by Bill Connelly, Brian Fremeau, and Robert Weintraub

Week 6 of the college football season provides some interesting challenges and opportunities. Nebraska and Alabama, which have stout defenses but have shown vulnerability to the run, must go on the road to face hostile crowds and run-heavy offenses. Meanwhile, teams looking for redemption (USC, Texas A&M, Clemson, LSU) take to the road as underdogs, and Dallas pulls double duty, hosting two neutral-site matchups of former and current rivals. Join us for a look at what should be another entertaining Saturday (and Thursday) of college football.

Podcast

In this week's podcast, Bill Connelly welcomes Kyle from TheOnlyColors.com, a great Michigan State site, to talk Michigan-Michigan State. Is this game destined to be a shootout? What can Michigan State do to contain Denard Robinson?

Direct mp3 download here.

We should also give a shout out to Brian and Brett from MGoBlog.com, who were slated to participate in this week's podcast but were denied by an awful Internet connection at Connelly's house. After similar technological struggles during an attempted podcast with the good folks at ElevenWarriors.com (an Ohio State site) a few weeks ago, we have no choice but to attempt to bring them back in for a podcast the week of the Michigan-Ohio State game. Mark it on your calendars now.

Previews

No. 7 Nebraska -12 at Kansas State (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Nebraska's Big 12 farewell tour begins in the Little Apple tonight. Kansas State will be hoping for a 1998 repeat, when the Wildcats knocked off Nebraska for the first time in 30 years on their way to their first Big 12 North title. While the KSU defense is not anywhere close to that of the 1998 squad, the offense can do a reasonable impersonation thanks to the punishing running of back Daniel Thomas. He will attempt to poke holes in what has been a reasonably unsteady Nebraska rushing defense. If the Wildcats have to pass, though, it could be a long night. Meanwhile, young Huskers quarterback Taylor Martinez gets his second road test of his young career. He will have to shake off his first poor performance, in which he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in a ho-hum, 14-point Nebraska win over South Dakota State. Strength of schedule has hurt Nebraska's offensive numbers, but if they are truly as explosive as they have shown at times, the rankings will begin to improve with a solid performance tonight.

Baylor +2 vs. Texas Tech (12 p.m. ET, FSN)

In this world of instant reaction and over-analysis, one could make a decent case that Baylor is the third- or fourth-best team in the always brutal Big 12 South. The Bears' 55-7 obliteration of Kansas showed their extreme athletic potential, and they have another chance to put it on display late Saturday morning, when they make a rare trip to the Cotton Bowl to battle Texas Tech. Their short passing game and Robert "Hot Tub" Griffin III's run-pass threat will test a Tech defense that is lacking in confidence after a 52-38 loss at Iowa State last weekend. Tech fans loved Mike Leach for the most part, but they embraced the high-ceiling potential of a Tommy Tuberville era. If the Red Raiders were to start 0-3 in conference play, however, Tuberville would likely lose any benefit of the doubt that he may have brought to town. Kansas State-Nebraska might see 60 percent runs, and Baylor-Tech might see 70 percent passes. The Big 12 welcomes offenses of all shapes and sizes.

No. 1 Alabama -7 at South Carolina (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

One supposedly monster challenge has been tidily disposed of -- Alabama demolished Florida with extreme prejudice on Saturday. Next up is a trip to Columbia and a date with the feisty Gamecocks, who are still trying to figure out their loss to the other Yellowhammer State power, Auburn, two weeks back. One easy answer for Steve Spurrier was the 334 yards the Tigers churned up on the ground. Deficiency in rush defense is not the sort of weakness a team can afford when playing Alabama. Last season's game against South Carolina was Mark Ingram's coming out party -- he seized Heisman front-runner status with a 246-yard effort. Can freshman Gamecocks tailback Marcus Lattimore, who is reminiscent of Ingram in his powerful running style, emulate the master enough to spring an upset? Can physical wideout Alshon Jeffrey make plays against a young and beatable Tide secondary? Not having to pull quarterback Steven Garcia would help South Carolina's cause greatly. His fumbles led directly to the loss at Auburn, a game SC led 20-7. The Tide are ninth in the nation in turnover differential (+6), and ruthlessly punish opponents for mistakes -- just ask Florida. Williams-Brice Stadium will be rocking, hoping for the first win by their boys over an opponent ranked in the top three since 1981.

