Week 6 was the wildest in college football yet, and two shocking losses stand out the most. The top two preseason teams are unranked after then #9 Texas fell to then 1-3 Florida, while former #7 Penn State
plummeted out of the poll as well after their stunning loss to the previously 0-4 UCLA Bruins.
The poor play from Arch Manning continued, with the highly heralded signal caller going 16-29 with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Gators pulled ahead 22-7 and 29-14 before a late Longhorns comeback fell short, with Florida pulling off the stunner 29-21 in Gainesville. Vegas must have been onto something, as Texas was just 4.5-point favorites despite the differences in records and rankings between the two SEC squads.
At the Rose Bowl, Penn State was expected to easily bounce back and demolish a UCLA team that had fired its head coach and made several other coaching changes. Instead, the Bruins scored the game’s opening touchdown and caught the Nittany Lions sleeping with a well-executed onside kick to go ahead 10-0. Penn State answered back with a Kaytron Allen rushing touchdown, but the game was just getting started.
The Bruins dominated on both sides of the ball in the first half, with Nico Iamaelava moving the ball at will in the air and especially on the ground, leading the team to a shocking 27-7 lead at the break. The Nittany Lions turned things around in the second half, scoring a quick touchdown on offense before forcing UCLA off the field and then returning a blocked punt for a touchdown to cut the lead to 27-21 in the third quarter.
However, UCLA was not to be deterred, as the offense sustained drives and added scores to keep itself in front of the pursuing Lions. Penn State cut the lead to seven and even got the ball back on a fourth-down stop in Bruins territory, but made the same quarterback shotgun read call that UCLA decided on, which was snuffed out and stopped for a loss.
The Bruins proceeded to take time off the clock, running out the back of the end zone for an intentional safety before stopping Penn State on the ensuing desperation sequence. UCLA came up with the most shocking result of the season, as the Bruins were 24.5-point underdogs to the Nittany Lions, and many expected Penn State to win by even more. The factual narrative that Penn State cannot win the big game was replaced by possibly the most embarrassing loss in program history, and the Nittany Lions are now unranked for the first time since 2022.
With all of that discussed, it is time to look at the 25 teams that did make it into the AP Top 25 this week.
Poll Breakdown
1. Ohio State retained the top spot in the latest poll, although its number of first-place votes dropped to 40. Many of those votes are starting to shift to Miami, but until proven otherwise, the Buckeyes should retain the #1 spot, despite having fewer big wins than the Hurricanes. Last week, Ohio State steamrolled Minnesota 42-3 in a rare Columbus night game. Julian Sayin was lights out, going 23-27 for 326 yards and three touchdowns, while Carnell Tate had nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. Keep in mind that this is the same Gophers team that took down Rutgers 31-28 last week. Until someone solves Ohio State’s red zone defense, they might not lose a game all season.
2. Miami moved up one spot after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 28-22 in Tallahassee. The game was not nearly that close for most of the night, with the Canes going up 28-3 before FSU mounted a late comeback. Miami now only trails Ohio State in the AP poll and pulled ahead of Oregon, with the three teams looking like true national title contenders. The Hurricanes are my National Star Of The Week, with their resume including three ranked wins and four wins over in-state programs, including USF, Florida, and now Florida State.
3. Oregon dropped one spot, which was likely a combination of the win over Penn State losing some value and Miami’s dominant performance against a ranked opponent on the road. The Ducks will have their chance to establish themselves as a true frontrunner in the Big Ten with the #7 Hoosiers coming to town for a massive showdown in Eugene this Saturday.
4. Ole Miss retained the fourth spot in the poll and is once again the highest-ranked team in the SEC. The Rebels most recently defeated LSU before having their first bye week. Lane Kiffin’s team will be a massive favorite over winless Washington State this weekend before resuming SEC play with a daunting trip to Athens to face Georgia next week.
5. Texas A&M moved up one spot to fifth as they rolled over Mississippi State 31-9. These are not last year’s hapless Bulldogs, making the win that much more impressive. The Aggies next host Florida, who is fresh off their upset win over Texas and will be carrying that momentum into College Station.
6. Oklahoma dropped to sixth as the Sooners survived their first game without John Mateer, blanking Kent State 44-0 in Norman behind a four-touchdown performance from backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. Next up is the Red River Rivalry game against a Texas team that will be desperate to prove itself again after dropping the game in the Swamp.
7. Indiana moved up from eighth to seventh on its bye week, with the Hoosiers defeating the Hawkeyes in a tight 20-15 contest at Kinnick Stadium last time out. This week is likely Indiana’s biggest test of the year as Curt Cignetti’s team heads to Eugene for a top-ten meeting against the Ducks. A win against Oregon would signal that Indiana has taken an even bigger step forward and would establish them as a national title contender. College GameDay will be in attendance with the game at 3:30 EST/12:30 local on CBS.
8. Alabama moved up two spots, as they got revenge on Vanderbilt in Tuscaloosa to the tune of a 30-14 victory. After Sedrick Alexander scored the Commodores’ first two touchdowns as Vandy got the early lead, Alabama responded to tie the game at 14 before halftime, and proceeded to shut out the Commodores in the second half.
