College Football 2023: Week 6 Predictions for Every Game
October 5, 2023College Football 2023: Week 6 Predictions for Every Game
What the Week 6 schedule in college football lacks in volume is atoned for through a variety of key matchups.
As many programs enter an idle weekend, we're set to watch Oklahoma and Texas in the rivalry's final Big 12 showdown. Maryland and Ohio State square off in a battle of unbeatens. Three contests—LSU at Missouri, Alabama at Texas A&M and Kentucky at Georgia—headline the SEC slate, and Notre Dame travels to Louisville, too.
At least three unbeaten teams will take their first loss of the season, and several others may follow suit.
We've also reached a lovable landmark: Early midweek games!
By the time you're reading this, no less than two matchups have been completed. Thanks for keeping us entertained on Wednesday night, Conference USA. Also, see you soon, MACtion!
The rankings are based on the latest AP Top 25.
AP Nos. 25-21
No. 10 Notre Dame (5-1) at No. 25 Louisville (5-0), 7:30 p.m. ET
See No. 10 Notre Dame for prediction.
No. 24 Fresno State (5-0) at Wyoming (4-1), 8 p.m. ET
The well-earned optimism around Fresno State is set for a fierce challenge in the altitude of Laramie. Earlier this season, Wyoming took down Texas Tech. Fresno State's defense has thrived so far and should be the difference on Saturday night. But this isn't a comfortable matchup for the undefeated Bulldogs.
Prediction: Fresno State 24, Wyoming 20
No. 23 LSU (3-2) at No. 21 Missouri (5-0), Noon ET
See No. 21 Missouri for prediction.
No. 22 Tennessee (4-1), Idle
No. 23 LSU (3-2) at No. 21 Missouri (5-0), Noon ET
After watching Ole Miss run around LSU all night, I wouldn't be confident that the defense can stop an efficient Missouri attack, either. Still, I'm inclined to trust the powerful LSU offense will propel the favored Bayou Bengals to a tough, high-scoring road win.
Prediction: LSU 41, Missouri 34
AP Nos 20-16
No. 20 Kentucky (5-0) at No. 1 Georgia (5-0), 7 p.m. ET
See No. 1 Georgia for prediction.
No. 19 Duke (4-1), Idle
No. 18 Utah (4-1), Idle
Georgia Tech (2-3) at No. 17 Miami (4-0), 8 p.m. ET
Georgia Tech has quietly averaged 6.8 yards per snap behind Texas A&M transfer Haynes King. However, the Yellow Jackets' poor run defense—the worst in the Power Five—is a major concern opposite a Miami offense that ranks third nationally in yards per carry. The return of star safety Kam Kinchens provides a boost to Miami's defense, too.
Prediction: Miami 38, Georgia Tech 27
Arkansas (2-3) at No. 16 Ole Miss (4-1), 7:30 p.m. ET
Here's a prototypical hangover game, right? Ole Miss just racked up 55 points and 700-plus yards against LSU. Arkansas enters the contest on a three-game skid. Ole Miss is the better team, has home-field advantage and should win. But it might be a little nerve-wracking at times, too.
Prediction: Ole Miss 37, Arkansas 31
AP Nos. 15-11
No. 15 Oregon State (4-1) at California (3-2), 10 p.m. ET
Will the defense travel? As long as that happens, Oregon State should navigate its trip to Berkeley unscathed. However, Cal is an opportunistic squad that leads all Power Five programs with 13 takeaways. That's the obvious way to flip the script and spring an upset.
Prediction: Oregon State 27, Cal 20
Syracuse (4-1) at No. 14 North Carolina (4-0), 3:30 p.m. ET
After a favorable four-game stretch to open the season, Syracuse hit a wall opposite Clemson. The offense mustered only 281 yards in a 31-14 loss at home. Now, the Orange travel to face a balanced—though not overwhelming—UNC roster. North Carolina probably won't run away, but the outcome likely won't be in immense doubt, either.
