College Football Picks: Week 6 Predictions for Every Game
There were nine losses by AP Top 25 teams in Week 5 as the Tilt-A-Whirl known as the 2021 college football season kicked into an even higher gear for the start of October.
We were guaranteed at least four losses because of that many meetings between ranked teams, but No. 3 Oregon, No. 10 Florida, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 18 Fresno State and No. 20 UCLA all lost to unranked foes.
At this point, the question isn't: "Will there be upsets?"
Rather, it's: "How many upsets will there be?"
My official position for this week is that only two of the 14 games pitting a ranked team against an unranked opponent will result in an upset, though I do anticipate a few others being way too close for comfort for the favorites.
As far as this week's four head-to-head battles within the AP Top 25 are concerned, you'll just have to read on to see why I like Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas to hold serve as the higher-ranked teams.
Accountability Time: After a terrible 10-21 showing against the spread in Week 4, we rallied with a 16-11 record this past week, including correctly projecting the outright upsets by Arizona State, Michigan and Mississippi State. (Definitely did not see that Hawai'i over Fresno State upset coming, though.) That's three winning weeks out of the last four, although the losing week was so bad that my overall record for the year is now 55-56-1.
But here's hoping you're enjoying the analysis/commentary more than you'd enjoy watching a coin flip 112 times.
Predictions for each Week 6 game are broken into three sections: Top 25 teams, best games between unranked teams and the rest of the slate. Unless otherwise noted, games are assumed to take place on Saturday.
AP Nos. 25-21
No. 25 San Diego State (4-0) vs. New Mexico (2-3), 9 p.m. ET
Fresh off a 28-point loss to Air Force in which it allowed more than 400 yards of rushing, New Mexico now has the near-impossible task of trying to shut down a San Diego State offense that has rushed for at least 200 yards and multiple scores in each game this season.
The Lobos have also averaged just 212 yards of total offense and 7.7 points during their current three-game losing streak, so this one should be over by halftime.
They won't all be this easy for SDSU, but its first Mountain West Conference win of the season will be a blowout.
Prediction: San Diego State 41, New Mexico 13
No. 24 SMU (5-0) at Navy (1-3), 3:30 p.m. ET
Since joining the AAC, SMU has had quite a bit of documented trouble with Navy's triple-option offense. The Midshipmen have averaged 45.8 points against the Mustangs, and they enter this contest right after a 34-30 win over UCF in which they rushed for 348 yards and three touchdowns.
Early returns suggest that SMU's run defense is markedly better than in recent years, though, and goodness knows this Mustangs offense can score at least four touchdowns against anyone. I suspect quarterback Tanner Mordecai and Co. will have enough firepower to get this W. But it's going to come right down to the wire.
Prediction: SMU 31, Navy 28
No. 23 North Carolina State (4-1) idle
The Wolfpack improved to 4-1 with a closer-than-most-expected 34-27 home win over Louisiana Tech. They'll have this week off to prepare for back-to-back road games against Boston College and Miami.
No. 22 Arizona State (4-1) vs. Stanford (3-2), 10:30 p.m. ET (Friday)
At long last, we've reached the #Pac12AfterDark on a Friday night portion of the regular season, and what a fantastic game to get that party started.
Arizona State is back in the AP Top 25 after a 42-23 road win over then-No. 20 UCLA, and Stanford certainly shook up the rankings with its 31-24 victory over then-No. 3 Oregon.
But the combination of Arizona State's above-average secondary and Stanford's considerably-below-average run defense should keep another upset from happening.
The Sun Devils are averaging better than 200 rushing yards per game, and they are going to run all over a Cardinal defense allowing more than 200 rushing yards per game. And though Tanner McKee has 10 touchdowns against zero interceptions since becoming Stanford's starting quarterback, this will be the toughest defense he has faced by a wide margin.
However, the first Friday night Pac-12 game of the season tends to be a wild one, so we'll see what actually happens.
Prediction: Arizona State 35, Stanford 17
No. 21 Texas (4-1) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0), Noon ET (in Dallas)
See No. 6 Oklahoma for prediction.
AP Nos. 20-16
No. 20 Florida (3-2) vs. Vanderbilt (2-3), Noon ET
In case needing a last-second field goal to win a home game against Connecticut wasn't enough proof of how bad things have gotten for Vanderbilt, the Commodores are underdogs by more than five touchdowns against a Florida team that scored 13 points this past weekend and that has yet to win a game by more than 24 points.
