The Oklahoma Sooners have made it to the first of their two bye weeks of the regular season at 4-1. Nonconference wins over Temple, Houston, and Tulane were followed by a tough loss against Tennessee two weeks ago.
But OU bounced back last week, coming from behind to defeat Auburn. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Sooners are now 1-1 in [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play and will use the bye week to get healthy, rest and prepare for the Texas Longhorns, who will also be coming off of a bye. The Red River Shootout will be played on October 12 and is one of the most anticipated games on OU’s schedule.
But with Oklahoma off, the college football world doesn’t stop spinning in week six. If you’re like me, you’ll still be tuned in on Saturday, watching some of the biggest games that this week’s slate has to offer. It’s not as loaded of a schedule as last week, or the two weeks following, but there are still plenty of great matchups to keep your eye on.
Here are the three biggest games of week six to watch while the Sooners are off.
Missouri at Texas A&M
The only ranked versus ranked matchup of the week will take place in College Station, Texas. Missouri is undefeated but hasn’t left the comforts of home yet and looked shaky against Vanderbilt two weeks ago. The Tigers will now step onto Kyle Field to stake their claim as one of the SEC’s top teams.
On the other hand, Texas A&M has rebounded nicely after a close season-opening loss against Notre Dame. The Aggies have made a quarterback switch to Marcel Reed, and the offense has opened up a bit as a result under first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein. It’ll be strength on strength when A&M is on defense, as they’ll look to slow down the Mizzou scoring attack.
The Tigers and the Aggies will kick things off at 11:00 a.m. CT on ABC.
Ole Miss at South Carolina
Another strong SEC matchup on Saturday sees Ole Miss on the road against South Carolina. The Rebels were upset at home last week against Kentucky and now have to play a Gamecocks team that rolled the Wildcats a few weeks ago. South Carolina also lost a close game to LSU earlier this season.
Ole Miss have to get their excellent offense back on track if they want to win, after struggling against Kentucky’s defense in last week’s loss. South Carolina boasts an impressive defensive line that could create fits for the Rebels.
For the Gamecocks, they will be looking for another strong defensive performance as they work out some of their offensive issues. The health of quarterback LaNorris Sellers has been critical to putting points on the board this year for South Carolina.
Oklahoma will face both of these teams in the month of October, so some advanced scouting may be in order. It’s a good opportunity to see how they match up against conference foes and common opponents.
The Rebels and the Gamecocks square off on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. central time.
Miami at Cal
ESPN “College GameDay” will make their first trip ever to Berkley, as the California Golden Bears will look to spoil Miami’s perfect season. Cal has just one loss on the year, falling against Florida State two weeks ago. Despite being on opposite coasts, these teams are now conference rivals, as the Golden Bears joined the ACC this summer.
The Hurricanes nearly lost last week on Friday night, winning in dramatic and controversial fashion at home against Virginia Tech. But Miami escaped, thanks to some heroics by early-season Heisman Trophy candidate, QB Cam Ward. The ‘Canes have looked like the ACC front-runners to this point but will need to stay focused as they take the cross-country trip into a charged-up environment.
It’s a big day for Cal, and they’ve got a big opportunity to make a statement in front of the country against on of college football’s big brands. The Hurricanes and Golden Bears will get going at 9:30 p.m. central time on ESPN.
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