Can UCLA Upset Oregon On The Road? Who Wins Red River? Klatt's Week 6 CFB Picks

Headlining Week 6 of the college football season is a top-10 matchup in Georgia vs. Alabama, and the annual Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma.  

The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs split last year when Alabama took down Georgia in the regular season, but the Bulldogs answered right back with an SEC title win over Bama. Texas remains atop the 2026 rankings with a comfortable 5-0 record that includes top-15 victories over Ohio State and Tennessee, and the Sooners look to hold off the Longhorns with a rebound win after a big loss to Georgia.

Notably, UCLA and Bob Chesney will travel north to Eugene to face Oregon, where Chesney fell to the Ducks as JMU's head coach in the College Football Playoff last season. With a dominant run game and a shaky Oregon defense, the Bruins have a chance to hand the Ducks their second loss of the season. 

Here are FOX Sports' Joel Klatt's Week 6 picks and previews:

Spread: Alabama 1.5
Moneyline: Alabama -122, Georgia +102

Klatt's thoughts: "This one is going to be an amazing game. Kirby Smart always has a great defense. They are great, once again. They have the No. 1 defense in the country as it relates to yards per play. They can get after it. They're going to have to get after it because Alabama's offense is explosive. Alabama can play offense, and Keelon Russell can throw the ball down the field. I think NFL evaluators should be salivating when he becomes available in the NFL Draft. He reminds me a lot of the way Michael Penix Jr. played at Washington for Kalen DeBoer, and yet he's more explosive and more mobile as a runner. So it's a deadly combination. 

"I think that Georgia has to put pressure on them. If they don't put pressure on Keelon Russell, I think Georgia loses the game. They've got to impact him somehow … it will be about the Georgia defense. I know the offense will be methodical. They will try to stay on schedule, they've got a quarterback who plays great in the fourth quarter … I think the worse the weather, the better for Kirby and Georgia. I don't know if Alabama can run the football without the impact of a great passing game.

"I'm going to take Georgia … who I think is the best team in the country."

Klatt's straight-up pick: Georgia
Klatt's pick against the spread: Georgia +1.5

Will Arch Manning succeed against Oklahoma's defense? (Photo by The University of Texas Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)

Spread: Texas -7.5
Moneyline: Texas -325, Oklahoma +260

Klatt's thoughts: "Texas and Oklahoma. Texas has won three of the last four meetings with Oklahoma. Texas is No. 1 in the country right now. They should be ranked No. 1. They are better on paper than they are on film. They've been wildly inconsistent as a team and specifically on the offensive side. I don't have a lot of worries about the Texas defense. The offense has not been very good … Penalties, not throwing the ball well, Arch has not played very well … they've got the best résumé, two top-15 wins. They've earned this position where they're at. Now they play a top-five defense in OU. 

"OU can play defense now. Their issue is definitely not their defense. In a lot of ways, these teams mirror each other. What if I told you Oklahoma is 112th in yards per play offense? They turned the ball over, they couldn't do anything against Michigan. What if I told you that Texas is 108th in yards per play offense? They're basically the same team … they've got great defenses and great offenses that are woefully underperforming. So what do I see in this game? I think it's low scoring. Just to give you some context, by the way … Texas is behind Colorado and Michigan in yards per play offense. When I tell you that they're better on paper than on film, it is the truth. 

"I think Texas wins, and covers, in a low-scoring affair 20-10, Texas and Arch Manning get the win at Red River."

