National College Football Preview: Week Six

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

I am fired up for this weekend’s schedule of games. There are four matchups of ranked opponents plus the Red River Rivalry between a pair of reeling Big 12 powers. Let’s dive into it.

Games Starting at Noon

The noon games are actually quite good. Midwest fans are usually locked into Big Ten games in this slot but other conferences are filling in with some really good noon games. We begin on FOX as Texas and Oklahoma clash in a “loser leaves town” match in the Big 12. Both lost last weekend and both desperately need wins to remain relevant in the hyper-competitive (but extremely mediocre?) Big 12. #4 Florida visits #21 Texas A&M on ESPN. I absolutely love the Gators offense and they are a legitimate threat to make a run at the SEC Championship. Texas A&M struggled mightily against Vanderbilt and then got stomped by Alabama but this is a tough test for Florida and should be a good barometer of how close the Gators are to the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs. #19 Virginia Tech travels to #8 North Carolina on ABC in a game that could go a long way towards determining whether either of these teams can make the ACC Championship game.

Games Starting at 3:30

The best game in this window is #14 Tennessee travelling to Athens to play #3 Georgia on CBS. IU fans will remember the Volunteers and their narrow victory over the Hoosiers at the end of last season. Tennessee has a lengthy winning streak but this will be their sternest test (by far). Georgia manhandled Auburn, showing a dominant defense and a powerful rushing attack with some well-placed passing by Stetson Bennett. Is Tennessee a legitimate SEC East player or will Georgia further cement their status as a title threat? Texas Tech travels to Iowa State on ABC. There is a vacuum at the top of the Big 12 and Iowa State is one of the contenders to fill the void. Other interesting games include Arkansas at Auburn on the SEC Network at 4:00 and Kansas State at TCU on FOX at 4:00.

Primetime Games

We’ll start the primetime schedule at 6:00 with #2 Alabama travelling to Ole Miss to battle the high-powered offense of the Rebels. ESPN has this game and the Lane Train promises to be entertaining. They have an explosive offense and a truly awful defense. Alabama looks like the best team in the country to me and I think there will be points galore in this game. At 7:30 on ABC, #7 Miami is at #1 Clemson. Do not miss this game. Miami has looked amazing thus far while Clemson is the king of college football until someone proves otherwise. I am fascinated by this game because Clemson has lacked explosiveness on offense so far and I’m not sure their defense is performing at quite as high of a level as I thought they would. The Hurricanes have taken to Rhett Lashlee’s offense and they have some legitimate speed and talent on the offensive end. Typically, these are games where a team like Clemson relishes the challenge and balls out. Miami seems up to the challenge though. Florida State is at Notre Dame at 7:30 on NBC and Mississippi State travels to Kentucky at 7:30 on the SEC Network.