2023 College Football Watch Guide: Week 6

Don’t look now but we’re at the halfway point of the college football season. At this point we begin pondering the meaning of the season, the mistakes we made in our early games that made our teams what they are now. Teams we grew up with in the same conference start drifting away to others, while leagues we thought would last forever pass on. Maybe we start trying different uniform combinations each game, get a slick new logo to seem cool again, or get a younger coach.

Heavy-handed metaphors aside it sucks that we’re already at week 6. The college football season is never long enough and seems over in the blink of an eye. The silver lining to entering the back nine of the season is that games start spreading out into other days of the week. Last night two games graced our televisions and starting next week we’ll see the glorious return of Tuesday night college football. That will last us through the end of November, so while the days are getting shorter there will be no shortage of games to see us through the longer nights.

God bless Wednesday night football.

Two power five games highlight the late weeknight table with Kansas State @ Oklahoma State and Nebraska @ Illinois. Kansas State is itching to get back into the national conversation after their last second field goal loss to Mizzou in week 3. Meanwhile, Illinois has to be disappointed with the way their season has shaken out so far. Some pegged them as a B1G West division contender but their defense is not up to the standard they set last year. Enjoy the Wildcats and Cowboys for entertainment purposes and hate watch the Huskers and Fighting Illini.

#12 Oklahoma @ #3 Texas - 11:00 AM - ABC

There may not be an easier game to put in the watch guide this year than the Red River Rivalry. Texas has passed every test they’ve faced with flying colors while the Sooners are averaging 47.4 points per game. Both teams are undefeated. But as they say with rivalries, throw all that out, and there are few rivalries in the sport as high profile as this.

Maryland @ #4 Ohio State - 11:00 AM - FOX

It’s a tough act to follow OU and Texas, but this Big Ten tilt has it’s own allure. The Terps are 5-0 and have been impressive thus far. But we’ve seen Maryland teams do this time and again, go undefeated early in the year only to crater when they hit the conference slate. But Ohio State doesn’t quite look like the same team we’ve seen in the past years. They’re gettable, and this is perhaps the Terps best chance to finally get them. Expect Ryan Day to call me out in his postgame interview should the Buckeyes win.

#23 LSU @ #21 Missouri - 11:00 AM - ESPN

How far can Mizzou go? How deflated will LSU be after absolutely blowing it against Ole Miss? I have nothing against LSU (apart from Brian Kelly), they’re probably one of my favorite SEC teams. I think they get their act together and hand the non-bayou bengals their first loss of the year.

Purdue @ Iowa - 2:30 PM - Peacock

Does it suck that we have to subscribe to a streaming service to watch games now? Yeah, kinda. But we’re Iowa fans, so we’re inured to having to put up with things that don’t make sense and are harder than they should be. Just watch Deacon Hill go 28 of 35 for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns and hardly anybody outside the state of Iowa will have seen it happen.

#13 Washington State @ UCLA - 2:00 PM - Pac-12 Network

Okay, so all of that stuff I just said about nobody outside of Iowa watching their game because it’s on Peacock? Well multiply that by 100 and that’s what you’re getting with the Pac-12 Network. There are a handful of apartment complexes in Pullman and a string of Marriotts in LA that will get this game but at least it should be a fun one.

Honorable Mention: #11 Alabama @ Texas A&M

#20 Kentucky @ #1 Georgia - 6:00 PM - ESPN

Poor Auburn was so close to getting Georgia last weekend. It helps that the Dawgs have an ubermensch tight end in Brock Bowers. He’ll be a problem for every team they face but the Tigers may have shown that Georgia can be beat. Kentucky is better than Auburn, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Bulldogs learn from their near death experience.

Arizona @ #9 USC - 9:30 PM - ESPN

USC is sitting at the top of the stats books with the #1 scoring offense. The trouble with the Trojans is they’re 98th in total defense. In true Pac-12 fashion USC is going to have to win shootouts and it may only be a matter of time before it bites them. Arizona is middle of the road in total offense but 50th in defense. This could be fertile ground for some Pac-12 After Dark madness.

Honorable Mention: #10 Notre Dame @ #25 Louisville, #2 Michigan @ Minnesota, Texas Tech @ Baylor