After some technical difficulties, the long awaited week 6 recap is finally here. And what a week 6 it was! Buckle up and hang on, we’re jumping right into it.
Games of Note an Predictions
#2 Ohio State 40 – Maryland 12
Scott – Ohio State 42, Maryland 19
Gavin – Ohio State 52, Maryland 21
Not much to see here, as CJ Stroud and company once again took care of business. Ohio State is, once again, the class of this conference. Will anyone be able to finally dethrone them? Meanwhile, Maryland have been blown out in two straight after a promising start, much like their real-life season. The offense will look to find some answers against an up-and-down Minnesota team after the bye.
#22 LSU 33 – Kentucky 32 (OT)
Scott – LSU 35, Kentucky 31
Gavin – Kentucky 28, LSU 24
LSU have shown a strong penchant for playing in close games so far this season. But for the first time this week, they won one of them. Perhaps an emotional win will light a fire under Coach O’s team, but a daunting matchup with #5 Florida lies ahead. That same Florida team dropped Kentucky just last week, and the Wildcats face a third straight tough test with Georgia next week. More on the Bulldogs later.
#3 Oklahoma 23 – #12 Texas 18
Scott – Oklahoma 45, Texas 38
Gavin – Oklahoma 42, Texas 31
Well, I’m not sure anyone saw this coming. Oklahoma winning a close game is no a big surprise, but 41 points in a matchup between these two since 2015. This was also the fewest points either of these teams has scored in a game yet this year. The Sooner defense in particular has looked to be the real deal this year, which should scare fellow BIG 12 and CFP contenders alike.
#21 Auburn 31 – #6 Georgia 10
Scott – Georgia 24, Auburn 16
Gavin – Georgia 31, Auburn 14
Speaking of not seeing things coming, raise your hand if you predicted a two-loss Georgia by mid October. Perhaps their real-life dominance plays a significant part in the perception, but shipping 31 points to Bo Nix was certainly not what most people would have expected out of this Bulldog defense. That being said, two big wins in a row for Auburn should put their SEC West opponents on notice. These Tigers are here to compete after the disappointing early season loss to Penn State.
#17 Utah 23 – #18 USC 19
Scott – USC 36, Utah 30
Gavin – USC 31, Utah 24
The alarm bells are certainly ringing for the Trojans right now. The defense has been consistently mediocre through the season thus far, but where did the offense go? Through four weeks Kedon Slovis led a well-oiled points-scoring machine. However, this week he was nowhere to be found. With Notre Dame up next, there is a very real chance USC could drop three straight. Give the Utes defense some credit, they have been solid this season. Another great test comes up quickly, with fellow undefeated Arizona State coming to town.
#22 Michigan 33 – Nebraska 28
Scott – Nebraska 30, Michigan 27
Gavin – Michigan 24, Nebraska 17
A hard-fought B10 battle ends with a big bounce-back win for the Wolverines. With a bye ahead, Michigan have time to rest and recover, and still have everything to play for on the other side. Nebraska on the other hand have lost 3 out of 4 and once again find themselves well behind early in the conference race. Scott Frost will need to turn it around quick as the pressure mounts.
Virginia Tech 42 – #11 Notre Dame 39 (OT)
Scott – Notre Dame 34, Virginia Tech 17
Gavin – Notre Dame 42, Virginia Tech 21
Things go from bad to worse for the Irish. Two straight overtime losses have completely sapped the life out of Brian Kelly’s team. The Hokies however are now full of momentum with the meat of conference play left ahead of them. A narrow loss in a week one upset bid is avenged, and there is plenty now to play for.
#9 Texas A&M 26 – #5 Alabama 12
Scott – Alabama 33, Texas A&M 14
Gavin – Alabama 35, Texas A&M 21
If you raised your hand earlier for a two-loss Georgia, you can go ahead and put it down now. No one could have seen Bama joining Georgia with two losses only halfway into the season. It looks a long climb now for the Tide to get back into the playoff. A&M have instead thrust themselves firmly into the picture with stellar play on both sides of the ball. This could very well be the year of the Aggies in the SEC West.
Upset Picks:
Air Force 32 – Wyoming 31 (OT)
Scott – Wyoming 22, Air Force 19
Oof that one hurts Scott. So close to nailing this upset, but Air Force once again pulls out a game as a slight favorite. The Falcons are now 6-0 with an incredible 3(!) OT wins.
Penn State 17 – Iowa 0
Gavin – Iowa 28, Penn State 21
In the battle of defenses, Penn State’s was the clear superior. No need to slow this Iowa offense down with injuries…
Our Pick Results
Scott: 3-6 (39-15)
Gavin: 3-6 (38-16)
And there it is. A rough week for the both of us as the season of craziness finally catches up to our picks.
Other Games of Note
Tulsa 51 – Memphis 31
Memphis got a beatdown for their first loss of the season, courtesy of a Tulsa team that continues to be very up and down.
North Texas 27 – Missouri 22
The Mean Green are on a bit of a roll now, having won three straight. A win against an SEC foe is sure to inspire confidence.
UCLA 51 – Arizona 50 (OT)
The Bruins have quite the roll going themselves, albeit a very different kind. Three, yes three, straight OT games for UCLA now in conference play. At least this one was a win. The same team that beat LSU impressively earlier this year being pushed all the way by lowly Arizona is certainly cause for concern however. That is if the last two losses weren’t enough of a warning sign.
Arizona State 43 – Stanford 10
Another week, another impressive win for ASU. As good as the Sun Devils have looked though, Utah will provide a challenge of a whole different level next week.
Ole Miss 30 – Arkansas 26
The first three losses for Arkansas were all understandable, coming against very good competition. Right or not, this one will definitely be a disappointment to the Hogs however.
And that’ll do it for week 6. Thanks again for reading! Be sure to follow us on Twitter @ncaafbsim for further content and real-life NCAA takes.
– Gavin
NCAA 2020 Football Simulation 