Viewer's guide to Week 6: Can't-miss-matchups, potential upsets, and more

Last week's "big" games largely turned out to be duds.

Ohio State's trip to Nebraska was over before kickoff. Auburn proved far superior to Mississippi State. On the West Coast, Washington and Utah pummelled USC and Washington State. Clemson's close call with North Carolina and Baylor's last-second victory over Iowa State were outliers in a mostly drab slate.

Here's to hoping Week 6 includes more drama. Before it begins, theScore is here to guide your viewing experience. Here's our look at the can't-miss matchups, under-the-radar games, and potential upsets (all times ET).

The early slate

Must-watch: No. 14 Iowa at No. 19 Michigan (noon, FOX)

Consider this a do-over for Michigan. Two weeks ago, the Wolverines stepped onto the field at Wisconsin and were thoroughly beaten in a noon kickoff on FOX. Now, Jim Harbaugh's team is in the same spot (albeit at home) against another ranked, undefeated Big Ten West foe in Iowa.

This game revolves around two questions. First, can Michigan find a way to move the football? The Wolverines averaged 2.4, 2.1, and 3.4 yards per carry against Army, Wisconsin, and Rutgers, respectively, while Shea Patterson has been inconsistent. Iowa is allowing an average of 8.5 points per game.

The second question is whether or not a Wolverines defense that allowed 559 rushing yards to Army and Wisconsin combined can slow down Iowa's multi-faceted run game. Three players, including junior Mekhi Sargent, have 200-plus yards rushing each this season.

Has potential: TCU at Iowa State (noon, ESPN2)

In only its fifth game, Iowa State's season is at a critical juncture. The Cyclones have lost two games by a combined three points - including a 23-21 defeat at Baylor last weekend that dimmed Iowa State's hopes of crashing the Big 12 championship in December. The Cyclones' minus-4 turnover margin this season has been hard to overcome. Still, they could turn out to be one of the best two-loss teams in the country - and quarterback Brock Purdy continues to build connections with Deshaunte Jones (27 receptions), Tarique Milton (344 yards), and tight end Charlie Kolar (19 receptions).

TCU enters Ames with an Iowa native, freshman Max Duggan, leading its offense. The Horned Frogs bounced back from a nonconference loss to SMU by scorching Kansas 51-14. Gary Patterson might have the best defense in the Big 12, led by linebacker Garret Wallow (10 tackles for loss).

Upset alert: Tulane at Army (noon, CBS Sports Network)

Tulane is a three-point favorite, so it wouldn't be a big upset if Army won Saturday. But we needed to find a way to highlight one of the weekend's most sneakily fun matchups.

The Green Wave, who are dominating the uniform game like no other in 2019, come off a bye week after the best finish of the season against Houston.

Tulane runs the football well, led by Darius Bradwell (255 yards), Texas Tech transfer Corey Dauphine (202 yards), and quarterback (and LSU transfer) Justin McMillan.

Of course, Army's option attack also successfully runs the football. Expect a fun, fast game.

Keep an eye on: Utah State at No. 5 LSU (noon, SEC Network)

If LSU is looking ahead to next week's game against Florida, it could be in for more of a fight than expected against Utah State. The Aggies enter Baton Rouge led by a steady run game (Jaylen Warren and Gerold Bright have 636 yards between them) and a run defense that's holding opponents to 2.7 yards per carry. At 3-1, Utah State's only loss came by a field goal at an undefeated Wake Forest.

If the Tigers are focused, though, quarterback Joe Burrow should have no problem against a suspect pass defense. LSU - yes, LSU - leads the country in completion percentage and is second in passing yards per game (behind Washington State). Saturday offers Burrow a good opportunity to keep pace with the other Heisman Trophy candidates.

Midafternoon

Must-watch: No. 7 Auburn at No. 10 Florida (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Another week, another marquee opponent for Auburn. That's the nature of the Tigers' schedule in 2019. Bo Nix and Co. have already defeated Oregon and Texas A&M, and they appear to be improving heading into Saturday's trip to Gainesville; Auburn averaged a season-high 8.4 yards per play in a 56-23 win against Mississippi State last week.

Florida is still leaning on its preseason ranking, as this is the Gators' first game against a ranked opponent. Quarterback Kyle Trask has been impressive since replacing the injured Feleipe Franks, completing 77.3% of his passes.

These teams don't play each other much. This is their first meeting since 2011 and Auburn's first trip to The Swamp since 2007 - and the last time Florida defeated the Tigers, Ron Zook coached the Gators.

Has potential: Baylor at Kansas State (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)

Baylor is one of only two undefeated teams left in the Big 12 (Oklahoma is the other). That got the Bears a handful of votes in last week's AP Top 25 poll. A win in Manhattan, Kansas, could vault them into the top 25 this week.

Kansas State looked mortal in its 26-13 loss at Oklahoma State last week, struggling mightily to move the football. Chris Klieman's team needs more out of quarterback Skylar Thompson on Saturday. The most interesting matchup, though, will be the Wildcats' pass defense (seventh in yards per attempt allowed) against Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer (972 yards, 10 TD, 0 INT).

