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Everything you need to know about Week 6 in college football
Can Joshua Dobbs and the #9 Tennessee Volunteers keep the train rolling this weekend against #8 Texas A&M? Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

Everything you need to know about Week 6 in college football

How about some late game heroics? We had that magical Hail Mary at the end of the Tennessee-Georgia game. North Carolina beat Florida State on a field goal as time ran out. Baylor stayed unbeaten by doing the same thing to Iowa State. Louisville was a yard short from upsetting Clemson and taking control of the ACC's Atlantic Division. Indiana shocked Michigan State in overtime and California had a goal line stand with time expired to beat Utah.

Week 5 was excellent drama and huge for several programs. Florida State may have lost any hope at a championship while Tennessee and Baylor (among others) held on to their dreams. There's been some movement in the playoff picture as Washington has leapfrogged Houston in our eyes. More awaits us in Week 6.

1-SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: ALABAMA
Here we roll, Tide. Alabama has been the nation's best team and they will get their chance to solidify this with a run at Arkansas, home against Texas A&M and at Tennessee. Most other schools would hunker down and make this their big moment. This is nothing but a re-run for Alabama.

GAME OF THE WEEK: ALABAMA AT ARKANSAS
While most people are focusing on the trio of games between Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M, this is one that needs to be taken seriously as well. The Crimson Tide should be favored to win this one, but you never know on the road in the SEC.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: TENNESSEE AT TEXAS A&M
This is huge. Very huge. Both schools have Alabama next (Vols next week, Aggies the following week) and need this one to offset any potential loss. For Tennessee, a win here could make a loss next week to Alabama moot as the Volunteers would most likely win the East Division anyway and face Bama (or Texas A&M) for the SEC championship. For the Aggies, this is a huge opportunity to flex their muscle heading into the bye week and then Alabama. Can Tennessee fall pull off another comeback against this team when falling behind? We shall see.

HEISMAN WATCH: LEONARD FOURNETTE, LSU
There is no one in the SEC that looks like a Heisman frontrunner at all. There could be some that break out due to team success. But I'm going with Leonard Fournette just on pure talent. Maybe the team will rally around their seemingly lost season and Fournette catches fire. Maybe not. But this could be the conference's best hope.

STORYLINE
Fournette won't get a chance to play this week as the LSU-Florida game as been cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew and it may not be played due to schedule constraints. Both LSU and Florida were willing to playing the game (even Sunday) but the SEC decided to postpone the game in the interest of safety. The move is completely understandable but could make a mess of the remaining schedule.

There is no obvious make-up date since LSU's bye week is October 29 and Florida's is October 22. The three options that seemingly are available are (a) moving the Florida-Georgia game to October 22 and then making the LSU-Florida the following week, (b) LSU and Florida canceling their November 19 games against South Alabama and Presbyterian, respectively, and playing LSU-Florida on that date or (c) canceling the game altogether.

Looking at those options, there really is no winner. Moving the Georgia-Florida game would be unlikely. It is one of the biggest rivalries in the country, played at a neutral site. So you'd be asking Florida, Georgia and Jacksonville folks to completely change up a date this quickly to accommodate (in Georgia and Jacksonville's eyes) a game that has nothing to do with them. Canceling the LSU-Florida game would be a major move because Florida would take a financial hit as well as it could affect the race in the East Division as well as bowl implications for both schools.

The November 19 option is tough as well. Canceling those games against South Alabama and Presbyterian would require a buy-out of those contracts, plus a major financial loss of losing a revenue stream of a home game for both schools. It isn't ideal, especially for LSU, who just fired an expensive head coach and will be looking to hire one this winter.

2-BIG TEN CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: OHIO STATE
Ohio State blew the doors off of Rutgers last week and look like the best team in the nation that doesn't reside in Tuscaloosa.

GAME OF THE WEEK: BYU AT MICHIGAN STATE
A rare non-conference game in October. Sparty needs this. Since spanking Notre Dame, Michigan State has lost to Wisconsin and Indiana. They travel to Maryland (who is 4-0) in a few weeks and still have Michigan and Ohio State coming to East Lansing. Again, this isn't a league game, but Michigan State needs any kind of win right now.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: INDIANA AT OHIO STATE
This could be another blowout for Ohio State, but with a relatively week Big Ten slate this week, it will be interesting to see how a surprising 3-1 Indiana squad that hung with the Buckeyes last year fare against one of the best teams in the nation.

HEISMAN WATCH: J.T. BARRETT, OHIO STATE
Barrett is still the Big Ten Heisman favorite. He's carving up his lesser opponents and looked great against Oklahoma earlier this year. Obviously, his performance against Michigan and Michigan State will carry a lot of weight in this race but Barrett has been a wonder to watch.

