The calendar has flipped to October and enough college football has been played to begin the process of sorting out the contenders from the pretenders. There’s no better way to do that than by unveiling Sports Illustrated’s weekly watchability rankings, where we’ll sort through the best games on the docket each week from now until bowl season.
Whether it’s a dominant player, an intriguing matchup, a collision of titans or a scrap between upstarts, this will be a space to try and highlight a little bit of everything. Without further ado, let’s take a look at what jumps out on the slate in Week 6:
Honorable mentions: Louisiana-Monroe vs. James Madison, UCF vs. Florida
8. Duke Blue Devils (5–0) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3–2)
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Only three programs can clinch bowl eligibility in Week 6: Miami, Indiana and … Duke. Bringing the program to a third straight bowl in his first year at the helm would be a coup for Manny Diaz after Mike Elko’s departure for Texas A&M.
The eye test, at least for Duke’s offense, hasn’t inspired confidence that an undefeated record will last, but the Blue Devils have scraped out come-from-behind Power 4 wins at Northwestern and vs. North Carolina because of Diaz’s defense. The group, which has allowed just 16.2 points per game (28th in FBS), faces a stiffer challenge against the Yellow Jackets and Texas A&M transfer Haynes King.
Player/Matchup to Watch: Georgia Tech QB Haynes King vs. Duke pass rush
Not surprisingly, the Diaz-coached Blue Devils get after the quarterback among the best in the country, averaging 3.4 sacks per game (eighth nationally). King hasn’t been sacked once this season and has shown he can pick apart a defense (73.9% completion percentage) with time. Something’s gotta give.
7. No. 8 Miami Hurricanes (5–0) at California Golden Bears (3–1)
Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Miami will make the longest journey for a game this season that doesn’t involve travel to or from Hawaii, or across the Atlantic Ocean to Dublin, to take on its new conference opponent. Though College GameDay’s trip to Berkeley may reflect a lack of other compelling matchups on the slate, Cal has been a pleasant surprise to start the season, highlighted by a road win over Auburn in Week 2.
The only reason this game doesn’t get more watchable status is because of the potential for the Hurricanes to blow this game open. The Cal defense (12th in points allowed nationally) hasn’t faced an offense like this with a quarterback of Cam Ward’s caliber, so there’s no telling what Miami could put on the scoreboard—even after last week’s scare vs. Virginia Tech.
Player/Matchup to Watch: Miami QB Cam Ward
This is the squarest answer to give, but what’s in plain sight is oftentimes the correct choice. Ward is a true Heisman contender and leads the nation in total yards per game (385.6) and passing touchdowns (18). He’s also liable to pull magic out of a hat at any moment, making him appointment viewing from now until the end of the season.
6. Nebraska Cornhuskers (4–1) at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4–0)
Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, FS1
A 12-team playoff means that more than the two championship game competitors, especially in the Big Ten and SEC, will be considered worthy candidates at season’s end. When it comes to a battle for the best of the rest in the former, Rutgers and Nebraska have to be a part of the discussion.
Under Greg Schiano, Rutgers has been a program on the rise, and back-to-back wins over Virginia Tech and Washington by a total of six points announced the Scarlet Knights as not only a bowl game hopeful but perhaps something more. Nebraska, led by a stout defense and quarterback wunderkind Dylan Raiola, has stifled every opponent except for Illinois, which dealt the Huskers a 31–24 loss in overtime.
Player/Matchup to Watch: Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai vs. Nebraska defense
Monangai has run up and down and around and across the Scarlet Knights’ first four opponents, for a whopping 147.2 yards per game (third in FBS) and six touchdowns. Nebraska is a brick wall, allowing just 12.2 points per game (ninth nationally). If you’re looking for an ever-so-slightly more traditional Big Ten matchup—yes, Nebraska and Rutgers just joined last decade but are more senior members of the conference than one of the teams in the No. 4 matchup on this list—then this game is for you.
5. South Carolina Gamecocks (3–1) at No. 12 Ole Miss Rebels (4–1)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Lane Kiffin’s Rebels were dealt a major blow down in the ’Sip against the Kentucky Wildcats to open up SEC play last week. Better competition awaits Ole Miss in the weeks to come, beginning with a Shane Beamer-led South Carolina team that’s already been battle tested—and dismantled Kentucky, 31–6, in Week 2.
Had it not been for a furious comeback and a last-second missed field goal at home against LSU, the Gamecocks very well could have been undefeated coming into this week. Beamer’s front seven is disruptive and could make life difficult for Jaxson Dart for a second week in a row after the Rebels quarterback took four sacks against Kentucky.
Player/Matchup to Watch: South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard
Plenty has been made about Kennard’s five-star freshman teammate Dylan Stewart, but it’s the Georgia Tech transfer whose production has stood out. With 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles through five games, the fifth-year pass rusher is a game wrecker and one who could shift the balance in this game instantly.