No. 11 Arkansas -7 vs. Texas A&M (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson is a case study in the different ways one can put together a given passing efficiency rating. Last year, Johnson threw for almost 3,600 yards, 30 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in compiling a 136.7 rating. This season, his rating has actually improved to 137.2, but he has become a turnover machine. He has already matched last season's eight picks, and he has struggled with fumbles as well. The Aggies' offense, as a result, is a high-risk, high-reward unit. At the moment, Arkansas matches the high reward with much lower risk. Quarterback Ryan Mallett had a forgettable fourth quarter against Alabama a couple of weeks ago, but he has otherwise been outstanding, putting together a passing efficiency rating of 173.0 and completing at least 63 percent of his passes for at least 300 yards in every game this season. The Hogs can stake their claim to being the SEC's second-best team with a strong performance at Jerry World Saturday afternoon, but they will face a unique test from the A&M defense. New coordinator Tim DeRuyter brought his 3-4 scheme to town from Air Force, and thus far the Aggies' defense has improved as much as their passing offense has regressed.

No. 17 Michigan State +4.5 at No. 18 Michigan (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

Judging by some of the comments we've received earlier in the week, are there two fan bases less confident about their undefeated teams than Michigan and Michigan State? Neither team feels as though it can stop the other, so at least this ought to be one of the more entertaining games in what is a somewhat underrated rivalry. Denard Robinson's incredible season hasn't hit a speed bump yet, but there is always a lingering anxiety about his health and durability. Michigan State can be physical defensively, holding Wisconsin's balanced attack under 300 yards in last week's Big Ten opener. But the Spartans offense was even more effective, controlling clock and converting third downs to grab and maintain a lead throughout the second half. Quarterback Kirk Cousins isn't particularly prolific in the pocket, but his 68 percent completion percentage will keep the chains moving.

Clemson +1.5 at North Carolina (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)

Two teams with eyes on an ACC championship and BCS bowl contention to start the season are facing an 0-1 start to the conference season. Neither believed it would have three losses through Week 6 and an 0-2 conference start, but that's what the loser will face. Clemson was burned by the Hurricanes at home last week on the heels of an overtime loss to Auburn in September. Quarterback Kyle Parker was supposed to be a bright spot, but two excellent defenses have him licking his wounds. North Carolina has been mired in agent-gate controversy for weeks, but at least things are heading in the right direction on the field. The Tarheels whipped East Carolina on the strength of a stellar one-two punch out of the backfield. Johnny White and Shaun Draughn each ran for more than 130 yards a week ago. The Clemson defense has been victimized on the ground lately.

Oregon State +8.5 at No. 9 Arizona (Saturday, 6:00 p.m. ET, Versus)

We've been trumpeting Oregon's accomplishments so much lately, it's easy to forget about the other undefeated Pac-10 team, the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona put up big numbers on weak opponents to start the year, then got past Iowa and California mostly on the strength of its defense. The Wildcats defense is surrendering the third-fewest points per possession in college football to date and have given up only three touchdowns on the season, and just one in the first half. Oregon State has been effective at times, but is in the toughest phase of the schedule -- road games against Boise State, TCU, Arizona, Stanford, plus a home game against Oregon in December. Running back Jacquizz Rodgers hasn't been able to get much of anything going against the strong defenses the Beavers have faced. Quarterback Ryan Katz has been inconsistent, but he hasn't thrown an interception yet this season.

