Unmissable Showdowns and Shocking Upsets: Your Ultimate Guide to College Football Week 6!

Week 6 is shaping up to be a tantalizing snapshot of chaos and potential shockers, and I’m all in for the mayhem. While the spotlight shines bright on just a couple of marquee matchups between ranked squads — with No. 16 Vanderbilt gearing up to challenge No. 10 Alabama, and No. 3 Miami heading into a bruising clash against No. 18 Florida State — the true intrigue lies in the unpredictable. Remember how that Miami-FSU game promised a clash of titans before the Seminoles stumbled against Virginia? Well, that’s precisely the kind of twist that makes college football the wild spectacle it is. Upsets might be lurking around every corner when you least expect ’em. Strap in, ’cause this weekend’s lineup is packed with enough storylines and intrigue to keep even the most seasoned fan on the edge of their seat.

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Will Week 6 deliver an upset out of nowhere?

There are just two games between ranked teams as No. 16 Vanderbilt visits No. 10 Alabama and No. 3 Miami heads to No. 18 Florida State. The latter game was heading toward a matchup of top-10 teams before the Seminoles lost at Virginia in Week 5.

We could see a similar upset in Week 6. After all, sometimes the biggest surprises come on weekends you’d least expect. Here are this week’s games to watch.

No. 14 Iowa State at Cincinnati

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The Cyclones are in fact underdogs. Cincinnati has flown under the radar so far this season thanks to its Week 1 loss to Nebraska and other non-conference games against Bowling Green and Northwestern State, but the Bearcats are 3-1 after beating Kansas 37-34 in their Big 12 opener.

QB Brendan Sorsby is completing over 69% of his passes for 1,043 yards and 10 TDs with just one interception through the first four games. That pick could be the difference between Cincinnati’s actual record and a 4-0 start as it happened on the 10th play of a potential game-winning drive with 34 seconds to go against the Huskers.

Could Sorsby continue that efficiency against a depleted Iowa State cornerback group? Starters Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams are out for the season because of ACL injuries.

A win moves Iowa State to 3-0 in Big 12 play after its Week Zero win over Kansas State and a 39-14 victory over Arizona in Week 5. Cincinnati’s main defensive task is slowing an Iowa State passing game that goes through its tight ends. Ben Brahmer and Gabe Burkle have caught 28 passes and four of Rocco Becht’s seven touchdown throws this season.

No. 9 Texas at Florida

A big day for Arch Manning can vault him back into the Heisman conversation ahead of the Red River Rivalry. And it could make things even worse in Gainesville.

Two weeks ago, Manning was 18-of-21 passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for two more scores against Sam Houston. It was a necessary boost of confidence after Manning had more lowlights than highlights in his first three games. But it was also against Sam Houston. If Manning does that against Florida it’s a whole different story. And it will give Texas fans a lot of confidence heading into the game against Oklahoma with OU QB John Mateer likely out because of the hand injury he suffered against Auburn.

If Florida is going to pull the upset, the Gators have got to figure out how to score more than one touchdown. After scoring 55 points in Week 1 against Long Island, Florida has scored 33 points combined in its losses to South Florida, LSU and Miami. The Gators had 16 against the Bulls, 10 against the Tigers and 7 against the Hurricanes. That’s a troubling trend.

Florida’s offense is averaging less than 5 yards per play as QB DJ Lagway has thrown for just 690 yards on 123 attempts. There’s no downfield threat to Florida’s offense and Texas’ defense is one of the best in college football. Opponents are scoring fewer than eight points per game and averaging 3.6 yards per play.

No. 16 Vanderbilt at No. 10 Alabama

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia is confident. Why shouldn’t he be? The Commodores beat Alabama 40-35 a season ago in Nashville for one of the three losses that derailed Alabama’s playoff hopes. If Vanderbilt pulls the upset again on Saturday, it’ll be the first time since 1955 and 1956 that the Commodores have won back-to-back games against the Crimson Tide.

Pavia isn’t far down the Heisman odds board thanks to Vanderbilt’s 5-0 start and the best football of his career. He’s completing 75% of his passes and has thrown for over 1,200 yards and 13 TDs. Plus, he leads Vanderbilt in rushing despite running fewer than 10 times a game.