Klatt's straight-up pick: Texas
Klatt's pick against the spread: Texas -7.5

The last time Bob Chesney was in Oregon, he was coaching JMU in the College Football Playoff. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)

Spread: Oregon -11.5
Moneyline: Oregon -455, UCLA +35

Klatt's thoughts: "Bob Chesney has UCLA undefeated right now. They're looking to pull off a huge upset in Eugene. Oregon is going to have to do a lot better at stopping the run than they have done during the course of the season. UCLA can absolutely run the football. They have one of the best run games in the country, averaging seven yards per rush. And they feature a guy in Wayne Knight that is explosive. Now here's the thing with UCLA: their quarterback can also run. He might not be the most dynamic runner, but Nico Iamaleava can absolutely threaten you in the run game. If I'm an Oregon fan, that makes me very nervous because of what Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker did, running that game in Stillwater. Wayne Knight is outstanding. 

"By the way, Bob Chesney took his JMU team to Eugene for the College Football Playoff, and yes, Oregon won handily, but guess what? JMU scored over 30 points … I think that [UCLA is] going to score some points here. Now the question will become, can Oregon match them and exceed them on the opposite side? I expect to see [Dylan] Raiola, he has bit of a penalty for turnovers, even though we didn't see that at USC when he came off the bench, but if you look back at his time with Nebraska, there are some turnovers there … I don't quite trust the UCLA defense. This is a defense that allowed 38 points to Purdue. 

"Oregon gets it done. I think Oregon wins 45-32, and they cover the 11.5."

Klatt's straight-up pick: Oregon

The Matt Campbell era is not off to a great start, and Joel Klatt doesn't think it's going to get better this week. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Spread: Penn State -1.5
Moneyline: Penn State -122, USC +105

Klatt's thoughts: "USC on the road, going east. USC, now 5-1, is at Penn State, who's now 3-2 and is unranked, and the bottom has kind of fallen out for Matt Campbell … What is going on? Penn State is favored by 1.5. [USC] just played awful football for six quarters. … The big question for me is, is USC going to beat themselves, or will they play a cleaner game? … When you just evaluate the teams and the product on the field, by 1.5 seems wild. USC is facing their old defensive coordinator, with a familiar piece there in D'Anton Lynn. I think the familiarity favors Lincoln Riley … USC should be able to run the ball. Penn State can't tackle anybody. The only one that gets in the way for USC, in my estimation, are the costly mistakes. Those might show up. I don't think USC's defense is great, but I think they're better than people give them credit for. 

"Penn State can't do anything on offense. They really miss their wide receiver, Koby Howard. He was averaging 100 yards per game on nearly 30 per catch. Since he went down, they've really struggled on offense. Rocco Becht has struggled on offense. They couldn't do anything against Northwestern. Couldn't do anything in the second half against Wisconsin. USC is better than Wisconsin and Northwestern talent wise.

"USC 32-14."

Klatt's straight-up pick: USC

Will Stein has Kentucky exceeding expectations in his first year at the helm, but LSU's defense looms. (Photo by Zach Del Bello/Getty Images)

Spread: LSU -9.5
Moneyline: LSU -345, Kentucky +275

Klatt's thoughts: "LSU at Kentucky. LSU is favored by 9.5. Kentucky beat a very average Texas A&M and a very average-to-bad South Carolina team. They hung with Alabama for a half and then kind of got ran out of that building. I still am a bit concerned for LSU about the health of their quarterback. Sam Leavitt can't play the way that he normally plays ... his health is paramount for this team. Their defense is outstanding. This is where I think it really makes a huge difference in this game. Their defense is better than Alabama's defense. Kenny Minchey is going to see guys who can get after the passer. Princewill Umanmielen has eight sacks … Will Stein is doing awesome … he's exceeding expectations for Kentucky. But LSU is a different animal. This defense is a different animal. They can rush the passer and run everywhere. They're one of the best defenses in America.

"I think Kentucky has to play their best. Do I anticipate them playing their best after the emotional win a week ago? No. History suggests that over the course of the season that very rarely can teams do something on the positive side, in an emotional fashion, and back it up with consistency the next week. So, I don't see Kentucky playing at the level they need to stay within the 9.5. 

"I got LSU winning this game 28-10. LSU covers the 9.5."

Klatt's straight-up pick: LSU

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