No. 12 LSU +7 at No. 14 Florida (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

One week after the Master of the Endgame, Les Miles, found a creative method to out-stupid Tennessee, the Bayou Bengals make a trip to the Swamp to play an angry Florida team that was on the receiving end of a rare beatdown in Tuscaloosa. More worrying for LSU fans is the continued ineptitude of quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who was bad enough against Tennessee to be lifted in favor of Jarrett "Pick Six" Lee. It's been more than a month since Jefferson last threw a touchdown pass or surpassed 100 yards through the air. Jefferson's run threat (he did have an 83-yard touchdown run Saturday) and Lee's inconsistency means the two will split time against Florida, who will come at LSU with a dual quarterback threat of its own. John Brantley isn't quite at Jefferson's level of incompetence, but he has struggled to stamp his dropback style on Urban Meyer's spread attack. He bruised his ribs on a fourth-quarter run last weekend, and despite the identity crisis in Gainesville, needs to be healthy for Florida to reach the SEC title game and a hoped-for rematch with Alabama. Freshman burner Trey Burton has only thrown two passes all season, one of which was intercepted in the end zone by Alabama. LSU's ability to tackle either Brantley or Burton took a hit on Saturday. Disruptive defensive end Sam Montgomery tore ligaments in his knee against the Vols, and is done for the year.

USC +8.5 at No. 16 Stanford (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Stanford staged an epic upset in 2007. The end of the 2008 game, a USC blowout, featured timeouts and a late Stanford touchdown for spite. The Cardinal crushed the Trojans in 2009 and went for two late in the fourth quarter, prompting an perplexed "What's your deal? What's your deal?" post-game exchange between Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh. When Carroll suddenly bolted for the NFL last winter, the must-see future of this burgeoning rivalry was cast in doubt. Thankfully, USC hired the most reviled coach in college football, Lane Kiffin, who might be able to up the ante on this hate-fest. Unfortunately for USC, that's probably their only edge in the game. Despite Stanford's setback against Oregon last week, the Cardinal remain one of the most productive and efficient offenses and defenses in the nation. The Trojans last-minute loss to Washington seemed somewhat inevitable after USC merely sneaked past weak opponents over the first few weeks. The once-vaunted Trojans defense has had trouble this year shutting down offenses, and Stanford's second-ranked S&P+ offense will be thrilled to take advantage.

No. 23 Florida State +6.5 at No. 13 Miami (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Reports of Jacory Harris' torn labrum appear to have been greatly exaggerated -- a source no less reliable than his own father says the Miami quarterback is healthy and ready to play against ACC and in-state rival Florida State. Miami has won eight of the last 11 in the series, and another win would go a long way toward officially putting the early loss at Ohio State in the backseat. Perhaps standing in the way of a win over FSU is Harris' 10-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio. As we say before every big game Miami plays, he simply has to avoid mistakes. Last Saturday, Miami harassed Clemson into making more mistakes than they did, but that cannot be a weekly recipe for victory. Jimbo Fisher has rallied his team's defense since the unit's epic pratfall at Oklahoma in Week 2. The 'Noles lead the nation in sacks (five per game), are second in tackles for loss (9.4 per game), and fourth in the nation defending the run (74.8 YPG). Corner Greg Reid was scorched by the Sooners but has played well since. He faces his biggest test to date in Miami's Leonard Hankerson, a burgeoning elite receiver who had three touchdown catches a week ago at Clemson. Might this be the first of two clashes between Ehhhfff--Esssss-Youuuuuu and The U this season? The two teams were thought to be meeting annually in the ACC title game, but the all-Sunshine State matchup has yet to materialize.

Picks

Can you call it a surge if the F/+ picks managed to sneak ahead of Rob and back to the .500 mark for the season? If so, then the F/+ surged ahead with a lovely Week 5, and they look to build momentum with another interesting slate of games. If Nebraska and Alabama truly to have concerns in run defense, they will be severely tested this weekend before an evening slate of games featuring solid home favorites. Meanwhile, seven of this week's 10 games have spreads within 3.5 points of the results projected by F/+, meaning another winning record this week will be difficult.

Posted by: Bill Connelly on 07 Oct 2010

20 comments, Last at 09 Oct 2010, 7:03pm by Flounder