There are certain weekends throughout the early stage of the college football season that deliver the sort of magic you just can’t get elsewhere—and Week 5 was one of those weekends. Of Sports Illustrated’s seven selections for the best games to watch, two went to double overtime, one was decided on a walk-off field goal and three others were within one score. We also had one of the most unhinged field stormings in recent memory—the type you can only get from the passion of college football.
All right, enough looking into the past and patting ourselves on the back: We have more games to watch. Who’s in the driver’s seat in the Big 12? Texas Tech, Houston and Iowa State all have a chance to make a case Saturday. Interested in trying to figure out who the third-best team in the ACC is? Virginia and Louisville will audition for the role. Can Vanderbilt do the improbable, storm into Tuscaloosa, Ala., and take down the Crimson Tide for a second straight season? We’ll find out.
Here’s what to know and where to find the aforementioned games and more of the matchups you should focus on this weekend:
Clemson Tigers (1–3) at North Carolina Tar Heels (2–2)
Saturday, noon ET, ESPN
We didn’t think we would find ourselves here with both teams touting a .500 record (or worse), but here we are. It’s Dabo Swinney vs. Bill Belichick in a clash between the two biggest coaching names in the sport. Neither school has beaten anyone yet—the best win may be Clemson’s second-half comeback vs. Troy—so something has finally got to give. The Tar Heels have been run over by power-conference opponents TCU (258 rushing yards allowed, two scores) and UCF (143 rushing yards allowed, three scores), presenting an opportunity for Clemson senior running back Adam Randall to continue his early season breakout.
No. 14 Iowa State Cyclones (5–0) at Cincinnati Bearcats (3–1)
Saturday, noon ET, ESPN2
Texas Tech, a program that will come up later on this list, may be getting the bulk of the attention in the Big 12 but Iowa State is plodding along since field goal victories over Kansas State and Iowa. Unsurprisingly, the Cyclones have another top-20 defense under Matt Campbell, but the Bearcats have been equally frisky since losing a not-so-neutral site game to Nebraska in Kansas City. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby is sixth in the nation in total offense and 11th in passing efficiency, powering Cincinnati to the third-most yards per play (8.06) in college football. Big plays don’t come often against Iowa State, but the Bearcats have perhaps the best chance this season to deliver them.
No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers (4–1) at Louisville Cardinals (4–0)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
There’s no doubt Charlottesville, Va., was rocking this past Friday when Tony Elliott finally secured a marquee win for the Hoos. Now comes the burden of expectations, with a ranking in the AP Top 25 and a road trip out to another ACC team looking to backdoor its way into the conference championship game—and perhaps beyond. Louisville boasts one of the most dynamic backfields in the nation, led by Isaac Brown, but injuries have kept the star sophomore limited this season. Still, the Cardinals are undefeated and going up against a Virginia team that just gave up 256 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to Florida State—and still won. Expect a high-scoring affair.
No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores (5–0) at No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide (3–1)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Can lightning strike twice? Vanderbilt will try to prove that it can, this time on the road in T-Town after last year’s upset of the year in Nashville. These still aren’t your parents’ Commodores. In fact, they may be even better than last season with Diego Pavia powering the offense to average 49 points per game (fourth in FBS) through the first five weeks. The rub is that Vanderbilt’s best win is over an underperforming South Carolina team and Alabama is fresh off continuing to be a thorn in Kirby Smart’s side. Ty Simpson is playing clean and the defense has settled down since the opener, making the Tide the clear favorites in this rematch. Vanderbilt is no plucky underdog in this meeting now—last year’s game confirmed that. But a road win over an SEC juggernaut? That would elevate the Dores into the contender class.
No. 9 Texas Longhorns (3–1) at Florida Gators (1–3)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
We probably hoped to see the Longhorns arriving to the Swamp with a bit more positivity surrounding both programs, but we can’t always get what we want. The Gators are spiraling out of control, having scored just three touchdowns in three games against power-conference opponents, but it’s hard not to think they can scare someone on their loaded schedule at some point with this talented defense. The Longhorns would be a good bet to be on the wrong side—and no, you shouldn’t think that Arch Manning is now a world beater after a 55–0 blowout over winless Sam Houston, one of the worst teams in the country. Texas’s defense, first in FBS with 3.58 yards allowed per play, will make this game ugly with Florida’s offensive line issues and inability to protect DJ Lagway. Still, all it might take is an ill-timed turnover or two to swing this one.
No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders (4–0) at Houston Cougars (4–0)
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
As mentioned before, Texas Tech is in the driver’s seat in the Big 12, but have the Red Raiders really tested themselves yet? The same could be said for Houston, which has the worst strength of schedule (126th) among Power 4 programs. Well not after Saturday, when these former Southwest Conference rivals square off for the fourth time since the start of the decade. Texas Tech has won the last six meetings dating back to 2010 and this might be the Red Raiders’ best roster since then—well worth the price the big oil donors paid for it. Plus, Houston didn’t inspire confidence this past week, needing two touchdowns in the final six minutes just to push Oregon State to overtime, where the Cougars won with a field goal. Tech, on the other hand, beat the brakes off the Beavers, meaning Houston will need to start much better this week.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (4–1) at No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies (4–0)
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
The Bulldogs may have been a part of one of the most entertaining games of Week 5, pushing Tennessee to rally for the win in overtime. And it’s not the first time Jeff Lebby’s program has been a pesky out this season, shocking Arizona State in the final minute back in Week 2. Two great running backs headline this game: Le’Veon Moss for the Aggies and Fluff Bothwell for the Bulldogs. Neither team has been great against the run, but Texas A&M completely shut down Auburn last week, which included holding the Tigers to 3.1 yards per play and 0 for 13 on third down. A similar performance should get the Aggies a win—and prove even further that they have the sort of defense to win the SEC.
No. 3 Miami Hurricanes (4–0) at No. 18 Florida State Seminoles (3–1)
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
The potential game of the week lost some of its pizzazz when the Seminoles gave up 440 yards and 46 points in Friday’s upset loss at Virginia. Now Miami, the clear favorite in the ACC, comes to Tallahassee after routing fellow in-state foes Florida and USF. It’s difficult to decipher what to make of the Canes, particularly when it comes to Carson Beck, who’s managing a smaller workload than he did the last two seasons at Georgia, but still wasn’t great last week against Florida. The key for Florida State will be hoping Tommy Castellanos and the ground game give Miami’s stifling defense too much to think about. That seems unlikely, but the Noles will have to score to stay in this game and hope the defense rallies after the disappointment in Charlottesville, Va..
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eight Best College Football Games to Watch in Week 6: Vanderbilt-Alabama Upset Alert.
