Bleacher Report's College Football Ultimate Guide to Week 6
In a sport so devoted to its most reputable brands, Week 6 is a reminder that the power programs of college football don’t always have to do the heavy lifting. We cherish familiar logos and traditional helmets—as we should—although Saturday’s headliners are, in many ways, a comforting break from the norm.
How many of you, by a show of hands, thought Cal and Utah would play in the most important—and perhaps most entertaining—game of the weekend? There should be no hands raised.
Not even you, overly ambitious Cal fan in the back of the room.
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Even the power programs featured—starting with Florida and Michigan—weren’t supposed to be there. Not this year. While other high-profile Week 6 games have lost some luster thanks to early-season struggles, this should do nothing to dampen the spirit of a Saturday rife with storylines. In fact, after five wild and volatile weekends of results, Week 6 is a fitting next chapter.
For some tied to certain teams in certain conferences, perhaps it will be an unfamiliar voyage. But I implore you—regardless of where your football loyalties exist—to embrace an unusual lineup that will likely deliver. That’s certainly been a theme thus far.
As for what’s coming, here is a look at the weekend’s finest games, a game so lopsided it actually needs a disclaimer, individual statistical monsters and a note about appreciating the greatest force college football has to offer.
The Buffet: Previewing the Top 5 Games of the Week
5. TCU at Kansas State (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
The damage TCU did to Texas in the first quarter on Saturday should be outlawed in most countries. That’s about as lopsided of a 15-minute stretch of football I’ve ever watched, which says plenty about the state of the Longhorns. It also says quite a bit about the Horned Frogs.
Quarterback Trevone Boykin threw for five touchdowns during the 50-7 win, giving him 19 end-zone visits in the past four games. More important for this team, however, was the way the defense played. Dismantled by injuries, the Horned Frogs finally looked balanced and exceptionally dangerous. (Yes, it came against Texas.)
This week, things will kick up some. Not only does TCU take its talent to the road, it must also go up against Bill Snyder, college football’s most magnificent sorcerer.
Kansas State nearly took down Oklahoma State in Week 5. The Big 12 officials, as they often do, did not help matters. Making matters worse, quarterback Joe Hubener went down, which meant it was time for fifth-string QB Kody Cook—who is listed as a wide receiver on his official bio—to shine. He did, even in a loss.
Who's next on the QB depth chart, you ask? Well, Snyder joked (we think) this week that many of the team's linemen, including Will Geary, have volunteered.
"Bill Snyder jokes Will Geary is currently practicing as the 7th string QB.
— Kellis Robinett (@KellisRobinett) October 6, 2015"
Weird things happen in Manhattan. While TCU has an obvious upper hand, the wizard may not make matters easy.
4. Florida at Missouri (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
As it turns out, the Florida Gators are good. That is not a statement many expected to type this year without the helping hand of a sarcasm font. There’s no need—not after Florida dismantled Ole Miss, the nation’s No. 3 team at the time, 38-10.
Allow me to break into a #humblebrag for a moment: I picked that upset outright. I thought that the Florida defense would challenge Ole Miss, which it did. I did not know what the Gators offense was capable of, although quarterback Will Grier, while battling the flu, was unbelievable. He threw four touchdown passes.
Florida is living that good life, and yet the upset radar is making loud noises once again. This time, it’s twirling in the other direction.
Although Missouri is by no means a more talented team, it catches Florida at the perfect time. The Tigers beat South Carolina 24-10 in Week 5, doing so with backup quarterback Drew Lock. With starter Maty Mauk suspended, Lock made the most of his opportunity—throwing for two touchdowns while committing no turnovers.
Now, Mauk will be suspended until further notice, which means it's Lock’s show moving forward.
Recent results tell us Florida should win. That might happen, although a wee bit of a hangover could work in Missouri’s favor.
3. Miami at Florida State (Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC)
Here’s what we know about Miami football at this point. We know that each and every Saturday—or at least most Saturdays—someone will pay hard-earned dollars and launch some sort of “FIRE AL GOLDEN” banner off the back of a plane.
"#FireAlGolden is alive in Cincinnati. pic.twitter.com/BcpmChxhwC
— David Kenyon (@Kenyon19_BR) October 1, 2015"
This angst was given appropriate fuel last Thursday when Miami lost to Cincinnati 34-23. While there are bright spots—headlined by quarterback Brad Kaaya and electric running back Joseph Yearby—there are also plenty of holes. That much was evident in the team’s first loss.
