Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica’s college football Week 6 study guide

Chris Fallica

FOX Sports Wagering Expert

The 2024 college football season has and will continue to be one that will go down in the history books.

That being said, there’s a lot of discussion that goes on between myself and the fine people at FOX Sports every week as we plan our production for Big Noon Kickoff. Every Sunday night, I reflect on what transpired the day before, and send out a lengthy email to producers, researchers, and my colleagues on air about my thoughts on what happened, as well as what’s notable for the upcoming week.

I’ve decided to peel back the curtain and share those thoughts with you all, because everyone should rejoice in the splendor that is college football.

This week, eight ranked teams will be on the road against unranked opponents, and only one ranked vs. ranked matchup is taking place— with No. 9 Missouri taking on No. 25 Texas A&M in College Station. All teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll play games this weekend, and 18 of the top 25 have action as well.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into my thoughts for Week 6.

Oregon’s prep

Oregon is hosting Michigan State this Saturday, a week before what should be the Big Ten game of the year at Autzen against Ohio State. The Ducks have held three of their four opponents to 14 points or fewer, and have scored at least 34 points in their last three.

Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 5-to-8 and is completing just 56% of his passes, as he and head coach Jonathan Smith take on their old “Civil War” rivals. I’m curious to see how dominant Dan Lanning’s team looks a week out before a huge matchup.

Go America!

For the first time since 1945, both Navy and Army are 4-0. The Midshipmen are hosting the Air Force in a rivalry game, while the Black Knights are traveling to Tulsa this weekend. In that 1945 season, both improved to 5-0 as well.

New-look Rutgers

Don’t look now, but Rutgers heads into Saturday looking for its first 5-0 start since 2012. It would be just its third 5-0 start since 1977. It has a huge matchup this week against Nebraska and true freshman star quarterback Dylan Raiola. He’s thrown nine touchdowns and just two interceptions with a 242.2 passing yards per game average, and faces a Scarlet Knights defense that has allowed 7.0 yards per play against Power 4 teams this season.

Fantastic freshmen

Speaking of freshmen, how about Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams? Smith has scored a touchdown in all four games for the Buckeyes, while Williams is coming off a 177-yard performance in a thriller against Georgia. The two have combined for 826 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches. Smith’s first real test will come in two weeks against the Ducks, while Williams plays Vanderbilt and South Carolina before traveling to Knoxville on Oct. 19.

Familiar faces

Clemson gets to face an FSU team that will be without old friend D.J. Uiagalelei, who has been ruled out due to injury. A new look at quarterback might not be terrible for Mike Norvell’s squad, as ‘DJU’ went 12-30 with three interceptions in the Seminoles’ 42-16 blowout loss at SMU last week. Let’s not forget that it also lost 63-3 against Georgia in the Orange Bowl last season. It could be that bad again on Saturday.

Nittany Lions face Bruins

What did Illinois do to disrupt the Penn State passing attack this past weekend? Drew Allar finished with a season-low 135 pass yards, 6.4 yards per attempt and didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time this year. UCLA might not be the team to be able to match the blueprint, but does this cause concern moving forward vs. teams like Ohio State and possibly USC? The Bruins are allowing 291 pass yards per game this season (eighth most in FBS), so this should be a “get right” game for the Nittany Lions offense.

Fayetteville a trap for undefeated Vols

The Razorbacks could easily be 5-0, with their two losses coming against Oklahoma State in double overtime and losing to Texas A&M by four points last week. I think this could be a very tricky game for the Vols, with it being a road game off a bye week following an emotional win over Oklahoma. Tennessee had by far a season lows in points (25) and yards (345) in a road game at OU, and might experience the same against a desperate Arkansas team. Taylen Green is also an electric player, and is the only Power 4 quarterback to have over 1,200 pass yards and 300 rush yards.

Mizzou on upset alert

Last week, I called Missouri the most overrated team in the country. This week, it is currently a 2.5-point underdog at A&M. Should Missouri really be ranked in the top 10 if its wins have come against Murray State, Buffalo, a six-point home win over Boston College and an overtime home win over Vandy? Five of Missouri’s final eight games are on the road, although one is at UMass.

Perfect Panthers

How many people know Pitt is 4-0? It hasn’t been pretty, but it has a good chance to move to 5-0 against North Carolina, which in the last two weeks has given up 70 points to James Madison and then blew a 20-0 lead against rival Duke. Can’t imagine the Heels have a whole lot of fight in them this week.

Get ready for Georgia to dominate

Kirby Smart almost completed a 28-point comeback on the road against Alabama last week and will look to dominate the rest of the year. After what should be two easy wins vs. Auburn and Mississippi State, UGA will host Texas, play at Ole Miss, and host Tennessee. Is the takeaway from the game this past Saturday that it took Georgia playing its worst half of football in years, a total clunker of a half from Carson Beck on the road at a top-5 team, a Heisman-level performance from the opposing quarterback, and an interception in the final minute to beat the Bulldogs? That actually might make you feel better about Georgia’s standing and its chances at winning the CFP.

Hugh Freeze is 4-10 in his last 14 games vs. FBS opponents and 3-9 in his last 12 vs. Power 4 teams. In Auburn’s last seven games vs. Georgia away from Jordan-Hare, the Tigers have scored four touchdowns and are 0-7 (outscored 216-54). The road back to glory could start now for Georgia.

Jeanty pushing for Heisman

Ashton Jeanty has 845 yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, and is averaging 10.3 yards per carry. He leads the country in the first two categories and ranks fourth in the third. Could he be the first player from the Mountain West to win the award? Remember, BYU was part of the Western Athletic Conference when Ty Detmer won it in 1990. He’s electric and worth watching every Saturday.

Chris “The Bear” Fallica has covered sports for nearly three decades. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an “occasional” wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest. He’s a multiple-time qualifier for the NHC Handicapping Championship. Remember, “The less you bet, the more you lose when you win!” Follow him on Twitter @chrisfallica.

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