Hate it when your favorite college football team struggles against a team they probably shouldn't a week ahead of a key matchup? Yeah, those are sometimes called trap games.
As much as coaches and players attempt to keep their focus on the task at hand, it's human nature to look ahead, care more about the bigger stage and the larger issue. It happens every year week. It doesn't always end in an upset and it doesn't always happen to be a Top-25 team involved, but when it is, we notice.
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Here are six potential trap games for Week 6.
LSU @ 21 Florida
The Gators are the better team here and are at home but it might be juuuust a bit easier to take the Tigers lightly after they fell to Troy a week ago in Baton Rouge.
Florida hosts Texas A&M next week, likely a more worthy opponent and this point in the season. But Florida isn't Alabama, they cannot sleepwalk through games and expect to win, and and may be without big-play sophomore receiver Tyrie Cleveland.
PREDICTION
Florida 23
LSU 16 [divider]
Boise State (2-2) @ BYU (1-4) and 19 San Diego State (5-0) at UNLV (2-2)
These two go together because the Broncos visit the Aztecs next week in what might be the last legit chance SDSU loses a game this season.
BYU can be a pain despite their 1-4 record and any road game has the chance to turn into a tough task. Boise State hasn't been consistent yet in 2017, either.
The Aztecs upset Stanford last month and cruise into Vegas the far superior team. Again, it's on the road, and Rebels freshman QB Armani Rogers is an X Factor every single week. If he breaks out with his arm this one could be interesting for awhile and any mistakes San Diego State makes increases the chance of a fairly major upset.
PREDICTIONS
Boise State 31
BYU 17
SDSU 41
UNLV 23[divider]
21 Notre Dame (4-1) @ North Carolina (1-4)
The Irish should win this one easily; Carolina is in rebuild mode and have allowed 165 points, the most in the ACC. But how good is Notre Dame?
They did play Georgia tough and have four blowout wins, and one that stands out: 49-20 at Boston College. The Eagles played No. 2 Clemson tougher than they did ND and if that's any indication, maybe Notre Dame isn't bad at all and Brian Kelly keeps his gig.
But they host USC in two weeks after a bye and occasionally those play out like the days leading up to winter break for middle schoolers.
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PREDICTION
Notre Dame 34
North Carolina 16[divider]
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