Two North Carolina college football teams will play for conference championships this weekend, while a host of others will vie to keep their names in the hat for league crowns and post-season berths.
Welcome to week 11 of the season. It is hard to believe we are already this deep into the schedule, but by the end of the weekend a sizable group of schools will be turning in their equipment and turning the page to the off-season.
—> READ MORE: This week’s Fabulous 14 statewide power rankings
Fortunately for us, there is still a lot of exciting football left to be played. Here are the 10 most intriguing games on deck for Saturday:
1. Lenoir-Rhyne at Tusculum | D2 | 4 p.m.
The South Atlantic Conference championship will be on the line, along with a possible home playoff berth for the Bears if they can collect their 10th win of the season. Lenoir-Rhyne should be favored but playing on the road has been a challenge at times (Wingate, Limestone). Read more on the SAC title game from D2Football.com HERE
2. Fayetteville State vs. Virginia Union | D2 | 3 p.m.
The Broncos return to the CIAA championship game for the sixth year in a row, aiming to defend the outright title earned last season. On paper, coach Richard Hayes’ team will be slight underdogs to VUU, but what’s on paper hasn’t fazed FSU (8-0 against CIAA foes) much this season.
3. Duke at North Carolina | FBS | 8 p.m.
The Tar Heels will try to close the season strong, something that eluded them a year ago, and hang on to the Victory Bell for another year. UNC should have a decided advantage of quarterback: reigning ACC Player of the Year Drake Maye vs. freshman Grayson Loftis. But Duke has a salty defense that could help level the playing field.
4. NC State at Wake Forest | FBS | 2 p.m.
NCSU has had its troubles winning in Winston-Salem over the past few decades. But Wolfpack Nation seems to have galvanized around Brennan Armstrong, who is getting a second chance to assume command of the offense after MJ Morris opted to redshirt the rest of the season. What a strange week it has been for the Pack. As Philip Rivers liked to say, being an NC State sports fan is not for soft people.
5. Elon at Richmond | FCS | 2 p.m.
Elon’s upset of fifth-ranked Delaware last Saturday created a five-team logjam at the top of the CAA standings. The Phoenix can stay in the hunt for the league title and another FCS playoff berth with a road win this weekend.
6. Newberry at Mars Hill | D2 | 1 p.m.
Mars Hill missed out on the chance to play for the South Atlantic Conference crown this weekend but will get an opportunity to avenge its loss to Newberry in last year’s title game. The Lions (7-2) still have D2 playoff hopes and an impressive showing this weekend could impress the selection committee.
7. Gardner-Webb at Tennessee Tech | FCS | 2:30 p.m.
Like Elon, the Bulldogs have won two straight and remain in the hunt in their conference, in this case the Big South/OVC Football Association. GWU coach Tre Lamb played quarterback at Tennessee Tech from 2009-12 and served as a team captain for three seasons. Saturday will be a homecoming for him.
8. North Carolina Central at Howard | FCS | 3:30 p.m.
The Eagles have won 10 in a row against Howard — they haven’t lost to the Bison since the 1990s — but will play in hostile territory for this one. This game could be a shootout, as it will feature the top two offensive units in the MEAC.
9. Appalachian State at Georgia State | FBS | 2 p.m.
The Mountaineers, riding a two-game win streak, have a chance to lock up bowl eligibility — something that eluded the program a year ago. Mathematically speaking, App State still has a shot at winning the Sun Belt East. A road victory Saturday would be a huge step.
10. Davidson at Morehead State | FCS | 1 p.m.
Davidson and Drake both carry 6-0 conference records into the weekend. The two teams don’t meet and a complicated tiebreaker will be used to decide the Pioneer Football League’s automatic FCS playoff entrant. The Wildcats have been dominant of late and have the nation’s top rushing offense and scoring offense.
The complete Week 11 schedule:
| Saturday, November 11 | ||
| Brevard at Belhaven | Noon | |
| Methodist at Greensboro | Noon | |
| St. Andrews at Point | Noon | |
| Wingate at UVA Wise | Noon | |
| Barton at Erskine | 1 p.m. | |
| Catawba at Carson-Newman | 1 p.m. | |
| Davidson at Morehead State | 1 p.m. | |
| Delaware at Campbell | 1 p.m. | FloFootball |
| East Tennessee State at Western Carolina | 1 p.m. | |
| NC A&T at Rhode Island | 1 p.m. | |
| Newberry at Mars Hill | 1 p.m. | |
| Appalachian State at Georgia State | 2 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Chowan at West Florida | 2 p.m. | |
| Elon at Richmond | 2 p.m. | FloFootball |
| Guilford at Bridgewater | 2 p.m. | |
| Memphis at Charlotte | 2 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| NC State at Wake Forest | 2 p.m. | The CW |
| NC Wesleyan at Huntingdon | 2 p.m. | |
| Gardner-Webb at Tennessee Tech | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| CIAA Championship: Virginia Union vs. Fayetteville State | 3 p.m. | |
| NC Central at Howard | 3:30 p.m. | |
| Concord (WVA.) at UNC Pembroke | 4 p.m. | |
| East Carolina at FAU | 4 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| SAC Championship: Lenoir-Rhyne at Tusculum | 4 p.m. | |
| Duke at North Carolina | 8 p.m. | ACCN |