And you know what? It's a fair line, because Vanderbilt's defense is just plain awful.
Florida has won 29 of the last 30 games in this series, including a 56-0 victory two years ago. And it should be fun when the Gators bring in human highlight reel Anthony Richardson as the backup quarterback for garbage time.
Prediction: Florida 52, Vanderbilt 10
No. 19 Wake Forest (5-0) at Syracuse (3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET
In four games against FBS opponents, Syracuse has thrown for a total of 510 yards and one touchdown. Thus, Wake Forest's entire defensive game plan in this one should be containing mobile quarterback Garrett Shrader and star running back Sean Tucker.
As Liberty and Florida State have discovered in the past two weeks, that's not easy. That duo has rushed for a combined 461 yards and six touchdowns over the last two games, resulting in a win over the Flames and a last-second loss to the Seminoles.
Even if each guy rushes for 100 yards and a score, though, a Wake Forest offense that has scored at least 35 points in each game this season should be able to take care of the rest. The Demon Deacons just need to make sure they don't let Shrader and Tucker run wild.
Prediction: Wake Forest 38, Syracuse 23
No. 18 Auburn (4-1) vs. No. 2 Georgia (5-0), 3:30 p.m. ET
See No. 2 Georgia for prediction.
No. 17 Ole Miss (3-1) vs. No. 13 Arkansas (4-1), Noon ET
See No. 13 Arkansas for prediction.
No. 16 Kentucky (5-0) vs. LSU (3-2), 7:30 p.m. ET
LSU can't run the ball. Like, at all. In three games against Power Five opponents, the Tigers have tallied 77 carries for 145 yards with no touchdowns. That's worse than two yards per carry. However, they keep trying for some reason, averaging more than 27 rushing attempts per game. And if they continue trying to run through a brick wall this coming weekend against Kentucky's defense, they're only going to hurt themselves.
The saving grace for LSU is that Kentucky doesn't have a ball-hawking defense (three turnovers forced through five games) and the Wildcats haven't been particularly potent on offense as of late either. Take a page from Missouri's playbook, dial up (at least) 52 passes and hope Max Johnson has a similar 4-1 TD-to-INT ratio. That might be enough for the Bayou Bengals to eke out the road upset.
But that's a best-case scenario in which a nothing-special run defense manages to hold Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Co. below 200 rushing yards, which I don't see happening. And after the Tigers fall to 3-3 with a loss to Kentucky, head coach Ed Orgeron's hot-seat meter is going to get cranked up from "mildly toasty" to "raging inferno."
Prediction: Kentucky 28, LSU 21
AP Nos. 15-11
No. 15 Coastal Carolina (5-0) at Arkansas State (1-4), 7:30 p.m. ET (Thursday)
Arkansas State's defense is abysmal. The Red Wolves have allowed 207 points in their last four games, and not one of those offenses was as potent as Coastal Carolina's. The Chanticleers won this game 52-23 last year, and 52 feels like too conservative of an estimate for what they are liable to do in this one, considering they have already scored at least 49 points in four of five games this season.
Even if the Chants decide to be nice and focus primarily on running the ball (and the clock), you're still talking about an offense that averages 6.4 yards per carry against a defense that just allowed 503 rushing yards in a 59-33 loss to Georgia Southern.
Truly, it wouldn't be a surprise if Coastal Carolina scores on every possession.
Prediction: Coastal Carolina 59, Arkansas State 21
No. 14 Notre Dame (4-1) at Virginia Tech (3-1), 7:30 p.m. ET
Without fail, there's one game every week in these predictions that I just stare at for 10-15 minutes before accepting that I have no clue what to expect.
This prime-time clash in Blacksburg fits the bill for Week 6.
Neither Notre Dame nor Virginia Tech has looked particularly good on offense yet this season, save for the first three quarters of Notre Dame's opener against Florida State in which Jack Coan looked like a Heisman Trophy contender. The Fighting Irish can't run the ball, and the Hokies needed a punt-return touchdown just to reach 21 points in their most recent game against Richmond.
And aside from Notre Dame picking off basically everything in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin, neither defense has been all that special, with each allowing more yards per play on defense than it has gained on offense.
Making matters even more fun, meteorologists are calling for rain across Virginia pretty much all week, so this could be quite the slop fest. But if that's the case, advantage Virginia Tech, which has the more mobile of the two quarterbacks.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, Notre Dame 24
No. 13 Arkansas (4-1) at No. 17 Ole Miss (3-1), Noon ET
Arkansas lost 37-0 to Georgia. Ole Miss trailed Alabama 35-0 before making the final score (42-21) a little bit more respectable. Both SEC West contenders are in desperate need of a bounce-back game if they want to remain in the hunt for a division crown.
