College Football Cheat Sheet: Diego Pavia's Super Bowl

Diego Pavia shocked the college football world last October when he led Vanderbilt to a stunning victory over No. 1 Alabama as a 23-point underdog. Can the dynamo from New Mexico do it again? We’re about to find out.

Vanderbilt (5-0, 1-0) has been even better on offense in year two with Pavia, senior offensive advisor Jerry Kill, and offensive coordinator Tim Beck. This option offense has been a massive problem and the Commodores keep getting better. After blasting Virginia Tech in Week 2 and South Carolina in Week 3 on the road, Clark Lea‘s program rolls into Tuscaloosa for the biggest game in program history.

Can Pavia really do it again? He will become the Heisman Trophy frontrunner if Vandy can knock off Alabama in consecutive seasons. Meanwhile, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson could become the Heisman Trophy frontrunner with another big performance on a big stage after an impressive performance against Georgia last week. Many are down on the Week 6 card but matchups like this one are really what college football are all about.

A downtrodden program is hitting the road to play an historical juggernaut for a chance at once in a lifetime glory thanks to a generational talent. Alabama could be in a true crisis mode if Kalen DeBoer loses another game as a double-digit favorite. This is what makes college football great and why every power conference program might just truly be one terrific player away from making the playoff.

It’s a true David vs. Golitah matchup. But David is a lot bigger now in the NIL era.

Another college football weekend has arrived. KSR is here to set the table.

The Slate

WKU at Delaware	7:00pm (Friday)	CBS Sports Network
Charlotte at USF	7:00pm (Friday)	ESPN2
New Mexico at San Jose State	10:00pm (Friday)	FS1
West Virginia at No. 23 BYU	10:30pm (Friday)	ESPN
Colorado State at San Diego State	10:30pm (Friday)	CBS Sports Network
Army at UAB	Noon	ESPNU
Kansas State at Baylor	Noon	ESPN+
Air Force at Navy	Noon	CBS
Ohio at Ball State	Noon	CBS Sports Network
No. 22 Illinois at Purdue	Noon	Big Ten Network
Wisconsin at No. 20 Michigan	Noon	FOX
Kentucky at No. 12 Georgia	Noon	ABC
Clemson at North Carolina	Noon	ESPN
No. 14 Iowa State at Cincinnati	Noon	ESPN2
Boston College at Pittsburgh	Noon	ACC Network
Wake Forest at Virginia Tech	1:00pm	The CW
UTSA at Temple	1:00pm	ESPN+
Western Michigan at UMass	2:30pm	ESPN+
Oklahoma State at Arizona	3:00pm	TNT
Miami (Ohio) at Northern Illinois	3:30pm	ESPN+
FIU at UConn	3:30pm	CBS Sports Network
Eastern Michigan at Buffalo	3:30pm	ESPN+
Central Michigan at Akron	3:30pm	ESPN+
James Madison at Georgia State	3:30pm	ESPN+
No. 24 Virginia at Louisville	3:30pm	ESPN2
Syracuse at SMU	3:30pm	ACC Network
No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama	3:30pm	ABC
No. 9 Texas at Florida	3:30pm	ESPN
ULM at Northwestern	3:30pm	Big Ten Network
No. 7 Penn State at UCLA	3:30pm	CBS
Oregon State at Appalachian State	3:30pm	ESPN+
Boise State at No. 21 Notre Dame	3:30pm	NBC
Washington at Maryland	3:30pm	Big Ten Network
Texas State at Arkansas State	4:00pm	ESPN+
Michigan State at Nebraska	4:00pm	FS1
Kent State at No. 5 Oklahoma	4:00pm	SEC Network
Coastal Carolina at Old Dominion	6:00pm	ESPN+
No. 11 Texas Tech at Houston	7:00pm	ESPN
UNLV at Wyoming	7:00pm	CBS Sports Network
South Alabama at Troy	7:00pm	ESPN+
Florida Atlantic at Rice	7:00pm	ESPN+
Minnesota at No. 1 Ohio State	7:30pm	NBC
Mississippi State at No. 6 Texas A&M	7:30pm	SEC Network
No. 3 Miami at No. 18 Florida State	7:30pm	ABC
Colorado at TCU	7:30pm	FOX
Kansas at UCF	7:30pm	ESPN2
Tulsa at Memphis	8:00pm	ESPNU
Duke at California	10:30pm	ESPN
Nevada at Fresno State	10:30pm	CBS Sports Network

Gambling Corner

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— Luckett’s Locks: Underdog Saturday

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Separation Saturday in the ACC

There are seven league games on the schedule in the ACC on Saturday. Some are more important than others. We’re about to find out who the real contenders are and if this conference has a legitimate chance at getting more than one team into the playoff field.

