College Football Picks Week 6: Top 25 Rankings, Schedule, Odds and Predictions
The second Saturday in October is typically reserved for the top two teams in the Big 12 to showcase themselves to the nation.
Two undefeated Big 12 teams will be in the spotlight in Week 6, but just not the two we expected to be talking about.
The TCU Horned Frogs and Kansas Jayhawks are a combined 9-0 going into their showdown in Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday.
The matchup is so fascinating that it has drawn ESPN's College GameDay away from its typical spot at the Red River rivalry between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners.
Texas and Oklahoma are afterthoughts in the Big 12 title race right now. TCU aided in that process by obliterating the Sooners in Week 5. Texas and Oklahoma are both 3-2 overall, and neither team is ranked going into Week 6.
The other two Top 25 matchups on the Week 6 slate are unexpected. The LSU Tigers snuck into the AP Top 25 to be ranked for the first time under Brian Kelly. They welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to Tiger Stadium on Saturday.
Chip Kelly's UCLA Bruins surged into the rankings after Week 5 as well. They get a tough test of their own at the Rose Bowl against the Utah Utes.
Week 6 Schedule and Odds
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Saturday, October 8
No. 4 Michigan (-21.5) at Indiana (noon ET, Fox)
No. 8 Tennessee (-3.5) at No. 25 LSU (noon ET, ESPN)
No. 17 TCU (-6.5) at No. 19 Kansas (noon ET, FS1)
Arkansas at No. 23 Mississippi State (-5) (noon ET, SEC Network)
South Florida at No. 24 Cincinnati (-27.5) (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Auburn at No. 2 Georgia (-29.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
Texas Tech at No. 7 Oklahoma State (-10) (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
No. 11 Utah (-3.5) at No. 18 UCLA (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
No. 3 Ohio State (-25.5) at Michigan State (4 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 9 Ole Miss (-19) at Vanderbilt (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
No. 21 Washington (-13) at Arizona State (4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network)
No. 5 Clemson (-20.5) at Boston College (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
Washington State at No. 6 USC (-11) (7:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
South Carolina at No. 13 Kentucky (-10.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Army at No. 15 Wake Forest (-15) (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3)
No. 16 BYU vs. Notre Dame (-3) (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
No. 20 Kansas State (-2.5) at Iowa State (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama (-24) (8 p.m. ET, CBS)
No. 12 Oregon (-12.5) at Arizona (8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network)
Florida State at No. 14 NC State (-3) (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas (+6.5)
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The most surprising team in college football gets its time in the spotlight on Saturday.
Kansas will play host to College GameDay for the first time in program history as it attempts to go to 6-0 with a win over TCU.
However, Lance Leipold's Jayhawks will need to play better than they did the Week 5 win over Iowa State to stay atop the Big 12 standings after this weekend.
Kansas put up a season-low 14 points and managed just 213 total yards on its home turf. Jalon Daniels, who has had 11 touchdown passes in four weeks, threw for just 93 yards on 14 pass attempts.
The good news for the Kansas offense is that TCU's defense has been gashed a bit by SMU and Oklahoma in the last two weeks. It gave up 58 points in those two games and averages a concession of 368.5 total yards per game.
The Horned Frogs can afford a high concession or two because their offense is averaging 549.5 total yards per game, which is 129 yards above Kansas' average.
The stats suggest TCU will go into Kansas to win and cover, but the Jayhawks could stay within a touchdown with the emotional angle behind them.
Kansas should have one of the best crowds in program history behind the team on Saturday, and it gained some experience playing in close games to start the season. It beat Iowa State and Duke by one possession and outlasted West Virginia in overtime in Week 2.
The Jayhawks' defensive totals are only slightly worse compared to TCU. They allow two more points and 14 more total yards per game.
The Kansas defense is capable of getting a few stops against Max Duggan and the TCU offense. That could make all the difference in covering the 6.5 points if they do not come out on top.
The winner of Saturday's contest could be one of three undefeated teams left in Big 12 conference play. Oklahoma State hosts Texas Tech, and Kansas State visits Iowa State on the same day.
No. 8 Tennessee (-3.5) at No. 25 LSU
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Tennessee caught a break for its trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Volunteers play inside Tiger Stadium for an early afternoon kickoff, which is not an ideal time slot for a visiting team. A night game would have brought out a much more raucous environment.
Tennessee still has to go to Louisiana and win, but the circumstances around the game are as ideal as they can be for a visiting team, especially one that does not go to Tiger Stadium on a regular basis.
Josh Heupel's team also carries the advantage of being rested after its win over Florida, which was as important emotionally than it was physically. The Vols have beaten the Gators twice in the last 17 tries.
Hendon Hooker is in charge of one of the FBS' best offenses and it will test LSU in a different way compared to the Tigers' first five opponents.
LSU needs Jaylon Daniels to play his best game of the season to keep pace with a Tennessee offense that averages 559.3 total yards and 48.5 points per game.
LSU got over the 40-point mark once this season and that was against FCS side Southern. The Tigers recorded 31 against Mississippi State and 38 versus New Mexico.
Brian Kelly can use Saturday's game as his first chance to earn a signature win in purple and gold, and it could establish the Tigers as the No. 2 team in the SEC West. Texas A&M lost its chance to claim that with a loss to Mississippi State in Week 5 and it will likely lose on Saturday against Alabama.
Speaking of the Crimson Tide, Tennessee needs to avoid looking ahead to that game. The Vols get the No. 1 team in the country at home next week, but a road win in Baton Rouge is more important this weekend.
Tennessee having the week off between the Florida and LSU games should help with its preparation, and it should handle the Tigers if its offense flexes its muscle, as it has in the first four games.
LSU could put up a fight for a half, but the Tigers seem to be a year or two away from competing in games with Top 10 teams under Kelly. Just being ranked in Week 6 is a major achievement for the program's new head coach and his rebuilding of the team.
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