College football's best games today: What you should watch on the Week 6 schedule

As the Week 6 college football schedule gets underway today, we highlight those most important games that you should be watching this weekend.

This weekend brings us two games featuring head-to-head matchups involving ranked teams, with...

A massive rematch of an SEC series that saw a historic cellar-dweller knock off a No. 1 team with designs on making it two straight...
Two ACC rivals with an undefeated playoff hopeful on the road facing off against a surprise contender looking to avoid a second-straight loss...

Here are the most important games on the Week 6 college football schedule today that we’ll be watching, and that you should, too.

College football games today: Week 6 schedule, what you should watch

All times Eastern

Clemson at North Carolina

College football games today: Week 6 schedule, what to watch — Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Why watch? Bill Belichick vs. Dabo Swinney, in just the second time in college football history that a coach with multiple national championships goes against a coach with multiple Super Bowl rings.

The only other time that happened? Back on Jan. 1 1993, when Joe Paterno and Penn State squared off against Bill Walsh and Stanford. Walsh came out on the right side that day, winning the Blockbuster Bowl in a 24-3 result over Joe Pa.

Belichick’s arrival at North Carolina was heralded, bringing with him a pedigree that includes eight career Super Bowl championships and consideration as the most accomplished coach in football ever.

The question was, could he translate that success in college football, where he had never coached? Not so far, as the Tar Heels are just 2-2 with no wins against FBS opponents.

Clemson isn’t doing so hot, either, falling to 1-3 after a loss to Syracuse in a game it never led, falling well out of the ACC title picture it was presumed to be the favorite in going back to the preseason.

It would be nice if there was more on the line in this battle of elite coaches, but it’s worth watching in the early window to see what happens.

When to watch: 12 p.m. on ESPN

Vanderbilt at Alabama

College football games today: Week 6 schedule, what you should watch — Will McLelland-Imagn Images

Why watch? To see if the Commodores can do it again, and if the Crimson Tide can keep this train on the tracks coming off their own signature victory and avoid another costly upset.

That was, as the ABC announcers will remind us early and often, what happened last year around this time. And for good reason.

Alabama was the No. 1 team in college football and coming off a huge win over Georgia when it ran into a loss of historic proportions. Vanderbilt had never defeated a top-five opponent and hadn’t beaten the Tide since 1984 until that day.

Back in the present, Vanderbilt is 5-0 for the first time since 2008 and has scored the ninth-most points of any SEC team through five games in the history of the conference, proving that last season’s monster upset over then-No. 1 Alabama may not have been a one-year wonder.

Can the Commodores do it again? Alabama is a double-digit favorite this time and has home field advantage, but Diego Pavia leads a very potent Vanderbilt offense that is fourth in college football by averaging 49 points per game.

When to watch: 3:30 p.m. on ABC

Texas at Florida

Why watch? To see if this is the moment when Florida pulls the plug on Billy Napier, and if Arch Manning is able to even remotely live up to all that preseason hype.

So far, Manning hasn’t done the job, with questions around his accuracy, his decision making process, and his throwing motion being raised by critics and some anonymous NFL scouts, while Napier’s coaching tenure at Florida has been in peril for some time.

He held onto the job through the idle week following the loss at Miami, the third-straight defeat for the Gators this season, during which they didn’t score more than 16 points in any of those games.

Manning already failed his first road test in a seven-point loss at Ohio State and now embarks on his first foray into SEC play away from home as the full-time starter.

When to watch: 3:30 p.m. on ESPN

Texas Tech at Houston

College football games today: What to watch on the Week 6 schedule — Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Why watch? To get another look at the Red Raiders’ snazzy new defense in another big road conference test against a surprise undefeated squad looking for an upset.

Texas Tech has played itself into early College Football Playoff consideration as the new favorite to win the Big 12 title following its dominant victory at Utah in the conference opener, and this week is yet more proving ground for this defense to show itself.

Tech and its very generous boosters laid out more than $28 million this offseason to refashion this roster and so far that value has been on display on the field.

Houston is a surprise undefeated team through the first month of the season and could set a trap for the Red Raiders, but its offense hasn’t been as explosive as its talent suggests it can, coming off a narrow 3-point win over winless Oregon State last time out.

When to watch: 7 p.m. on ESPN

Miami at Florida State

College football's best games today: Week 6 schedule, what you should watch — Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Why watch? Two insurgent playoff contenders in one of college football’s historically more consequential rivalry games, and the Seminoles are already under pressure to avoid a second-straight loss after their promising start hit a snag last week.

Florida State was rolling a week ago with that big win over Alabama in the season opener and playing some explosive offense. That was, before walking into a trap on the road against unranked Virginia, whose own potent attack pulled off a major upset in double overtime.

Now, the Seminoles are suddenly under some pressure looking to avoid what would be a second-straight loss, but the obstacle before them is the new favorite to win the ACC.

Miami is undefeated and already with resume-building wins over Notre Dame, a then-ranked USF, and Florida, and getting some solid early returns from a promising offense led by veteran quarterback Carson Beck.

But the Hurricanes aren’t just highlight plays on offense. They have a strong defensive front that could genuinely frustrate Florida State’s ability to protect mobile quarterback Tommy Castellanos.

When to watch: 7:30 p.m. on ABC

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