2017 Week 6 Preview

The number one thing week 5 taught us was that Alabama is the best team in the country. It isn’t even fair. Clemson is also really good. Washington State upset USC which makes me really happy because Mike Leach is amazing and I love upsets. My final four is getting picked off one by one, but who cares! YAY UPSETS! Speaking of beautiful upsets: Troy beat LSU 24-21 under the lights in Death Valley (#FunBelt). Perfection. But I still wasn’t totally in love with week 5. That might’ve had something to do with me having to be at DWRRS at 4:45am on Saturday and not getting home till 3pm. But I digress. On to week 6!

How I fared: 5-1 last week, 22-8 overall

Notable Games
17Louisville at 24NC State (Thursday)
Personally, I think NC State is only ranked because they beat Florida State. Louisville’s offense is strong. Last week against Murray State Lamar Jackson threw for 249 yards and 3TDs as well as rushing for 100 yards and a TD in just a little over 2 quarters of play. The Louisville defense is not great, and that should keep this game closer. NC State was in a close one with Syracuse last week, and they also gave up 385 passing yards. That’s not a great way to beat Louisville. I don’t think the final score will be all that close.
I am picking Louisville

Michigan State at 7Michigan
This is an interesting game. Michigan had a bye last week and so far they haven’t shown much of an offense. Michigan State beat Iowa 17-10 last week. This game will most likely be a low scoring one and a battle of kickers. Michigan had to kick 5 FGs against Air Force. I really don’t think this is going to be the most exciting game of the weekend, but it might be a close one. Rivalry games are always hard to predict.
I am picking Michigan

23West Virginia at 8TCU
Unlike the Michigan State vs Michigan game, there should be a ton of points scored in this one. West Virginia has scored at least 56 points in each of their last 3 games, but they were not playing the best competition. The Mountaineers gave up 34 points to Kansas in their last game, which isn’t great. TCU scored 44 points in their big upset win over Oklahoma State and also scored 56 against SMU. Their defense struggled to stop those two offenses. Despite that, TCU’s defense is opportunistic and can make the big plays when needed. I think the Horned Frogs are going to be too much in the fourth quarter for WVU.
I am picking TCU

11Washington State at Oregon
It will be interesting to see how Washington State performs after their huge win over USC. Oregon’s offense has been doing well, but they lost their QB to a collar bone injury and star RB Royce Freeman was dinged up in their last game. I still believe Oregon will be able to score in this game, but not enough to beat Wazzu. It won’t be a Pac12AfterDark game (it will be after dark on the east coast but I’m not sure that qualifies), but it still has the potential to be exciting. Washington State needs to make sure they don’t overlook this game.
I am picking Washington State

13Miami at Florida State
This game was originally scheduled for September 16th but had to be rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma. Florida State has had to deal with a lot of issues this season. Losing their QB has been a major blow. They barely got by Wake Forest last weekend, but they survived. Miami has been playing well this year and beat Duke handedly last Friday. A lot of analysts are talking about Miami being in the playoff this season. I’m not sold on Miami yet. They have won the games they were supposed to win so far this season, but they haven’t played a really good team yet. Florida State has the potential to upset Miami and because this is a rivalry game I think it’ll be a close one. Both of these teams play strong defense, but it is FSU’s offense that I am worried about.
I am picking Miami

Stanford at 20Utah
Pac12AfterDark alert! If you don’t know who Bryce Love is, you are missing out. The Stanford RB has rushed for 1088 yards and 8TDs on just 98 carries. So he’s good. But since he’s a west coast player, he isn’t seen as often by non west coast viewers. Utah has a strong defense, but they have yet to play a strong offense. They also only beat Arizona by six in their last game. I expect this to be more of a defensive battle, but I also think Bryce Love will break a few big plays and that will be the difference in this game.
I am picking Stanford

Arkansas at South Carolina
Back to SEC play for the Razorbacks. The Hogs are now 2-2 as they head to Williams-Brice Stadium to play South Carolina. This game begins a tough 4-game SEC stretch that includes Alabama and Auburn. Arkansas got back on track with a big win over New Mexico State last weekend. While Arkansas won 42-24, they gave up 344 passing yards. South Carolina leans heavily on their passing game. Arkansas needs to run the ball well to win this game. Pass protection has not been the strength of the Arkansas offense this year. The Gamecocks have not given up many points this season, but they haven’t scored that many either. Arkansas found a little bit more rhythm with the offense against A&M and New Mexico State, and they will need to continue that this week. This is a huge game for Arkansas. It might be the biggest game of the season. I’ve read that a win here probably means a bowl eligible team but a loss probably means a 4-win team. I agree with those sentiments. I’m excited to be going to this game and will be able to say I’ve been to 9 SEC football stadiums.

Top 25
1Alabama at Texas A&M
Wake Forest at 2Clemson
Iowa State at 3Oklahoma
4Penn State at Northwestern
5Georgia at Vanderbilt
California at 6Washington
9Wisconsin at Nebraska
Maryland at 10Ohio State
Ole Miss at 12Auburn
Oregon State at 14USC
15Oklahoma State BYE
16Virginia Tech at Boston College
18South Florida BYE
19San Diego State at UNLV
LSU at 21Florida
21Notre Dame at North Carolina
25UCF at Cincinnati

Other Games
Boise State at BYU (Friday)
Air Force at Navy
Colorado State at Utah State
SMU at Houston
Kansas State at Texas
Missouri at Kentucky