And I like the Razorbacks to pull off the road upset. (Arkansas is ranked higher, but Ole Miss is the favorite, so yes, it'd be an upset.)
The normally high-octane offense of Ole Miss was flummoxed by Alabama. The Rebels only had one gain of 20 or more yards, and that 42-yard pass to Chase Rogers didn't come until the fourth quarter when the game was effectively over. And this Arkansas defense has been every bit as stingy as Alabama's thus far this year.
In fact, the Hogs' last four opponents have been held without a single passing touchdown and limited to 105.5 passing yards on average. (Granted, Georgia had to start its backup QB and didn't need to throw much, but stats are stats.)
Ole Miss will likely have more success running the ball in Week 6 than it did in Week 5, and I'm not suggesting that Matt Corral is going to get shut out. The Rebels will score a few times.
I just don't think it will be enough to make up for the difficulty Ole Miss is likely to have with an Arkansas rushing attack that has been potent against teams not named Georgia. The Hogs will dominate the time-of-possession battle and escape with a narrow victory.
Prediction: Arkansas 30, Ole Miss 27
No. 12 Oklahoma State (5-0) idle
Oklahoma State is still figuring things out on offense, averaging a modest (certainly by head coach Mike Gundy's standards) 25.4 points per game. However, the Cowboys have been rock-solid on defense, limiting opponents to 304.0 total yards per game. That has enabled them to win back-to-back contests against ranked opponents (Kansas State and Baylor). After this week off, though, they'll be seriously put to the test in road games against Texas and Iowa State.
No. 11 Michigan State (5-0) at Rutgers (3-2), Noon ET
If Rutgers had shown frankly any signs of life this past weekend against Ohio State, I'd be all about picking this upset. The Scarlet Knights started out 3-0, played well in a loss at Michigan and now they get to host a Michigan State team that, despite a 5-0 record, has left much to be desired on defense.
Instead, OSU-Rutgers looked an awful lot like the "very good team against very bad team" matchup we've grown accustomed to watching in recent years. It was 24-0 in a heartbeat, 45-6 by halftime and 52-6 early in the third when Buckeyes coach Ryan Day decided to fill the field with backups.
Not only was Rutgers held to 17 points or fewer for a third consecutive game against an FBS opponent, but a defense that had held its first four opponents below 280 total yards was torn to pieces. Maybe the Knights will boot and rally to knock off Michigan State for a second consecutive year, but I can't pick it.
Prediction: Michigan State 31, Rutgers 20
AP Nos. 10-6
No. 10 BYU (5-0) vs. Boise State (2-3), 3:30 p.m. ET
Last November, BYU destroyed Boise State. It was 45-3 in the fourth quarter before the Broncos padded their stats a bit with a couple of long touchdown passes, but it was a beatdown in Idaho against a ranked Boise State team.
Now that BYU is the home team and Boise State has a sub-.500 record, the only possible justification for this game having a spread that's less than two touchdowns is that BYU has gotten into the habit of playing up or down to its competition's level.
All five of BYU's wins have come by a margin of 8-14 points. That includes impressive victories over Arizona State and Utah, as well as considerably less impressive wins over Arizona and South Florida. And though Boise State can't run worth a darn and has already had a couple of major duds on defense this year, Hank Bachmeier is a good enough quarterback to at least make things interesting if BYU lets the Broncos hang around.
Prediction: BYU 31, Boise State 27
No. 9 Michigan (5-0) at Nebraska (3-3), 7:30 p.m. ET
It might be time to embrace the possibility that Nebraska is the second-best team in the Big Ten West.
That seemed impossible after their Week 0 meltdown in the loss to Illinois, but the Cornhuskers gave both Oklahoma and Michigan State a serious run for their money on the road and won their other three games (Fordham, Buffalo and Northwestern) by a combined score of 136-17.
Of particular note in advance of this showdown with Michigan, Nebraska has allowed just three rushing touchdowns all season and has limited its two most recent Big Ten foes to 56 carries for 108 yards. Meanwhile, Michigan's once-dominant rushing attack has tapered off considerably as of late, held below 3.0 yards per carry by both Rutgers and Wisconsin.
If that mutual recent trend continues, there could be a major upset brewing in Lincoln.
