College Football Predictions & Best Bets for Week 11

Another week of college football in the books, and another washout for my bets. But I have faith in my numbers, so things will turn around. Let’s make that happen this week. For my college football predictions and best bets for Week 11, we’re off to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

College Football Predictions & Best Bets for Week 11

Illinois Fighting Illini vs #8 UCLA Bruins

Start Time: 9:00 PM ET (Friday)

We kick things off with a Friday night game in the Big Ten, as the conference’s top team, the #8-ranked, 9-0 (6-0 Big Ten) UCLA Bruins, welcome the middling (but streaking) 6-3 (4-2 Big Ten) Illinois Fighting Illini to the Rose Bowl. The Bruins’ dream season continues, as they’ve won more games this year (nine) than the past two combined (eight). Not bad for a team whose win projection was set at 6.5 heading into this season.

Calling the Illini middling was probably unfair on my part – they used to be middling when they started this season 2-3. But four straight wins have turned around their year. However, Illinois only encounter with a ranked team, #7 Ohio State, resulted in a 23-point beatdown in Week 4.

There are levels to this game, and UCLA is on a completely different one than Illinois this year. They are better on offense (strong both in the air and on the ground), and they are much better on defense, ranking eighth in the nation in points allowed.

After crunching the numbers, my line is UCLA -14.5, so I like the Bruins to cover at home.

Best Bet: UCLA -10 (-112)

#5 Alabama Crimson Tide vs Vanderbilt Commodores

Start Time: 12:45 PM ET

We move to Saturday and the SEC, with the conference’s second-place team, the #5-ranked 7-2 (5-2 SEC) Alabama Crimson Tide hitting the road to face the conference’s bottom feeders, the 4-5 (1-5 SEC) Vanderbilt Commodores in Music City. At least on paper, this one looks like a squash match.

However, the Commodores did win last week over Mississippi State, their first SEC win and first W since Week 3, but overall they aren’t a good football team. Ranking 103rd in offense and 110th in defense, they are crummy at all things football. The Crimson Tide, on the other hand, are pretty, pretty good. Outside of a two-week slump against ranked teams, Alabama has been untouchable this season. Strong on offense and defense, and having played the toughest schedule in the nation, advanced stats rank the Crimson Tide as the top team in the nation.

Having lost to all three of their ranked opponents this season by an average margin of 17 points, the outlook is bleak for Vanderbilt this week. My numbers say the line should be Alabama -22.5, so I like the Crimson Tide to roll to a road victory on Saturday.

Best Bet: Alabama -15.5 (-110)

2025/6 College Football Overall Record: 8-12 (40%)
Profit (based on $100/bet): -($489.52)
Return on Investment: -24%