Even if Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense can move the ball consistently against an Alabama defense that will be without LB Qua Russaw, can the Vanderbilt defense hold its own against Alabama QB Ty Simpson? The first-year starter has been one of the more efficient QBs in college football himself. And Vanderbilt gave up 21 first-half points to Utah State a week ago.

The defense has also forced nearly two turnovers a game so far. Alabama hasn’t turned the ball over at all through four games. What will give?

No. 24 Virginia at Louisville

The Cavaliers are ranked for the first time since the final week of the 2019 regular season following their 46-38 overtime win over Florida State in Week 5.

That point total against the Seminoles was right on Virginia’s season average, too. The Cavaliers rank eighth in scoring offense and are averaging 6.8 yards per play. QB Chandler Morris transferred in after throwing 31 TDs at North Texas in 2024 and has 14 total touchdowns so far this season. The run game has been powered by J’Mari Taylor; he’s rushed for 397 yards and seven scores as Virginia has scored 17 TDs on the ground this season.

Louisville could take advantage of the Virginia defense, however. The Cavaliers have allowed at least 20 points in each of their three ACC games this season and the Cardinals are scoring 38 points per game thanks to three non-offensive TDs through four games. Caullin Lacy is one of the most dangerous punt returners in college football; he’s already scored two punt return TDs in 2025.

Former USC QB Miller Moss has thrown just five TDs but is averaging nearly 8 yards an attempt and has over 1,000 yards through Louisville’s first four games. Over half of his completions have gone to either Lacy or Chris Bell. The two have combined for 45 catches for 598 yards.

No. 3 Miami at No. 18 Florida State

Florida State took some shine off this game with its loss to Virginia in Week 5. And the Seminoles now can’t afford to drop to 0-2 in the ACC if they want to make the College Football Playoff.

FSU has moved the ball well in its two games against power conference opponents so far. The Seminoles averaged 6.1 yards a play in Week 1 against Alabama and 6.3 yards a play against the Cavaliers. But FSU’s three turnovers against Virginia doomed the Seminoles along with an inability to stop the Cavaliers except when Virginia was turning the ball over itself. Virginia had three drives of at least 12 plays.

Miami’s defense has allowed just 244 yards per game and 4.3 yards per play as opposing offenses have struggled to run the ball against the Hurricanes’ front. Miami has an offense well-equipped to stay on the field for long stretches against the FSU defense too. The Hurricanes are averaging nearly 5 yards a carry as a team as Mark Fletcher has 388 yards and five TDs on 66 carries.

It’s also a bounce-back opportunity for Carson Beck’s Heisman chances after a down game in Miami’s win over Florida. Against the Gators, Beck was just 17-of-30 passing for 160 yards and an interception. It was his third interception over Miami’s last two games after throwing two in the Hurricanes’ blowout win over South Florida in Week 3.

Other games to watch

Clemson (-14) at North Carolina, Noon ET ESPN: A game that many in the ACC dreamed would be between two 4-0 teams coached by Bill Belichick and Dabo Swinney is instead between teams with a combined five losses. Clemson is desperately trying to avoid an 0-3 start to its ACC schedule while North Carolina has been dominated by TCU and UCF, the two power conference teams it has played so far this season.

Kansas State at Baylor (-6.5), Noon ET ESPN+: An early-season Big 12 elimination game? Both teams are 1-1 in the conference and will likely be reduced to the role of spoiler with a loss. Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson has been one of the most productive QBs in college football this season while K-State’s Avery Johnson had his best game of 2025 in the Wildcats’ win over UCF in Week 5.

No. 11 Texas Tech (-10.5) at Houston, 7 p.m. ET ESPN: Who will suffer their first loss of the season? Houston moved to 4-0 with an overtime win at Oregon State in Week 5 and already has a victory over Colorado this season. An upset over the Big 12 favorites could put the Cougars in the top 25.

Duke (-2.5) at Cal, 10:30 p.m. ET ESPN: The Golden Bears bounced back from a stunning 34-0 loss at San Diego State in Week 4 with a 28-24 road win at Boston College in Week 5. Freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had a rough game against the Aztecs but has completed at least 63% of his passes in every other game.