CFB Week 6

Vanderbilt vs Alabama

What to watch for: This is not your fathers Vanderbilt/Alabama matchup.Growing up in the Saban era and even before, Vanderbilt was the cupcake on the SEC schedule that teams couldn’t wait for. That is no longer the case in the wacky world of college football that we live in. Alabama was left for dead by much of its own fanbase earlier this year (the crime, losing badly to a retooled Florida State team in week 1) and yet completely flipped the script with a win over rival Georgia on the road. This matchup last year was the start of a lot of Kalen Debor discourse at Alabama. Could Vanderbilt really go back to back against the Tide and throw all their newfound good will out the window?

Cincinnati vs Iowa State

What to watch for: Through no real fault of my own, aside from having believed in the pre season that this Iowa State had a real chance at the playoffs, I have been deemed the Iowa State expert at this station. Since I’m now tied at the hip with this team, allow me to make the case for this matchup against the Bearcats. The Cyclones opened the season 5-0 and come into the road matchup at Nippert Stadium as a 1.5 underdog to Cincy, a team that has some momentum of their own. The Cyclones have some solid wins to start, most notably over Iowa and Arizona last week. This should be the hardest opponent the Cyclones have faced so far and as I’m prone to do in these write ups, this game should tell us an awful lot about the strength of the Big 12.

Miami vs Florida State

What to watch for: A game that sells itself. A classic college football rivalry. Miami looks very strong to open the season. Upset loss to Virginia notwithstanding, Florida State still looks very competitive. This marks the 70th time these two schools have played each other, with the Hurricanes holding the 36 to 33 advantage over the Seminoles. Considering how both offenses have looked to start, this one could wind up as a real back and forth battle til the end.

Clemson vs North Carolina

What to watch for: You tell me. You can file this matchup under the “what I am watching” category of games. I was about to type the sentence “logic would dictate that this is a game Clemson should handle easily” and then I remembered that we’re in 2025 and Clemson hasn’t done anything easily. North Carolina may be the worst team they face all year but with Bill Belichick on the other sideline, you can’t definitively say that North Carolina can’t win this game. Belichick’s strong suit has always been to make teams play lefthanded, shutting down their star players. Only problem in this matchup is the “stars” on this Clemson team aren’t playing well right now when they aren’t being isolated by a defense. This game is a puzzling one. It could stink. It could be super close. We really don’t know anymore and that’s why you should watch.