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Utah doesn’t play on Saturday, but it already won this week with an NIL deal that gives each scholarship player a 2024 Ram 1500 Big Horn truck. Plus, Bruce Feldman joins us to talk about the work Alex Golesh is doing in South Florida.
Here’s what’s happening in college football between now and Saturday…
Week 6 Schedule Breakdown
Red River on deck, outsiders in sight
Game-changer of the College Football Playoff
(All times in ET)
Noon: No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. No. 3 Texas (5-0) in Dallas, ABC: The Red River Rivalry! OU and Texas are the clear leaders of the Big 12 in their final season as conference members. Will the Longhorns add another win to their claim of being the No. 1 team in the country?
Afternoon (3:30 p.m.): Virginia Tech (2-3) at No. 5 Florida State (4-0), ABC: The Seminoles’ bye week came just when they needed it (after a two-point win against Boston College and an overtime loss against Clemson). This is your chance to get back on track.
Prime Time (7 p.m.): No. 20 Kentucky (5-0) vs. No. 1 Georgia (5-0), ESPN: Seth Emerson has a great review of this strangely competitive yet one-sided rivalry. The Dawgs haven’t lost to the Wildcats since 2009, but could Georgia break through after a close matchup against Auburn last week?
Group of 5 spotlights
Noon: Boston College (2-3) at Army (2-2), CBS Sports Network: The Black Knights are playing their second straight ACC opponent. The Eagles lead this series 25-13 but are just 13-11 at Michie Stadium.
Afternoon (2 p.m.): Marshall (4-0) at NC State (3-2), The CW: The Wolfpack is making a change at QB after a rough start to the season (sophomore MJ Morris joins graduate Brennan Armstrong). The offense will have to make quick work of Marshall’s defense, which ranks second in the Sun Belt.
Prime Time (8 p.m.): No. 24 Fresno State (5-0) at Wyoming (4-1), Fox: Fresno State has shut out the Cowboys twice in a row in this series. Chris Vannini says the winner could jump to the top of his G5 rankings.
Sneaky good games
Noon: Maryland (5-0) at No. 3 Ohio State (4-0), Fox: The Terps are undefeated and should probably be ranked. Last year’s game between these two almost ruined the Buckeyes’ season, and Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa is back with a vengeance (he’s the toughest test yet for OSU’s defense).
Afternoon (3 p.m.): No. 13 Washington State (4-0) at UCLA (3-1), Pac-12 Network: Wazzu QB Cam Ward is right up there with the other electric Pac-12 QBs, while UCLA’s defense is No. 1 nationally in yards per play allowed (3.75).
Prime Time (10:30 p.m.): Arizona (3-2) at No. 9 USC (5-0), ESPN: The Trojans are at the top of America’s “want to see them lose” list, and Arizona came up with a closer-than-expected win against Washington last week. USC’s defense will likely collapse again, but will Caleb Williams be enough to salvage another Trojans win?
Best bets from Austin Mock
Noon: Texas vs. Oklahoma under 60.5 (-110): “The Red River Rivalry is the biggest game of the weekend, but I’m not sure we should expect fireworks. Texas has a great defense, and Oklahoma wasn’t particularly impressive against two of the best defenses it has ever faced (SMU and Cincinnati). I expect a lower scoring affair.”
Afternoon (3:30 p.m.): No. 11 Alabama -1.5 (-105) at Texas A&M, CBS: “This is one of my best bets this week because I believe Alabama is underrated based on Jalen Milroe’s performance against Texas. Yes, he had some bad throws, but he showed his potential. He’s not Bryce Young or Tua Tagovailoa, but he’s good enough to lead this offense. Alabama narrowly prevails.”
Prime Time (7:30 p.m.): No. 10 Notre Dame -6.5 (-110) at Louisville, NBC: “Notre Dame is going through some big games right now, so maybe there could be some disappointment, but my model isn’t particularly high on Louisville. The Cardinals are 5-0, but close wins over Georgia Tech, Indiana and NC State don’t give me much confidence that they can keep up with the more talented Fighting Irish.”