STORYLINE
Last week we saw some great finishes around the country. A lot of great offensive showings and pretty passes. And we had Michigan-Wisconsin. I loved watching this game like a baseball fan would love to watch a 2-0 pitchers' duel. Though the final score was a yawning 14-7, this was a great game to watch.
(Okay, maybe not.)

Michigan's defense was the story. Going up against Wisconsin's redshirt freshman quarterback, the Wolverines forced three turnovers and an 8-for-25 passing day for the Badgers' Alex Hornibrook. Watching Michigan work makes me salivate (even more) for the Michigan-Ohio State game this November. In a college game filled with spread offenses and air attacks, it is nice to see two bruising defenses just own a game like this.

3-ATLANTIC COAST CONFERNCE


FAVORITE: CLEMSON
Wow. Louisville-Clemson didn't disappoint in the slightest. The Tigers won, making them the team to beat in the ACC.

GAME OF THE WEEK: FLORIDA STATE AT MIAMI
As a hurricane bears down on the state of Florida, their two ACC schools face off in a very, very big game. The Seminoles are coming off a home loss to North Carolina, making them 0-2 in the league and making this a must game for their season. While they aren't totally out of the ACC championship race, losing this game would most likely knock them out. Miami is squarely in the race for a conference title and look, this has been one of the greatest rivalries of the last 30 years and should be quite a contest with a lot on the line. No other hype needed.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: VIRGINIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA
While Miami is taking on their rival, North Carolina and Virginia Tech will tussle to see who sticks with Miami in the Coastal Division race. The Hokies are a bit of a surprise this year but have beaten much lesser opponents. The Heels are coming off consecutive late-second comeback wins over Pitt and Florida State. Oh, and the weather will be a huge factor in a game with quick offenses.

HEISMAN WATCH: LAMAR JACKSON, LOUISVILLE
Jackson played very well against Clemson and is still atop the Heisman watch. However, Clemson's Deshaun Watson has launched himself back up the charts by beating Jackson's Cardinals. Jackson has a relatively weak schedule coming up before facing Houston next month. He'll have to stack those stats.

STORYLINE
Speaking of Louisville, their playoff hopes did take a bit of a hit last week but they are far from done. If they win out, that means they would have won that game at Houston, and be 11-1 with the lone loss at Clemson's three-yard line. That's not a bad spot to be in when the Playoff Committee meets. The problem will be if Louisville is worthy despite the record. After all, all eight of the previous College Football Playoff teams were conference champions. Louisville, in this exercise, would not be. Not only that, but Louisville wouldn't even be division champions and therefore not in a conference championship game.

While there are a ton of games left to play, this could be one of the more interesting dilemmas for the committee to deal with in the young history of the Playoff. Is it the four best teams or the four most accomplished teams?

4-PACIFIC 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: WASHINGTON
Not only did Washington beat Stanford, they pounded them. On national television. On a Friday night in front of everybody. They surge to the fourth and final playoff spot right now.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WASHINGTON AT OREGON
In this crazy Pac-12 conference, it is next game up. The Ducks may not be the elite program they've typically been, but Autzen Stadium is still a tough place to play. Just ask Washington, who has lost 12 straight to Oregon no matter where the game is played. This is the typical "welcome to the big stage, now don't screw it up" game that Washington finds it in. We all took notice of the impressive win over Stanford. Now do what you are supposed to do and knock off an opponent that is mired in a three-game losing slump.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: UCLA AT ARIZONA STATE
I may the only soul that loves watching the Sun Devils, but they do love to let that ball fly. They also seem to suck their opponents into these kinds of games which make it even more exciting. Arizona State suffered their first loss of the season last week to USC, a team that desperately needed that win. UCLA got one of those last week against the Devils' rival, Arizona, and need to keep the ball rolling. UCLA should win, but ASU has the chops to make that more difficult than you'd think.

HEISMAN WATCH: CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, STANFORD
McCaffrey is still in the hunt, but that poor showing against Washington really took the wind out of his sails. McCaffrey only rushed for 49 yards, caught 30 yards and never found the end zone. You can't expect every game to be spectacular but the Washington loss was pretty bad.

STORYLINE
Really, could Oregon miss a bowl? Yes. Two years ago, the Ducks played Ohio State for the National Championship. Now they've lost three in a row, are 2-3 and could realistically miss out on a bowl. Seriously. Oregon still has Washington, Stanford and Utah left on their schedule. These are arguably the three best teams in the Pac-12 and all losses for the Ducks. There would be six losses on the season right there. That would mean Oregon would have to win the remaining games against Arizona State at home at Cal, Oregon State and USC. That is tough to ask of a team that has only beaten UC Davis and Virginia this year.

The Quack Attack may be in some trouble.

5-GROUP OF FIVE

FAVORITE: HOUSTON
Houston blew out UConn, the last team to beat the Cougars, and continue on the American Athletic Conference tour. Any slip-up means it's all over for Houston and we are all just waiting to check on them when they face Louisville in November.