Prediction: North Carolina 34, Syracuse 23
No. 13 Washington State (4-0) at UCLA (3-1), 3 p.m. ET
This is one of those "I'd love to be wrong" moments. From a narrative view, Washington State is such an awesome story. The outcasts of conference realignment are 4-0 and shaking up an imploding Pac-12. But a trip to UCLA and its disruptive, productive defense could become a big problem for a Wazzu offense that leans heavily on the passing game.
Prediction: UCLA 29, Washington State 24
No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. No. 3 Texas (5-0), Noon ET
See No. 3 Texas for prediction.
No. 11 Alabama (4-1) at Texas A&M (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET
Both programs lost in Week 2 but have responded—even if not always impressively—with three straight wins. Since those setbacks were of the nonconference variety, this is a crucial SEC game. One major challenge for Bama is that the offense seems to lack go-to receivers, while A&M has Evan Stewart and Ainias Smith. That may be the difference in what should be a low-scoring clash in College Station.
Prediction: Texas A&M 23, Alabama 20
AP Nos. 10-6
No. 10 Notre Dame (5-1) at No. 25 Louisville (5-0), 7:30 p.m. ET
Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer has notched 10.7 yards per attempt in five wins, so the explosiveness of the Cardinals' offense must be respected. However, he's also tossed six interceptions—with at least one in four games. That's a problematic trend opposite Notre Dame, which has only two giveaways all season.
Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Louisville 24
Arizona (3-2) at No. 9 USC (5-0), 10:30 p.m. ET
Two weeks ago, Arizona State put a scare into USC. Last Saturday, Arizona nearly shocked Washington. It's safe to say USC should know better than to overlook the Wildcats. Nevertheless, it's unlikely that Arizona—which is 106th nationally in yards allowed per pass attempt—will find a way to contain Caleb Williams and the USC passing game.
Prediction: USC 41, Arizona 27
No. 8 Oregon (5-0), Idle
No. 7 Washington (5-0), Idle
No. 6 Penn State (5-0), Idle
AP Nos. 5-1
Virginia Tech (2-3) at Florida State (4-0), 3:30 p.m. ET
Quick golf clap for Virginia Tech, which snapped a three-game losing streak with a 38-21 win over Pitt. But the Hokies are a hefty underdog for a trip to Florida State, which had an extra week to prepare and likely has too much firepower on offense for VT to match.
Prediction: Florida State 38, Virginia Tech 17
Maryland (5-0) at No. 4 Ohio State (4-0), Noon ET
While most Big Ten attention is focused on Michigan, OSU and Penn State, what a fun twist it would be for Maryland to officially crash the party. Ohio State struggled to put away the Terps last season, too. Between home-field advantage, an improved defense and the overall talent differential in the Buckeyes' favor, though, an upset looks just out of reach for Maryland.
Prediction: Ohio State 30, Maryland 24
No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. No. 3 Texas (5-0), Noon ET
Both defenses put together a spectacular opening month, but their performances will be tested in a massive way inside the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma and Texas are each averaging 6.9 yards per snap. In such a tight matchup, red-zone efficiency is often a decisive factor. It's therefore concerning that Texas has a 52.4 percent touchdown rate (108th nationally) inside the 20-yard line.
Prediction: Oklahoma 31, Texas 27
No. 2 Michigan (5-0) at Minnesota (3-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
Michigan has surrendered no more than seven points in each of its five victories this season. I'm not sensing much danger from a Minnesota offense that is 98th in yards per snap and 103rd in yards per game.
Prediction: Michigan 38, Minnesota 7
No. 20 Kentucky (5-0) at No. 1 Georgia (5-0), 7 p.m. ET
Over the last four seasons, Kentucky has limited UGA to 21 points or less in three matchups. Conversely, the 'Cats haven't surpassed 17 points against the Dawgs since 2016. Kentucky's key strength is running back Ray Davis, and Georgia just yielded 219 rushing yards to Auburn. But that total is less worrying when you consider two Auburn quarterbacks tallied 125 of those yards, and UK's Devin Leary is not a mobile threat.
