Ricky Dimon
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An intriguing slate of college football action is on the menu for Week 6 (yes, it is already Week 6 even though the Power 5 teams have not been on the field that long—and some have not even kicked off their 2020 campaigns).
Four different games feature a pair of Top 25 teams going head-to-head, including three in the SEC. Among those is a showdown between Florida and Texas A&M, with the Aggies hoping that a return home helps them bounce back from a loss to Alabama. Defending College Football Playoff champion LSU is also trying to avoid a second loss of the season, as it pays a visit to Missouri.
Let’s take a look at the best college football bets for Week 6.
Florida Gators -6.5 at Texas A&M Aggies (12 p.m ET)
There is no rest for the weary in any conference this season, but especially in the SEC. Gone are the days when teams can sprinkle puff cake opponents into their schedules; in this era of COVID-19, an abbreviated schedule means conference competition all the time. That means a program could conceivably have tough tests on their hands from start to finish. Although that may not be entirely true the whole way for the Gators, following this weekend’s date with Texas A&M they will go up against LSU in Georgia in two of their next three games.
As long as they don’t get caught looking ahead, the Gators should be able to take care of business against the Aggies. Kyle Trask has already passed for 684 yards and 10 touchdowns. Will Texas A&M be able to keep up? It’s unlikely, at best. They scored only 17 points in an opening win over Vanderbilt before falling to Alabama 52-24. This is Kellen Mond’s final go-around in College Station, and so far, it has been solid but unspectacular. He will have to be spectacular in order to beat Florida—or even to keep it within a touchdown.
Mississippi State Bulldogs +2 at Kentucky Wildcats (7.30 p.m ET)
At first glance, it might be difficult to get a read on this Mississippi State squad. The Bulldogs opened with a 44-34 upset of LSU. Sure the Tigers are not the same beasts that rolled to the National Championship last season, but that is still a great win. However, MSU followed that up by losing to Arkansas. Then again, the Razorbacks managed to push Georgia for at least one half in their season opener; they look much-improved from their 2019 disaster.
The Bulldogs’ offense has been a mixed bag under mad scientist Mike Leach, but there has been more good than bad from senior quarterback K.J. Costello. Through just two games, he has already thrown for a ridiculous 936 yards to go along with six touchdowns and five interceptions. And you can bet there will be more good than bad when Leach’s crew put their talents up against Kentucky. The Wildcats allowed 29 points to an Auburn offense that got manhandled by Georgia before having 42 points pinned on it by Ole Miss.
LSU Tigers -14 at Missouri Tigers (12 p.m ET)
It is true that Joe Burrow ain’t walkin’ through that door at LSU. Neither is Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Justin Jefferson. And the list could go on and on. That being said, these young Tigers showed great improvement by bouncing back from their loss to Mississippi State with a 41-7 road rout of Vanderbilt. Sophomore running back John Emery Jr. was more involved in the offense against the Commodores, with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. The Tigers’ defense, of course, also looked more like its normal self.
However, the likely outcome of this game (a romp for LSU) has even more to do with Missouri. These Tigers are terrible. They lost five of their last six games in 2019 (beating only Arkansas, which was perhaps the worst FBS team in the land) and are not showing any signs of progress. Missouri opened with a 38-19 loss to Alabama and a 35-12 loss to Tennessee, and now there is no letup in the schedule. It is almost as bad as the Houston Texans’ first three weeks on the NFL schedule—and that got their head coach fired. Missouri boss Eliah Drinkwitz is in his first season, so he certainly isn’t getting fired. But his program appears to be years away from becoming relevant again.
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