GAME OF THE WEEK: HOUSTON AT NAVY
Houston should win this game handily, but Navy isn't a slouch. Sure, they are coming off a loss to the Air Force Academy but heading to Navy for a football game is quite a sight. Navy will be welcoming the highest ranked team into Annapolis since 1984. Having a Heisman Trophy contender roll in there reminds us of the glory days of the academy's football program. Houston may just blow them out like they do everyone, but it still will be a nice atmosphere to see.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: BOISE STATE AT NEW MEXICO
Remember Boise State? Well, they are undefeated and not the Group of 5 program people are buzzing about. New Mexico stunned Boise State last season on the blue turf and now the Broncos are coming for revenge. It won't be easy. The Lobos are coached by Bob Davie (remember him?), love to run the football, and New Mexico's Teriyon Gipson has 399 rushing yards on just 31 carries. Boise will have to be patient and tough to grind this one out and stay undefeated.

HEISMAN WATCH: GREG WARD JR, HOUSTON
Dominate AAC opponent. Keep healthy. Repeat.

STORYLINE
College football games are long this year. Really long. As a North Carolina fan, I've missed two endings of games on my DVR because time ran out on the recording (I usually have it set for 30 minutes over; now I have it for 90 minutes). Those were that Nick Chubb run to beat UNC and the field goal to beat Florida State last Saturday. In turn, you miss much of the first quarter of the same games because some other game ran over. It sucks.

In last Friday's BYU-Toledo thriller, Mack Brown left his spot in the broadcast booth so he didn't miss his flight back to ESPN's studios for his work on Saturday. While people laughed this off and maybe the network could've planned for this better, it had to happen. While we are conditioned for football games to be around 3.5 hours long, some of these are around the four hour mark. When you add in all the replays and high scoring games (there were 108 points scored in the BYU-Toledo contest). While watching lots and lots of football games isn't a bad thing, it still wears on you when you sit down ready to watch a game and it isn't being shown because the end of a game you care nothing about is still going on.

6-BIG 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: BAYLOR
Hey, Baylor won and kept the top spot! The Bears held off Oklahoma State last week and go to woeful Iowa State this week. For Baylor it comes down to the three-game stretch where they travel to Texas and Oklahoma with a home date with TCU sandwiched in.

GAME OF THE WEEK: TEXAS VS OKLAHOMA
The Red River Rivalry may be down a bit as a game this year. Oklahoma has already lost twice and is most likely done as a national championship contender. Texas has fallen off after an opening week win over Notre Dame and there have been calls to fire head coach Charlie Strong. Still, the scene at the Cotton Bowl is always one of the best in college football and even if the teams aren't elite it is still such an event. Oklahoma should win this one but "should" means nothing in a game like this.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS STATE
There are only four games involving the Big 12 this week and none involving the two undefeated teams (Baylor, West Virginia). So this is the second best game. K-State nearly ended West Virginia's winning streak with a 17-16 loss last week; Texas Tech obliterated Kansas as everyone else does. Texas Tech can sling it, but they can't defend it. Kansas State needs to get their run attack in order if they want to hang with the Red Raiders offense.

HEISMAN WATCH: SETH RUSSELL, BAYLOR
Look, no one in the Big 12 is going to win this. But Russell kept his team hanging around Iowa State in Ames and ultimately pulled out a win to stay undefeated and atop the Big 12. That may not be Heisman trophy stuff, but he's playing the best in the league.

STORYLINE
Nebraska isn't walking through that door. There have been rumors (mainly from a radio show) that Nebraska wants to bail on the Big Ten and head back to the Big 12. It isn't happening. No way. No how.

Look, us old school romantics would love that. I admit that it made me smile to see this report. Nebraska belongs with Oklahoma in the Big 12 or anywhere for that matter. I still have to remind myself that Nebraska is in the Big Ten at times and it isn't like they've crushed it on that scene. Go to the Big 12 and all our old rivalries come back and the fuzzy feelings are there.

Life doesn't work like that. Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big Ten for a reason. Money. Lots of money. Money that the university is enjoying and they haven't even got their full cut of it yet. Money that will continue to flow in a league that is more stable than virtually any in the nation. A brand that will be here for a long, long time.

Why would Nebraska go back? So they can get less money in a league that may break up any minute? To be in a league that may expand to who knows where? So they can go back to being at the whim of whatever Texas and Oklahoma feel like doing? Yeah, nostalgia is worth that pay cut.

I know if Nebraska stays in the Big Ten that in 2036 they will still be in that league. It isn't going anywhere and neither are the schools that comprise it (namely Ohio State and Michigan). Can anyone predict what will become of the Big 12 in 2021? Texas is a phone call from the ACC or Pac-12 away from crumbling the Big 12. Why would Nebraska take on that?

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