Week Six of the college football season provided one of the best Saturdays of football in a long time. Texas A&M had the upset of the year against Alabama, Iowa won a huge top-four Big Ten clash, the Red River Shootout was an instant classic, Arkansas at Ole Miss came down to the final play, and so many more great moments were created this weekend. Georgia has established themselves as the clear number one team in the nation. Outside of Athens, the college football world has been filled with chaos. Here is my best attempt at sorting through all of this chaos in my weekly top 50 rankings.
#1-#25
1. Georgia (6-0, 4-0) ↔️
Georgia has been the best team all season. Stetson Bennett has done a great job in JT Daniels’ absence. Jordan-Hare is a tough place to play & they made it look easy. They will play at home against Kentucky this week in a game which will likely decide the east.
2. Iowa (6-0, 3-0) ⬆️1
Iowa picked up a huge home win over Penn State. They are well coached & have an elite defense. The Hawkeyes have a favorable schedule moving forward & should run the table in the west.
3. Cincinnati (5-0, 1-0) ⬆️2
Cincinnati took care of business against Temple on Friday night. They received a lot of help on Saturday with Penn State & Alabama both losing. The Bearcats play UCF on Saturday who is one of the better AAC teams.
4. Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0) ⬆️2
Oklahoma might’ve found their offensive spark in freshman QB Caleb Williams. Despite early struggles, this team is still undefeated & have shown improvement throughout the season.
5. Michigan (6-0, 3-0) ⬆️2
Michigan didn’t win pretty, but they won in a tough environment at Nebraska. They have proven that they can win on the road in these past 2 weeks. The Wolverines have a bye before they play Northwestern & then Michigan State.
6. Michigan State (6-0, 3-0) ⬆️2
Michigan State was sloppy against Rutgers, but they had a ton of explosive plays. MSU has a ton of offensive weapons with Kenneth Walker & Jalen Nailor. The Spartans have a road test next week at Indiana before they host Michigan.
7. Kentucky (6-0, 4-0) ⬆️3
The Wildcats backed up last week's win with another great performance. The run game continues to impress. Kentucky has a must win game this week at Georgia which will likely decide the east.
8. Penn State (5-1, 2-1) ⬇️4
Penn State shouldn’t be punished too badly for losing at Iowa. It didn’t help that Sean Clifford went out. The whole game shifted in Iowa’s favor after that. The rest of the season will fall on the health of Sean Clifford. Luckily, PSU has a bye week & then Illinois.
9. Alabama (5-1, 2-1) ⬇️7
There were a ton of great games, but the biggest upset was when Texas A&M upset Alabama. The Alabama defense couldn’t stop an average QB in Zach Calzada, no offense to him. They do have quality wins against Florida & Ole Miss though. Don’t count out the Tide just yet.
10. Oregon (4-1, 1-1) ⬆️1
Oregon had a bye week, but that Stanford loss still stings. Luckily for the Ducks, they still have that Ohio State win to cling on to. Oregon will be looking to bounce back on Friday night against Cal.
11. Ohio State (5-1, 3-0) ⬆️1
Ohio State is starting to look like the Ohio State of old. The Buckeyes have put up an average of 59 points in the past 3 games. CJ Stroud has looked much better against Rutgers & Maryland. The only thing holding this team down was that loss to Oregon.
12. Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1) ⬆️3
Ole Miss won a tightly contested game against Arkansas on Saturday. The Rebels offense really exploded against a great Arkansas defense. We will likely see another shootout when Ole Miss travels to Knoxville this week.
13. Coastal Carolina (6-0, 2-0) ↔️
Coastal Carolina continues to win football games. Unfortunately, they haven’t beaten any top 50 teams yet. The Chants have a bye week before they travel to App State which is their toughest game on their schedule.
14. Oklahoma State (5-0, 2-0) ⬆️4
Oklahoma hasn’t been winning games pretty, but they get the job done. The win against Boise State looks better after they beat BYU. We will really know what OSU is made of after they play at Texas on Saturday.
15. Wake Forest (6-0, 4-0) ⬇️1
Wake Forest is 6-0 for the first time since forever. The Demon Deacons found a way to win on Saturday with the defense struggling. Wake could very well be undefeated going into November.
16. SMU (6-0, 2-0) ↔️
SMU is another team that just keeps winning games. The Mustangs own a top 50 win at TCU which helps their case. They will have their toughest part of their schedule coming up.
17. Notre Dame (5-1) ↔️
Notre Dame could easily be .500. They own nail biting victories over Florida State, Toledo & now Virginia Tech. They deserve a lot of credit for winning in a hostile Blacksburg. However, the Irish need to get their QB situation figured out.
18. Arkansas (4-2, 1-2) ⬆️1
Arkansas does not deserve to move down after their performance against Ole Miss. That game literally came down to one play. The Hogs have lost 2 straight. They don’t have any time to take a breath though. They play Auburn on Saturday.
19. BYU (5-1) ⬇️10
BYU had a terrible game against Boise State. They turned the ball over 4 times & 3 of those turnovers were fumbles. Luckily for BYU, they have a key win against Arizona State. We’ll see what these Cougs are made of this week when they travel to Waco.
