Predicting College Football's Most Impressive Week 6 Performances
With a month's worth of college football in the books, expect performances to reach another level in Week 6.
As we near the halfway point of the season, the contenders and pretenders are starting to separate. Head coaches have already been shown the door while others have made a case for bigger offices. But more importantly, teams are beginning to realize whether they’re playing for respect, a conference title or a BCS championship.
From thrilling touchdown grabs to stifling goal-line stands, this week has got it all covered.
Here are some players and teams we expect big things out of in Week 6.
Miami's Defense Shuts Down Georgia Tech Run Game
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Week 6 Matchup: vs. Georgia Tech (3-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
The Lowdown
Sure, the Hurricanes offense has stolen the show over the past two weeks by racking up 126 points. However, the defense has been the bigger story in 2013.
Through the team's four games, Miami has allowed just one opponent (Florida) to top 300 yards. But even so, the Gators coughed up the ball five times while only managing 2.8 yards per carry on the ground. Not to mention, the team had the ball for nearly 40 minutes in the contest.
But that kind of performance has become the identity of this Hurricanes defense.
Entering this week, the unit comes in ranked near the top in most defensive categories. That includes: No. 7 in scoring defense (12.5 PPG), No. 10 in total defense (283.5 YPG) and No. 5 in turnovers gained (13).
This week, Miami takes on a Yellow Jackets squad that comes in backed by the nation’s No. 10 rushing attack (291.3 YPG).
There’s no doubt this will be the toughest test for the Hurricanes front line. However, the team should be able to bring in extra defenders to stop the run as Georgia Tech only ranks No. 115 through the air (140.5 YPG).
Furthermore, Virginia Tech provided a blueprint on how to stop the attack during its 17-10 victory last week—the Yellow Jackets only rushed for 129 yards on 42 carries (3.1 YPC).
Something tells me Miami will be just fine on Saturday.
Alabama's "Bye Week"
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Week 6 Matchup: vs. Georgia State (0-4), Saturday, 12:21 p.m. ET
The Lowdown
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban must have felt like his team deserved to be treated to dessert after navigating through a tough September. That’s the only possible explanation behind why the team plays a Week 6 cupcake matchup against first-year FBS school Georgia State.
The only thing left for debate is how badly Alabama will beat the 56.5-point spread.
During the Panthers’ first four games, the team has allowed three opponents to top 400 yards. Two even totaled more than 500.
To make matters worse, quarterback Ronnie Bell has only completed 45.7 percent of his passes while averaging just 193.3 yards per game. Leading rusher Travis Evans hasn't fared much better, only totaling 188 yards and one touchdown on he ground.
Needless to say, Georgia State scoring a touchdown on the Tide defense would be a much bigger surprise than quarterback A.J. McCarron and the Alabama offense hanging 100 on Saturday.
Expect the game to be out of hand by midway through the second quarter. It would be a surprise if any of the Tide starters play a snap in the second half.
Oregon QB Marcus Mariota Boosts Heisman Stock Against Colorado Secondary
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Week 6 Matchup: at Colorado (2-1), Saturday, 6:00 p.m. ET
The Lowdown
Quarterbacks who win the Heisman tend to make the most against lackluster opponents.
Oregon’s Marcus Mariota is just that quarterback and Colorado is just that opponent.
Through four games, the sophomore signal-caller has made an impressive case for college football’s most coveted hardware, throwing for 1,003 yards and nine touchdowns (0 INT) while racking up another 295 yards and five scores on the ground. It’s all coming on the heels of a sensational freshman campaign (3,429 total yards, 37 TDs).
Furthermore, during the latest poll on ESPN’s Heisman Watch, Mariota sits in the No. 1 spot.
On the other hand, although the Buffaloes are a respectable 2-1, the team has major holes in its secondary. The unit ranks No. 115 against the pass, allowing 300.3 yards per game through the air.
Most recently, Colorado was trounced by Oregon State 44-17. It was a game in which Beavers quarterback Sean Mannion had a field day, tossing for 414 yards and six touchdowns.
While Saturday may not be a game where Mariota should expect to run the ball with ease—the Buffaloes rank No. 10 against the run—it's a good opportunity for the young quarterback to pad his passing stats and improve on his 56.1 percent accuracy.
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Ohio State's Braxton Miller Continues High Play Against Northwestern
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Week 6 Matchup: at No. 16 Northwestern (4-0), Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
The Lowdown
Buckeyes backup quarterback Kenny Guiton put on a clinic during his three-week stint as the starter. The senior threw for 664 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 186 yards and another score on the ground.
However, Braxton Miller will use the prime-time stage on the road this weekend to further showcase why there isn't a quarterback controversy in Columbus.
After an incredible sophomore season, Miller was at the forefront of the Heisman conversation entering 2013. Unfortunately, a subpar Week 1 performance mixed with a knee injury all but doused those hopes.
Regardless, following a strong performance during Ohio States 31-24 win against No. 23 Wisconsin last weekend (17-of-25, 198 passing yards, four touchdowns and 83 rushing yards), Miller seems to be back to his best.
On the other hand, while the Wildcats are sitting pretty at 4-0, a lot of their preseason hype is coming on the heels of a 10-3 campaign in 2012—a season in which the team didn't face a single ranked team. In comparison, Northwestern was 1-4 against such opponents in 2011.
Not to mention, the team ranks No. 87 in total defense (426.8 YPG) and No. 52 in scoring defense (23.8 PPG). However, the team's Achilles' heel is its pass defense, ranked No. 117 (308.8 YPG).
Expect Miller to help lead the Buckeyes to their most impressive win of the year.
Washington Uses Team Effort to Expose Stanford
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Week 6 Matchup: at No. 5 Stanford (4-0), Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET
The Lowdown
Unless you count the 1997 film The Sixth Man—where a young Marlon Wayans relied on his dead brother’s ghost to carry the Huskies to glory—the Washington athletic program hasn't had much success on the national stage in recent years. In fact, the only kind of success they've had has been at the expense of highly ranked opponents.
More often than not, the victim has been the Cardinal.
In 2004, the Huskies men's basketball team prevented a 26-0, No. 1-ranked Stanford team from completing an undefeated season. Last year, the football team stunned the No. 8 Cardinal 17-13.
However, this time around, Washington brings a formidable team to the fight.
The school has relied on a complete team effort to put together its first 4-0 season since 2001. More impressively, the Huskies haven't trailed once all year.
Thus far, Washington boasts the No. 1 overall defense in the Pac-12. The unit ranks No. 13 nationally in total defense (288.8 YPG), No. 9 against the pass (156.8 YPG) and No. 2 in pass efficiency, limiting opposing quarterbacks to a QB rating of 77.83.
The team also has a tout offense, ranking No. 5 in total offense (574.0 YPG).
Quarterback Keith Price has been phenomenal, throwing for 1,044 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. The senior has completed 72.3 percent of his passes while registering a 173.6 QB rating.
However, running back Bishop Sankey is the Huskies’ workhorse, racking up 607 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. The junior leads the nation with 151.8 yards per game.
Sure, Stanford will have the comforts of its home crowd behind him. However, Washington might be too much for the team to handle…again.
The Program's Prediction
6 of 6We predicted the most impressive performances of Week 6, now watch The Program of Bleacher Report predict the biggest headlines of Week 6.
All stats and rankings used in this article are courtesy of NCAA.com
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