Week Six of the College Football season is here, and my Houston Cougars don’t have a game scheduled for this week, so I have a full day on the couch watching as many games as I can. Here are the biggest games of the week, one each from the SEC, Big 10 and PAC-12.

#10 University of Florida vs #7 Auburn University

First cab off the rank this week is a mega SEC match-up between the #7 ranked Auburn Tigers and the #10 Florida Gators. Both teams go into the game undefeated and ready to stamp their authority on the SEC as a challenger to Alabama.

Florida coach Dan Mullen told the media on Monday that they expect to be close to full strength, getting back 6 injured players for this game, but they will still be without junior QB Feleipe Franks. Leading the Gators offense this week will again be Kyle Trask. Trask, the junior QB, has thrown 5 TDs this season and is averaging nearly 10 yards per completion. The Gators defense are on fire of late, they lead the nation in interceptions with 9 and are second in the nation in sacks with 24, Senior LB Jonathan Greenard leads the team in sacks with 4.0.

The Auburn Tigers have a more impressive win record compared to the Gators, achieving two Top-25 wins already. Freshman QB Bo Nix has led the charge for the Tigers, throwing for 980 yards and 7 TDs, with last week vs Mississippi State being the best game he has had all year (335 yards, 2 TD at a 76% completion rate). Sophomore RB Jatarvious Whitlow continues his impressive form scoring 3 TD last week, bringing his total to 7 for the year and nearly 500 rushing yards.

Look out for: 

Auburn’s Punter and former St Kilda defender, Ayrrn Siposs, as the Aussie continues his great season averaging 44 yards per punt.

Verdict: 

This will be the biggest test for Bo Nix and his Tigers so far. The Gator defense plus the trip down to Gainesville equals a tough task and the last time Auburn won down there against Florida was back in 2007. Expect the Florida defense to be on top of their game, but their unsure offense could be what opens the game up for Auburn.

#19 University of Michigan vs #14 University of Iowa 

The next must watch game is the Big10 battle between the #14 Iowa Hawkeyes and the #19 Michigan Wolverines. The Hawkeyes are 4-0 while the Wolverines are 3-1 with their only loss coming against Big10 team Wisconsin 2 weeks ago. It wasn’t just a loss; it was a drubbing. The Wolverines were shutout in the first half and eventually lost 35-14. They could have been 2-2, but the game winning FG was missed by the Army kicker in week 2. Iowa on the other hand have only been challenged once this season, and that was by in-state rivals Iowa State, a few weeks back, but they held them off by 1 point. 

Senior QB, Nate Stanley, has been impressive for the Hawkeyes so far, throwing for 965 yards and 8 TDs. Stanley has been helped by WR pair Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith, with both juniors scoring 3 TDs each this season.

Senior Michigan QB, Shea Patterson, has thrown for 905 yards with 6 TDs, while also rushing for 3 TD. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Patterson, being sacked 9 times already this season. Freshman RB, Zach Charbonnet, has 3 TD to his name so far this season and is the leading RB for the Wolverines. 

Look out for:

Aussie punter Michael Sleep-Dalton for the Hawkeyes. The senior is averaging 45.5 yards per punt this year and is having a great impact for the team.

Verdict:

Expect the Wolverines to come out firing at home. Last weeks victory against Rutgers was the tune-up they needed before making their Big10 title-run. If the Hawkeyes can hold Michigan to a low score, they might be able to beat them in a close one, but I think Michigan are up for the challenge.

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#13 Oregon University of Oregon vs University of California

For the third big conference game of the weekend, we head to Oregon for the PAC-12 matchup between the now unranked California Golden Bears and the #13 Oregon Ducks. Cal are 4-1 so far this season, with wins coming against #14 Washington and SEC team Ole Miss, but the Golden Bears registered their first loss last week against (the now ranked) Arizona State. For whatever reason, Cal were pushed out of the Top 25 this week with only 1 loss. 

Cal not only lost the game last week, they lost their starting QB, sophomore Chase Garbers, after he landed awkwardly on his shoulder during the game. Taking his place is transfer QB, Devon Modster, who threw 4 TD in 2017 for UCLA and has the chance to take the Golden Bears to the PAC-12 title game this season if they continue their current form. Helping out the Golden Bears offense is RB, Christopher Brown Jr, who has rushed for 389 yards and recorded 3 rushing TDs and a TD reception. On the other side of the ball is absolute tackling machine, Evan Weaver, the senior LB has recorded 43 solo tackles with a total of 77.

Oregon are 3-1 this season, with their only loss coming in the first week against Auburn. After having the week off last week, the Ducks should be fresh and ready to go this week. Senior QB Justin Herbert is doing exactly as the experts predicted, having a stellar year before he gets drafted in April next year. Herbert has thrown for 1127 yards and 14 TDs in only 4 games. Herbert’s go to target this season has been senior TE, Jacob Breeland, who has 265 yards and 5 TD to his name.

Look out for:

Both teams have Aussie punters on their rosters, Steven Coutts for Cal and Tom Snee for Oregon, but I believe they aren’t the starters for now.

Verdict: 

If Cal really are a team to be reckoned with, then this QB change won't affect them too much. Expect Oregon to continue their good form with QB Herbert and hold off a fast-finishing Cal team that will find the trip to Oregon a bit too much.

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