The calendar has turned to October. And while the temperature is cooling down, the temperature is going up in the college football season. Those increased stakes create more pressure for teams and increase the likelihood for upsets and surprising performances.
The hard part is sorting out when and where they're going to come from. The schedule for Week 6 offers plenty of opportunities with seven games matching ranked opponents and several other intriguing matchups.
The USA TODAY Sports college football staff – Scooby Axson, Jace Evans, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Dan Wolken – weigh in with their bold predictions for this weekend.
WHAT TO WATCH:The seven biggest Week 6 games on tap
WEEKEND FORECAST:Picks for every Top 25 game in Week 6
This year, the Red River Rivalry means something as both Texas and Oklahoma are undefeated coming into the game. While bragging rights are on the line, especially after last season’s 49-0 shellacking by the Longhorns, this game is just the appetizer. No matter who wins Saturday, look for these same teams to meet up again in eight weeks for the Big 12 title game, which could potentially have College Football Playoff implications. But as far as Saturday is concerned, Round 1 will go to Texas. — Scooby Axson
Georgia has the No. 1 ranking but hasn’t really looked like the best team in the country. Now the Bulldogs face their hardest test of the season with No. 20 Kentucky coming to Sanford Stadium. Recipe for an upset? Hardly. As impressive as Ray Davis’ performance against Florida was, that type of one-dimensional attack just won’t work against the Bulldogs. Kentucky hasn’t won this matchup since 2009 and has mustered little offense at all in the series since 2019, Georgia winning by margins of 16-6, 30-13, 14-3 and 21-0. Look for more of the same as UGA shuts down – maybe even shuts out? – the Wildcats and solidifies its claim as the nation’s best team. — Jace Evans
Arizona puts up big numbers against Southern California’s flimsy defense and scores the upset to send the Trojans reeling with Notre Dame, Oregon and Washington still to come on the schedule. Anyone who watched USC almost give away a 27-point lead against Colorado knows two things about this team: They can score on anyone but probably can’t stop anyone. The Wildcats are a feisty bunch under Jedd Fisch and really made Washington work for last week’s win after going down 14-0 after the first quarter. — Paul Myerberg
Picking an easy win by the Crimson Tide wouldn't be much of a bold prediction in most weeks. This isn't most weeks. Nick Saban's team is favored by one point for its road clash with the Aggies, making this matchup essentially a toss-up. However, things are very different for Alabama since its loss to Texas and struggles at South Florida. Jalen Milroe has taken control of the offense and the defense is improved. They will keep their momentum going against A&M, which was blown away by Miami and only has conference wins against Auburn and Arkansas. Look for a fast start by the Tide, and they'll keep rolling the rest of the way to a comfortable victory that shouldn't surprise anyone. — Erick Smith
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman would undoubtedly like to forget his last visit to Louisville. It’s a pretty good bet, however, that there will be plenty of Cardinals’ fans in attendance Saturday who will be happy to remind him what took place just about a year ago when Hartman was playing for Wake Forest.
In a third quarter that can only be described as nightmarish, the Demon Deacons committed six turnovers and watched a 14-13 halftime lead dissolve into a 48-14 deficit. Hartman was directly responsible for four of the giveaways, losing a fumble and throwing three interceptions, two of which were brought back for touchdowns.
This game might not have been on the radar of most Notre Dame players at the outset of the season, but it was almost definitely on Hartman’s, and the Cardinals’ 5-0 start likely got the attention of his teammates as well. Look for him to exorcise his Louisville demons as the Fighting Irish continue their recent run of success against the ACC. — Eddie Timanus
Maryland’s games against Ohio State are either super close or extreme blowouts. The Terps lost by 13 last season but it was just a 3-point game with about 6 minutes left when Maryland had the ball near midfield. In 2018, Maryland nearly pulled an upset and lost 52-51. But in the couple years between, the Buckeyes could have named their score. So which way is it going to go this time? Maryland is good and has one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Taulia Tagovailoa. Ohio State may be a little bit out of rhythm after the emotional win over Notre Dame and an open date. The bold prediction here is Maryland jumps out to a two-score lead only to lose in overtime, once again putting a huge scare into the heavily favored Buckeyes. — Dan Wolken
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