AP College Football Poll 2015: Week 6 Top 25 Rankings, Projections for Key Games
Week 6 in the college football season is upon us, and although we're nearly halfway through the regular season, the playoff picture appears even murkier than in early September.
This week's slate of games doesn't provide many exciting matchups on paper, but as we've learned through the first five weeks, that certainly doesn't mean the top teams won't be in for a scare.
Below are the updated Top 25 polls, along with the Week 6 slate of games.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Ohio State | Ohio State | Baylor |
| 2 | TCU | TCU | TCU |
| 3 | Baylor | Michigan State | Ohio State |
| 4 | Michigan State | Baylor | Clemson |
| 5 | Utah | LSU | Michigan State |
| 6 | Clemson | Clemson | Utah |
| 7 | LSU | Utah | Alabama |
| 8 | Alabama | Florida State | LSU |
| 9 | Texas A&M | Oklahoma | Texas A&M |
| 10 | Oklahoma | Alabama | Oklahoma |
| 11 | Florida | Texas A&M | Florida |
| 12 | Florida State | Florida | Florida State |
| 13 | Northwestern | Ole Miss | Notre Dame |
| 14 | Ole Miss | Northwestern | Ole Miss |
| 15 | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Northwestern |
| 16 | Stanford | Georgia | USC |
| 17 | USC | USC | Georgia |
| 18 | Michigan | Stanford | Stanford |
| 19 | Georgia | Oklahoma State | UCLA |
| 20 | UCLA | UCLA | Michigan |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | Michigan | California |
| 22 | Iowa | California | Oklahoma State |
| 23 | California | Iowa | Iowa |
| 24 | Toledo | Boise State | Oregon |
| 25 | Boise State | Memphis | Duke |
| Time (ET) | Matchup (Odds) | TV | ATS Picks |
| Thurs. Oct 8 | |||
| 9 ET | Washington at No. 17 USC (-17) | ESPN | USC |
| Sat. Oct. 10 | |||
| 12 ET | New Mexico State at No. 14 Ole Miss (-43) | SEC | MISS |
| 12 ET | No. 7 LSU (-13) at South Carolina | ESPN | SCAR |
| 12 ET | Illinois at No. 22 Iowa (-10) | ESPNU | ILL |
| 12 ET | No. 3 Baylor (-38) at Kansas | FS1 | BAY |
| 12 ET | No. 10 Oklahoma (-13.5) at Texas | ABC | OKLA |
| 12 ET | Maryland at No. 1 Ohio State (-28.5) | BTN | MARY |
| 3 ET | Kent State at No. 24 Toledo (-15.5) | ESPN3 | TOL |
| 3:30 ET | Georgia Tech at No. 6 Clemson (-7.5) | ABC | CLEM |
| 3:30 ET | No. 19 Georgia (-2.5) at Tennessee | CBS | UGA |
| 3:30 ET | Navy at No. 15 Notre Dame (-16) | NBC | NAVY |
| 3:30 ET | No. 13 Northwestern at No. 18 Michigan (-10) | BTN | NW |
| 7 ET | No. 25 Boise State (-12) at Colorado State | CBS Sports | CSU |
| 7 ET | Arkansas at No. 8 Alabama (-16) | ESPN | ARK |
| 7 ET | No. 21 Oklahoma State (-6) at West Virginia | ESPN2 | WVU |
| 7:30 ET | No. 2 TCU (-7) at Kansas State | FOX | TCU |
| 7:30 ET | No. 11 Florida (-3.5) at Missouri | SEC | UF |
| 8 ET | Miami at No. 12 Florida State (-9) | ABC | FSU |
| 8 ET | No. 4 Michigan State (-17) at Rutgers | BTN | RUTG |
| 10 ET | No. 23 California at No. 5 Utah (-7) | ESPN | UTAH |
Notable Games
No. 19 Georgia at Tennessee
Even after a tough loss to Alabama, it's difficult to pick against Georgia given the way Nick Chubb is playing. But Tennessee is far better than its 2-3 record indicates and could give the Bulldogs a tough test on Saturday.
"Tennessee has held at least a 13-point lead in each of its games and is 2-3. All other Power 5 teams that have led by 13+ are 157-5.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 4, 2015"
In 2014, Georgia held off Tennessee 35-32 behind 208 yards on the ground from Todd Gurley. But that was before Tennessee had made the switch to current quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
The Volunteers will obviously enter this game desperate for a victory, while Georgia may be suffering a hangover effect coming off a devastating loss to the Crimson Tide. This matchup definitely has upset potential.
No. 2 TCU at Kansas State
On paper, this should be an easy win for TCU, which knocked off a far more talented Kansas State team 41-20 a season ago. But a Bill Snyder-coached team should never be underestimated, especially as an underdog.
"Only four teams rank in the top 10 in FPI, Strength of Record & Game Control: TCU Alabama Texas A&M LSU
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 4, 2015"
With TCU feeling confident after arguably their most impressive victory of the season over Texas, this could be a letdown game, and a scrappy Kansas State team could surprise the Horned Frogs.
For Kansas State to hang around, it'll need to control the clock, something it did extremely well in a near upset of Oklahoma State last week.
Against the Cowboys, the Wildcats held a nine-minute advantage in time of possession, which helped make up for their limited big-play ability on offense.
No. 13 Northwestern at No. 18 Michigan
Points will be at a premium in this one as both teams are coming off shutouts in Week 5.
This has all the makings of a scrappy, old-school Big Ten football game, which will almost certainly be decided by the running backs.
Michigan's leading rusher, De'Veon Smith, sat out the Wolverines game against Maryland on Saturday, but he may be available this weekend.
According to ESPN's Dan Murphy, Michigan coaches were initially optimistic about Smith's availability for the Maryland game, but he was held out at the last minute.
While the coaches have yet to address Smith's status for the Northwestern game, those reports from last week would seem to indicate a positive outlook unless a major setback was suffered.
No. 23 California at No. 5 Utah
This game will be scrutinized by more than just fans of the Utes and Golden Bears. Many NFL eyes will be upon California's Jared Goff to see how he handles his toughest defensive test of the season.
According to CFB Film Room, Utah pressured Oregon quarterbacks on 22 of their 40 dropbacks earlier this season. A similar performance from the Utes defense would be an excellent test for Goff.
With a strong showing, Goff could solidify himself as the top quarterback prospect in the 2016 NFL draft class.
For Utah, however, this game represents yet another tough early-season test, and a victory would add to its already-impressive résumé. As seemingly every other team in the Top 10 is hanging on for sloppy wins, Utah remains one of the few teams with a convincing victory under its belt (a 62-20 drubbing of Oregon).
With another solid showing against California, the Utes could continue their rise up the rankings.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
