Week 11 of the college football season is almost upon us, and the intensity continues to ramp every week as we get closer and closer to the end of the season. This was a big week as the first College Football Playoff rankings came out on Tuesday, and now every contender knows where they stand in terms of whether or not they are in the projected field. One team that is hoping to find a way into the College Football Playoff is the Colorado football team. Travis Hunter will be leading the Buffaloes into a big matchup this weekend against Texas Tech.

The Colorado football team checked in at #20 in the first College Football Rankings on Tuesday night. The Buffaloes are currently 6-2 overall on the year and 4-1 in Big 12 play. They are one game back of first place in the conference.

Texas Tech still has conference title hopes as well. They need a little bit more help than Colorado as they have two losses in conference play right now, so there are three teams ahead of them with only one conference loss. A win against the Buffaloes would certainly go a long way.

Before we talk more about Travis Hunter and predictions for this matchup, let's take a deeper look at both of these teams.

Texas Tech is flying under the radar

The Texas Tech football team is not ranked in the top-25, but they can still make the College Football Playoff and even end up with a bye in the first round. That's the thing with this new playoff system, there are guaranteed spots now. The Red Raiders have work to do and they need some help, but if they win the Big 12, they will automatically be in. If they are one of the four highest ranked conference champs, they will also get a bye.

Texas Tech gave their season some life with a huge upset win last week against previously undefeated Iowa State. The Red Raiders had lost two games in a row coming into that game, but they are now near the top of the Big 12 standings.

Colorado is a much improved team this year

The Colorado football team received a lot of criticism last year and this offseason because of the way they talked despite their poor record last year. However, the Buffaloes are doing a pretty good job of backing up the talk this time around. The Buffaloes have just one conference loss this year, and they can absolutely make a run to the College Football Playoff.

Colorado is led by do it all star Travis Hunter who is one of the favorites to win the Heisman trophy this season. He is one of the best players in college football, and he will need to have a good game if the Buffaloes are going to win this weekend. Here are three predictions for his performance:

Travis Hunter will score a touchdown

Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) carries the ball in the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Folsom Field.
© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Article Continues Below

Travis Hunter will find his way into the end zone this weekend, but it could happen in a couple different ways. He is a hawk on defense that is very capable of turning an interception into six points, but Hunter is also the best offensive weapon that the Colorado football team has. He has eight receiving touchdowns on the year. One way or another, he will score.

Travis Hunter will have an interception

Just staying on the defense side here, Travis Hunter will record an interception. He has two on the season but they were both early on. He is due for some big defensive plays, and they will come this weekend.

Travis Hunter will lead Colorado to a win

This is going to be a tough game for Hunter and Colorado, but they will find a way to escape with a win. The Buffaloes are pretty well battle tested this year and they have won multiple close games this season. They will do it again this weekend as they will win the game 30-24.

Colorado and Texas Tech will kick off from Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday at 3:00 CT, and the game will be airing on Fox. The Buffaloes are currently favored by three points.

Week 11 college football preview

Travis Hunter and the Colorado football team hitting the road to take on Texas Tech will be a fun matchup to watch, and there are a lot of other good ones this weekend as well. ESPN's College GameDay is heading Baton Rouge for a huge showdown between Alabama and LSU, and that is the biggest game of the week. Here are some other good ones:

There are a couple noteworthy matchups in the ACC this weekend. First, Clemson is hitting the road to take on Virginia Tech and the Tigers need to win if they want to keep ACC title hopes alive. Also, 1-8 Florida State is taking on #10 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish aren't in a conference, but this was expected to be one of the biggest games of the season for the ACC because of the Seminoles' preseason expectations. It is obviously a must-win for Notre Dame now.

Moving over to the Big 12, we already talked about Colorado-Texas Tech, and the other big game this weekend is a rivalry battle in the state of Utah. BYU is taking on Utah on the road and the Cougars are hoping to improve to 9-0 on the season with a win.

In the Big Ten, there aren't a ton big games this weekend. #8 Indiana is hosting Michigan as the Hoosiers look to stay undefeated, and #6 Penn State is hoping to bounce back from last week's Ohio State loss as they are hosting Washington under the lights.

Lastly, in the SEC, there are two huge games with conference title and College Football Playoff implications. We already touched on LSU-Alabama being the biggest game of the week, and then Georgia is going on the road to take on Ole Miss. The Rebels need a win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The games get more important every week, and there are a lot of games this week that will have a big impact on the rest of the year. Enjoy another fun week of college football!