College Football Predictions: 10 Ranked Teams Most Likely to Lose This Week
With Week 6 of the college football season kicking off in less than 24 hours, it’s time to make some predictions and take a look at some unfavorable matchups coming up for ranked teams. Michigan and Cal, ranked No. 18 and 23, respectively, may be among the schools in trouble as we move into the second half of the season.
It’s been a season of significant surprises thus far, with teams like the Northwestern Wildcats and the California Golden Bears emerging thanks to some young, quality arms. Will these inexperienced teams keep it going through Week 6? How much momentum can they sustain as they take their talents on the road and into hostile stadiums?
Sixteen out of the 25 ranked teams currently have unbeaten records.
We’ll look at in-conference records, home and away splits and impact players to help identify the teams most likely to lose this week.
There are plenty of great matchups this weekend, so let’s dive into some previews and predictions for this important week of the season.
Boise State Broncos
1 of 10
The No. 25 Broncos go on the road to face a Colorado State team that has been tough at home. Although they are 0-1 in conference, the Rams played close games against both the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Colorado Buffaloes earlier this season, losing each contest in overtime.
Rams quarterback Nick Stevens has been hot in the first half of the season, passing for 1,129 yards and 10 TDs so far. He has proved himself to be a dangerous weapon for coach Mike Bobo, and his 7.1 yards-per-attempt average could expose Boise’s talented secondary.
The Broncos defense has to make sure they don’t take their opponent lightly, or else they might find themselves victims of a major upset in Colorado.
Toledo Rockets
2 of 10
The Kent State Golden Flashes may pose a threat to No. 24 Toledo’s unbeaten record this Saturday, thanks to the fact that Kent is coming off a big win against the Miami (OH) RedHawks last week.
Currently third in the MAC East, the Golden Flashes rank top 10 in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in total defense, rushing defense and third-down defense. Their ability to get clutch stops could present a major challenge for Toledo. Toledo running back Damion Jones-Moore needs to have a productive day in order for the Rockets to come out on top.
Michigan State Spartans
3 of 10
This is an important game for the Spartans as they get set for big matchups versus Michigan and Indiana in the coming weeks. High Point Solutions Stadium in New Jersey will be rocking as the Scarlet Knights come off a bye week and get one of their biggest offensive threats, WR Leonte Carroo, back from injury.
As ESPN College Football Analyst Robert Smith said, Michigan State has looked good but not great so far this season. They haven’t really blown out any teams yet, and could be a bit more aggressive on the offensive end. While it’s doubtful this 5-0 team will slip up in what some have called a trap game, this will be one to watch.
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Florida Gators
4 of 10
The No. 11-ranked Florida Gators head to Missouri Saturday night to battle the 4-1 Tigers with hopes of improving to 6-0 on the season. The Tigers, who have plenty to play for, have a real chance at shocking the Orange and Blue faithful. If the Tigers can pull out a victory, they would all of a sudden be back in the SEC East race.
With Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk suspended, running back Ish Witter will have to step up on the offensive end. But it’s the Tigers defense that should worry the Gators. Currently ranked seventh in points allowed this season with an average of 12, Missouri has the talent to potentially deny a top-ranked team.
Georgia Bulldogs
5 of 10
The Georgia Bulldogs are coming off a 38-10 losing effort at the hands of No. 13 Alabama. Although it was only their first loss of the season, the result was alarming because of the way the eam lost. Alabama was able to expose the Bulldogs in all facets of the game, scoring on special teams and dominating with their defense. It may be just one game, but a rout is a rout.
Now the Bulldogs have to go on the road to Tennessee to try to turn things around. Playing in front of loud Volunteers fans may prove more difficult now.
Iowa Hawkeyes
6 of 10
The No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes have the luxury of playing at home this week versus Illinois, but that doesn’t mean they can relax. Each team is currently 1-0 in the conference, and the Fighting Illini are coming off back-to-back victories over Middle Tennessee and Nebraska.
Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt has established himself as a fine player with a 58.1 completion percentage and eight touchdowns. With starting running back Josh Ferguson out due to injury, look for him to pass the ball even more this week as his team fights for conference positioning.
Florida State Seminoles
7 of 10
Saturday night features a Sunshine State showdown between two teams that are both sporting impressive records. The Seminoles (4-0) take on the Miami Hurricanes (3-1) at 8 p.m. ET.
No. 12 Florida State is dealing with some injuries at the moment, most notably at running back and linebacker, so this could be an opportunity for Miami to steal a victory.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
8 of 10
The No. 21-ranked Cowboys face a tough road game in West Virginia this weekend as the Mountaineers hope to improve to 4-1 on the year.
One might argue that the Cowboys have had one of the nation's easiest schedules thus far, and they are coming off a game in which they barely squeaked by Kansas State 36-34. With that track record and a young roster, it’s hard to know what to truly make of Oklahoma State at this point. Since they have been largely untested, they could be vulnerable.
Michigan Wolverines
9 of 10
The Wolverines may find themselves in big trouble as they get set to square off against a team that has all the momentum in the world right now.
Although Northwestern will be playing in one of the most intimidating venues in the Big Ten, count on coach Pat Fitzgerald to have his young players mentally prepared. Northwestern has yet to lose this season and the Cats are coming off a game in which they made a significant statement by beating Minnesota 27-0 at home. Couple that with their early-season win versus Stanford in which they limited the opposition to six points, and you can see why Fitzgerald’s team is feeling good about its chances.
Northwestern’s defense is ranked No. 1 in the nation in points allowed with 7.0. The team has only given up 35 points total over the course of five games. This is one of the premier matchups this weekend, and it will be fun to see how much difficulty that Wildcats secondary gives QB Jack Rudock and company.
California Golden Bears
10 of 10
Speaking of dream seasons, the No. 23-ranked Golden Bears have seemingly come out of nowhere thanks to the passing ability of their budding quarterback, Jared Goff. However, Cal now faces its hardest test yet in the likes of No. 5 Utah, who has already beaten Michigan and Oregon this season.
The two schools are the last undefeated teams left in the Pac-12 Conference. Look for Utah to take advantage of a Cal defense that has been questionable this season, particularly last week versus Washington State. The secondary looked especially vulnerable, as WSU’s Luke Falk was able to pass for 389 yards and two TDs.
Utah clearly has the receiving talent to exploit this hole, and therefore it may be time for California’s undefeated streak to come to a close.
All stats courtesy of ESPN.
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