College Football 2019: Week 6

Something happened this week that will forever change the landscape of college sports. California governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will allow NCAA athletes in the state to receive compensation for the use of their name and likeness. It will also allow them to hire agents and negotiate endorsement deals. Newsom officially put pen to paper on LeBron James' show on Uninterrupted Monday. The NCAA has already come out with a statement opposing the bill, but they can't stop it, and it may be the start of a chain reaction that will eventually see NCAA athletes across the country be able to profit off of the field.

via tmz.com

The bill doesn't go into effect until 2023, but it's a step in the right direction to combat an NCAA rule that never made any sense. The evil empire that is the National Collegiate Athletic Association has been exploiting student-athletes under the illusion of "amateurism" for ages. The business has made billions off of these athletes, and the athletes have been restricted from making any money off of themselves. In my opinion, this bill is just common sense. If, for example, a college student is exceptional at singing, he or she can make money playing gigs and signing autographs. However, if a college student-athlete is exceptional at sports, he or she cannot monetarily benefit off of it in any way. That's ridiculous. NCAA athletes cannot even sell their own memorabilia. Some people compare the NCAA to modern-day slavery, but I don't like that comparison, because slavery is much, much, much worse. However, I do believe the NCAA violates the rights of these athletes.

via thedailybeast.com

Those who oppose the bill argue that it affects competitive balance, and that it's one step closer to athletes being paid to play. First of all, the competition is already imbalanced in college sports, so I doubt this will make a noticeable difference when it comes to parity. Secondly, this bill has nothing to do with college athletes being paid like professional athletes. It just allows them to make money off of the playing field, which they should've been able to do the whole time.

Since the California bill was signed on Monday, there have already been murmurs of other states following suit in the near future. Eventually, most states will likely have similar bills. Finally, NCAA athletes will be able to sell their championship rings or make money from YouTube channels without being suspended for it. They'll be able to do commercials for local businesses. They'll be able to make money off of their jersey sales. And, most importantly, we'll be able to get the NCAA Football video game back.

via outkickthecoverage.com

Week 5 Superlatives

Best Performance: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State (25 carries, 296 yards, 1 TD)

First of all, what a name. Second of all, what a day the sophomore had in a 26-13 win over Kansas State Saturday. In five games this season, Hubbard has 938 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.

Best Play: Hawaii fake kneel before halftime

For the second time in three weeks, there was a fake kneel play in college football. The stakes weren't as high for this one (Hawaii was up 28-3 in the first half), but it was still executed well, as Cedric Byrd II gained 29 yards to set up an eventual field goal. The Rainbow Warriors won the game 54-3.

Best Quote: "My wife doesn't like hanging around losers - I've been losing, so it ain't good."  - Will Muschamp, South Carolina Coach

Well, since South Carolina beat Kentucky, maybe Muschamp's wife will hang out with him this week.

Game of the Week

#7 Auburn @ #10 Florida

(Saturday, 3:30 PM, CBS)

via al.com

Two of the five remaining unbeaten teams in the SEC meet Saturday afternoon in Gainesville. Both teams have had a couple of close calls (Florida's ugly Week 0 win over Miami and eight-point win at Kentucky; Auburn's first-week comeback win over Oregon and eight-point win at Texas A&M), but they've yet to falter, and they're both coming off blowout wins. 

Auburn, per usual, has leaned on the running game offensively. The Tigers are averaging 251 rush yards per game (14th in the nation), as opposed to 203.4 pass yards per game. The run game is led by sophomore Jatarvious Whitlow, who has 463 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Despite the reliance on the run game, true freshman quarterback Bo Nix, who has thrown for seven touchdowns and two interceptions, will be a key factor in this game.

The Gators lean more towards the passing game, but they lost starting quarterback Feleipe Franks to a season-ending injury against Kentucky three weeks ago. Junior backup Kyle Trask came in to help finish off Florida's comeback win, then started in blowout wins over Tennessee and Towson. Auburn will be by far the toughest defense Trask has faced, so it'll be interesting to see how he fares.

Both of these teams excel on the defensive side of the ball. Florida is allowing 8.8 points per game, which ranks fifth in the country, while Auburn is yielding 17.2 point per game, 22nd in the country. There are future pros littered throughout both of these defenses. It it will likely be a low-scoring affair Saturday afternoon.

Auburn's offense will have to find a way to get going against a tough defense in a hostile environment, which could be especially difficult with a true freshman quarterback. But it won't be easy for Florida, either, especially with a quarterback who was not the starter at the beginning of the season. I think Auburn squeezes out the road victory in this defensive battle.