Prediction: Georgia 24, Kentucky 10
Rest of the Slate, Part I
Sam Houston (0-4) at Liberty (4-0), Thursday, 7 p.m. ET
Prediction: Liberty 27, Sam Houston 14
Western Kentucky (3-2) at Louisiana Tech (3-3), Thursday, 8 p.m. ET
Prediction: WKU 34, Louisiana Tech 30
Kansas State (3-1) at Oklahoma State (2-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Kansas State 33, Oklahoma State 20
Nebraska (2-3) at Illinois (2-3), Friday, 8 p.m. ET
Prediction: Illinois 27, Nebraska 17
Rutgers (4-1) at Wisconsin (3-1), Noon ET
Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Rutgers 16
Western Michigan (2-3) at Mississippi State (2-3), Noon ET
Prediction: Mississippi State 41, WMU 14
Boston College (2-3) at Army (2-2), Noon ET
Prediction: Army 24, Boston College 20
William & Mary (4-1) at Virginia (0-5), Noon ET
Prediction: Virginia 23, William & Mary 19
Toledo (4-1) at Massachusetts (1-5), Noon ET
Prediction: Toledo 38, UMass 24
Marshall (4-0) at North Carolina State (3-2), 2 p.m. ET
Prediction: NC State 24, Marshall 16
UTSA (1-3) at Temple (2-3), 2 p.m. ET
Prediction: UTSA 30, Temple 24
Central Michigan (3-2) at Buffalo (1-4), 2 p.m. ET
Prediction: Central Michigan 22, Buffalo 17
Howard (2-2) at Northwestern (2-3), 3 p.m. ET
Prediction: Northwestern 37, Howard 14
North Texas (2-2) at Navy (1-3), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: North Texas 28, Navy 21
Texas State (4-1) at Louisiana (3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Texas State 34, Louisiana 31
Rest of the Slate, Part II
Wake Forest (3-1) at Clemson (3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Clemson 35, Wake Forest 24
Purdue (2-3) at Iowa (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Iowa 17, Purdue 13
Ball State (1-4) at Eastern Michigan (2-3), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Eastern Michigan 31, Ball State 20
Bowling Green (2-3) at Miami (Ohio) (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Miami 27, Bowling Green 17
Northern Illinois (1-4) at Akron (1-4), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: NIU 23, Akron 20
Kent State (1-4) at Ohio (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Ohio 34, Kent State 14
Central Florida (3-2) at Kansas (4-1), 4 p.m. ET
Prediction: Kansas 36, UCF 31
Vanderbilt (2-4) at Florida (3-2), 4 p.m. ET
Prediction: Florida 31, Vanderbilt 17
South Florida (3-2) at UAB (1-4), 4 p.m. ET
Prediction: USF 33, UAB 27
Arkansas State (3-2) at Troy (3-2), 4 p.m. ET
Prediction: Troy 28, Arkansas State 20
Connecticut (0-5) at Rice (3-2), 5 p.m. ET
Prediction: Rice 26, UConn 14
Tulsa (3-2) at Florida Atlantic (1-3), 6 p.m. ET
Prediction: Tulsa 34, FAU 27
Colorado (3-2) at Arizona State (1-4), 6:30 p.m. ET
Prediction: Colorado 38, Arizona State 24
South Alabama (2-3) at Louisiana-Monroe (2-2), 7 p.m. ET
Prediction: South Alabama 27, ULM 17
Old Dominion (2-3) at Southern Miss (1-4), 7 p.m. ET
Prediction: Southern Miss 31, Old Dominion 28
Texas Tech (2-3) at Baylor (2-3), 8 p.m. ET
Prediction: Texas Tech 35, Baylor 31
TCU (3-2) at Iowa State (2-3), 8 p.m. ET
Prediction: TCU 34, Iowa State 17
Colorado State (2-2) at Utah State (2-3), 8 p.m. ET
Prediction: Utah State 31, Colorado State 27
San Jose State (1-4) at Boise State (2-3), 8 p.m. ET
Prediction: Boise State 36, San Jose State 28
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