College Football Preview – Week 6

College Football Preview – Week 6

It’s hard to believe we’re already at Week 6 of the College Football season. The first 5 weeks have brought us plenty of memorable comebacks, controversies and sideline blow-ups. Some big matchups on the cards this week include a showdown between Texas and Oklahoma, Florida hosting LSU and Utah travelling to #14 ranked Stanford. Whilst these marquee matches attract all the headlines, it’s often the smaller games that offer the best value on the card each week. Let’s take a look at what I believe to be the top 7 bets in this Week 6 College Football preview.

BYU vs Utah State (Saturday 11am)
Utah at the Line (+3)

Utah State Utes 

The Utes enter this one at 2-2 after a narrow loss to Washington state last week. Dual-threat QB Tyler Huntley struggled through the air, only throwing for 118 yards. That said, he combined nicely with RB Zack Moss en route to a 200 yard and 3 touchdown rushing day. Against a strong BYU defence, they’ll need a more balanced attack this week. Whilst the Utes rushing defence was strong last week, they struggled somewhat against Gardner Minshew and the Washington State passing offense. Giving up 445 yards and three touchdowns simply won’t cut it this week. That said, I expect a unit led by Chase Hansen, Tareke Lewis and Bradlee Anae to bounce back strongly at BYU.  

BYU Cougars 

The Cougars will look to rebound here after being comprehensively beaten down by a strong Washington team last week. The lack of a deep threat really hurt BYU last week, with QB Tanner Mangum opting to really play thing safe. This made it difficult for the running game to get going and led to an embarrassing stat line of 28 carries for just 34 yards. Defensively, the Cougars were carved apart by a very balanced Washington offense. They allowed over 11 yards per attempt to QB Jake Browning and allowed 4 touchdowns on the ground. Against a strong Utah State rushing offense, this matchup could be the deciding factor in this game. 

Prediction: Utah State +3 

Based on the early season form, I believe there is some strong value on Utah State here. I expect their versatile rushing attack to punish a vulnerable BYU defence. Similarly, I’m predicting an improved performance from the Utah State pass defence against an anaemic BYU passing game. I’ll gladly take the 3 points with this very live underdog. 

Western Michigan vs Eastern Michigan (Sunday 3am)
Western Michigan at the Line (-4)

Western Michigan Broncos 

Western Michigan head into this local derby off of three straight victories. QB Jon Wassink put the team on his back last week, throwing for 5 touchdowns and rushing for the game winner against Miami Ohio. Receivers D’Wayne Eskridge and Jayden Reed both had 100-yard days, with Reed hauling in an impressive 4 touchdowns of his own. It will take a very strong defence to hold off this firing Western Michigan passing offense. Defensively, the Broncos simply have to be better this week. Whilst their rushing defence was effective, Miami QB Gus Ragland had whatever he wanted against their secondary. Led by Alex Grace, Drake Spears and Anton Curtis, I believe this defence matches up well with their Eastern Michigan counterparts. 

Eastern Michigan Eagles 

The Eagles visit their Michigan rivals fresh off of back-to-back heartbreaking overtime losses. A main reason for their loss last week was the poor performance of QB Tyler Wiegers. He only managed 180 yards on 40 attempts and simply couldn’t stretch the Northern Illinois defence. This made things difficult for a rushing attack led by Shaq Vann. The Eagles pass defence did a great job in this one, limiting Northern Illinois to a paltry 3.5 yards per attempt. However, it was the rushing defence that struggled, allowing 235 yards and 2 touchdowns on the afternoon. Up against a strong Western Michigan passing offense, the Eagles secondary will need to show up big time on the road this week. 

Prediction: Western Michigan -4 

There are three things that make me very confident in certain matchups; home field, the better QB and a more talented team. I believe that Western Michigan have all 3 here and expect a big outing from Jon Wassink on offense. The Broncos take this one comfortably.

NC State vs Boston College (Sunday 3:30am)
NC State at the Line (-4)

NC State Wolfpack 

The 4-0 Wolfpack enter this one off of a comfortable home win over Virginia. QB Ryan Finley looked solid and threw for 257 yards and 3 touchdowns on the afternoon. Ricky Person continued his strong start to the season, rushing for over 100 yards on just 14 carries. Defensively, the Wolfpack managed to effectively eliminate the threat of a strong Virginia rushing game. Defensive Tackle Larell Murchison also capped off a strong team performance with 3 sacks of his own. With a balanced and competitive roster, the Wolfpack will be difficult to beat at home. 

Boston College Eagles 

Boston College enter Week 6 off of an impressive home win over Temple. Despite the struggles of QB Anthony Brown, the team comfortably put up 45 points. AJ Dillon and Ben Glines put in a masterful performance on the ground, combining for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns. On defence, the Eagles did a great job limiting the Temple passing game. QB Anthony Russo could only manage 5.7 yards per attempt and 2 interceptions on the day. However, they did allow Temple Running Back Ryquell Armstead to go for an astounding 171 yards and 4 touchdowns. Against a strong NC State running game, that simply won’t cut it this week. 

Prediction: NC State -4 

Buoyed by a raucous home crowd, I expect the Wolfpack to make life difficult for Anthony Brown and Co. I predict a solid performance from Ryan Finley and Ricky Person on offense in a cruisy home win for NC State. 