Michigan has held all five of its opponents to 17 points or fewer, but we're also talking about five offenses that rank outside of the top 60 in the country in total yards per game. With Adrian Martinez playing as well as he has been over the past five weeks, this is going to be the stiffest resistance Michigan's defense has faced thus far.
Head coach Scott Frost will finally get a big W with the Huskers.
Prediction: Nebraska 28, Michigan 23
No. 8 Oregon (4-1) idle
After losing to an unranked Stanford team that didn't even jump into the AP Top 25 as a result of the upset, Oregon didn't fall as far as expected (from No. 3 to No. 8). And that means the Ducks still have a College Football Playoff pulse if they can get healthy and rally from poor showings over the past two weeks. They'll be back next Friday for a home game against 1-4 California, which should be an easy victory.
No. 7 Ohio State (4-1) vs. Maryland (4-1), Noon ET
Maryland's 4-0 start to the season blew up in spectacular fashion at home against Iowa in a game in which the Terrapins committed seven turnovers.
Up next for the Terps? Merely a road game against the team leading the nation in total offense.
Not only has Ohio State's offense been relentless, but the Buckeyes have also turned a corner on defense as of late, albeit against Akron and Rutgers. They have seven interceptions in their last three games, and Taulia Tagovailoa has now thrown at least three picks in three of his nine games with Maryland.
And the kicker: Ohio State is 6-0 in this series with an average margin of victory of 36.0 points since Maryland joined the Big Ten.
Prediction: Ohio State 49, Maryland 21
No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. No. 21 Texas (4-1), Noon ET (in Dallas)
The Red River Rivalry always delivers.
In each of the past seven years, the regular-season meeting between Oklahoma and Texas was decided by a single possession. Last year's game necessitated four overtimes before Oklahoma won 53-45, which, somewhat fittingly, was the widest margin of victory since 2013—excluding the 2018 Big 12 championship. That game was closer than the final 39-27 score, by the way.
And goodness knows Oklahoma has had a propensity for nail-biters this season. The Sooners have played four games against FBS opponents, winning each of them by seven points or fewer.
Can Texas do its ground thing against this Sooners front seven, though?
Led by Bijan Robinson, Texas is averaging nearly 270 rushing yards and 3.4 rushing touchdowns per game. But Oklahoma has held each of its five opponents to 100 rushing yards or fewer. And though the preseason Heisman favorite hasn't been anywhere near as proficient as expected, we've got to go with Spencer Rattler over Casey Thompson if this boils down to which quarterback has the most fourth-quarter heroics up his sleeve.
Prediction: Oklahoma 34, Texas 28
AP Nos. 5-1
No. 5 Cincinnati (4-0) vs. Temple (3-2), 7 p.m. ET (Friday)
Always, always, always beware the letdown game.
Following the marquee road win over Notre Dame, the No. 1 topic this week in college football is Cincinnati's case for inclusion in the College Football Playoff. The Bearcats are flying higher than ever before, and with them playing at home against a Temple squad that has already lost by 25 to Boston College and by 47 to Rutgers this season, a four-touchdown spread doesn't feel like anywhere near enough.
But remember last year when Coastal Carolina had that emotional win over BYU and then turned around and needed a last-minute touchdown drive to eke out a win over a .500 Troy team that had already been blown out multiple times that year? Or earlier this season when Fresno State toppled UCLA before just barely surviving at home against winless UNLV?
I don't expect this game to be that close, but I do think there will be talk of hangovers in the first half of this Friday night game.
Prediction: Cincinnati 35, Temple 17
No. 4 Penn State (5-0) at No. 3 Iowa (5-0), 4 p.m. ET
From the people who brought you a 6-4 final score back in 2004, it'll be Penn State-Iowa in the game of the week as a Top 10 clash for the first time ever.
These matchups at Kinnick Stadium have been pretty awesome in recent years. Awesome if you enjoy low-scoring, late drama, that is. In 2019, No. 10 Penn State eked out a 17-12 victory over No. 17 Iowa. Two years before that, No. 4 Penn State won 21-19 on a walk-off touchdown at unranked Iowa. And back in 2008, the unranked Hawkeyes upset No. 3 Penn State 24-23 on a last-second field goal.
Given how great both of these defenses have been—only Georgia (4.6 points allowed per game) has a better scoring defense than Iowa (11.6) and Penn State (12.0)—a similar result seems likely.
