College Football Odds Week 6: Picks, Spread Predictions for Top 25 Games

Games involving the Top 25 teams in college football account for 15 games on the docket in Week 6. Four of which include two ranked teams squaring off against one another. 

With conference play in full swing, the earliest stages of the playoff picture are beginning to take form. The road to division and conference titles is starting its elimination process as plenty of teams will take on worthy adversaries in their conferences. 

The major showdowns are set to go down in the ACC and SEC, but teams in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 will need to be on upset alert as some ranked teams look to earn wins on the road.

Here's a look at the complete schedule along with the latest odds from Odds Shark and a prediction for each game. 

Date	Time (ET)	Home	Away	Line	ATS Pick
Friday, Oct. 7	7:30 p.m.	Boston College Eagles	No. 3 Clemson Tigers	CLEM (-17)	CLEM
Friday, Oct. 7	9 p.m.	New Mexico Lobos	No. 9 Boise State Broncos	BOISE (-16.5)	BOISE
Saturday, Oct. 8	12 p.m.	No. 18 Florida Gators	LSU Tigers	LSU (-1)	LSU
Saturday, Oct. 8	12 p.m.	No. 20 Oklahoma Sooners	Texas Longhorns	OKLA (-6.5)	UT
Saturday, Oct. 8	3:30 p.m.	Navy Midshipmen	No. 6 Houston Cougars	HOU (-17)	HOU
Saturday, Oct. 8	3:30 p.m.	No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes	Indiana Hoosiers	OSU (-32)	IU
Saturday, Oct. 8	3:30 p.m.	No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels	No. 25 Virginia Tech Hokies	UNC (-5.5)	VT
Saturday, Oct. 8	3:30 p.m.	No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies	No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers	A&M (-6.5)	A&M
Saturday, Oct. 8	4 p.m.	USC Trojans	No. 21 Colorado Buffaloes	USC (-4)	CU
Saturday, Oct. 8	7 p.m.	No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks	No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide	BAMA (-13)	BAMA
Saturday, Oct. 8	7 p.m.	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	No. 4 Michigan Wolverines	MICH (-26.5)	MICH
Saturday, Oct. 8	7:30 p.m.	Oregon Ducks	No. 5 Washington Huskies	WASH (-6.5)	UW
Saturday, Oct. 8	8 p.m.	No. 10 Miami Hurricanes	No. 23 Florida State Seminoles	Miami (-2)	MIAMI
Saturday, Oct. 8	10 p.m.	No. 24 Utah Utes	Arizona Wildcats	Utah (-9)	AZ
Saturday, Oct. 8	10:30 p.m.	No. 15 Stanford Cardinal	Washington State Cougars	STAN (-12.5)	WSU

Games of the Week

No. 11 Tennessee at No. 8 Texas A&M

Time might be running out on Tennessee's magical season when it goes to Texas A&M on Saturday.

Josh Dobbs and Co. have made a habit out of come-from-behind wins this season. According to ESPNU, four of the Vols' five wins have come from double-digit comebacks:

While that has been a good omen for teams in the past, it is indicative of a team that might live on the edge a little too much. 

The comeback game is a dangerous one to play against A&M. Gone are the days when Kevin Sumlin's team was a true air-raid attack that could get back in a game if it could get a stop here and there. 

The Aggies run game is much approved, and the video below shows how the stats back up the improvement they've made in that area:

This is a game that the Vols simply can't fall behind early in. Not only do the Aggies run the ball well enough to play the time-of-possession game with a lead, but their pass rush simply won't allow Dobbs to get into a rhythm in the second half like he has all season. 

Myles Garrett is already well known for being one of the best edge-defenders in the nation, but Daeshon Hall was named SEC defensive lineman of the week for a robust performance against South Carolina. 

The Aggies are first in the country in tackles for a loss with 50 and have 16 sacks to go along with that. If Tennessee doesn't get off to its best start of the season, this one will be over and college football's Cardiac Kids won't have enough time to complete their trademark run. 

No. 1 Alabama at No. 16 Arkansas 

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Arkansas has been a pest to Alabama since Bret Bielema took over the helm in 2013. 

Well, the Tide blanked Bielema's team in his first year 52-0, but in Years 2 and 3 of the Bielema era, the Hogs have been a hurdle for the Tide. 

Last season, the Razorbacks went into the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa down just three points, 10-7. In 2014, the Hogs lost 14-13 in a nail-biter. 

If the numbers are any indication, this year's matchup could look more like 2013 than the last two seasons. 

That's because the Razorbacks simply aren't built defensively like they were the last few years. While Arkansas has maintained close games against Alabama thanks to a run defense that finished 31st in the nation at 3.76 yards allowed per carry in 2015, the Razorbacks are now 114th in the category at 5.24 yards per carry. 

Obviously, Alabama's offense is predicated on running the ball, but it's worth mentioning that not only have the Tide run the ball a lot, they've done it well. The Crimson Tide now average 5.39 yards per carry, good for 20th in the nation. 

Arkansas is in the midst of a solid season, but if a team can't stop the run, it simply won't stop Alabama's offense. Where Arkansas has forced Alabama to throw the ball in recent matchups, that won't be the story here. 

Just keeping the game in striking distance is going to be an accomplishment for Arkansas. 

No. 23 Florida State at No. 10 Miami

As of the time of this writing, there's a bit of uncertainty as to where and when the game will be played. Hurricane Matthew's path might force the game to be played elsewhere, but the plan is for the game to go ahead as scheduled, per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:

Regardless, the Florida State Seminoles will eventually have to suit up and go against these Miami Hurricanes and their defense. 

That's where things could get ugly, especially if the after-effects of the hurricane create less-than-ideal weather conditions. 

It's been a while since the Hurricanes have been able to actually live up to the hype, but the defense that Mark Richt has brought to South Beach is real. The numbers don't lie. 

Miami		Florida State
11	S&P+	79
2	Havoc	90
2	Yards allowed/play	125
2	Points allowed/game	105

The numbers show that Florida State doesn't have its typical defense, either. 

That's good news for Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya. The junior quarterback has put up good numbers against Florida State in the past and will look to continue that trend. He has thrown for 721 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception in two career games against the Seminoles. 

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report recently reported that at least three NFL teams actually like Kaaya as a pro prospect more than Clemson's Deshaun Watson:

With a below-average defense by Florida State standards, Kaaya can shine again and lead the Hurricanes to his first win over the 'Noles. 

S&P+ and Havoc rankings via Football Outsiders. All other stats via CFBStats.com.