This Weekend’s Big 5
Blake Sims and Alabama will look to get the better of Ole Miss in a battle of undefeated SEC sides.
Week 6 in college football arrives with a genuine sense of excitement. Finally, we’re out of the non-conference barrens and into the heart of battle.
The weekend offers up the best schedule of games we’ve seen yet, with plenty of intra-conference action and rivalry matchups – including some choice cuts between ranked sides.
Betting Sports now brings you a preview of the best five games on slate in Week 6 – and a little extra bonus too.
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No. 6 Texas A&M at No. 12 Mississippi State
Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS (Sat, 12:00 p.m. ET)
High noon sees a showdown between undefeated SEC teams as Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0 SEC) travels to Mississippi State (4-0, 1-0 SEC) in one of six matchups between ranked schools this weekend.
A pick’em game to begin the week, the Aggies – winners over the Bulldogs in two straight and three of the last four meetings – have emerged as a narrow favorite but could face a tough time of it on Saturday afternoon.
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No. 3 Alabama at No. 11 Ole Miss
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS (Sat, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Another matchup between undefeated ranked SEC sides sees Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) make the trip to Oxford, Miss., to face Ole Miss (4-0, 1-0 SEC).
The Rebels will be looking to snap a 10-game losing streak against the Tide when the two sides take to the field. Alabama meanwhile will be looking for a fifth straight road win in what has been a seriously lopsided rivalry; the Tide leads 48-7-2 all-time.
A win for Alabama will go some way to cementing its claim as the best team in the country, while an upset victory would see Mississippi turn more than a few heads, not to mention alter the entire dynamic of the SEC in the process.
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No. 14 Stanford at No. 9 Notre Dame
Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN (Sat, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Stanford (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12) gets a brief respite from conference play this weekend but a lengthy trip east and a rivalry game probably isn’t what the doctor ordered. But then again, the Cardinal has won four of its last five head-to-head games with the Irish.
Notre Dame (4-0) will look to add another rivalry victory to its pelt of scalps this season but, more importantly, will also be looking to put in a performance impressive enough to catch the eye of the playoff committee.
Expect this to be a close one. Seven of the last 10 meetings have been decided by one score. Need further proof? The spread currently sits at a miserly 2 in favor of the Cardinal.
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No. 4 Oklahoma at No. 25 TCU
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX (Sat, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Right now, Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) looks a comfortable favorite to walk away with the Big 12 championship and, in all likelihood, a College Football Playoff berth. Still, the Sooners shouldn’t expect a straightforward run to the title.
TCU (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) begins its Big 12 campaign looking to scalp the Sooners and emerge as a contender within the conference. If the Horned Toads are to do that they’ll need to put the halters on a three-game losing skid against Oklahoma. That’s not all they’ll need to do. In five games between the sides in Fort Worth, TCU has never beaten Oklahoma. A win on Saturday would be historic then.
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No. 19 Nebraska at No. 9 Michigan State
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI (Sat, 8:00 p.m. ET)
Michigan State (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) will look to enhance its credentials at the top of the Big Ten Saturday as it hosts undefeated Nebraska (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) in a potential conference championship preview.
The Spartans earned their first ever win over the Cornhuskers a season ago en route to a Big Ten title. A win on Saturday will keep Mark Dantonio’s side on track to repeat that feat. A loss could derail the team’s hopes of a shot at the national championship.
For Nebraska, the conference adjustments made offseason have made it very difficult to grab the attention of onlookers. Saturday’s game marks the first (and some would argue only) bona fide contender the Huskers will face. Getting a win then is essential if the team wants to earn that playoff berth.
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Honorable Mentions
After five weeks of filler material, Week 6 serves up a bevy of high profile matchups. Here are another five that didn’t make our Top 5 but are more than worthy of your attention.
No. 15 Louisiana State at No. 5 Auburn – Another big SEC showdown that could have huge implications in the race for not only the conference title but the national championship too (Odds & Trends)
Florida at Tennessee – Two more SEC schools look to inch their way into the mix in this rivalry game (Odds & Trends)
No. 20 Ohio State at Maryland – The Buckeyes will look to earn a valuable win over four-win Maryland in the first Big Ten meeting between the schools (Odds & Trends)
No. 7 Baylor at Texas – The Longhorns may not look like much of a threat this season but this intra-state matchup poses plenty of dangers for highly ranked Baylor (Odds & Trends)
Navy at Air Force – Patriotic pride will be on display as Navy and Air Force meet in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Odds & Trends)
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