College Football Week 6 Predictions: Vandu/Ala, Mia/FSU, Iowa St/Cin, Vir/Louisville and Much More

Week 5 was tremendous as Alabama, Oregon, Ole Miss, Virginia, and ASU added to their resume along with several entertaining outcomes from the weekend. Week 6 isn’t as stacked but don’t let that fool you as the ACC and SEC feature marquee matchups and plenty of sleeper unranked foes that could shock a Top 25. The AP Poll dropped FSU 8 spots below the rising Alabama Crimson Tide with no regard to what happen head-to-head. The Playoff committee doesn’t copy and paste the Associated Press rankings, but it would be native to think there’s no influence. The AP should wait a few weeks to release instead of before the season begins.

Marquee Matchups

#3 Miami vs. #18 Florida State:  These bitter rivals have decided the national champion during the regular season over the years so it’s nice to see both programs ranked heading into this marquee matchup. Miami will face their first road test heading to Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee. The Seminoles loss in 2OT to Virginia will either put a chip on their shoulder or a reason to be concerned. Florida State took it to Alabama so their fully capable of getting the job done Saturday night on ABC. The line of scrimmage favors Miami on both sides of the ball. FSU must test the Hurricanes secondary, and QB Tommy Castellanos will have to use his feet as well. If Miami can run the ball and control the clock, barring more than one turnover the Hurricanes will win. A fast start by FSU will be key given the intense pass rush their rival will bring on obvious passing downs. This College Football podcaster got it early and added some juice betting FSU +6.5.

The Pick: Miami wins but the pick is FSU +4.5

FanDuel

4.6/5

Tip: Bet Florida State +4.5

• Rivalry game
• Canes have to run the ball
• Noles have a chip on shoulder

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#10 Alabama vs. #16 Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt won’t be flying under radar after upsetting Alabama last year. It was a beautiful site to see the Commodores faithful throwing the goal post in the river near campus. That said Alabama is in a letdown spot having just beaten Georgia on the road. Vandy QB Diego Pavia and company are averaging 223 rushing yards per game. The Crimson Tide defense gives up 160 yards on the ground per game. The recent emergence of Bama QB Ty Simpson has made a difference, but the Crimson Tide will need to be able to run the ball. Last year Alabama didn’t always show up losing as the favorite far too many times. This will be a tight one well into the 4th quarter.

The Pick: Alabama wins but the pick is Vanderbilt +10.5

BetMGM

4.5/5

Tip: Bet Vandy +10.5

• Pavia to play well
• Tide must run the ball
• Alabama Let Down?

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Under The Radar

#14 Iowa State vs. Cincinnati: Cincy QB Brendan Sorsby has carried the Bearcats offense as the get ready to host the Cyclones. Cincinnati almost beat Nebraska in week 1 but did manage to defeat Kansas 37-34. 3 out of 5 victories for Iowa State have been tight outcomes but they controlled most of the 60 minutes last week versus Arizona. Iowa State QB Rocco Becht should find success thru the air, but can the Cyclones defense contain the explosive offense for the Bearcats? If you like Iowa State it makes sense to take the points and money line. This one is a toss meaning the game could come down to the closing minutes or even seconds.

The Pick: Iowa State +1.5 

DraftKings

4.6/5

Tip: Bet Iowa State +1.5

• Sorsby Playing well
• Becht to play well
• Cyclones defense to decide this game

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#24 Virginia vs. Louisville: The Cavilers are fresh off a great win over FSU but now travel to face an unbeaten Louisville squad. The Cardinals needed a comeback to overcome an early 17-0 deficit last week against Pitt. Virginia is probably still kicking itself for losing a very winnable game to NC State. Much like Bama, Virginia must avoid a letdown after such a high moment last week. Louisville has won the last three meetings. Louisville has scored 3 non-offensive touchdowns so the Cavs can’t allow the Cards to score on defense or special teams. QB Miller Moss has found a new home after transferring from USC. That said I trust Cavilers QB Chandler Morris not to throw a timely pick.

The Pick: Virginia +7

Saturday Upset Special

UCF upsets Kansas as a home +4.5 dog

Oregon State beat App State as a slight +1.5 road dog.

Hardcore Barnburners

Duke vs California: Duke has rebounded nicely after losing back-to-back games to Illinois and Tulane. Which Cal team will show up this week? The one that held off Minnesota or the one that got skunked by San Diego State?  The winner remains undefeated in the ACC, so it fits perfect in the barnburner category. Duke will travel across the country which could affect the outcome.

The Pick: Duke –2.5

Washington vs Maryland: The Huskies hung with Ohio State until the 4th quarter last week. As an underdog Maryland beat Wisconsin handily. The Terps defense won’t make it easy for Washington as they create turnovers by getting pressure on the quarterback. The Huskies offense is very efficient and will be able to move the ball more than they did versus the Buckeyes.  Once against travel will play a part no doubt.

The Pick: Washington wins but Maryland +6.5

Against The Spread

Mississippi State +15.5 versus Texas A&M

Wake Forest + 6.5 versus Virginia Tech

Quick Hits Recap

-Oregon outgained Penn State 424 to 276 in a double overtime 30-24 road win.

-The Nittany Lions ran all over the ducks in last year’s Big Ten Championship. Last Saturday Oregon rushed to 176 yards to the Penn State’s 139.

-James Franklin record facing Top 25 AP programs moved to 4-21.

-The Crimson Tide have won 10 of the last 11 rivalry games against the Bulldogs.  Bama halted Georgia’s 332-game home winning streak in the process.

-Alabama got that huge win at Georgia despite being outrushed 227 to 117.

-Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss has thrown for 300+ yards in 3 times in a row as the Rebels defeated LSU 24-19.

-LSU’s offensive struggles continued putting up just 254 yards to Ole Miss’s 480.

-Texas A&M is 4-0 for the first time dating back to 2016 in a 16-10 win over Auburn.

-Yellow Jackets QB Haynes King had 349 total yards and 3 touchdowns defeating Wake Forest in OT 30-29.

-Illinois bounced back after getting demolished by Indiana beating USC in a 34-32 thriller on a game-winning 41-yard field goal.

-Illini QB Luke Altmyer put up 328 passing yards and 4 total TD’s on the Trojans defense.

-Viginia QB Chandler Morris had 5 touchdowns in a shocking double overtime win vs FSU.

Written by Chris Carlson Host of The College Ball Show available under The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Umbrella on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio