College Football Top 25: Week 6

What a weekend. Every game seemed like it was going down to the final play. We had schools storming the field. We had upsets. Week 6 ruled. Whether it was the classic Red River Shootout game, or Texas A&M upsetting Alabama, there was not a game that wasn’t exciting to watch. Here are my rankings going into a more tame Week 7:

  1. Georgia (6-0) (PREV: 2)

In Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Stetson Bennett and the Bulldogs traveled to Auburn, where they destroyed the Tigers 34-10. They become the new #1 team as Alabama suffered a loss on Saturday. Georgia is back at home this week, facing undefeated Kentucky in the biggest game of the day.

  1. Iowa (6-0) (PREV: 3)

In the most anticipated game of the day, Iowa held off Penn State at home with a last-second interception. Of course, all of Kinnick Stadium rushed the field, as they were bound to be the #2 team once Alabama lost. Iowa hosts Purdue at home, looking to retain their status as the #2 team in the country.

  1. Alabama (5-1) (PREV: 1)

Nick Saban suffered his first loss against a former assistant (Jimbo Fisher) when the Crimson Tide was taken down after a game-winning field goal by Seth Small. Alabama lost for the first time since arch-rival Auburn upset the Tide at home. Alabama will take a trip to Starkville this week, looking to bounce back against Mississippi State.

  1. Cincinnati (5-0) (PREV: 5)

Cincinnati took care of business as they blew out Temple 52-3. Thanks to Desmond Ridder (259 passing yards, three touchdowns) and Jerome Ford (149 rushing yards, two touchdowns), the Bearcats are now in my top-four. I put Cincinnati over Oklahoma due to Oklahoma’s struggle in the first half. I’ll talk about that later, however. One of their biggest games is coming up this week, as they host the UCF Knights on Saturday.

  1. Oklahoma (6-0) (PREV: 6)

It’s official: Caleb Williams is better than Spencer Rattler. Oklahoma trailed as much as 21 points against arch-rival Texas. However, once they put in Williams, the comeback started. Williams had over 300 total yards and three total touchdowns, leading the Sooners to a huge victory over the Longhorns. This edition of the Red River Shootout might be the best game of the year. The Sooners host TCU during a primetime game on Saturday.

  1. Ohio State (5-1) (PREV: 7)

Ohio State crushed Maryland 66-17, which they can thank the offense for that. C.J. Stroud threw for 406 yards and five touchdowns, with two pairs going to Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. TreVeyon Henderson has been phenomenal as the top running back, whether he’s running the ball or being a pass-catcher. Ohio State has this week off, so the Buckeyes will take a week to rest while preparing themselves for a road battle with Indiana on October 23.

  1. Penn State (5-1) (PREV: 4)

Penn State may have lost to Iowa, but that doesn’t mean they fall outside the top ten. The Nittany Lions were without Sean Clifford for most of the game, which hurt their chances of winning. They led until Iowa had three unanswered scoring drives to come back and beat Penn State. They earn a well-deserved rest this week before they host Illinois next week to try and bounce back.

  1. Michigan (6-0) (PREV: 8)

Michigan had a scare on Saturday night, as Jake Moody hit two field goals late to stay undefeated and beat Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are struggling this season, which is why I wanted to put them lower. However, they’re still a top-ten team, at least for now. They have the week off and face Northwestern for Week 7. Hopefully, Jim Harbaugh can clean up the mistakes the Wolverines made against Nebraska.

  1. Michigan State (6-0) (PREV: 11)

Michigan State handled Rutgers as the Spartans traveled to Piscataway to defend their undefeated record. Payton Throne was terrific, passing for 340 yards and three touchdowns, while Kenneth Walker III ran for 232 yards and a touchdown. What was the most impressive performance was Jalen Nailor catching five passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Michigan State dominated that game, and they will look to do the same as they take on Indiana on the road.

  1. Oregon (4-1) (PREV: 9)

Oregon had a bye week after losing to Stanford 31-24. Now, they still sit in the top-10, looking to win against Cal at home next week.

  1. Kentucky (6-0) (PREV: 17)

I apologize to Kentucky because I thought LSU would upset them in Lexington. They proved me wrong on Saturday, winning 42-21. Quarterback Will Levis was responsible for five touchdowns, so thank him for the win. Their biggest test comes Saturday as they travel to Athens to take on #1 Georgia.

  1. Oklahoma State (5-0) (PREV: 12)

Oklahoma State did not play this week, but they remain the only other unbeaten team in the Big 12, besides Oklahoma, of course. What can the Cowboys do this week to stay undefeated against a Texas team that nearly knocked off Oklahoma last week?

