College football Week 6: Players to watch

Bryce Love's season hasn't gone according to plan, so guys like Arcega-Whiteside have become bigger parts of the offense. He's caught just 22 passes this year, but eight of those receptions have gone for touchdowns. He's a big-play receiver who is coming off a relatively poor outing against Notre Dame last week. If Stanford is to get back on track against Utah, he needs to make some more of those huge plays.

The Sun Devils seem to have put more faith in Benjamin the last few weeks. A week after giving him the rock 26 times in a close loss at Washington, Benjamin rushed 30 times in a win over Oregon State last week. And what a game against the Beavers — 312 yards rushing and four total touchdowns. Arizona State heads to face an up-and-coming Buffaloes team in Colorado, and the Sun Devils look to lean on him for their success.

Book may actually turn what was a team filled with hope that it could sneak into the College Football Playoff into a team with national title expectations. His two starts have been dominating and have made Notre Dame into a legit contender. In two starts, he has thrown for 603 yards and six TDs and has rushed for 90 yards and three more scores. Book and the Irish head to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech in a huge game for both schools.

This season has been a good one for defensive linemen, and Brailford is a guy who has been bringing it this year. He is tied for the nation's lead in sacks (seven), and he's forced two fumbles thus far. Last week against Kansas, he recorded three sacks, eight tackles and had a pass defensed. The Cowboys head back home to face struggling Iowa State.

The Demon Deacons welcome Clemson this weekend, and Dortch needs another big game to pull off the upset. Last week against Rice, he caught 11 passes for 163 yards and four touchdowns. He put up a rather dud of a game against Notre Dame a couple of weeks ago (his lone weak game this year), and he would love to step up against a Clemson team that is staggering into Winston-Salem after winning a close one against Syracuse last weekend.

Ehlinger has been consistent in this, his sophomore season. He isn't piling up video game stats, but every week he is throwing touchdowns (nine) and has even ran for three this year. His lone interceptions came in the 'Horns opening game loss to Maryland. He won't outduel Oklahoma's Kyler Murray during the Red River Rivalry, but his poise and ability to lead the offense will be key if Texas wants to return to Austin with the win.

With Clemson dealing with injuries and sudden depth issues at the quarterback position, the Tigers may become more of a running team by default. Etienne has stepped up when they need it most. For example, last week Clemson had quarterback problems so Etienne carried the ball 27 times (the same amount as his last two games combined) for 203 yards and three TDs. The Tigers may need to keep that going if they want to get past upset-minded Wake Forest.

Henderson leads the nation in rushing and yards per carry and is third in rushing touchdowns. He is averaging a ridiculous 11.7 yards per carry but last week was held to just 51 yards against Tulsa. This week, he goes up against UConn, which has one of the worst rushing defenses in the country.

The Wolverines aren't exactly lighting the world on fire offensively, but they seem to feel comfortable putting the ball in Higdon's hands. In the two games after missing the SMU game due to injury, he has carried the ball 42 times for 251 yards and three touchdowns. He seems to be pulling away in the running back rotation and should see another heavy dose of carries against Maryland.

There were a lot of great individual performances by the Hurricanes defense against North Carolina last week. Jackson forced two fumbles, had five tackles, a sack, a pass defended and an interception that he returned 42 yards for a touchdown. The turnover chain was worn six times against the Tar Heels. This week is the typically hyped Florida State-Miami game that looks like it could be a Miami blowout. Maybe Jackson will be all over the field yet again.

This soon-to-be major league pitcher is having quite a season playing football. The junior completed 17 of 21 passes last week for 432 yards and six touchdowns. (Oh, and he rushed for 45 yards and another TD.) The Sooners face Texas in the Red River Rivalry in what will be one of the most anticipated chapters of this matchup in a few years.  

Kentucky...a football school? Snell is turning Lexington into a football-crazed town with his Wildcats out to a 5-0 start. He's run for 639 yards and eight TDs so far this year and comes up big in the big games, and Kentucky's biggest games are on the horizon. They start this week at College Station against Texas A&M. 

Tagovailoa may be the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, and here is why. He's thrown 14 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's completing 75 percent of his passes and averaging 13.2 yards per attempt. He also helms an offense that is just blowing through every defense it has faced. Going on the road in the SEC in never easy, but Tua and the Tide look to pile it on in Arkansas.

If you are up late at night, try to find the Wyoming-Hawai'i game. (It begins just before midnight ET on Saturday.) You will see one of the nation's hidden treasures in receiver John Ursua. So far this season, he's caught 50 passes for 771 yards and 12 touchdowns — leading the nation in each category. The Warriors play in high-scoring contests, and Ursua has caught at least two touchdowns in five of the team's six games. 

Willis went 0-10 as a starter at Kansas. He left his scholarship with the Jayhawks and walked on at Virginia Tech last year to find a fresh start. Last week, Willis got his chance to start for the injured Josh Jackson and made it count. He passed for 332 yards and three touchdowns in a big win at Duke. This week, Willis and the Hokies host Notre Dame in a huge game.