As was the case heading into last week's big Cincinnati-Notre Dame game, the million dollar question is: Which turnover-forcing defense will win that momentum-shifting battle? Fresh off a seven-turnover masterpiece against Maryland, Iowa has a nation-best turnover margin of plus-12. But Penn State has yet to cough up the ball more than once in a game and has an impressive plus-six mark of its own.
If the turnover margin in this one ends up being a wash, I like Penn State to get the road win, as I have substantially more faith in the Nittany Lions offense in a battle of field position.
However, Iowa has done such an incredible job of both forcing turnovers and converting short-field drives into points that a big interception or two almost feels inevitable. The Hawkeyes will be the beneficiary of a game-changing swing midway through the fourth quarter to keep the dream of a perfect season intact.
Prediction: Iowa 21, Penn State 17
No. 2 Georgia (5-0) at No. 18 Auburn (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET
Auburn's Bo Nix has yet to throw an interception in 2021. But what he did against LSU—repeatedly running around like a chicken with its head off before pulling some magical play out of nowhere—almost certainly isn't going to fly against this Georgia defense.
Last year's Auburn-Georgia game got out of hand in a hurry. The Tigers were No. 7 in the AP poll for that one, but they were down 24-0 in the blink of an eye. Considering LSU jumped out to an early 13-0 lead this past weekend and considering Auburn trailed Georgia State 24-12 at halftime the week before, it's easy to see something similar happening in this one.
Unlike Georgia State and LSU, though, the Bulldogs—who have allowed just one offensive touchdown thus far this season—will squeeze the life out of Auburn if they get ahead by multiple scores. Georgia's shutout streak will come to an end, but it's not going to be a fun day for Auburn.
Prediction: Georgia 31, Auburn 10
No. 1 Alabama (5-0) at Texas A&M (3-2), 8 p.m. ET
Up until two weeks ago, at least Texas A&M had a great defense. The Aggies' first three opponents scored a combined total of 17 points and were helpless when trying to move the ball through the air. But Arkansas had two long passing touchdowns en route to 448 total yards in Week 4 and Mississippi State threw for more than 400 yards this past weekend. The Aggies lost both games without forcing a single turnover.
Couple that deterioration on defense with an offense that can't seem to find any sort of rhythm, and it feels like Texas A&M might be the worst team in the SEC West at this point. And it definitely feels like they have no hope of keeping pace with an Alabama team that has now scored at least 31 points in 31 consecutive games.
Alabama has won this game by at least 18 points in six of the last seven seasons, though it is at least noteworthy that the exception to that rule—a 27-19 game at Texas A&M in 2017—was the lone instance during that stretch in which the Aggies were unranked. Maybe things will get a little weird for this night game at Kyle Field, but it seems more likely that 'Bama will run away with what will be its 20th consecutive win.
Prediction: Alabama 38, Texas A&M 14
Best Unranked Clashes
As was the case in Week 5, "must-watch" games outside of the AP Top 25 are few and far between this weekend. Nevertheless, we've ranked the five most intriguing "other" games.
Fifth-Best: Oregon State (4-1) at Washington State (2-3), 4 p.m. ET: This one is compelling because it's a chance for Oregon State to become an AP Top 25 team for the first time in more than eight years. The Beavers were third among others receiving votes this week, and getting to 5-1 would likely push them over the top. And considering Washington State has scored just eight offensive touchdowns while committing 10 turnovers in its four games against FBS opponents, it's easy to like Oregon State's chances in this road game. Prediction: Oregon State 28, Washington State 23
Fourth-Best: Wyoming (4-0) at Air Force (4-1), 7 p.m. ET: Given the respective schedules thus far, I'm not buying either of these teams as a threat to win the Mountain West Conference. Still, one is going to pick up its fifth win of the season, and it will probably be Air Force. Wyoming allowed Northern Illinois to run for five touchdowns a few weeks ago, and Air Force has eclipsed 400 rushing yards in three consecutive games. Prediction: Air Force 31, Wyoming 20