Spread: AUB -2.5  Over/Under: 48.5

Prediction: Auburn 26, Florida 21

Unranked Game of the Week

Baylor @ Kansas State

(Saturday, 3:30 PM, ESPN2)

via gq.com

Baylor stayed unbeaten last week thanks to a last-minute field goal by John Mayers (not John Mayer) to down Iowa State. The Bears will face their toughest test of the season to this point against a Kansas State team that suffered its first loss of the year last week at Oklahoma State. 

Kansas State, like Auburn, leans more on the run game. The Wildcats are averaging 241.5 rush yards per game, which ranks 17th in the nation. Conversely, they average just 160.3 yards per game through the air. It's a multifaceted running attack, as three players have multiple rushing touchdowns so far this season. 

Baylor is more balanced, averaging 216 rushing yards and 259.5 passing yard per game. Junior quarterback Charlie Brewer has been mistake-free thus far, throwing 10 touchdown passes to zero interceptions. Baylor's defense has also been a bit better (statistically) than Kansas State's, although the Bears almost blew a 20-point lead to Iowa State last week.

That being said, both defenses have performed well. Kansas State ranks second in the nation in pass defense (127.3 yards allowed per game), while Baylor ranks 25th in rush defense (102.5 yards allowed per game). Since these teams are pretty even statistically, this could be a tight contest. 

It's easy to forget that Kansas State was in the AP Top 25 just one week ago, but after the loss to Oklahoma State, the Wildcats fell as quickly as they rose. I think they'll bounce back at home this week and give Baylor its first loss.

Spread: KSU -1.5  Over/Under: 48.5

Prediction: Kansas State 31, Baylor 28

Upset Alert

#11 Texas @ West Virginia

(Saturday, 3:30 PM, ABC)

via oklahoman.com

Studies show that Week 6 of the college football usually produces at least one "big" upset (a loss by a team favored by 10 or more points). Just kidding. I made that stat up. But we are due for a big upset. Through five weeks, there have yet to be any "shocking" upsets; West Virginia over 11th-ranked Texas would definitely qualify as that.

The Tom Herman-coached Longhorns have a history of playing well against tough competition, but they sometimes slip up in games like this. One week before Texas faces off with Oklahoma, this is a potential trap game. Texas is definitely the superior team, but that doesn't always equate to a win.

West Virginia wasn't expected to be good in its first year under new head coach Neal Brown, but the Mountaineers are 3-1 through four games. Junior quarterback Austin Kendall has played pretty well, aside from a blowout loss to Missouri in Week 2. On the other side of the ball, WVU defense has been above average, allowing 374 yards per game. 

This Texas team starts, of course, with quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who has thrown for 1,237 yards, 15 touchdowns and one interception through four games. The Longhorn offense as a whole is hard to stop, averaging 498 yards per game (19th in the country). There goal is to outshoot the other team.

The truth is, as I was perusing this week's slate, there were no potential upsets that jumped out at me. But that's the thing about upsets; they often aren't easy to anticipate, and usually catch a lot of people by surprise. This just feels like a potential trap game for Texas: on the road, against a capable team, the week before a highly-anticipated conference showdown. It has the ingredients.

Spread: TEX -10.5  Over/Under: 61.5

Prediction: West Virginia 35, Texas 32

Other Top 25 Games

Friday

#18 UCF @ Cincinnati

(8:00 PM, ESPN)

via miamiherald.com

I considered a Bearcat upset here, especially since they're playing on a black field Friday night... oh no, they got me. It was a joke (and it's apparently against NCAA regulations). So, they won't be playing on a black field Friday night. In that case, there is no way I'm picking Cincinnati.

Spread: UCF -3.5  Over/Under: 60.5

Prediction: UCF 40, Cincinnati 31

Saturday

Utah State @ LSU

(Noon, SECN)

via cbssports.com

3-1 Utah State should not be overlooked, but LSU has looked unstoppable thus far. The Tigers' point totals in each of their four games so far this season? 55, 45, 65, 66. Joe Burrow and company will probably put up at least 40 this week.

Spread: LSU -28  Over/Under: 73

Prediction: LSU 45, Utah State 21

#6 Oklahoma @ Kansas

(Noon, ABC)

via soonersports.com

Let's have some more fun with high point totals. Oklahoma's point total in each of its four games so far this season? 49, 70, 48, 55. OU is playing 2-3 Kansas this week, so I expect CeeDee Lamb and company to put up at least 50. You can take that to the bank.

Spread: OU -32  Over/Under: 67.5

Prediction: Oklahoma 62, Kansas 28

Kent State @ #8 Wisconsin

(Noon, ESPNU)

via thespun.com

Last week's win was a little uglier than their first three, but the unbeaten Badgers are still rolling, and should continue rolling against a Kent State team that lost by 27 to Arizona State and lost by 39 to Auburn.