9. Texas Tech also moved up two spots and continues to be the highest-ranked team in the Big 12. The Red Raiders demolished previously undefeated Houston 35-11 to keep their record perfect at 5-0. Next up is a home night game against 4-2 Kansas in Lubbock.
10. Georgia moved back into the top ten after rebounding from their loss to Alabama by blowing out Kentucky 35-14. They pushed their win streak to 16 over the Wildcats and will now travel to Deep South rival Auburn, which is coming off its bye week and two one-score losses to ranked SEC opponents before that.
11. LSU was the fourth consecutive team to move up two spots, with the Tigers sitting idle this week. LSU came off its first loss of the season against currently #4 Ole Miss and will look to bounce back with South Carolina visiting Baton Rouge for a night game in Death Valley.
12. Tennessee was another beneficiary of the major drops to lower and out of the poll this week, with the Volunteers moving from #15 to #12 on its week off. After handing Mississippi State its first loss of the year, Tennessee will host an Arkansas team in free-fall, having dropped its last three games after starting the season 2-0 against lesser opponents. However, the Razorbacks have won four straight against the Vols, including a 19-14 decision last season in Fayetteville.
13. Georgia Tech moved up four spots on its bye week, going from #17 to #13 in the AP poll. The Yellow Jackets are sitting at 5-0 after surviving an upset scare against Wake Forest. They will return to action with Virginia Tech paying a visit to Atlanta. The Hokies have shown some life after firing Brent Pry, winning two games before dropping one to the Demon Deacons on Saturday.
14. Missouri shot up from #19 to #14 on its week off, as the Tigers are also 5-0 this season. After throttling UMass at home, Mizzou will look to prove it is for real when it hosts the #8 Crimson Tide. Last year, Alabama shut Missouri out 34-0, so revenge will be on their mind when the Tide visit Columbia on Saturday.
15. Michigan went up five spots from #20 to #15 as it continues to bury the Week 2 loss at Oklahoma with Big Ten wins. They took down Wisconsin 24-10 in a defensive slugfest, which gave the Wolverines consecutive victories over the Badgers for the first time since 2002. Next up is a tough test as Michigan will take on Jayden Maiava and the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
16. Notre Dame also moved up five spots as it continues to build its resume after starting the season 0-2. On the back of four interceptions, the Fighting Irish took down Boise State at home to improve to 3-2, with NC State visiting South Bend on Saturday.
17. Illinois similarly moved up five spots, as it followed up its rebound win over USC with a road win at Purdue. The Illini will hope that their next game against a top-tier opponent goes better than the last time, with #1 Ohio State coming to Champaign under the spotlight of Big Noon Kickoff. Although Ohio State is likely better than Indiana, Illinois will look to avoid a scoreline close to the 63-10 disaster that nearly removed them from the poll.
18. BYU moved up five spots as well, defeating West Virginia 38-24 late Friday night in Provo. This is their fifth 5-0 start in program history, with the Cougars looking to clinch bowl eligibility this Saturday at Arizona. BYU remains tied with Texas Tech at the top of the Big 12 with 5-0 and 2-0 conference records, with the two teams set to face off on November 8th in Lubbock in what should be a huge showdown.
19. Virginia proved that their win over Florida State was not a fluke, moving up five spots after defeating Louisville on the road in overtime. The cardiac Cavaliers have won their second straight overtime game, and shockingly also sit at the top of the ACC standings with a 5-1 overall record (3-0 in conference play). Scheduling NC State as a non-conference game looks like a huge boon, as it does not dent Virginia’s perfect ACC record.
20. Vanderbilt fell four spots after its loss to Alabama. Despite taking an early lead, the Crimson Tide tied the game at halftime and proceeded to shut down the Commodores’ offense the rest of the way. Two red zone turnovers, an interception and a fumble from Diego Pavia, doomed Vanderbilt as Alabama scored ten points from them before icing the game with a late fourth quarter touchdown to win by sixteen.
21. Arizona State moved up four spots despite sitting idle this week. The Sun Devils are 4-1 and will take on Utah next Saturday night. Their lone loss came to the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who are now currently 4-2.
22. Iowa State fell eight spots following their loss to Cincinnatti, which may have been the shocker of the day if not for Texas and Penn State’s inexplicable losses that dropped them out of the poll. The Bearcats raced out to a 17-0 lead and hung on in the fourth quarter despite a furious Cyclone comeback attempt, recovering an onside kick attempt to seal the 38-30 home upset victory.
23. Memphis entered the AP Top 25 for the first time this season as it cruised past Tulsa 45-7 to become the country’s first bowl eligible team at 6-0. The Tigers boast a signature win over Arkansas and have their toughest two games against Tulane and South Florida at home. The
24. South Florida reentered the poll this week following a 54-26 walloping of Charlotte. USF travels to North Texas for one of the biggest Group of Five games this season. The winner of the American Conference will almost definitely get the G5 playoff spot, with three undefeated teams and two more, including the Bulls, sitting at 4-1.
25. Florida State dropped another seven spots following its loss to Miami. It was too little, too late for the Seminoles as they fell to 3-2 on the season after falling behind by 25 points against the Hurricanes going into the fourth quarter. The roller-coaster ride continues for Mike Norvell’s program as it has crashed down to Earth again following its season-opening win over Alabama, which has coincidentally returned to its preseason ranking of #8 while FSU is nearly out of the rankings again.
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