Week six and the field continue to thin as far as the CFP places are concerned anyway. Alabama has regained the top spot in the AP rankings and it’s not easy to make a case for any team outside the top 10 to make the final four. That could diminish even further this week as Tennessee have to go to a revitalised LSU who seem to finally be clicking under Brian Kelly’s leadership.
Utah’s opening-week loss to Florida has probably already knocked them out of CFP playoff contention, however, a win over newly-ranked UCLA would garner some attention. The Bruins are 5-0 so this is no gimmie.
Of more importance is TCU taking on Kansas -honestly. Pre-season you would think us mad saying this, but here they are both ranked and both still unbeaten. The Horned Frogs were mighty impressive against Oklahoma last week, and they might just be the best team in the Big 12.
There is no other real standout game this week as far as ranked games are concerned however it is Red River Showdown week. This will garner massive attention even if both Oklahoma & Texas are currently unranked. However, we will be watching the Big 12 with some interest…
Big 12
TCU taking on Kansas -honestly. Pre-season you would think us mad saying this, but here they are both ranked and both still unbeaten. The Horned Frogs were mighty impressive against Oklahoma last week, and they might just be the best team in the Big 12. Who would have thought that this would upstage the Red River Showdown!
In the SEC
The top two both have winnable home games. neither is easy though and it will be interesting to see if Georgia step up their game against stronger opposition after a couple of lacklustre wins. The Two Mississippi sides will be hoping to continue their progress too. Maybe the Egg Bowl will have some real meaning this year.
Pac-12
USC are one of a number of teams who are looking to capitalise on any slip-up at the top, however, they will need to be at their best against an improving Washington State. The Cougars gave Oregon a fright and if they can get their running game sorted next year they could be PAC 12 contenders in 2023.
Utah’s opening-week loss to Florida has probably already knocked them out of CFP playoff contention, however, a win over newly-ranked UCLA would garner some attention. The Bruins are 5-0 so this is no gimmie.
Independents
Notre Dame v BYU is slightly unusual this year in so much as BYU is the ranked team. The Irish have looked a whole lot better since Drew Pyne took over the starting QB job and it will be interesting to see how much more they can improve. There is little chance that they can make the top 25 at 4-2 but if they win as we expect it would certainly move them closer.
Group Of Five
Finally, we have a G5 team in the top 25. Ok, it’s Cincinnati who is heading for Power Five next year and one who was in the CFP semis last year. Still, it’s good to see at least one included and to be fair it’s hard to pick another who should be in there. Only Coastal Carolina & James Maddison remain unbeaten outside of the Power Five Conferences.
So even if there is no outstanding game on the schedule there is still plenty of interest. The ranked games are listed below (our predicted winners in blue)…
All Ranked Games
8 Tennessee @ 25 LSU
11 Utah @ 18 UCLA
17 TCU @ 19 Kansas
SEC Games
Texas A&M @ 1 Alabama
Auburn @ 2 Georgia
9 Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt
South Carolina @ 13 Kentucky
Arkansas @ 23 Mississippi State
Big Ten Games
3 Ohio State @ Michigan State
4 Michigan @ Indiana
Big 12 Games
Texas Tech @ 7 Oklahoma State
20 Kansas State @ Iowa State
PAC-12 Games
Washington State @ 6 USC
12 Oregon @ Arizona
21 Washington @ Arizona State
ACC
5 Clemson @ Boston College
Florida State @ 14 NC State
Army @ 15 Wake Forest
FBS Independent
16 BYU @ Notre Dame
AAC
South Florida @ 24 Cincinnati
Not Playing
Two ranked teams have the week off to prepare…
Penn State & Syracuse
Both have season-defining games next week with Penn State travelling to Michigan and the Orange entertaining NC State.
Other Games Worth Watching Out For
There are a few interesting non-ranked encounters to look out for but none bigger than…
The Red River Showdown
Image: Gau Meo/Shutterstock.com
Texas @ Oklahoma
Wow, you have to go back to 1998 for this game not to feature at least one ranked team! A few weeks ago it looked like this could be a precursor for the Big 12 title game, however, with both at 3-2 it’s far from certain that the winner will get back into the top 25 in week seven. Whatever the atmosphere will be electric.
Sun Belt
The only two unbeaten Group of Five teams reside here and both will be looking to keep their runs going this week. Both are on the road with Coastal Carolina travelling to Louisiana Monroe where they will be strong favourites. QB Grayson McCall has been a big part of their recent success and he will be looking to continue to pad his stats. He has 14 TDs to only one interception so far and has added three on the ground. If he keeps this up there may be a few NFL scouts in the crowd towards the end of the season.
James Madison who moved up from FCS this year is 4-0 and although they have nothing to play for (not bowl or Sun Belt Championship eligible) they continue to impress. This will be a proper test though as The Red Wolves are a lot better than their 2-3 record suggests.
That completes our quick look at what’s on offer in week five. Before you go why not check out our Week Five roundup and check back next week for week Sevens games.
