October arrives with college football in full pressure mode, and Week 6 is packed with games that can tilt conference races and reshape the national picture. The slate is loaded from noon through the night, with the Red River Rivalry, an SEC heavyweight fight in Tuscaloosa, and several other matchups carrying real weight.
The day starts at Noon ET on ABC with Texas A&M heading to No. 14 Missouri.
It is the kind of SEC meeting that can say a lot about both teams. Missouri has a chance to keep its momentum rolling at home, while Texas A&M is looking for a performance that gets its season moving in the right direction.
In a conference this crowded, a win here would mean plenty in the weeks ahead.
A little later, at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, No. 1 Texas and Oklahoma renew the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Texas comes in sitting atop the national rankings, but this matchup rarely behaves like the ranking suggests. Oklahoma will try to turn the game into a grind and grab a rivalry win that could change the feel of its season.
Texas, for its part, is chasing another step in what it hopes is a championship march.
The evening window brings more pressure. At 7 p.m. on ESPN, LSU goes on the road to Kentucky in a game that matters for both SEC teams.
LSU needs to handle business away from home to stay in the conference hunt, while Kentucky gets a shot to make noise in front of its own crowd. With the league schedule tightening, this is the type of game neither side can afford to waste.
Then comes a pair of 7:30 p.m. kickoffs. On NBC, No.
19 USC travels to Happy Valley to face Penn State. USC has opened the season well, but Beaver Stadium is a different challenge altogether.
Penn State is still searching for a breakthrough in Big Ten play, and a home win over the Trojans would give the Nittany Lions a much-needed lift. For USC, it is a chance to add a road win that would strengthen its postseason résumé.
At the same time on ABC, No. 2 Georgia goes to No.
6 Alabama in the night’s biggest showdown. Both teams are undefeated, and the stakes are exactly what you would expect in a game with this much talent and this much weight.
The winner gets a major edge in the SEC race and a serious boost in the national title conversation. Georgia faces one of its toughest road tests of the season, while Alabama gets to defend its home field.
It has all the makings of a game that could matter in January.
The Dawgs247 staff has its against-the-spread picks for the week, and each one includes an upset selection too.
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