Week 6 is right around the corner with some heavyweight matchups on the slate. Lawrence, Kansas is featured on the big stage for the first time in over 13 years. Baton Rouge is set to host to a massive SEC battle. Los Angeles will feature not just one, but two significant battles in the PAC-12. Ames, Iowa, is home to a less likely candidate for a massive change up in the Big 12 standings. Which games will have the highest impact on the playoff and conference title races? Well, let us find out.

Big 12

The most open conference in college football is the Big 12. There are several good teams and many mediocre teams within this conference, but only one single team has shown themselves as the clear favorite, Oklahoma State. The other spot in the Big 12 title game is completely up for grabs. There are three key matchups in the Big 12 this weekend to decide who will run for the championship against Oklahoma State. Lawrence, Kansas is hosting College Gameday for the first time ever as 5-0 Kansas plays against 4-0 TCU. Both teams are looking to prove they can make a deep run in the Big 12, and that their fast starts to the season are not a fluke. The quarterback battle is one to look at in this game as Kansas’s QB Jalon Daniels leads the country in passer rating (QBR). TCU’s QB Max Duggan is a major dual threat as he proved last weekend against Oklahoma. This matchup will shape the Big 12 title race for the rest of the year. Two other matchups that will shake up the race are Kansas State vs Iowa State and Texas vs Oklahoma. Kansas State is looking to solidify themselves as the clear number 2 in the Big 12 after strong outings two weeks in a row. Iowa State has played quality opponents close the whole year. This game will be a tight one in Ames. The Red River Showdown is the biggest rivalry in the southwest, but this year the teams have not lived up to par. Oklahoma has had a slow start to the season dropping out of the rankings after a beat down against TCU, and Texas looked very good until QB Quinn Ewers got hurt against Alabama. Ewers eyes his return this weekend in Dallas looking to get the Longhorns back on track.

SEC

The SEC games this weekend have the biggest implication on the college football playoff race, but less on the SEC championship race. Four contenders have arose for the championship after a crazy week 5. Many thought Arkansas and Texas A&M would take Alabama’s crown this year, but these two teams have done more than just disappoint. The SEC West runs through Tuscaloosa, so in order to win the West crown, a team must take down the Tide. The only team I see being able to do this is Ole Miss from the West and Tennessee from the East. The SEC East runs through the defending national champions, but Georgia does not have as strong of a grip on their conference as many suspect. Tennessee is the runaway favorite to win the East after a lousy showing from UGA against Missouri, but the Vols have to survive the toughest gauntlet of games on their schedule. This week Tennessee travels to Baton Rouge to take on LSU. The Vols will have top receiver Cedric Tillman back from injury, and Heisman hopeful Hendon Hooker will be looking his way a lot against a very stout LSU defensive line. Another game in the SEC with implications is Mississippi State against Arkansas. Mississippi State is slowly becoming the dark horse SEC candidate everyone thought Arkansas would be. Mike Leach has the Bulldogs air raid attack working to perfection behind his QB Will Rogers. Arkansas has the worst passing defense in the entire country, and I think we can put the equation together. This game will be a shootout or a blowout depending on if the Bulldogs defense decides to show up.

PAC-12

The PAC-12 has shocked many college analysts and fans by actually being a good conference this year. For the past four years, only one team has been decent out of the 12. This last year and this year about 5 or 6 teams have finally put it together to bring back the west coast power conference. Two matchups this weekend will most likely decide one of the PAC-12 championship contenders at the end of the year. Both of these matchups take place in Los Angeles, California. UCLA hosts Utah after a massive win over Washington last week. Both schools are led by outstanding QB talent and gritty defenses. Cam Rising for the Utes has passed for 1153 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, and has Utah on a 4 game winning streak. Dorian Thompson-Robinson of UCLA has passed for 1211 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, and has UCLA sitting at 5-0. The difference maker in this game will be the ability for Utah to stop UCLA’s run game. Thompson-Robinson is one the top dual-threat Qb’s in the league and looks to damage the Utes defense with his elusiveness and power. Zach Charbonnet is also no pushover. The Bruins running back has 417 yards and 5 touchdowns on the year while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. The Utes can win this game by containing the run game of UCLA, but that is a tough task to accomplish. The other game is USC vs Washington State. USC is a no brainer. New head coach Lincoln Riley has the Trojans ranked in the top 10 and undefeated in his first campaign. Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison add to that explosive offensive scheme Riley likes to run. Washington State is a surprise in the PAC-12: the Cougars have started their season 4-1 after impressive games from their Quarterback Cameron Ward. Ward was a star at his former college Incarnate Word before transferring to Washington State, but the average fan would not know this. Ward has 1445 passing yards on the year along with 13 touchdowns, but his 7 interceptions have caused the Cougars to be in some tight games. USC has a strong cornerback room, so in order for Washington State to pull off an upset Ward needs to keep his mistakes to a minimum.

Week 6 kicks off this Saturday October 8th with College Gameday live from Lawrence, Kansas. Look for more previews and reactions in upcoming articles.