Third-Best: TCU (2-2) at Texas Tech (4-1), 7 p.m. ET: TCU's defense has allowed at least 32 points and more than 400 yards of total offense in three consecutive games against Cal, SMU and Texas. Now, the Horned Frogs have to play on the road for the first time in 2021, and they must do so against a Texas Tech defense which has held four out of five opponents below 100 rushing yards and below 23 points. In the exception to that rule, though, Texas scored 70 and ran all over the Red Raiders, so it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Zach Evans has a field day for TCU. Prediction: TCU 38, Texas Tech 31
Second-Best: Virginia (3-2) at Louisville (3-2), 3 p.m. ET: Virginia's Brennan Armstrong is averaging nearly 400 passing yards per game, but Louisville's Malik Cunningham is the quarterback to watch in this one. It wasn't enough to get the road win over Wake Forest, but he threw for a season-best 309 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for two more scores this past weekend. He's now up to 17 total touchdowns on the year. And in each of the past two seasons, he racked up more rushing yards against Virginia than he did against any other foe. Prediction: Louisville 31, Virginia 28
Best: Utah (2-2) at USC (3-2), 8 p.m. ET: USC's season has oscillated back and forth between "Win by at least 23 points" and "get embarrassed on defense in a loss by double digits." If that trend continues this week, the Trojans are due for the latter. They gave up 322 rushing yards in the loss to Oregon State two weeks ago, and Utah has averaged better than 6.0 yards per carry in three of its four games. Look for the Utes to lean heavily upon TJ Pledger and Micah Bernard while their defense does everything in its power to slow down USC wide receiver Drake London. Prediction: Utah 28, USC 27
Sicko Special: Connecticut (0-6) at Massachusetts (0-5), 3:30 p.m. ET: UConn-Vanderbilt was on ESPNU this past weekend, and it actually ended up producing one of the most entertaining fourth quarters of the day, ending on a game-winning field goal for the Commodores at the buzzer. But for better or worse, this meeting of winless schools from the northeast doesn't appear to be on national television. You can still bet on it, though, and Connecticut has shown an impressive amount of heart in its recent two-point losses to Wyoming and Vandy. Massachusetts, on the other hand, has lost its last two games by a combined score of 98-10 and fully deserves to be a home underdog against an 0-6 opponent. Prediction: Connecticut 34, Massachusetts 27
The Rest of the Slate
Houston (4-1) at Tulane (1-4), 7:30 p.m. ET (Thursday)—Houston 45-34
Charlotte (3-2) at Florida International (1-4), 7 p.m. ET (Friday)—Charlotte 28-21
West Virginia (2-3) at Baylor (4-1), Noon ET—Baylor 24-17
South Carolina (3-2) at Tennessee (3-2), Noon ET—Tennessee 35-20
Akron (1-4) at Bowling Green (2-3), Noon ET—Bowling Green 28-14
Northern Illinois (3-2) at Toledo (3-2), Noon ET—Toledo 31-17
Georgia Tech (2-3) at Duke (3-2), 12:30 p.m. ET—Georgia Tech 31-27
Old Dominion (1-4) at Marshall (2-3), 2 p.m. ET—Marshall 42-13
Florida State (1-4) at North Carolina (3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET—North Carolina 45-21
Wisconsin (1-3) at Illinois (2-4), 3:30 p.m. ET—Wisconsin 24-17
Central Michigan (2-3) at Ohio (1-4), 3:30 p.m. ET—Ohio 28-27
Miami-Ohio (2-3) at Eastern Michigan (3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET—Eastern Michigan 35-24
Ball State (2-3) at Western Michigan (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET—Western Michigan 35-24
Middle Tennessee (2-3) at Liberty (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET—Liberty 34-20
San Jose State (3-2) at Colorado State (1-3), 3:30 p.m. ET—San Jose State 27-23
Florida Atlantic (3-2) at UAB (3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET—UAB 28-17
North Texas (1-3) at Missouri (2-3), 4 p.m. ET—Missouri 45-21
East Carolina (3-2) at UCF (2-2), 6 p.m. ET—UCF 35-31
UTSA (5-0) at Western Kentucky (1-3), 7 p.m. ET—UTSA 34-31
Georgia Southern (2-3) at Troy (2-3), 7 p.m. ET—Georgia Southern 28-24
Buffalo (2-3) at Kent State (2-3), 7 p.m. ET—Buffalo 31-27
South Alabama (3-1) at Texas State (1-3), 7 p.m. ET—South Alabama 28-21
UTEP (4-1) at Southern Miss (1-4), 7 p.m. ET—UTEP 24-21
Georgia State (1-4) at Louisiana-Monroe (2-2), 8 p.m. ET—Georgia State 27-20
Memphis (3-2) at Tulsa (1-4), 9 p.m. ET—Tulsa 35-28
New Mexico State (1-5) at Nevada (3-1), 10:30 p.m. ET—Nevada 45-10
UCLA (3-2) at Arizona (0-4), 10:30 p.m. ET—UCLA 31-21