  1. Ole Miss (4-1) (PREV: 15)

Matt Corral has officially moved into first place on my Heisman list. With Corral responsible for four touchdowns, Ole Miss barely held off Arkansas after the Razorbacks missed the two-point conversion. Ole Miss now travels to Knoxville to take on Tennessee.

  1. Notre Dame (5-1) (PREV: 13)

After Notre Dame lost to Cincinnati, they had another close call in Blacksburg. It took a last-second field goal by Jonathan Doerer for Notre Dame to come out of Lane Stadium with a win. The quarterback position in South Bend is still questionable. Jack Coan’s first-half performance got him benched, but Coan came back in the fourth quarter, throwing a game-tying touchdown and setting up the game-winning field goal. The offensive line still has a question mark, but Notre Dame did enough to come out on top. They can rest this week, but they face rival USC next week.

  1. Coastal Carolina (6-0) (PREV: 16)

The Chanticleers are rolling, but they have the easiest schedule out of any of the other 24 teams on here. Grayson McCall is a terrific quarterback, passing for 365 yards and four touchdowns in the 52-20 win over Arkansas State. They have this week off but have a big game coming up as they face Appalachian State on October 20.

  1. Wake Forest (6-0) (PREV: 20)

Wake Forest is the only bowl-eligible team in the ACC, and they also happen to be the top-ranked ACC team. Who would have thought? Sam Hartman passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns, and A.T. Perry reeled in the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Syracuse isn’t a terrific team this year, but Wake Forest is for real.

  1. Florida (4-2) (PREV: 18)

After Florida got upset by Kentucky during Week 5, the Gators bounced back with a blowout win at home against Vanderbilt. Quarterback Emory Jones had a career day, passing for 273 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Shutting out the Commodores certainly helped the team, but they face a much tougher team at LSU this week.

  1. Texas A&M (4-2) (PREV: N/A)

What do the Aggies do after I unranked them last week? They go on and take down the number one team in the country in College Station. Quarterback Zach Calzada passed for 285 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, but Seth Smalls was the hero for Texas A&M as he hit the game-winning field goal. Jimbo Fisher proved to be correct when he said that he would beat Nick Saban this year. Now, they have a much calmer game as they visit Missouri this week.

  1. Arkansas (4-2) (PREV: 14)

In a battle of two ranked SEC teams, the Razorbacks were a two-point conversion away from coming out of Oxford with a win. Should they have taken the extra point? I think so, but I like the aggressiveness of the call. KJ Jefferson was spectacular, passing for 326 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Don’t forget that he also had three rushing touchdowns, carrying Arkansas all game. Now, Arkansas hosts another team that suffered a loss: Auburn.

  1. Arizona State (5-1) (PREV: 22)

Arizona State beat a threatening Stanford team 28-10 with the help of Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee picked off three times. Most of the Sun Devils’ offense was on the ground, with only one touchdown not coming from the run game. They travel to Salt Lake City to take on a tough Utah team on Saturday night.

  1. NC State (4-1) (PREV: 21)

NC State had the week off after defeating Louisiana Tech 34-27 during Week 5. The Wolfpack head up north to Chestnut Hill, where they will face Boston College.

  1. BYU (5-1) (PREV: 10)

BYU suffered their first loss with Boise State forced four turnovers in the upset. BYU has another difficult game coming up as they travel to Waco to face Baylor. The Cougars will need a better game from Jarren Hall, who only threw one touchdown pass against Boise State.

  1. SMU (6-0) (PREV: 24)

SMU is bowl eligible after Tanner Mordecai sealed the win with a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter against Navy. The Mustangs will have the week off after becoming bowl eligible, hosting Tulane on October 21.

  1. San Diego State (5-0) (PREV: N/A)

With a fast start from the Aztecs, there was no question San Diego State would win against New Mexico. They haven’t had a lot of tough teams on schedule so far, but they remain one of the only undefeated teams left in the country. There wasn’t a player to single out as the top player in their win on Saturday; it was a team victory. San Diego State has a Friday night lights game as they go to northern California to face San Jose State.

  1. Texas (4-2) (PREV: 23)

Texas was off to a terrific start against arch-rival Oklahoma, leading as much as 28-7 in the first quarter. Casey Thompson passed for 388 yards and five touchdowns, Bijan Robinson carried for 137 yards and a touchdown, and Xavier Worthy had nine receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns. You may be wondering, “How did Texas lose this game?” Bad defense and Caleb Williams. Texas has a bright future, but their defense has to get better. The Longhorns won’t survive in the SEC with that defense.

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