Upset alert: Illinois at Minnesota (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Speaking of unranked, undefeated teams … hello, Minnesota! The Golden Gophers haven't won a game by more than a touchdown but sit at 4-0 as Illinois comes to town.

Quarterback Tanner Morgan is putting together one of the best seasons nobody is talking about. Against Purdue last week, he completed 21-of-22 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns.

Minnesota hasn't shown the ability to pull away from opponents, and the Fighting Illini could keep this one close, too. Illinois had Nebraska on the ropes two weeks ago but coughed up a 14-point lead in a 42-38 loss.

Keep an eye on: No. 11 Texas at West Virginia (3:30 p.m., ABC)

This won't feature the fireworks of a year ago - remember Will Grier's game-winning two-point conversion? - but Saturday's game could be interesting because, well, anything can happen in Morgantown.

Is it a look-ahead game for Texas a week before a big matchup with Oklahoma? You wouldn't think so, with the Longhorns coming off a bye week and looking to avenge last year's emotional loss.

Can first-year coach Neal Brown's West Virginia, which also had last week off, show improvement, too? The Mountaineers' offense ranks 116th in yards per play, but the team won back-to-back games against North Carolina State and Kansas.

Evening

Must-watch: No. 25 Michigan State at No. 4 Ohio State (7:30 p.m., ABC)

A week after Ohio State made its case for being the best team in the country, the Buckeyes will be in the national spotlight again Saturday. The evening wave of games is the weakest of the day, but OSU versus Michigan State has some intrigue.

Can the Spartans' offense do enough to stay in this one on the road? Michigan State scored 71 points in its last two games combined, but Ohio State's high-octane offense remains a big step up in class for quarterback Brian Lewerke and Co.

The best matchup in perhaps any game this weekend will be Ohio State's rushing offense against Michigan State's defensive front. J.K. Dobbins is averaging 130 yards per game and more than 7 yards per touch, while Michigan State has held four of five opponents below 100 team rushing yards.

Has potential: California at No. 13 Oregon (8 p.m., FOX)

It's hard to picture Oregon as a team known for defense after its years under Chip Kelly. But despite the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert - who has been terrific this season - defense is the Ducks' calling card in 2019.

Oregon is allowing 3.9 yards per play this season, the fifth-fewest in college football. Opposing quarterbacks have as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns. That doesn't bode well for California, which lost its first game last week against Arizona State and also lost starting quarterback Chase Garbers to injury.

Upset alert: Vanderbilt at Ole Miss (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)

Ole Miss is favored by a touchdown over Vanderbilt, but the two teams look somewhat evenly matched on paper. The Rebels lost big to Alabama (59-31) while the Commodores suffered a similar fate against LSU (66-38) and Georgia (30-3). Both schools face uphill battles to a .500 record.

With a couple of struggling defenses on the field, though, this one could be fun for neutral viewers. Vanderbilt boasts the most proven playmaker on either team in running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn. He rushed for 130 yards against LSU and 138 in last week's win over Northern Illinois.

Keep an eye on: No. 3 Georgia at Tennessee (7 p.m., ESPN)

Tennessee is the team you just can't look away from this season. The Volunteers, 0-3 against FBS opponents this season and coming off an ugly 34-3 loss to Florida, will have their hands full with playoff contender Georgia.

It could be another light day for him, but the player to watch is running back D'Andre Swift. The Bulldogs have kept him fresh so far this season with only 49 carries in four games, and he's averaging nearly 8 yards per touch.

After dark

Has potential: No. 15 Washington at Stanford (10:30 p.m., ESPN)

The good news for 2-3 Stanford: After Saturday, the Cardinal's next five opponents are currently unranked. Even if Stanford falls to 2-4, there's a path to six wins if David Shaw can solve some of his team's issues.

The bad news: Saturday could be ugly. Washington has looked like one of the two best teams in the Pac-12 (along with Oregon) all season, including in last week's 28-14 win over USC. The Huskies' pass defense should feast against quarterback Davis Mills.

Worth noting: The Cardinal have won eight of the last 11 meetings in the series, and UW hasn't won in Stanford since 2007.

Keep an eye on: No. 16 Boise State at UNLV (10:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)

UCF's loss pushed Boise State to the front of the pack in the race to be the Group of 5 representative in a New Year's Six bowl. If the Broncos were to go undefeated in a Mountain West that proved its strength in nonconference play, they'd have a strong case for returning to their first top-tier bowl game since 2014.

But Boise State hasn't looked invincible since its season-opening comeback win over Florida State; the Broncos beat Marshall by a touchdown in Boise and held off Air Force 30-19. So it's worth monitoring how freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier and his team handle another road trip. UNLV's defense has been atrocious at times (including a 53-17 loss to Wyoming), but the Rebels will attempt to control the game on the ground. They can run it - Charles Williams has three games of more than 140 yards this season.