— No. 3 Miami at No. 18 Florida State: The biggest game outside of T-Town will occur in Tallahassee. Miami looks like the the class of the ACC this season but they are going on the road for the first time this year in Week 6. Mario Cristobal‘s team is drawing Florida State off a tough loss. This could be a playoff elimination game for the Noles. This rivalry series has some massive stakes again. That is good for college football. Carson Beck, Gus Malzahn, and Big Game Mario. This game has characters and helmet logos. We could be in for a classic at the Doak. This has to end in another wide right, doesn’t it?

— No. 24 Virginia at Louisville: Virginia shocked many with last week’s overtime win over Florida State. Tony Elliott‘s massive transfer portal rebuild is working. The Hoos are rolling on offense and are off to a 2-0 ACC start since the loss to NC State was a non-conference game since both teams needed an additional game. A win over Louisville would give UVA a clear path to the ACC Championship with remaining games against North Carolina, California, Wake Forest, Duke, and Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, Louisville still has to go to Miami and SMU. The winner will have a great shot to make it to Charlotte in December. UVA could still get there with a loss. The same probably isn’t true for UofL.

— Clemson at North Carolina: This game was supposed to be one of the biggest ones on the Week 6 card. But plans change. Clemson desperately needs a win. North Carolina looks like one of the worst teams in power conference football. But it’s still Dabo Swinney vs. Bill Belichick. The Tigers need to get going now if they want to remain relevant in November.

— Duke at California: Duke dropped two non-conference games but has won consecutive games to start ACC play. Cal avoids Miami, Florida State, and Clemson this year. The winner remains a real contender. ACC after dark in Berkeley. It won’t be boring.

Is this Billy Napier’s last stand?

Speaking of games that were supposed to be big this week, this one in Gainesville lost a lot of shine. Arch Manning is struggling and Florida’s season quickly turned into a disaster. The only real storyline for this one is what could happen to Billy Napier if the Gators fall to 1-4.

Florida’s passing game has had a rough time and that could equal disaster against a dynamite Texas pass defense. The Horns will be looking to get right before facing Oklahoma next week at the Cotton Bowl.

We’re officially on hot seat alert in The Swamp.

Some sneaky games in the Big 12

No conference produces more wild finishes than the Big 12. This Saturday will likely be no different. Some overlooked teams could make some noise this week.

— No. 14 Iowa State at Cincinnati: Scott Satterfield needed a big win. He got one last week on the road against Kansas. Now the Bearcats are surprising home favorite against an undefeated Iowa State squad. The Cyclones can get to 3-0 in league play with a win. UC would officially become a Big 12 contender with a win. This is a big one at Nippert Stadium.

— Kansas State at Baylor: This is officially an elimination game in Waco. Both Kansas State and Baylor have a league loss. Both teams need a win. The Wildcats have looked off all year and the Bears are 0-2 as a home favorite so far this season. This one could get wild.

— No. 11 Texas Tech at Houston: The Red Raiders were mighty impressive in a Week 4 road win over Utah. Now they hit the road against in conference play. Houston is off to an undefeated start in year two under Willie Fritz but do appear to be flawed. Texas Tech could send the league another message on Saturday night.

The rest of the college football card

— Delaware cannot win C-USA this season due to the transition rule but this new FBS program is showing why they consistently won games and made the playoffs in FCS. The Blue Hens look like one of the best in the conference and they host C-USA title contender WKU on Friday night. Both teams can go on offense. This could be a shootout.

— Washington’s offense lit up every defense they saw until running into the Ohio State buzzsaw last week. Maryland’s defense has shutdown every offense it has seen through the first month. This Big Ten game could be a launching point for the winner. Mike Locksley could be having a big bounce-back season after things crumbled last year in College Park.

— Most haven’t seen Boise State since the Week 1 blowout loss to USF. All the Broncos have done is score at least 47 points in three consecutive games. Notre Dame has scored 40-plus points in three consecutive games. Someone could reach 50 points in South Bend.

— This week could tell us a lot about Nebraska. Last time we saw the Huskers, they lost a tough one to Michigan at home. Now a huge stretch in the season arrives with upcoming road trips to Maryland and Minnesota. Michigan State looks much improved on offense and is rolling into Lincoln this weekend. Is bump coming in year three for Matt Rhule? It won’t if they lose this game.

— The Maroon Bowl in the SEC looks more interesting now than it did a few weeks ago. Mississippi State has made a huge jump in year two under Jeff Lebby. Texas A&M looks like one of the best teams in the SEC. The win over Notre Dame is aging well. Another win for the Aggies would equal a 5-0 start and a great chance at getting to 10-2 to earn a playoff bid.