Football Friday Fives: College Edition for Week 6 From the Sports Mac

Top Five Games to Watch This Weekend

1. No. 12 Arkansas (4-1) at No. 7 Auburn (6-0), 3:30 PM, CBS

The Tigers are now one of the hunted in the SEC West and will get a big test from the Razorbacks and Ryan Mallett.

2. No. 1 Ohio State (6-0) at No. 18 Wisconsin (5-1), 7:00 PM, ESPN

The Buckeyes have their first true road test of the season as they travel to Madison, where they had a comeback win two years ago.

3. No. 15 Iowa (4-1) at Michigan (5-1), 3:30 PM, ABC

The Hawkeyes travel to the Big House, where Denard Robinson and the Wolverines try to bounce back from the loss to the Spartans.

4. Texas (3-2) at NO. 5 Nebraska (5-0), 3:30 PM, ABC

The Longhorns are in an unfamiliar position: trying to play spoiler against a Cornhusker team eyeing a BCS championship spot.

5. Mississippi State (4-2) at No. 22 Florida (4-2) 7:00 PM, ESPNU

The Bulldogs' two losses are to ranked teams. Will the third time be the charm against the Gators, who have uncharacteristically lost two in a row?

Five Games Under the Radar This Weekend

1. Illinois (3-2) at No. 13 Michigan State (6-0), 12:00 PM, Big Ten Network

The Illini are starting to find themselves this season and look for their second road win in a row in East Lansing.

2. North Carolina State (5-1) at East Carolina (3-2), 12:00 PM, CBS College Sports

The Wolfpack travel across the state to play the Pirates in Greenville, which has been a tough place to win for BCS conference teams.

3. Southern Methodist (4-2) at Navy (3-2), 3:30 PM, CBS College Sports

This should be a fascinating contrast of styles featuring the Mustangs’ spread versus the triple option of the Midshipmen.

4. No. 23 Air Force (5-1) at San Diego State (3-2), 8:00 PM

The Falcons travel to Southern California to face an Aztec team that has its two losses on the road by just six points combined.

5. No. 19 Nevada (6-0) at Hawaii (4-2), 11:30 PM, ESPN3.com

It’s always interesting to see how teams fare when they make the long trip to the islands. The Wolf Pack will be in for a test facing a solid Warrior team.

Five Games to Just Get the Final Score on the Bottom Line

1. Southern Mississippi (4-2) at Memphis (1-5), 12:00 PM

The Golden Eagles and their solid defense may have no problem against a Tigers defense giving up over 39 points a game.

2. Houston (3-2) at Rice (1-5), 3:30 PM

The Bayou Bucket Classic may not be much of one, as the Cougar offense averages 40 points, and Rice gives up 35 a game on defense.

3. No. 11 Utah (5-0) at Wyoming (2-4), 6:00 PM

The Cowboys are facing their fourth ranked team this season and were outscored 120-13 in the first three. That’s bad news with the No. 11 Utes coming to Laramie this week.

4. McNeese State (2-3) at No. 9 Louisiana State (6-0), 7:00 PM

The FCS Cowboys come to Baton Rouge to face a Tigers defense that has given up 15 points a game to FBS opponents so far this year.

5. No. 17 Arizona (4-1) at Washington State (1-5), 7:30 PM

The Wildcats make the trip to Pullman and bring their spread offense against a Cougars defense giving up more than six touchdowns per game.

Five Players/Units to Watch This Weekend

1. Michigan QB Denard Robinson vs. No. 15 Iowa

He had 80 percent of Michigan’s yards last week vs. Michigan State; now he faces a better defense in the Hawkeyes, who will be targeting him all game along.

2. Texas QB Garrett Gilbert vs. No. 5 Nebraska

He is averaging an INT a game so far this season and needs to take care of the football to give the Longhorns a chance in Lincoln.

3. Wisconsin QB Scott Tolzien vs. No. 1 Ohio State

He has been very good, completing 70 percent of his passes and throwing only two INTs. He doesn’t have to win the game, but he must make sure that the Badgers have a chance in the fourth quarter.

4. Hawaii LB Corey Paredes vs. No. 19 Nevada

The fourth leading tackler in the nation needs to shadow Wolf Pack QB Colin Kaepernick and prevent him from making too many big plays, especially with his legs.

5. Boston College defensive front seven vs. No. 16 Florida State

A group that features the fifth best rushing defense and is 18th in tackles for loss needs to have a huge game against the conference-leading Seminoles.

Five Teams That Have to Have a Big Week

1. Army (4-2) visiting Rutgers (3-2), 2:00 PM

The Black Knights have a decent shot at actually making a bowl game, and getting a victory over a regional rival would be huge.

2. Texas (3-2) visiting No. 5 Nebraska (5-0), 3:30 PM

The Longhorns have never lost three regular season games in a row under Mack Brown, and they will have to come up with a supreme effort in Lincoln to avoid that.

3. Michigan (5-1) hosting No. 15 Iowa (4-1), 3:30 PM

Yes, the Wolverines have only lost once, but with Wisconsin and Ohio State the last two weeks of the season, the magical start may fizzle if they lose to the Hawkeyes this weekend.

4. North Carolina (3-2) visiting Virginia (2-2), 6:00 PM

With all of the issues with the violations, the Tar Heels can still make a bowl game, and a win over the Cavaliers is imperative with Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State still to come.

5. No. 22 Florida (4-2) hosting Mississippi State, 7:00 PM

The Gators need to win badly this week for two reasons: Stop a two-game losing streak and keep pace in the SEC East with a formidable-looking South Carolina team.