College football Week 6: The 10 best games this week

Week 6 of the college football season already is upon us, and here’s some bad news: Week 6 is … underwhelming, especially on the heels of the past two weeks.

Then again, this has been a season filled with chaos, so maybe what looks dull on paper instead becomes a marvelously wild Saturday.

There are a few good matchups this week, including one of the biggest games of the season and one of the biggest rivalries in the nation. Overall, though, Week 6 doesn’t look all that appealing.

Here are the 10 best games of Week 6. All games are Saturday except where indicated, and all times are Eastern.

10. Michigan State (5-0) at Rutgers (3-2)

Time/TV: Noon, Big Ten Network

The buzz: This is here for one reason: Michigan squeaked by Rutgers at home and Ohio State eviscerated Rutgers on the road. Think of this, then, as a measuring stick game for Michigan State to see how it stacks up against its Big Ten East rivals.

9. Michigan (5-0) at Nebraska (3-3)

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ABC

The buzz: Nebraska is coming off a 56-7 beatdown of Northwestern in what might have been its best game in coach Scott Frost’s four seasons. The Huskers get a much bigger test this weekend with the Wolverines coming to town. One positive: Two of the Huskers’ losses are to ranked teams (Michigan State and Oklahoma) and both were one-score games. Michigan showed off an improved passing attack in a win at Wisconsin, but the Wolverines remain a run-first team. Can the Huskers withstand the physicality? The flip side: A loss to the Huskers would reignite the questions about Jim Harbaugh.

8. Alabama (5-0) at Texas A&M (3-2)

Time/TV: 8 p.m., CBS

The buzz: Before the season, this looked as if it would be perhaps the SEC’s most important regular-season game. Now? Uhhh, it doesn’t look like that anymore. Texas A&M has struggled mightily on offense the past two weeks with backup QB Zach Calzada. Barring some kind of meltdown by the Tide — think four or five turnovers — this has the makings of an easy Alabama win. Still, A&M has the defensive talent to make things tough on the Tide.

7. Arkansas (4-1) at Ole Miss (3-1)

Time/TV: Noon, ESPN

The buzz: Last week at this time, these teams were riding high and dreaming of big SEC upsets. Instead, both got taken to the woodshed … and then the woodshed was bulldozed. Arkansas and Ole Miss didn’t look like they belonged on the same field with Georgia and Alabama, respectively. Maybe that means this will be a close one. If Matt Corral has any hopes of being a Heisman finalist, he needs to bounce back in a big way against the Hogs.

6. LSU (3-2) at Kentucky (5-0)

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ESPN

The buzz: It’s looking increasingly as if the 2019 season was an anomaly in Ed Orgeron’s career. The Tigers are in desperation mode as they head to Lexington to face a UK team fresh off an upset of long-time nemesis Florida. The Wildcats won despite mustering just 211 yards of total offense. A big difference between LSU and Florida: LSU actually throws the ball downfield. But Florida’s defense is better than LSU’s, so look for UK RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. to do some damage this week.

5. Notre Dame (4-1) at Virginia Tech (3-1)

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ACC Network

The buzz: Virginia Tech was off this past Saturday and presumably watched Cincinnati’s defense do a good job in slowing the Irish offense. The Hokies need their defense to come up big, and that’s possible considering the mediocre state of the Notre Dame offensive line. Virginia Tech also needs a big game from QB Braxton Burmeister, but the Hokies’ offense hasn’t been that productive. A big problem for Virginia Tech: Big plays have been almost non-existent.

4. Georgia (5-0) at Auburn (4-1)

Time/TV: 3:30 p.m., CBS

The buzz: Auburn won at LSU this past Saturday, something the Tigers hadn’t done since 1999. Well, Auburn has lost four in a row and 9 of the past 11 in the annual series to the Bulldogs. Georgia’s defense has been otherworldly thus far; the Bulldogs have surrendered just 23 points, 903 yards and 51 first downs. The defensive interior has been impenetrable, and that figures to be a problem for Auburn, which is at its best when RB Tank Bigsby is productive. Auburn’s rush defense has been solid, and that has to continue. If Georgia struggles to run, this will be interesting. This will be the 126^th meeting in the series.

3. Stanford (3-2) at Arizona State (4-1)

Time/TV: 10:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN

The buzz: “Pac-12 After Dark” on Friday night? Heck, yeah. These teams were involved in the biggest Pac-12 games of the past weekend, Stanford because of its overtime upset of Oregon and Arizona State because its 19-point win at UCLA stamped the Sun Devils as the team to beat in the Pac-12 South. Arizona State’s defense has been surprisingly stout, and the Sun Devils have been excellent against the pass (five picks, four TD passes allowed). Arizona State is at its best when it can get its rushing attack cranked up and Stanford has been extremely iffy against the run. Cardinal QB Tanner McKee has played well and has thrown a league-leading 11 TD passes and zero picks.

2. Oklahoma (5-0) vs. Texas (4-1)

Time/TV: Noon, ABC

The buzz: “The Red River Shootout” (yes, we’re being un-PC) has been a bit one-sided of late. Oklahoma has won three in a row, five of six and nine of 12. Since Lincoln Riley became the play-caller at OU before the 2015 season, the Sooners have averaged 40.8 points against the Longhorns. Texas’ defense hasn’t been that good against Power 5 teams this season, but neither has OU’s offense. The Sooners have played four FBS opponents, and all four games were decided by seven or fewer points. Oklahoma’s defense has been good against the run, but Texas RB Bijan Robinson is a special talent.

1. Penn State (5-0) at Iowa (5-0)

Time/TV: 4 p.m., Fox

The buzz: All of a sudden, this has become one of the games of the season. Iowa looks to be far and away the class of the Big Ten West, and truthfully the Hawkeyes can survive a loss here and still cruise to a division title. But if the Hawkeyes harbor any Playoff hopes, it behooves them to win this. Penn State looks to be the best team in the Big Ten East, and this could be the first of two meetings between these teams this season. Iowa’s defense has been superb; the Hawkeyes only allow 4.1 yards per play (fourth nationally), lead the nation with 12 interceptions and are tied for No. 1 (with Hawaii, which has played one more game) with 16 forced turnovers. The Hawkeyes are nothing special offensively, though they are coming off an impressive outing in a rout of Maryland. Penn State looks to be the most well-rounded team in the league; the defense has allowed just 30 points in three games against Power 5 opponents, the rushing attack woke up against Indiana this past Saturday and Jahan Dotson is one of the best receivers in the nation.