the late-nighters.

Let's start with a major rivalry game that is now a conference game that will keep us all up so late.

5. No. 9 BYU Cougars at Utah Utes

With BYU being undefeated through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Cougars are looking more and more like the team to beat in the new Big 12. While they have a fairly navigable schedule between now and presumably Arlington for the conference title bout, it would be such a shame if the Cougars did not take care of business vs. their most bitter rival Utah in the latest installment of the Holy War.

Even though 4-4 Utah is not the least bit good, this one is being played at Rice-Eccles in Salt Lake City. If this game was being played in Provo at LaVell Edwards, I might say the Utes have no shot at it. Then again, this is what bitter in-state rivalries are all about. Someone has to win this game and someone has to lose it. If BYU were to falter, it may keep them out of the Big 12 Championship Game.

BYU holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Kansas State, but does not play Colorado or Iowa State.

4. No. 4 Miami Hurricanes at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Eventually No. 4 Miami is going to drop a game, right? Well, maybe not... The Hurricanes are 9-0 and have passed every test thrown their way up to this point. While it may not have been with flying colors, it has been all about The U in ACC play this year. Even though they have a fairly navigable schedule left between now and presumably Charlotte, Georgia Tech has often been their bugaboo.

Last season saw Mario Cristobal moronically not take a knee when the game was out of reach for Georgia Tech. Instead, the Ramblin' Wreck forced a fumble, scored on the ensuing possession to win and then went on to win a bowl game. At 5-4, Georgia Tech is probably slightly better than what the Yellow Jackets' record indicates. It will be at Bobby Dodd. Expect for Miami to get all they can handle.

A defeat from Georgia Tech could even potentially keep Miami out of the ACC Championship Game.

3. Michigan Wolverines at No. 8 Indiana Hoosiers

This one offers a bit more consequence than the other two I have rattled off so far. While defending national champion Michigan has been anything but that this season, No. 8 Indiana has yet to lose a game this year. The Hoosiers are absolutely rolling under Curt Cignetti at 9-0. While I would suggest that they will be getting in with a loss, maybe two, I would not want to take any chances in this one.

Indiana still has to play Ohio State and in-state rival Purdue before potentially getting to Indianapolis. A loss at home to a very beatable Michigan team could leave a sour taste in everyone's mouth, just after we have been heaping all sorts of praise on them all season long up to this point. Simply put, if Indiana loses to Michigan, they are probably going to lose to Ohio State, which may mean no playoff.

A win over Michigan pretty much guarantees that Indiana will be making the field down the stretch.

2. No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs at No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels

This one is quite intriguing on multiple levels. While No. 2 Georgia is essentially a lock to make the playoff, No. 16 Ole Miss is fighting for its playoff life. A win over Georgia is the only way the Rebels can make the playoff, as they would not have a quality enough resume to get in at 9-3. The Dawgs are a slight road favorite in this one. A loss to the Rebels would not be ideal, but it would not ruin them.

The other reason why this game is intriguing is if Ole Miss wins, the Rebels would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dawgs and would pave a path for them to get to Atlanta. Georgia's other loss on the year was to a now two-loss Alabama team. Georgia could still get in with a loss to Tennessee if they beat Georgia Tech because of the Texas win, but their potential 9-3 would be so very borderline.

This game will impact both teams' playoff chances, no matter who wins it in Vaught-Hemingway.

1. No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 14 LSU Tigers

Without question, the game of the greatest College Football Playoff consequence this weekend will be in Death Valley between No. 11 Alabama and No. 14 LSU. Both SEC rivals are 6-2 on the season. While Alabama has a pair of SEC losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, LSU only has one to Texas A&M, as the Bayou Bengals' other defeat was to ... USC in the non-conference during Labor Day Weekend.

While a third loss would pretty much knock LSU out of it entirely, that is not completely the case for Alabama. They might have the resume to get in over Georgia in a similar spot, and definitely over Texas out of the SEC. The good news is that whoever ends up winning this game will stand a real chance at making the playoff, either as an at-large team or potentially even as an SEC champion.

An Alabama win knocks LSU pretty much out of it, whereas an LSU win has Alabama on life support.