Spread: WIS -35  Over/Under: 59

Prediction: Wisconsin 55, Kent State 10

Purdue @ #12 Penn State

(Noon, FOX)

via collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Purdue starting quarterback Elijah Sindelar and star receiver Rondale Moore both got hurt on the same play last week in a loss to Minnesota, and neither will play this week. With all due respect to the rest of the Boilermakers, I don't see them having any chance without Rondale Moore.

Spread: PSU -28.5  Over/Under: 56

Prediction: Penn State 48, Purdue 14

#14 Iowa @ #19 Michigan

(Noon, FOX)

via wolverineswire.usatoday.com

The Wolverines bounced back from an ugly loss to Wisconsin with a complete destruction of Rutgers last week. Iowa also had an easy week (a blowout win over Middle Tennessee). As bad as they looked two weeks ago, I'll take Ronnie Bell and the Wolverines in this one.

Spread: UM -3.5  Over/Under: 47.5

Prediction: Michigan 28, Iowa 24

#21 Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech

(Noon, FS1)

via si.com

The Cowboys enter the Top 25 after stampeding Kansas State last week. Texas Tech got stampeded by Oklahoma. The Red Raiders should have better luck this week, but I'll still take Oklahoma State by double digits.

Spread: OSU -10  Over/Under: 63

Prediction: Oklahoma State 40, Texas Tech 28

Bowling Green @ #9 Notre Dame

(3:30 PM, NBC)

via cbssports.com

Virginia hung around with Notre Dame early last week, but as expected, The Fighting Irish pulled away and won easily. Notre Dame should pull away within the first fifteen minutes this weekend, at home against 1-3 Bowling Green.

Spread: ND -46  Over/Under: 61.5

Prediction: Notre Dame 48, Bowling Green 7

#3 Georgia @ Tennessee

(7:00 PM, ESPN)

via lifewithdogs.tv

Georgia had a bye after holding on to beat Notre Dame two weeks ago, and they come back to play Tennessee Saturday night in Knoxville. The Volunteers got KNOXED AROUND on the road against Florida last week, and the same will probably happen this week at home against Georgia.

Spread: UGA -24.5  Over/Under: 51.5

Prediction: Georgia 42, Tennessee 10

#25 Michigan State @ #4 Ohio State

(7:30 PM, ABC)

via cbssports.com

Even those who hate Ohio State can't help but agree that the Buckeyes have looked like a National Title contender thus far. Their schedule only gets more difficult from here, but I'm not too worried about a Michigan State team hanging on to a Top 25 spot by a thread.

Spread: OSU -20  Over/Under: 49

Prediction: Ohio State 38, Michigan State 17

Tulsa @ #24 SMU

(7:30 PM, ESPNU)

via heisman.com

Well, look at SMU! The Mustangs are 5-0 and ranked 24th in the country. It seems like they haven't been this good since Herschel Walker was there (don't fact check me on that). I'm buying in. I see them beating Tulsa this week, then winning the rest of their games.

Spread: SMU -13  Over/Under: 64

Prediction: SMU 38, Tulsa 24

California @ #13 Oregon

(8:00 PM, FOX)

via bbc.com

Let's take a moment of silence to mourn the Pac-12's chances of getting into the College Football Playoff this season, which were (barring a miracle) dashed when Cal lost to Arizona State last weekend. I think Oregon will pull this one out.

Spread: ORE -18  Over/Under: 46

Prediction: Oregon 34, California 24

#15 Washington @ Stanford

(10:30 PM, ESPN)

via 247sports.com

Stanford barely beat Oregon State last week to snap a three-game losing streak. Unfortunately, I think the Trees will start a new streak against Hunter Bryant and Washington Saturday night.

Spread: WAS -16.5  Over/Under: 52

Prediction: Washington 38, Stanford 17

#16 Boise State @ UNLV

(10:30 PM, CBSSN)

via abcnews.go.com

This week's ranked slate ends with some late-night action in Vegas. I'm betting the house that I don't have on the Broncos to win this one (and cover) against a UNLV team that has lost three in a row.

Spread: BSU -22  Over/Under: 57

Prediction: Boise State 41, UNLV 17

Last Week: 16-3  vs. Spread: 9-10  Over/Under: 11-8

Season: 90-22  vs. Spread: 51-59-2  Over/Under: 64-47-1

Stats and info via ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, Twitter.com, and BleacherReport.com

Lines via OddsShark.com

Lines as of Thursday evening