Week 5 may not have featured a lot of shocking upsets, but it shook the apple cart up a bit. Seven teams fell out of the AP Top 25, meaning seven new teams entered, and many of them aren’t ones you typically expect to see ranked.
Some of those teams will be squaring off in Week 6’s biggest games. There are only three games between ranked opponents in Week 6, one of which includes couple of Big 12 upstarts. No. 17 TCU and No. 19 Kansas have been two of the biggest surprises in the country this season, and they will square off Saturday in a game that will significantly impact the Big 12 Championship Game race.
Out west, we have a Pac-12 battle when No. 18 UCLA hosts No. 11 Utah. Our third battle of ranked teams will take place in the SEC. No. 25 LSU returned to the rankings this week after coming back from a 17-0 deficit to beat Auburn and will host an undefeated No. 8 Tennessee.
Here’s a quick look at those games and the lines from the rest of the top 25 in Week 6. All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
Texas A&M (+24) at No. 1 Alabama: Will Bryce Young play? If he does, how healthy will he be? Also, how much will it matter against a Texas A&M team that’s been anemic offensively? The oddsmakers don’t seem all that worried, making Alabama a 24-point favorite in this game. Still, while Texas A&M’s offense has been terrible, the Aggies’ defense has remained stout and could provide a challenge to Alabama, Bryce Young or not.
Auburn (+28) at No. 2 Georgia: The Bulldogs have struggled a lot more than we’ve been accustomed to seeing in their last two games, messing around with Kent State two weeks ago and then needing a double-digit comeback to beat Missouri on Saturday. Still, as they did with Alabama, the oddsmakers aren’t concerned about the Dawgs in their rivalry tilt against Auburn. The Tigers blew a 17-0 lead to LSU last week and have been an abysmal second-half team. Will this be the week Georgia gets back on track, or is Auburn going to do Auburn stuff?
No. 8 Tennessee (-4) at No. 25 LSU: Tennessee has already picked up impressive wins against Pitt and Florida, but this feels like the Volunteers’ first chance to make a real statement of intent. They’ll head to Tiger Stadium as four-point favorites this week, and if they emerge with a victory, they might find themselves inching closer to the top five. Some might even see them as a genuine threat to Georgia in the East. As for LSU, the Tigers did not play well against Auburn, but they won the game; whether they’re ugly or pretty, wins count the same. They’re tied with Alabama atop the SEC West, and I’m sure they’d like to keep it that way.
No. 11 Utah (-3.5) at No. 18 UCLA: There were questions about UCLA’s soft schedule heading into last week, but the Bruins showed everybody they’re to be taken seriously in a 40-32 win over Washington Friday. That win was enough to convince voters to put them in the AP Top 25, and now they’re at home facing another ranked opponent in Utah. The Utes lost their season-opener at Florida, but have won four straight by an average of 35 points per game since. The reigning Pac-12 South champions will want to remind everybody of what they’re capable of in a game that could ultimately decide one of two spots in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
No. 17 TCU (-5) at No. 19 Kansas: It’s not a shock to see TCU ranked because it has been ranked plenty of times over the years. However, Kansas’ appearance in the AP Top 25 ended the longest drought among Power Five schools. Surely, the Jayhawks won’t immediately follow with a loss? This is one of the biggest games in Kansas football history, and it’s another chance to prove to the country that the Jayhawks are no fluke.
Best of the rest
No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan State (+24.5)
No. 4 Michigan at Indiana (+24)
No. 5 Clemson at Boston College (+23)
Washington State at No. 6 USC (-10.5)
Texas Tech at No. 7 Oklahoma State (-10)
No. 9 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt (+18)
No. 12 Oregon at Arizona (+10.5)
South Carolina at No. 13 Kentucky (-10.5)
Florida State at No. 14 NC State (-4)
Army at No. 15 Wake Forest (-15)
No. 16 BYU at Notre Dame (-2.5)
No. 20 Kansas State at Iowa State (+2)
No. 21 Washington at Arizona State (+13.5)
Arkansas at No. 23 Mississippi State (-4.5)
South Florida at No. 24 Cincinnati (-27)
Texas vs. Oklahoma (+4)