4. No. 10 Michigan Wolverines (4–1) at Washington Huskies (3–2)
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock
A rematch of last season’s national championship game had to make this list, even if Michigan and Washington boast new head coaches, new quarterbacks and new sets of expectations this season. Given what we’ve seen through five weeks, this first-time meeting for the schools in the Big Ten lands on the middle of the list and not at the top.
Michigan is a difficult team to make sense of given the uncertainty under center, but a relentless ground game has been enough for the Wolverines to eke out consecutive victories at home over USC and Minnesota. Washington has been on the other side of two close games this season, falling on the road at Rutgers last week and in an early-season edition of the Apple Cup on Sept. 14.
Player/Matchup to Watch: Washington WRs Denzel Boston and Giles Jackson vs. Michigan’s secondary
The Huskies offense hasn’t been flawless (see: at Rutgers and vs. Washington State), but Boston and Jackson both have 30-plus catches and 400-plus receiving yards in five games. Boston also has the second-most touchdown receptions in the country with seven. The Wolverines haven’t been up to their usual snuff on defense, but with future pro talent Will Johnson leading the way, this could be a game for the back end of Michigan’s defense to make its mark on the season.
3. Syracuse Orange (3–1) at No. 25 UNLV Rebels (4–0)
Friday, 9 p.m. ET, FS1
The Rebels were already a Group of 5 team to pay attention to after cruising to a 3–0 start. Then, standout quarterback Matthew Sluka announced his intention to redshirt and transfer amid an NIL dispute and the program became a must-follow. There was no hitch in the Rebels’ gait last week in a 59–14 rout of Fresno State and Barry Odom’s squad was rewarded with a No. 25 ranking to boot.
The start puts UNLV in the driver’s seat for the Group of 5 playoff spot, but a game against a frisky Syracuse team awaits this week. The Orange have racked up 475.3 yards per game (18th nationally) and were a last-second, 39-yard field goal off the foot of Stanford kicker Emmet Kenney from going through their first four games unscathed.
Player/Matchup to Watch: Syracuse QB Kyle McCord vs. UNLV DB Jalen Catalon
McCord is waging a revenge campaign in his first year out of Columbus, leading the country in passing yards per game (364.8). With the gunslinging mentality comes errors and the senior has five interceptions in four games—going into a matchup against the country’s leading ballhawk. Jalen Catalon, a senior defensive back for the Rebels, has four interceptions in four games and will give McCord all he can handle.
2. Iowa Hawkeyes (3–1) at No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (4–0)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+
The ol’ unstoppable force (Ohio State’s top-three offense) vs. immovable object (Iowa’s top-15 defense). The only issue? The Buckeyes are also the No. 1 defense in the country, allowing just 6.8 points per contest through four games.
That being said, Ohio State has rolled in matchups against completely outmatched opponents. (Sorry, Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall and Michigan State.) Iowa is the first real test for the Buckeyes before a seven-game slate to close out the regular season that includes dates with Oregon, Penn State, Indiana and Michigan. The Hawyekes offense doesn’t look as inept as in recent years, giving some hope that this game will stay tight.
Player/Matchup to Watch: Rushing offenses vs. Rushing defenses
Both programs are in the top-15 in rushing offense (Iowa 10th, Ohio State 14th) and top-five in rushing defense (Iowa fourth, Ohio State third). The Hawkeyes will need to slow down Ohio State’s multi-pronged attack of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, but will also need to score to stay competitive. That’s largely on the shoulders of junior running back Kaleb Johnson who has 685 rushing yards (second in FBS) and nine touchdowns (tied for third) in four games.
1. No. 9 Missouri Tigers (4–0) at No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies (4–1)
Saturday, noon ET, ABC
The only ranked vs. ranked matchup of the week unsurprisingly earns the top spot, but also because it’s the Week 6 tilt with the biggest postseason stakes. Missouri has had the bye week to reevaluate after a pair of uninspiring victories, which included an overtime escape against Vanderbilt. Eli Drinkwitz & Co. have a clear path to the playoff ahead, with Alabama lurking as the only top-15 team remaining on the schedule, but a loss Saturday could hurt the program come selection day.
Expectations in College Station are always sky high and so far, Elko has kept them afloat. Down starting quarterback Conner Weigman and after a loss in the opener to Notre Dame, the Aggies have settled and rattled off four straight wins, including a 2–0 start in the SEC. Like Missouri, Texas A&M’s second-half schedule has plenty of winnable games, meaning a victory at Kyle Field this weekend takes the Aggies a step closer to the fringe of the playoff discussion.
Player/Matchup to Watch: Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed vs. Missouri’s defense
Reed has been serviceable since coming in for Weigman in Week 2. Against Arkansas, he did start to show cracks, completing just 50% of his 22 throws and taking three sacks. He still accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), but Missouri’s defense is a step up from the competition of Florida, Bowling Green and Arkansas. The Tigers are eighth nationally in points allowed (12.4) and third in yards allowed (219) per game, making the pressure dial up a notch for Reed in his second-ever SEC road start.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as College Football Watchability Rankings: Missouri, Ohio State Take on Major Tests.