Now comes the interesting part. While one game won’t ultimately decide Golden’s fate, beating Florida State—a team that looks plenty vulnerable—would go a long way.
The Seminoles beat Wake Forest 24-16 on Saturday, which was a lot closer than many expected. More concerning than the close call was the fact that running back Dalvin Cook, the team’s best playmaker, left with a hamstring injury. Linebacker Terrance Smith and safety Nate Andrews were also injured.
“Next guy up,” Fisher told reporters following the game. “That’s life.”
The status of Cook will be a fascinating storyline in a game with no shortage of storylines. Huge conclusions, one way or another, will be established here. And yes, there might be a banner or two.
2. Northwestern at Michigan (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, BTN)
“Here are the two teams in the Big Ten we expected to generate the most buzz,” I said before the season began. Note: I did not actually say this. No one said this. Not even you, Northwestern fan in the corner.
After squeezing the life out of Minnesota 27-0—the fourth time this season the Wildcats allowed 10 points or fewer—Northwestern feels dangerous. The offense will likely remain a work in progress, although quarterback Clayton Thorson is very capable. He hasn’t been fabulous, but it’s hard to argue against the formula.
Defensively, however, is where Northwestern excels. It’s one of the nation’s best teams, and in Week 6, it will be going up against a team operating with a similar style.
Michigan did very similar things to its opponent Saturday—shutting out Maryland 28-0. The Wolverines, similar to Northwestern, have allowed seven points or fewer in four games this season.
The defense is a smothering, mean bunch. The offense, when it isn’t turning the ball over, has its moments—especially on the ground. De’Veon Smith, Michigan’s best tailback, did not play against Maryland. If all goes well, he should return Saturday.
Defense will remain the theme, although a little offense will be quite enough. It won’t be the easiest game on the eyes, but the importance for both programs cannot be overstated.
1. Cal at Utah (Saturday, 10:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Here we are, at this week’s finest game—real estate typically reserved for the true heavyweights—and we have ourselves Utah-Cal. At the moment, these are two heavyweights. And while this game may seem accidentally awesome, it is poised to be superb in ways many did not see coming.
By not playing last week, Utah shined. As other teams faltered, the Utes looked more and more viable for the College Football Playoff. With wins over Michigan and Oregon—along with a dynamic duo of Devontae Booker and Travis Wilson at running back and quarterback—this team feels legitimate. Thus far, no team has been more impressive against quality competition.
And yet, Cal is poised to push Utah—mainly through the air. Quarterback Jared Goff might be the best quarterback in college football. In Week 5, Goff threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns. His team needed every last yard against Washington State, as Wazzu nearly sprung the upset.
With ESPN’s College GameDay in attendance, these two undefeated teams will finally get the spotlight they deserve. With so much on the line—from College Football Playoff respect to incredible NFL fortune—the stakes feel remarkably high.
The game will begin late, so please be sure to caffeinate accordingly. This one will be very much worth it.
The NSFW Game of the Week: Baylor at Kansas (Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1)
The good news for Kansas is that this game is being played at Kansas. The bad news for Kansas is that this game is being played at all.
This season, Baylor is averaging 63.8 points per game on offense, which is tops in the nation. This season, Kansas is allowing 40.3 points per game, which ranks No. 121 overall.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more significant mismatch at this point in the season. While I’d love to tell you there’s hope for this home underdog still searching for its first win, I refuse.
Don’t let your children watch this game. Don’t let friends watch this game. Don’t let yourself watch this game. In fact, avoid it altogether. Forget I even mentioned it. Let’s run away from this section and move on.
The Game That Looked Fabulous Back in June (Part 1): Wisconsin at Nebraska (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
One of these two teams—likely Wisconsin—could still make it to the Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game. It’s still early. But to say the game that was supposed to decide the Big Ten West has lost some luster would be an understatement.
Wisconsin just lost at home to Iowa and Nebraska just fell to Illinois, giving the Cornhuskers their third loss of the year. While there is much season to be played, a division that felt like a two-horse race coming into the year is now wide open.
This game is more about survival than staying in control.
The Game That Looked Fabulous Back in June (Part 2): Georgia at Tennessee (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Even with its blowout defeat to Alabama, this game still means plenty to Georgia. Things look mighty different than they did one week ago for Mark Richt’s team, but one loss won’t define a season. A pretty ugly loss—one in front of the home crowd—doesn’t help matters, though.
As for Tennessee, what more needs to be said? This stat says plenty.
"6 teams have taken a 13+ point lead in every game this season: Temple (4-0) Navy (4-0) LSU (4-0) Baylor (4-0) FSU (4-0) Tennessee (2-3)
— Peter Edmiston (@peteredmiston) October 5, 2015"
Yikes.
This is still a critically important game for the SEC East despite what recent results have delivered. And yet, with full appreciation for the games left to be played, this matchup feels like it lost a lot in 14 days.
The Rivalry That We Have Seemingly Forgotten About: Oklahoma at Texas (Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Oklahoma looks good. Texas does not. Still, even in the ultimate rebuilding year for the Longhorns, even with an incredibly lopsided game on paper, the Red River Shootout—and I refuse to call it the Red River Rivalry out of habit—still should matter, yes?
It certainly doesn’t feel that way.
Celebrating Statistics: An Early Look at Absurd Individual Performances
Matt Johnson (QB, Bowling Green)
How’s this for production? In five games this season, Bowling Green quarterback Matt Johnson has thrown for 2,084 yards. That’s an average—I repeat, an average—of 416.8 passing yards per game.
Johnson’s season-high of 491 yards came against Tennessee. His season-low, a pedestrian 324 yards, came last week against Buffalo. It goes without saying that he leads the nation in total passing yards heading into Week 6. Making these ridiculous passing numbers even more impressive is the fact that Johnson has only thrown two interceptions in 236 attempts.
Massachusetts, you're next.
Joe Schobert (LB, Wisconsin)
Through five games this season, Wisconsin LB Joe Schobert—not Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett—leads the nation in sacks. Many still don’t know this name, although that should change soon. Perhaps as soon as Week 6 against Nebraska. After coming up with three sacks in the Badgers’ 10-6 loss to Iowa on Saturday, Schobert pushed his season total to nine. He also has 13 tackles for loss, which leads the nation.
For perspective, North Carolina, New Mexico State and Western Michigan have six combined in 2015. That’s wonderful news for Wisconsin; that’s horrible news for these three programs.
Corey Coleman (Baylor, WR)
These numbers are so ridiculously absurd that they’re hard to put into words. Let's try.
Baylor wideout Corey Coleman is operating on another planet. Through only four games, Coleman has 11 touchdown catches. That is not a typo. In the past three games, he has found the end zone 10 times.
With 24 catches on the season, nearly 50 percent of Coleman’s catches have resulted in visits to the end zone. It’s also worth noting that only 21 teams—entire rosters of pass-catchers—have more receiving touchdowns this year than this one man. (Oh, and most of those teams have played in five games rather than four.)
Parting Shot: Celebrate Leonard Fournette Now; Let the Future Be
He did it again.
To the surprise of no one, LSU running back Leonard Fournette went over 200 yards rushing for the third time this season—posting 233 yards and three touchdowns against Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
Included in this effort was a 75-yard touchdown run—a moment in football time where everyone but Fournette looked to be running in mud. That’s how easy it looks these days. Regularly.
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep screaming it through my keyboard: Every single carry is an event with this young man. Watch it as often as you can regardless of the competition. Taking that bit of advice one step further, please don’t let the bubbling conversation over his future obscure the greatness that is taking place.
Should he sit out next season? Should he challenge the NFL? Should he stop playing football for free right now and focus on the business side of things?
I refuse to tell this young man how to think or feel. The fact that we’re talking about this young man’s future now—four fabulous games into his sophomore season—is troubling for one reason: It’s a distraction from one of the greatest Saturday shows the sport has ever seen.
Let’s embrace this physical rarity in the present. Instead of focusing on Fournette’s next step, let’s zero in on his next carry. And then the next one. And the next one.
Too often we are drawn into the bigger picture and what it all means. But in this instance, it can wait. It has to wait. His next carry could very well be the greatest run of your lifetime.
Instead of talking out loud about what this is leading toward, let's embrace what it's really leading toward.
His next run.
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