(All points distributions come from BetMGM. Click here for live odds and here for ticket information from StubHub.)
Jimbo Fisher (left) and the Texas A&M Aggies host Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Feldman’s files
Golesh manages it
It just took time Alex Golesh a month to surpass the best single-season win total achieved by his predecessor, Jeff Scott, in three seasons at USF (The Bulls won just four total games in three seasons under Scott and achieved two wins in 2021). Golesh, who went to South Florida after serving as Tennessee’s play caller and offensive coordinator as the Vols rose from a ditch into the AP top 10, and the Bulls already have three wins.
Golesh, 39, has followed a similar model to his old boss, Josh Heupel, used in Knoxville, devotes “a lot of time to the culture of the program,” which means constantly being around players to build relationships. Golesh also learned well by his presence Matt Campbell when he took over a woeful Iowa State program.
“This group really decided to do everything right,” Golesh told me this week. “They knew they had to change and they did. They worked hard to perfect their process and didn’t worry about the end results. They played really hard all year long – they just got better each week on both ends. The effort gave us a chance in every game.”
The Bulls’ resilience was on display last week after they fell behind 14-0 in the first six minutes at Navy before battling back with a 44-30 victory to move to 3-2. Golesh appears to have found a rising star for his system in redshirt freshman Byrum Brown, a gritty 6-foot-1, 210-pound player from North Carolina who has thrown for nearly 800 yards with five touchdowns and zero picks in the last two games to have. Brown has rushed for 330 yards and five more touchdowns this season. He leads the AAC in total offense with 309 yards per game and ranks 13th nationally.
“He’s tough – physically, but mentally he’s more formidable,” Golesh said. “He never lets one game affect the next. Calm demeanor at all times. Has gotten better every week – both in terms of reading and comprehension, but he continues to get better in terms of his timing and ball placement. A rare trait for a young man – they generally get tired and can’t recover.”
USF has improved from No. 8 in the AAC in offense in 2022 to No. 3, and the worst defense in the country in 2022 now has respect. The Bulls are No. 3 in the conference in third-down defense.
“We have good coaches and good support,” Golesh said. “It was very cool to see.”
However, he also points out that this in itself “does not represent a guarantee of anything. Week after week we have to fight to expand it further.”
Angry clock
Week 6 through Saturday Upset Special: Rutgers (+13.5) 28, Wisconsin 17: Wisconsin will be without star running back Chez Mellusi, who injured his left leg against Purdue, and the Badgers used their bye week to game plan for what lies ahead. Rutgers (4-1) is off to its best start in a long time, and the Scarlet Knights should be able to upset Badgers QB Tanner Mordecai, who has thrown more INTs (3) than TDs (2) through four games . Upset special record: 2-3.
Bruce Feldman: No. 11 Alabama at Texas A&M (+1.5): Texas A&M 27, Alabama 20
Stewart Mandel: TCU at Iowa State (+6.5): Iowa State 27, TCU 24
Quick snapshots
Get ready for Week 6 with tips, predictions and analysis in our See You Saturday podcast.
The Big Ten revealed it Planning model for the 2024-2028 seasons. There were 262 versions of the schedule before the league settled on one that suited its preferences.
Scott Dochterman writes why the Big Ten’s model is right and that other expanding conferences should follow his example to preserve history.
The Athletic chronicled eight days in Deion Sanders’ Colorado program. How did they Buffs Have you managed to create some national intrigue at the start of the season, even if defeats affect your on-field momentum?
The NCAA granted UNC wide receiver Tez Walker immediate eligibility to play for this season after receiving “new information” regarding his transfer waiver. Walker’s waiver was previously denied, sparking public criticism of the NCAA from Tar Heels coach Mack Brown.
Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald After his firing in July, he filed a lawsuit against the university seeking $130 million in damages.
How ready are Texas and Oklahoma for the SEC? Sam Khan takes a look.
(Top photo of Brent Venables, left, and Steve Sarkisian: Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)