College football’s top 5 matchups of Week 11

1. No. 3 Michigan vs. No. 10 Penn State – Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET, FOX

The second half of the Big Ten schedule has featured good matchups, and that is the case again in Week 11 as Michigan and Penn State battle in a crucial game. These two programs have faced off nearly annually since Penn State joined the conference in the early 1990s, with the Wolverines holding a 16-10 advantage over the Nittany Lions all time. However, since 2008, it’s Penn State that has actually won more games in the series with seven to Michigan’s six.

Evening that score would go a long way for Michigan’s rest-of-the-season prospects. The Wolverines are 9-0 and sit at No. 3 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. However, the knock on Michigan is that they really haven’t played anyone between a soft non-conference schedule and some lackluster Big Ten opponents thus far. As a result, the Wolverines have the No. 1 total defense in the country, winning every game they have played by 24 points or more, including a 28-point victory over Purdue last week. The offense will need to step up behind playmakers J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum in Happy Valley, and if it does, Michigan could be looking at a big road win going into its Ohio State matchup in two weeks.

Meanwhile, this game is a must-win for the Nittany Lions to have any chance at a Big Ten East title. Behind only Michigan, Penn State has the No. 2-ranked defense in the country, and leads the nation with a plus-16 turnover margin. As good as the defense has been, the offense has also been solid behind sophomore quarterback Drew Allar, and the running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Penn State’s only loss of the year came at Ohio State, and while the Nittany Lions did suffer a scare against Indiana the following week, they were able to right the ship against Maryland last weekend to come into their biggest matchup of the year feeling good.