The top-ranked teams in college football are never safe.
Unranked enemies lurk around every corner. Upstarts and upsets abound. Madness is alive here in college football. Of course it’s crazy. It’s an unusual method.
So, in many ways, Week 6 of college football delivered exactly what we expected. And maybe some.
Four teams in the top 11 lost to unranked opponents: (1) Vanderbilt University’s historic win over No. 1 Alabama; (2) The University of Arkansas came back against the University of Tennessee in the 4th quarter. (3) No. 10 Michigan and Washington get revenge in the national title rematch. (4) Minnesota’s wild and dangerous fourth goal-line gamble in defeating No. 11 USC.
This is the first time since 2007 that four highly ranked teams lost to unranked opponents on the same day. It was the first time in history that two teams in the SEC’s top five lost to unranked conference opponents. And it’s the first time Vanderbilt has defeated a top-ranked team with 61 tries.
In addition to the top five teams, six undefeated teams lost, including Duke University (to Georgia Tech), University of Missouri (to Texas A&M), UNLV (to Syracuse), and James Madison (to Ull-Monroe University). They are now 12 undefeated in the FBS overall, with two of those games coming next week (Oregon and Ohio State).
Army and Navy are 5-0 for the first time since the 1940s. Iowa State is 5-0 for the first time since 1980, Indiana is 6-0 for the first time since 1967 and Pitt is 5-0 for the first time since 1991.
There was a lot of craziness besides the upset.
What about Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Giunty? The Boise State running back scored a 63-yard touchdown on his first snap Saturday, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark for the season in his fifth game of the year on his 90th carry.
Who would have thought the Texas A&M Aggies and first-year coach Mike Elko would lead the SEC with a 3-0 record? And five weeks into the season, Texas is the only undefeated team in the new league. Will it be a team?
During that time, there were many misfortunes. Kansas lost five games in a row after leading in the fourth quarter. Auburn and coach Hugh Freeze have lost three in a row. Mack Brown’s Tar Heels lost to Pitt, their third straight loss. Florida State fell to 1-5. And USC is currently 22-10 in his third year under $10 million-a-year coach Lincoln Riley.
A wild Saturday produced a pretty wild top 10. Please note that preseason rankings or results from this season onwards are not taken into account in voting. The top 10 relies heavily on schedule and quality wins. enjoy!
1. Penn State Nittany Lions
This week: 27-11 win over UCLA.
Next week: At USC
Are you surprised that the Nittany Lions are at the top of the rankings? Don’t be. They have two good wins, a road win at West Virginia and a home win over a top-ranked team in Illinois. On Saturday, they had a big win over the Bruins. He showed a great performance on offense. He showed a great performance from defense. James Franklin’s team didn’t miss another Los Angeles team either. A win at USC next week would eliminate the Trojans from playoff contention and push Penn State into an at-large or automatic berth position.
2. Oregon Ducks
This week: 31-10 win over Michigan State.
Next week: vs Ohio State
The Ducks started the season with lackluster performances against Idaho and Boise. Since then, they have outscored Oregon State, UCLA and Michigan State 114-37. Dan Lanning’s group is humming with the Buckeyes on deck ahead of Saturday night’s Big Ten showdown. Can RB Jordan James (269 yards in the last two games) continue to break this record?
3. Texas Longhorn
This week: Goodbye
Next week: vs. Oklahoma (Dallas)
Longhorns get back a healthy (or nearly healthy) Quinn Ewers in time for their annual rivalry showdown with the Sooners in the old Cotton Bowl, followed by the most anticipated game against Georgia in Austin There is a need. The win at Michigan doesn’t seem all that impressive, and he doesn’t have much else on his resume (so far).
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
This week: 35-7 win over Iowa.
Next week: In Oregon.
The Buckeyes are finally in the top 10. If you’re wondering why it took so long, take a look at their early season schedule (Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall). Big wins over Michigan State and Iowa State are enough to get them into the rankings with a week to go against the Ducks. So the question remains: Can freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith snap a three-game winning streak with a one-handed touchdown catch?
5. Miami Hurricanes
This week: Cal won 39-38.
Next week: Goodbye
Trailing by 25 points late in the third quarter, the Hurricanes needed to come back in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive week. QB Cam Ward led the way, running for a 24-yard score, completing an 18-yard touchdown pass, and a 77-yarder to favorite target Xavier Restrepo with 26 seconds left to give the Canes the final touch. I placed it in the down position. left.
6. BYU Cougars
This week: Goodbye
Next week: vs Arizona
BYU’s place in the top five may be questionable, but the Cougars have two strong records (Kansas State and SMU), sit atop the Big 12 standings, and have one of the best defenses in the country. Dual-threat quarterback Jake Retzlaff is averaging 272 yards of total offense.
7. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: 31-13 win over Auburn.
Next week: vs Mississippi State
After Georgia’s loss to Alabama last Saturday, Nick Saban said he sent Kirby Smart the following message: Most of our best teams lost a game at some point, and they responded the right way,” Saban reportedly wrote to Smart. Well, a week later, the Bulldogs got a near-sound win at Auburn. Perhaps the first in a long line of them?
8. Clemson Tigers
This week: Defeat Florida State 29-13.
Next week: At Wake Forest.
Since losing by 31 points to Georgia in Atlanta in the season opener, Dabo Swinney’s Tigers have won four straight by an average margin of 28 points. They’re 11-1 and have a very real path to a trip to the ACC Championship Game. Currently, none of Clemson’s remaining seven regular season opponents are ranked.
9. Iowa Cyclones
This week: 43-21 win over Baylor.
Next week: In West Virginia.
The Cyclones went 5-0 for the first time since Donnie Duncan coached at the school (they won five of their next six that year in 1980). For their sake, I hope this 5-0 ends differently. And you should. Matt Campbell’s team had a 100-yard rusher, a 100-yard receiver, and QB Rocco Becht nearly reached the 300-yard mark.
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This week: Goodbye
Next week: vs. Stanford
The Irish haven’t had a great win yet (though the win in College Station definitely looked good), but they’re running out of teams to crack the top 10. Saturday’s mayhem resulted in a complete change in the rankings, with three teams eliminated. And sitting here is a #9 ranked team that lost to Northern Illinois!
Dropouts: Alabama (1), Tennessee (2), Miami (5), Missouri (10)
