What to Watch in Week 6

Thursday Night

Temple @ Memphis- 8:00 ESPN

Memphis played well against Ole Miss last weekend, but had too many turnovers to pull the upset.  Temple has begun to right the ship after starting 1-2, picking up wins in their last 2 games. 

Friday Night

#3 Clemson @ Boston College- 7:30 ESPN

Clemson beat Louisville in a thriller last weekend, confirming their status as the favorite in the ACC. The Tigers overcame 5 turnovers, and Deshaun Watson showed why he won ACC player of the year last season.  BC comes in at 3-2 and will need their #1 ranked defense to play lights up in order to pull out the victory.

Saturday Day

Texas VS #20 Oklahoma (Dallas)- 12:00 FS1

LSU @ #18 Florida- 12:00 ESPN

Notre Dame @ NC State- 12:00 ABC

The Red River Rivalry takes place at noon in the Cotton Bowl when Texas faces off against Oklahoma.  Oklahoma bounced back from earlier season losses with a win against TCU last week, while Texas lost to Oklahoma State.  Charlie Strong desperately needs to win to help his job prospects.  Look for Oklahoma to throw all over Texas’ defense, and it will be up to the longhorns to keep pace.  LSU, coming off a record setting offensive performance even with star Leonard Fournette out, heads to Florida.  Florida QB Luke Del Rio may return for this game, which Florida needs after only scoring 13 against Vanderbilt last weekend.  Look for this one to be a low-scoring slugfest.  Elsewhere, Notre Dame is a road underdog at NC State.  This is only the second time NC State plays a non-conference power 5 opponent in the regular season since September 2009.  Neither team has looked impressive so far this year, but the winner could use this game as a springboard for the rest of the season. 

Saturday Afternoon

#9 Tennessee @ #8 Texas A&M- 3:30 CBS

#25 Virginia Tech @ #17 North Carolina- 3:30 ABC

#21 Colorado @ USC- 4:00 PAC12 Network

Tennessee used a miraculous Hail Mary in order to beat Georgia last weekend, and it does not get any easier when they face Texas A&M on Saturday.  A&M has one of the best defensive lines in the country and will be in Josh Dobbs face all day.  The Vols will need to slow down Trevor Knight, and can’t fall behind early, like they have done 4 times already this season.  Virginia Tech heads to Chapel Hill in a key ACC Coastal game.  North Carolina upset Florida State last weekend, while outside of a loss to Tennessee, the Hokies have dominated every team they have played.  This game could be played in the middle of a hurricane, which could help slow down Mitch Trubisky and the Tar Heels passing attack.  In the PAC 12, Colorado enters a game ranked for the first time in over 10 years.  The Buffalos have been impressive so far, but USC is one of the most talented teams they have faced. The Trojans have been clicking ever since they switched quarterbacks.  This game will be a test to see if Colorado is a contender in the PAC12. 

Saturday Night

#1 Alabama @ #16 Arkansas- 7:00 ESPN

#23 Florida State @ #10 Miami- 8:00 ABC

#5 Washington @ Oregon- 7:30 FOX

The number 1 team in the country heads to Arkansas for a night game on Saturday.  Alabama has been dominate this season, with the first half against Ole Miss being the only time they struggled.  Arkansas will try to slow the game down and limit possessions.  The last time Alabama played at Arkansas, they won by a single point.  Look for another close one this weekend.  In Miami, Florida State tries to right their season with a win over their rival.  Florida State has struggled defensively this year, but Dalvin Cook is finally getting going running the ball.  Miami has yet to be really tested this season, and with a win they will be in the playoff race.  On the west coast, Washington looks to beat Oregon for the first time in over a decade.  Oregon is having a rough season, while Washington blew out Stanford at home last Friday.  Washington, however, struggled against a dual-threat attack in Arizona earlier in the season, which gives Oregon hope.  Oregon will need their struggling defense to play their best game all year for this one to even be close.

Saturday Late Night

Arizona @#24 Utah- 10:00 FS1

Washington State @ #15 Stanford- 10:30 ESPN

Utah faces off against Arizona looking for a win to keep pace in the PAC12 south.  Arizona had lost two close games, before losing handily to UCLA last weekend.  Utah lost a close one to Cal last weekend, and cannot afford another PAC 12 loss.  In California, Stanford looks to get back on track against Washington State.  Stanford got dominated on both their offensive and defensive lines last week against Washington, and this will be a good test to see if that was due to Washington’s talent, or Stanford’s lack thereof.