College Football Rankings 2018: Week 6 Standings, Schedule and Predictions
Oklahoma and Notre Dame are the marquee college football programs stepping into the national spotlight in Week 6.
The Sooners and Fighting Irish headline Week 6's schedule with their contests against Texas and Virginia Tech.
Since this is college football, no games can be taken lightly, but most of the teams ahead of Oklahoma and Notre Dame in the AP Top 25 are expected to cruise to victories.
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One program in the Top Five worth keeping an eye on Saturday is LSU, which faces a tricky road test in the other matchup of ranked foes.
Week 6 Standings
AP Top 25
1. Alabama (5-0)
2. Georgia (5-0)
3. Ohio State (5-0)
4. Clemson (5-0)
5. LSU (5-0)
6. Notre Dame (5-0)
7. Oklahoma (5-0)
8. Auburn (4-1)
9. West Virginia (4-0)
10. Washington (4-1)
11. Penn State (4-1)
12. UCF (4-0)
13. Kentucky (5-0)
14. Stanford (4-1)
15. Michigan (4-1)
16. Wisconsin (3-1)
17. Miami (4-1)
18. Oregon (4-1)
19. Texas (4-1)
20. Michigan State (3-1)
21. Colorado (4-0)
22. Florida (4-1)
23. NC State (4-0)
24. Virginia Tech (3-1)
25. Oklahoma State (4-1)
Week 6 Schedule
All Times ET.
Saturday, October 6
No. 1 Alabama at Arkansas (Noon, ESPN)
No. 19 Texas at No. 7 Oklahoma (Noon, Fox)
Kansas at No. 9 West Virginia (Noon, ESPN2)
Maryland at No. 15 Michigan (Noon, ABC)
Northwestern at No. 20 Michigan State (Noon, FS1)
Boston College at No. 23 NC State (12:30 p.m., ACC Network)
No. 4 Clemson at Wake Forest (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
No. 5 LSU at No. 22 Florida (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Florida State at No. 17 Miami (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Iowa State at No. 25 Oklahoma State (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Indiana at No. 3 Ohio State (4 p.m., Fox)
Arizona State at No. 21 Colorado (4 p.m.
SMU at No. 12 UCF (7 p.m., ESPNU)
No. 13 Kentucky at Texas A&M (7 p.m., ESPN)
Vanderbilt at No. 2 Georgia (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
No. 8 Auburn at Mississippi State (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
No. 10 Washington at UCLA (7:30 p.m., Fox)
Nebraska at No. 16 Wisconsin (7:30 p.m., BTN)
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 24 Virginia Tech (8 p.m., ABC)
Utah at No. 14 Stanford (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Predictions
Notre Dame 35, Virginia Tech 21
No. 6 Notre Dame heads into Lane Stadium with a clear path to the College Football Playoff.
Brian Kelly's team already has two victories over ranked foes, and thanks to No. 24 Virginia Tech's win over Duke that boosted the Hokies back into the Top 25, an opportunity for a third comes about Saturday.
Playing on the road under the lights at Virginia Tech is no easy task, but the Fighting Irish are clearly the superior team in this matchup.
With Ian Book at the helm, the Notre Dame offense reached new heights in the last two weeks by putting up 56 points on Wake Forest and 38 more on Stanford.
Book's thrown for 603 yards and six touchdowns in his first three starts, and he's expected to record similar numbers against a Hokies defense that gives up 304 passing yards per game.
Justin Fuente's Hokies enter Saturday with a pair of ACC wins over ranked opponents in Florida State and Duke, but neither of those two teams compare to the quality Notre Dame brings to the gridiron.
Virginia Tech faces an uphill climb on offense for the rest of the season with starting quarterback Josh Jackson out indefinitely with a fibula fracture.
Ryan Willis performed well in his first start in place of Jackson against Duke, as he threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns, but Notre Dame's defensive line led by Jerry Tillery will get more pressure on the transfer from Kansas than Duke did.
If Notre Dame knocks off Virginia Tech, it'll have one of the easiest paths to the Playoff of the top contenders, with Pittsburgh, Navy, Northwestern, Florida State, Syracuse and USC left on the schedule.
Oklahoma 36, Texas 31
No. 7 Oklahoma needs to make a statement against a quality opponent two weeks after struggling to beat Army at home in overtime.
The Sooners cruised to a 66-33 win over Baylor in Week 5, but they still dropped a spot in the rankings because of Notre Dame's win over Stanford.
No. 19 Texas presents the first true test for the Sooners, which racked up 217 points in their first five games.
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray ranks 10th in the FBS in passing yards and is tied for third in passing touchdowns with 17.
Expect Murray to create a few dynamic plays for long gains in the Red River Shootout, as the Sooners look for their third straight win over Texas.
The Sooners should receive a four-quarter fight from the Longhorns, which need to make a statement of their own to themselves and their passionate fanbase hungry for a marquee win in the Tom Herman era.
Despite leading the all-time series with Oklahoma, Texas has defeated the Sooners just twice since 2010, with the most-recent victory coming in 2015.
While the spotlight will shine bright on quarterback Sam Ehlinger, the key for Texas Saturday is its defensive play.
The Longhorns are tied for 31st in the FBS with 19.8 points conceded per game, and they're 30th in rushing defense with an average of 115 yards given up per contest.
In order to keep the game close, the Longhorns must limit the big-play potential of Murray, while Ehlinger manages the game well in the pocket by sustaining drives and avoiding turnovers.
Texas will scare Oklahoma by keeping the game close up until the start of the fourth quarter, but Murray, who will be the best player on the field, will have a few moments of individual brilliance over the final 15 minutes to keep the Sooners undefeated.
Other Predictions
Alabama 63, Arkansas 17
West Virginia 45, Kansas 10
Michigan 41, Maryland 9
Michigan State 21, Northwestern 17
NC State 27, Boston College 23
Clemson 35, Wake Forest 20
LSU 16, Florida 9
Miami 27, Florida State 16
Oklahoma State 35, Iowa State 21
Ohio State 47, Indiana 16
Colorado 26, Arizona State 23
UCF 54, SMU 27
Kentucky 37, Texas A&M 19
Georgia 47, Vanderbilt 13
Auburn 46, Mississippi State 27
Washington 23, UCLA 10
Wisconsin 37, Nebraska 3
Stanford 35, Utah 17
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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