Ball State vs Northern Illinois (Sunday 6am)
Ball State at the Line (+3)

Ball State Cardinals 

After 3 straight losses, Ball State got back to winning ways last week with a comfortable 52-24 home win over Kent. QB Riley Neil led the way with 402 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. Not done there, he added a further 61 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Riley Miller led the way for the team of receivers, with 208 yards and a touchdown of his own. Defensively, the Cardinals were solid yet unspectacular. They got ahead early and employed an effective bend but don’t break strategy. Jaylin Thomas was a standout performer, enjoying 2 highlight sacks and an interception 

Northern Illinois Huskies 

The Huskies head into Week 6 off of a nail-biting overtime win over Eastern Michigan. This was in spite of QB Marcus Childers, who threw for just 120 yards and 2 interceptions. RB Tre Harbison did a strong job leading the way, with 136 rushing yards and a touchdown on the afternoon. It was definitely defensively where the Huskies won this game. They allowed just 4.4 yards per pass and 1.9 yards per rush in a road conference game. Antonio Jones-Davis led the way with 13 total tackles and 2 sacks in a truly dominant display. 

Prediction: Ball State +3 

I expect Ball State to build off of their strong performance last week with a home victory here. Their strong defence will prove much for Childers and the Huskies offense, whilst Riley Neil puts up the points offensively. Ball state +3 and outright in this one. 

Miami (Florida) vs Florida State (Sunday 6:30am)
Miami at the Line (-13)

Miami Hurricanes 

Miami head into this one off 4 straight wins, including a dominant 47-10 victory over North Carolina last week. QB N’Kosi Perry wasn’t asked to do much offensively and only threw 12 passes for the games. The rushing duo of DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer proved more than enough to carry the Hurricanes home. Defensively, the Canes delivered a typically excellent performance. They allowed only 114 yards through the air and managed 3 picks in the process. Shaquille Quarterman enjoyed 2 sacks, whilst Romeo Finley and Joe Jackson both managed pick-6’s.  

Florida State Seminoles 

The Seminoles enter this fixture 3-2 after a strong road win over conference rival Louisville. QB Deondre Francois led the way with an impressive 294 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air. He’ll need to be at his best this week against an outstanding Canes defence. The Seminoles defence delivered a balanced enough display that proved just enough to hold on last week. A.J Westbrook led the way with 10 total tackles, whilst Brian Burns chipped in with 1.5 sacks. 

Prediction: Miami (Florida) -13 

For me, Miami are comfortably the better team here. They have an immensely talented defence to complement their versatile rushing attack. I expect the talent advantage to prove too much here. 

Baylor vs Kansas State (Sunday 6:30am)
Baylor at the Line (-4.5)

Baylor Bears 

Baylor return home to face Kansas State after a crushing 66-33 defeat to Oklahoma last week. QB Charlie Brewer still performed admirably, notching up 400 yards and 2 touchdowns. Denzel Mims continues to be the go-to guy in the passing game, with 114 yards and a score of his own. It was really defensively where the Bears lost this game. They allowed Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray to throw for 432 yards and 6 touchdowns on a mere 21 attempts. Similarly, RB Kennedy Brooks averaged 13.4 yards per carry and chimed in with 2 touchdowns. 

Kansas State Wildcats 

The Wildcats enter this one 2-3 after an unfortunate home loss to Texas last week. QB’s Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton both struggled, combining for only 110 yards and averaging just 4.4 per attempt. They’ll need to lean on RB Alex Barnes to establish a good rhythm this week. Defensively, Kansas State was solid. They restricted Texas to just 5.8 yards per attempt and manned the red zone well. Against a high-performing Baylor offense this will have to keep up in Week 6. 

Prediction: Baylor -4.5 

Baylor are simply the better team and have a strong home field advantage here. I expect their passing offense to win the matchup against the Wildcats defence, whilst K-State continue struggling to put up points. Baylor by at least a touchdown here. 

Texas A&M vs Kentucky (Sunday 10am)
Kentucky at the Line (+6)

Kentucky Wildcats 

Kentucky enters this matchup 5-0 after an impressive home victory over South Carolina last week. RB Benny Snell led the way on the ground with 99 yards and a score in a game where QB Terry Wilson struggled. It was a stout display from the Wildcats defence that ultimately brought this one home. They restricted South Carolina to just 193 passing yards and picked off 3 passes in the process. Linebacker Josh Allen was the star of the show, managing 8 tackles and 3 sacks as he wreaked havoc all afternoon. 

Texas A&M Aggies 

The Aggies enter this one off of a relatively comfortable home win over Arkansas. RB Trayveon Williams led the way, with 152 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. QB Kellen Mond wasn’t at his best, but this didn’t matter due to the strong defensive performance. The ferocious front seven managed 5 sacks on the afternoon and left Arkansas QB Ty Storey reeling. Similarly, they limited a typically strong running game to just 2.1 yards per carry. 

Prediction: Kentucky +6 

In what I expect to be a tough defensive battle, 6 points represents good value for the Wildcats here. Their stout defence can cause A&M problems as star RB Benny Snell keeps them in this offensively.