Week 5 of the college football season was a roller coaster ride full of breathtaking highs and dizzying lows. Clemson needed to squash a two-point conversion to escape Chapel Hill with a win, Cougars coach Mike Leach went scorched earth on his players after another disappointing effort, and Notre Dame continued to make history with its 900th win.
Week 6 is just days away and we have you covered with hard-hitting insight and analysis on some of this week's most eagerly anticipated games as well as the latest trends and storylines from across the U.S.
Wager on all Week 6 NCAAF action at BetAmerica!
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#14 Iowa vs. #19 Michigan (-5)
*All odds are subject to change.The Iowa Hawkeyes head to Michigan this Saturday to take on the Wolverines as 5.5 point underdogs. Do not be deceived by Michigan crushing Rutgers in week 5. Week 4 against Wisconsin revealed the true situation that head coach Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines find themselves in this season. Michigan is a team that struggles against good defenses because they do not have a clear identity on offense. I suspect much of this can be contributed to WR Donovan People-Jones being banged up and far from the elite difference-maker that Michigan expected of him coming into 2019. Perhaps more of it may be that first-time play-caller Josh Gattis simply isn’t ready for the big time. Regardless of all the reasons Michigan has struggled so far this year, things don’t seem quite right in Ann Arbor.
In contrast, the Iowa Hawkeyes who not only know their identity but appear to be thriving in it. They got a bit lucky but played well enough to defeat rival Iowa State, and then bounced back nicely last Saturday with an easy victory over Middle Tennessee State. It would have been easy for Iowa to have a letdown after such an emotional win against their rival, and yet they executed their game plan to perfection against Middle Tennessee State. The methodical efficiency they showed on their way to a 48-3 victory demonstrated a level of consistency that shouldn’t be understated.Hawkeye fans, thank you for your support during Saturday's 48-3 win against MTSU. Can't wait to see you back in Kinnick in two weeks!! pic.twitter.com/vwg9ADaG1m
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) September 28, 2019
Bet on Iowa vs. Michigan here.
#7 Auburn (-3) vs. #10 Florida
Auburn heads to Florida this Saturday as 3-point road favorites. To say Auburn is on a roll would be an understatement. After an improbable come from behind win opening weekend against Oregon, the Tigers have steamrolled their way to a 5-0 record and a top 7 national ranking. Many are saying that Auburn’s defense, and their defensive line in particular, are as good as any in the country. I’m not ready to give them that level of praise, but they’ve certainly been tough.On the other side of the field is the home team, the Florida Gators. Florida has had to deal with a change of plans to their season when starting QB Feleipe Franks suffered a season-ending ankle injury but still finds itself headed into this game 5-0 and ranked 9th in the country. Florida hasn’t yet faced the caliber of competition that Auburn has faced, with their most notable victory being an opening-day win over Miami.
It was only one start, but Kyle Trask looked efficient throwing the ball for the Gators. pic.twitter.com/uSFTc06lXP
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 26, 2019
When it comes to handicapping this game, it’s impossible to ignore that the two most important players on the field will be a true freshman in Auburn QB Bo Nix and a second-stringer in Florida QB Kyle Trask. Both have performed admirably thus far in leading their teams to undefeated records, but neither has truly excelled. Trask has just three touchdowns against two interceptions, while Nix has an unimpressive 53% completion percentage for the year. I fully expect this to be a defensive battle with turnovers or a few key big plays making the difference.
When it comes to picking a winner, however, Auburn looks better prepared to walk away with the victory. Nix hasn’t been impressive, but his ceiling his higher and he improved in Week 5 going 16-21 for 335 yards against Mississippi State. For Florida QB Trask, wins against Tennessee and Towson aren’t enough to warrant an overwhelming impression and deem him the future of the program. Auburn has faced stiff competition and risen to the challenge, while Florida appears still untested. Auburn’s level of defense may be the difference in this one as Trask attempts to acclimatize to life against truly elite SEC competition.
Bet on Auburn vs. Florida here.
