The best and worst situational spots for Week 6 in college football
Another week of college football, another handful of situational spots.
Before crunching the numbers for Week 6, be sure to keep these situations in your back pocket.
Potential letdowns
Northwestern (at Michigan State)
Line: Michigan State -11.5
Northwestern's season has unraveled in a hurry. A road win over Purdue in the opener could have set the table for a phenomenal start prior to conference play, but losses to Duke and Akron put Pat Fitzgerald's club back behind the eight ball.
After getting its bye in Week 4, Northwestern had a shot to compensate for both losses when ranked Michigan visited town. The Wildcats stormed out to a 17-0 lead in the first half, and then, like clockwork, more unraveling.
Northwestern allowed 20 straight points to the Wolverines and gained only 97 yards in the second half, watching a three-possession lead, and perhaps the season, slip away.
After emptying the tank in a last-ditch effort to save the season, Northwestern now has to go on the road for the first time in five weeks to play another ranked team from the state of Michigan in the form of the Spartans, who are looking to avenge last season's overtime loss.
Syracuse (at Pitt)
Line: Syracuse -4.5
Syracuse nearly did it again.
After tripping up Clemson at home to give a College Football Playoff representative its only loss of the 2017 regular season, the Orange, as 25.5-point underdogs, were a fourth-down conversion away from walking out of Death Valley with another monumental win.
Instead, the Tigers pulled off the fourth-quarter comeback under a third-string quarterback and sent the Orange home with nothing to show for it.
There are programs that can build off hanging with the No. 2 team in the country; then, there are teams like Syracuse - which had the lead essentially the entire game - that can only think about what could have been.
It'll be interesting to watch how Syracuse responds to what would have been another season-defining win when the Orange travel to Pitt in Week 6.
Miami (OH) (at Akron)
Line: Akron -3.5
The RedHawks continue to lose in the most absurd ways imaginable. We've profiled the team a couple of times already this season, explaining why Miami has been better than its record suggests, based on how many one-score games it has lost since the start of 2017.
Just when it appeared the RedHawks had some momentum after picking up their first win of the season in Week 4, Miami bent the knee again last Saturday, coughing up a double-digit lead to the Western Michigan Broncos. And what do you know! Another one-score loss, 40-39.
Chuck Martin and Co. only have so much time to figure it out. The RedHawks are back on the road for the third time in four weeks to play Akron, which will be coming off its bye.
Kentucky (at Texas A&M)
Line: Texas A&M -5.5
Kentucky passed the test in last week's potential letdown spot with a win over South Carolina, but will the Wildcats string together three straight conference wins?
It'll be a battle of strengths as Kentucky's No. 10 rushing attack faces Texas A&M's No. 3 run defense. The Wildcats put on two dazzling performances in front of their home crowd but will now go into College Station as the hunted, with the Aggies looking to give the No. 15 team in the country its first loss of the season.
Notre Dame (at Virginia Tech)
Line: Notre Dame -5.5
A night game in Blacksburg? We're going to find out how Notre Dame responds to adversity for the first time outside of South Bend.
It's been smooth sailing for the undefeated Fighting Irish. Not only have they posted signature wins over Michigan and Stanford, but they've also found a new offensive gear with Ian Book replacing Brandon Wimbush under center. A road game at Wake Forest and a ranked matchup with Stanford were good tune-ups for Book, but we're about to find out how good he is in an environment like Virginia Tech.
Sandwich/Lookahead spots
Central Florida (vs. SMU)
Line: Central Florida -24
There aren't many knocks on Central Florida. The Knights have bullied the competition so far, including a 45-14 rout of Pitt last weekend. SMU doesn't figure to stand much of a chance against a top-15 team in the country, though the Mustangs can perhaps catch the Knights looking ahead - Central Florida has its most pivotal game of the year on deck with a road contest against Memphis.
Ole Miss (vs. UL Monroe)
Line: Ole Miss -23
UL Monroe will serve as the middle of the sandwich for Ole Miss, which has road conference games against LSU and Arkansas bookended. The Warhawks won't be intimidated, seeing that they've already gone on the road to play Texas A&M this season. It'll be the second time Ole Miss will host a mid-major following a road loss against a ranked conference opponent - the Rebels lost 62-7 to Alabama, then played Kent State at home, failing to cover as 28.5-point chalk with a 38-17 win.
Washington State (at Oregon State)
Line: Washington State -16
We're not giving Oregon State a sure bid to upset Washington State, but Mike Leach might want to be careful here. The Beavers could be the perfect opponent to overlook on the road, sandwiched between home games against Utah and Oregon. Something tells us Washington State either rolls by 50 or wins on a last-second field goal.
Travel spots
Northern Illinois (vs. Ball State)
Line: Northern Illinois -3.5
Northern Illinois will finish up its last leg of a three-game road stand at Ball State, following games at Florida State and Eastern Michigan. And what's worse, the Cardinals are playing their third straight home game.
South Alabama (at Georgia Southern)
Line: Georgia Southern -14
South Alabama is also on its final of a three-game road trip and is probably just ready to get back home. The Jaguars have been outscored 104-42 in games against Memphis and Appalachian State and now play their fourth road game in five weeks against Georgia Southern, which is back at home for the second straight week.
Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.