Week 11 picks, preview: MSU, UM face PNW foes while WMU-EMU face off at Waldo on Tuesday

Week 11 of the college football season is here — and Week 12 quickly begins on Tuesday and Wednesday for the MAC — with Michigan traveling west to face Oregon and Michigan State welcoming a West Coast Big Ten foe, Washington, to Spartan Stadium. 

It’s oddly the second trip Washington has made to East Lansing in the last four seasons, as the Huskies played at MSU early in the 2023 season en route to facing Michigan in the title game that year. MSU lost to both the Huskies and Wolverines that year, but with a win against UM tucked in its back pocket, the Spartans are now keen to make it 2-0 vs. those teams this year. 

Here’s a look at the games this weekend, and early next week. 

Michigan at Oregon, 3:30 p.m., Autzen Stadium

Is it bad when fans of a team are actively rooting for the opposing coach — one feeling antagonized over the latest set of foot-in-mouth comments from the head coach of the fans’ team — to lean into his annoyance and run up the score? Asking for Michigan football, because there’s a certain corner of the fanbase, now probably spilling out into the middle of the room, who would happily take Oregon eviscerating Michigan on Saturday afternoon in Autzen Stadium if it results in Kyle Whittingham’s ouster before he coaches a second season in Ann Arbor. And to briefly recap the situation: Whittingham made some comments this week about Oregon being able to outbid players, an allusion to the notion that Nike bankrolls Oregon to spend more on sports than other colleges in the country, a testy subject for those in Eugene. It set the table for Dan Lanning to fire back a salvo about Michigan paying coaching buyouts, namely Jason Beck’s, which is a shade more than $10 million, subject to mitigation. 

And by some back-of-napkin math, Beck is getting $61,000 per point the offense scored (kicks included) under his coordination. The average teacher salary in Michigan is about $71,000. Michigan’s offense has been bad, and though Oregon has been a disaster due to, namely, an injury to Dante Moore, the Ducks found some major mojo in a beatdown on the road vs. Ohio State. Pair that with whatever message Lanning can cook up to have the Ducks ready to stomp Michigan, and things aren’t looking good for a Wolverines squad that should be able to keep the game close, but will likely still not see some massive, transformational performance on offense. That this game would be a loss was probably predicted before the season; the context these teams arrive at Saturday, however, was not likely to be on anyone’s bingo card. 

Oregon 24, Michigan 13

Michigan State vs. Washington, 4:15 p.m., Spartan Stadium

The Spartans spent the week riding high, with Pat Fitzgerald and athletic director Dan Bartholomae hitting the town and East Lansing bars to drum up further support for MSU at home vs. Washington this weekend. Fitzgerald had promised he would do so, after the Spartans beat Michigan, and rolling from that galvanizing rivalry win into a home tilt vs. a downtrodden but still talented Washington team sets up an interesting test. The Spartans need this win and two more to get bowl eligible, and are keenly aware of that fact. Fitzgerald spoke on Monday of how big getting a bowl would be for more time with the senior and additional practice. 

But mostly, Fitzgerald seemed like he wanted to shout from the rooftops about how Washington is more dangerous than the record indicates. He raved about the quarterback, Demond Williams, who is a sizzling playmaker and seems on track to play despite an injury. Plus the Huskies still get after it on defense. Fitzgerald repeatedly emphasized he’s zeroed in not on the high vibes, but blocking and tackling. MSU brings incredibly high vibes into this game, but there’s a real chance those vibes wear off if Williams and Co. hit some big plays, as they’re prone to do, against a still-injured MSU defense. This one will be close, regardless, and the Spartans get pipped at home in disappointing fashion. 

Washington 27, Michigan State 24

Western Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan, 6 p.m., Waldo Stadium (Tuesday, 11/17)

Eastern Michigan is teetering on missing a bowl for a third-straight year, an ignominious streak after making three in a row from 2021-23. The Eagles will need to win the last two games, at WMU and then at home against Kent State, to get to 6-6 and automatic bowl eligibility (though an invite isn’t guaranteed with fewer bowl spots available than years past). And beating WMU on the road on Tuesday night is a tall task, as the Broncos are tied for the lead in the MAC for a reason. And the Eagles, which are expecting some health improvements, could greatly benefit from Noah Kim getting back from an undisclosed injury after missing the past two games, and getting some extra time to rest up with weeks off. If he can’t play, it’ll be one or both of Brogan McCaughey and Jace Stuckey playing for EMU at QB. 

As for Western Michigan, quarterback Broc Lowry managed to avoid a serious injury along with his broken nose after a scary hit that Lance Taylor felt was targeting (which was not called.) With him in the lineup, and the WMU offensive line starting to lean on opposing teams in recent weeks with Liam Vaughn finally slotting in at center and Jalen Buckley and Cole Cabana shining, the offense has hit a nice level of consistent success. Plus, the Broncos have managed to have yet another physical, attacking defense that’s held its last two conference opponents to 24 combined points. A once-promising season for EMU gets snuffed out on a November evening in Waldo. 

Western Michigan 31, Eastern Michigan 17

Central Michigan at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m., Broadview Stadium (Wednesday, 11/18)

Buffalo has been something of the surprise team in the MAC, despite having to start backup quarterback Jason Wright for much of this season. Buffalo really gets after opponents on the ground there, as Messiah Burch has been a menace. Originally a wideout, Burch leads the MAC with just over 1100 yards, and has scored seven rushing touchdowns this season. He’s been the engine to a Buffalo offense that’s been complemented by solid defense and, as expected, sterling special teams under Pete Lembo. Plus, playing at Buffalo is something of a twilight zone for MAC teams — odd things happen at Broadview Stadium. 

But the Chippewas might have the antidote: The ability to line up and run for 200-plus yards, as it has the past two weeks. If CMU can get the ground game going on its own and shrink the game vs. Buffalo, that’s a perfect recipe for a road win. And the Bulls arguably should’ve lost to Miami (OH) a couple weeks ago, but managed to eke that one out. The Bulls just seem to have a bit of magic to them this year, but it runs out at the hands of CMU putting the Chippewas in The Device. 

Central Michigan 24, Buffalo 21