Big Ten & SEC Weekend Preview: Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry and Divisional Showdowns Highlight Week 11

In the eleventh week of the college football season, members of the Florida Citrus Sports Team Selection Committee are making visits throughout Big Ten and SEC country, meeting with fans across both conferences in advance of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on December 31st.

#9 Auburn at Georgia – 3:30 p.m. on CBS

Georgia (5-4, 3-4 SEC) hosts Auburn (7-2, 5-1 SEC) in the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry”. Georgia returns to Athens where they will conclude the season with three straight home games. The Dawgs have been involved in tight games with five of their nine contest being decided by three points or less. Georgia has posted a 3-2 record in those games. The home team has struggled in this series traditionally, with road teams holding a 34-24-2 record all-time. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have struggled at home this season posting a 1-2 mark Between the Hedges. The Tigers come into Athens having won their past six games holding opponents to under 20 points in all but one of those matchups. The last time the Tigers and Bulldogs met in Athens, Georgia upset the ninth-ranked Tigers, 34-7. The Dawgs also won last year’s meeting to take the lead in the all-time series, 56-55-8.

#24 LSU at #25 Arkansas – 7:00 p.m. on ESPN

LSU (5-3, 3-2 SEC) hits the road for the first time under interim head coach Ed Orgeron when they face Arkansas (6-3, 2-3 SEC) in one of the only two contests this week to feature ranked opponents. The Tigers are coming off of their first loss under Orgeron, a 10-0 defeat at the hands of top-ranked Alabama at home. The LSU defense held the Crimson Tide to its lowest offensive output of the season, 23 points fewer than its previous low point. Arkansas enters the game having knocked off Florida for its third win of the season against a Top 15-ranked team, matching Alabama for most in FBS this season. A win this weekend would give the Razorbacks their third-consecutive win over the Bayou Bengals, which hasn’t happened since 1929. In the 61-game history, the Tigers lead the 37-22-2, but they’ve only played in Fayetteville three times previously with the Hogs coming away victorious twice.

Minnesota at #19 Nebraska– 7:30 p.m. on BTN

Minnesota (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) travels to Lincoln in search of their first five-game win streak since the 1962 season. The Cornhuskers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) will be the first ranked team the Golden Gophers will square off against this season. The Gophers have lost seven straight against ranked teams with their last victory over a ranked squad coming on the road against No. 21 Nebraska in 2014. After rattling off seven wins to begin the season, the Huskers have dropped two straight, both coming on the road against teams ranked in the CFP Top 10 (No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 5 Ohio State). Last week they suffered a 62-3 loss against the Buckeyes in a game that saw starting quarterback Tommy Armstrong leave the game with a concussion. Armstrong’s status for this week’s game has not been announced as he is currently day-to-day. This will be the 57th meeting on the gridiron between the schools with Minnesota holding a 31-23-2 edge. However, the Huskers are 10-9 in Memorial Stadium against the Gophers.

#10 Penn State (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) at Indiana (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) – 12:00 p.m. on ABC/ESPN2
Illinois (3-6, 2-4 Big Ten) at #7 Wisconsin (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
#5 Ohio State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) at Maryland (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) – 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
#3 Michigan (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) at Iowa (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) – 8:00 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
Mississippi State (4-5, 2-3 SEC) at #1 Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC) – 12:00 p.m. on ESPN
South Carolina (5-4, 3-4 SEC) at Florida (6-2, 4-2 SEC) – 12:00 p.m. on CBS
Kentucky (5-4, 4-3 SEC) at Tennessee (6-3, 2-3 SEC) – 12:00 p.m. on SECN
Ole Miss (4-5, 1-4 SEC) at #8 Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2 SEC) – 7:30 p.m. on SECN/ESPN