5 Week 6 Games That Will Have Biggest Impact on College Football Playoff

It's October and it's on.

Though much of September played out like college football's version of the preseason, it still served to whittle down the field of potential playoff teams. Only 17 of the 128 FBS teams made it out of the month without a loss and that number is guaranteed to dwindle by a quarter in the first weekend of October.

All 17 unbeatens will be in action this weekend, including four matchups between undefeated teams, beginning with Thursday night's Oregon-Arizona showdown. There are six games between teams currently ranked in the AP poll—that's as many as the previous four weekends combined.

The center of the college football universe this Saturday will be the state of Mississippi (when's the last time you heard this phrase uttered?...like, never?), where the SEC West shakeup will begin in earnest. The four combatants in the games in Oxford and Starkville have a combined record of 17-0, but two teams will emerge with their first losses of the season by sundown Saturday.

So here's our look—and predictions—of this week's five key games for the College Football Playoff race. OK, so we lied, we counted the SEC West Six-Pack as one game:

Game	Time	TV
Texas A&M @ MIssissippi St.	Noon	ESPN
Alabama @ Ole Miss	3:30 p.m.	CBS
Oklahoma @ TCU	3:30 p.m.	FOX
Stanford @ Notre Dame	3:30 p.m.	NBC
LSU @ Auburn	7 p.m.	ESPN
Nebraska @ Michigan St.	8 p.m.	ABC
Utah @ UCLA	10:30 p.m.	ESPN

SEC West Six-Pack

Texas A&M (5-0) at Mississippi State (4-0)
Alabama (4-0) at Ole Miss (4-0)
LSU (4-1) at Auburn (4-0)

The toughest division in college football will see all six of its ranked teams cannibalize each other. And with the exception of LSU, which already lost to Mississippi State, the losers on Saturday won't necessarily be out of the running for the division title, and hence, the College Football Playoff field.

But the most intriguing game of the trio just might be the one not played in Mississippi. The battle of the Tigers has gone LSU's way in six of the last seven years, with Auburn only winning in 2010, when it went undefeated and won the BCS title. Keep in mind that was the only time Gus Malzahn faced LSU on The Plains as a member of the Auburn staff.

Predicted winners: Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn

Oklahoma (4-0) at TCU (3-0)

It should surprise no one that Gary Patterson has righted the ship at TCU after a rough start in its first two years in the Big 12. But the Horned Frogs' rebuilt defense will be severely tested by Oklahoma, which has its sights set on winning the Big 12 and earning an entry to the playoff field. 

Because there is no conference championship game, OU can ill afford to lose any games as it could potentially mean the loss of the Big 12 title. But the visit to Fort Worth just might be the toughest remaining road game for the Sooners, who will get all the other Big 12 contenders at home.

Predicted winner: Oklahoma

Stanford (3-1) at Notre Dame (4-0)

In Notre Dame's magical season of 2012, it was able to beat Stanford in OT thanks to a controversial call. (Is it me or does it seem like all of Notre Dame's close shaves in 2012 were aided by the refs?) That loss might very well have kept the Cardinal out of the BCS title game.

The scenario is very similar this season. Everett Golson is back and with him the Irish are once again in the mix for the national championship run. For Stanford, already with an early-season loss to USC, this is a must-win game to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Predicted winner: Notre Dame

Nebraska (5-0) at Michigan State (3-1)

This is essentially an elimination game for the Big Ten's flickering playoff hopes. A loss by either team will end its chance of landing a spot in the four-team field.

The Huskers are the only B1G team coming out of September without a loss, and that's only the case because of an Ameer Abdullah miracle run to beat McNeese State. With Nebraska's weak schedule, it'll have to run the table to make any claims for the playoff, and even that might not be enough. 

Predicted winner: Michigan State

Utah (3-1) at UCLA (4-0)

This game would've been another battle of the unbeatens until Utah was stunned by Washington State at home, blowing a 24-7 halftime lead. Still, it's a major showdown in the Pac-12 South, which currently seems to be UCLA's for the taking.

But the Bruins have shown a maddening inconsistency in the Jim Mora era so don't be surprised if they suffer a letdown after last week's big win over Arizona State. On top of that UCLA might also be caught looking ahead to a huge showdown next week against Oregon. This is a classic trap game. 

Predicted winner: Utah