Texas visits LSU in prime time at Tiger Stadium on Saturday in the Week 11 game that ESPN College GameDay passed over, and the matchup is the best ranked versus ranked game of the weekend. Texas (7-2, No. 6 CFP) visits LSU (6-3, No. 21 CFP) in prime time at Tiger Stadium, and the winner stays in the playoff race while the loser falls out of it.
Why it matters
The snub is the story around the game. GameDay chose Boise State and Oregon State instead, only the second time the Broncos have hosted the show, and the first time it has visited a Group of 6 location since November 2023. ESPN certainly had no shortage of ranked versus ranked matchups to choose from, and Texas against LSU was the obvious one. Tiger Stadium at night is one of the hardest places to play in the sport, and the Longhorns will have to win in the noise to keep their season on track.
The football is the reason the game matters more than the television choice. Texas is ranked No. 6 in the playoff rankings and needs a win to hold its place, while LSU at No. 21 needs the upset to stay alive. Tiger Stadium at night is one of the hardest places to play in the sport, and the Longhorns will have to win in the noise to keep their season on track.
What happens next
The wider Week 11 card is stacked. Alabama visits Vanderbilt, Miami hosts Duke, Florida heads to Kentucky, and the expanded 24 team playoff means more teams than ever have a stake in November. But the prime time slot belongs to Texas and LSU, and the game will decide more about the playoff than any show in Boise will.
What happens next will be decided under the lights in Baton Rouge. A Texas win keeps the Longhorns in the top six and on course for the playoff. An LSU upset shakes the rankings and hands the Tigers a season defining win. Either way, the best game of the weekend is the one GameDay did not choose. Alabama visits Vanderbilt, Miami hosts Duke and Florida heads to Kentucky on the same card, but the prime time slot belongs to Texas and LSU.