Cal vs. #13 Oregon (-18)
Oregon takes on California this Saturday in what could be a pivotal game in the Pac 12 North race. Cal has opened the season impressively with a 4-1 record including a major upset against preseason conference favorite, Washington, but they appear to be in over their heads in this one. Oregon is a 15.5 point favorite and Eugene is one of the tougher venues in the conference.Look at this strike by Oregon QB Justin Herbert pic.twitter.com/vgvaNZSBeq
— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) September 30, 2018
QB Justin Herbert is considered one of the top NFL draft prospects in the entire country and for good reason. While he hasn’t blown away the competition, he has been efficient. Herbert had only five incompletions against rival Stanford in Oregon’s last game and has an impressive 74.4% completion percentage for the year. He is an imposing quarterback, has a veteran offensive line, and will undoubtedly cause plenty of headaches for the Cal defense. As Auburn continues to excel it just flatters Oregon that much more as well.
California, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to Arizona State and QB Chase Garbers hasn’t exactly impressed. Even in the big win against Washington he only had 11 completions for 111 yards and no touchdowns. Last week vs. Arizona State he had just nine completions and holds an unimpressive 59.1% completion percentage for the season. He also injured his shoulder late in the game against Arizona State so Cal might be turning to backup Devon Modster if Garbers is unable to go. Regardless of who gets the nod I don’t expect either QB to be able to keep up with the high-flying Ducks offense at home. After a season-opening loss the Ducks will need to keep the pedal down to have any hopes of impressing the committee late in the year. With style points already under consideration and Herbert and company having far more weapons, this looks like a blowout in the making.
Bet on Cal vs. Oregon here.
Here are the betting trends you need to know from Week 5:
- Home teams have won 72% of all games SU this season
- Home favorites have won a staggering 87% of all games SU this season
- Teams ranked in the AP Top 25 went 15-2 against unranked opponents in Week 5
- 52% of all games have gone UNDER the projected total this season
- Underdogs were 31-23-2 ATS in Week 5 and are 164-169-7 overall this season
We’ve narrowed down the top remaining games you can’t afford to miss from Week 6.
Game | Date | Spread | O/U |
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#18 UCF vs. Cincinnati | Fri, October 4 | CIN +4 | 60.0 |
Utah State vs. #5 LSU | Sat, October 5 | LSU -27.5 | 72.0 |
Kent State vs. #8 Wisconsin | Sat, October 5 | WIS -36.5 | 57.5 |
#21 Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech | Sat, October 5 | TTU +10 | 63.5 |
#11 Texas vs. West Virginia | Sat, October 5 | WVU +11.5 | 59.0 |
#3 Georgia vs. Tennessee | Sat, October 5 | TENN +25.5 | 51.5 |
#25 Michigan State vs. #4 Ohio State | Sat, October 5 | OSU -20.5 | 50.0 |
Tulsa vs. #24 SMU | Sat, October 5 | SMU -13 | 62.0 |
#15 Washington vs. Stanford | Sat, October 5 | STAN +15 | 50.0 |
#16 Boise State vs UNLV | Sat, October 5 | UNLV +23.5 | 55.5 |
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Mike Leach described his team as soft. Said his players are "Fat, dumb, happy, and entitled." #WSUvsUTAH #Pac12FB
— John Coon (@johncoonsports) September 29, 2019
Cougars coach Mike Leach didn't mince words after Washington State fell to Utah 38-13 on Saturday. His players will have a chance to show their mettles on October 12 when they take on 4-1 Arizona State.
Humbling words from Dabo Swinney postgame: "It isn’t easy to win. We aren’t entitled to win. Sometimes the team that plays the best doesn’t win."
— Sanders Sullivan (@SandersSullivan) September 28, 2019
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney knows just how lucky the Tigers were to down the Tar Heels 21-20 on Saturday. Next up for the defending champs is Florida State on October 12th.
Notre Dame became just the seventh FBS team to earn its 900th victory after picking up a win against Virginia on Saturday afternoon. Here are three things you should know about the Fighting Irish's glorious past:
- Contrary to popular belief, the Fighting Irish didn't dominate right out of the gates. Notre Dame went winless in its first season and didn't pick up its first victory until the finale of its second season in 1888. Win #1 was a 20-0 dusting of Harvard Prep School of Chicago.
- It's been mostly smooth sailing ever since as the Fighting Irish have only had 13 losing seasons since 1887.
- Notre Dame has produced more All-Americans and sent more players to the NFL Draft than any other college program in NCAA history.