20. Arizona State (5-1, 3-0) ⬆️1
Arizona State’s defense shut down Tanner McKee on Friday. The Sun Devils look like the team to beat in the Pac 12 south. They do have a must win game at Utah on Saturday night.
21. Auburn (4-2, 1-1) ⬇️1
Auburn has done what many teams couldn’t: score a TD against Georgia. The Tigers now enter the meat of their schedule as they play Arkansas, Ole Miss & Texas A&M in their next 3 games.
22. NC State (4-1, 1-0) ↔️
NC State owns a top 50 win against Clemson. They will be coming off of a bye week when they travel to Boston College this week in a key ACC Atlantic battle.
23. UTSA (6-0, 2-0) ↔️
UTSA just keeps winning football games. Frank Harris threw for 6 TDs in the Roadrunners win over Western Kentucky. The only thing holding them back is they don’t have a win over a top 50 team.
24. Texas (4-2, 2-1) ↔️
Despite the loss to Oklahoma, Texas looked solid in the first quarter. Casey Thompson, Bijan Robinson & Xavier Worthy all had monster games. Texas has a critical game this week against undefeated Oklahoma State.
25. Clemson (3-2, 2-1) ↔️
Clemson has been disappointing when you compare their preseason expectations to where they are now. They do have a top 50 win over Boston College. Clemson will play at Syracuse on Friday night, a team that gave Wake Forest trouble.
#26-#50
26. Boston College (4-1, 0-1) ↔️
Boston College’s only loss came at Clemson. The Eagles don’t have any wins over top 50 teams. That can all change on Saturday when they play at home against NC State.
27. Liberty (5-1) ↔️
Liberty crushed Middle Tennessee this week. The Flames win over a solid UAB team, who was opening their new stadium, was impressive as well. Liberty is on a collision course with Ole Miss on November 6th.
28. Florida (4-2, 2-2) ⬆️12
Florida completely dominated Vanderbilt this past week. Their 38-14 win over Tennessee keeps looking better as well. Florida’s two losses were both 1 score games against top 10 opponents.
29. Pitt (4-1, 1-0) ↔️
Kenny Pickett has done wonders for Pitt this season. Their offense has been humming all season. Pitt’s win at Tennessee looks better, but their loss against Western Michigan looks worse after the Broncos loss to Ball State.
30. Baylor (5-1, 3-1) ⬆️2
Baylor’s offense exploded against West Virginia which was nice to see. The Bears have a tough stretch that includes games against BYU, Texas, TCU & Oklahoma. After those 4 games, we will know who the Bears are.
31. San Diego State (5-0, 1-0) ⬆️7
San Diego State picked up an easy win over New Mexico. The Aztecs also own 2 Pac-12 wins. One of those was against top 50 Utah. SDSU has two tough road games upcoming: at San Jose State & at Air Force.
32. Texas A&M (4-2, 1-2) ⬆️19
The Aggies played the game of their lives against Alabama. Zach Calzada was throwing all over the Alabama defense. It’s still hard to ignore the losses to Arkansas & Mississippi State though.
33. Nevada (4-1, 1-0) ⬇️2
Nevada had an easy win over New Mexico State. However, the Wolf Pack don’t have a top 50 win. Their loss at Kansas State holds them down. Nevada can change that with many big games coming up.
34. Houston (5-1, 3-0) ⬆️1
Houston is on a 5 game winning streak. They are on a collision course with SMU on October 30th. That game could decide a spot in the AAC Championship game.
35. Tennessee (4-2, 2-1) ⬆️ 13
Tennessee has turned on the jets in their past 2 games. Josh Heupel has the offense humming. Their two losses are to 2 top 50 teams in Pitt & Florida. The Vols have a tough game against Ole Miss this week.
36. Appalachian State (4-1, 1-0) ↔️
Appalachian State will be coming off of a bye week when they play at Louisiana on Tuesday in a huge Sun Belt game. The Mountaineers will then play Coastal Carolina the week after.
37. Fresno State (4-2, 1-1) ↔️
Fresno State is clinging onto their win at UCLA. The offense was shut down in the loss against Hawaii. The Bulldogs have a tough stretch upcoming. It all starts on Saturday against a decent Wyoming team.
38. TCU (3-2, 1-1) ⬆️13
TCU’s offense exploded in their big win over Texas Tech. Their 2 losses came against top 25 teams SMU & Texas. The Horned Frogs will face their toughest test of the year at Oklahoma this week.
39. Texas Tech (4-2, 1-2) ⬇️9
Texas Tech’s defense has really struggled in their 2 losses against TCU & Texas. The Red Raiders do have a solid win against Houston in Week 1.
40. Air Force (5-1, 2-1) ⬆️9
Air Force just ended Wyoming’s undefeated season this past week. The Falcons will play Boise State in a critical mountain division game on Saturday.
41. UCLA (4-2, 2-1) ⬇️2
UCLA struggled early but pulled away to beat Arizona. Their win against LSU looks less & less impressive as the season rolls on. The Bruins have 2 important games against Washington & Oregon coming up.
42. Louisiana (4-1, 2-0) ↔️
Louisiana is on a 4 game winning streak since their loss to Texas. The Ragin' Cajuns will play their toughest Sun Belt game on Tuesday against Appalachian State.
43. Kansas State (3-2, 0-2) ↔️
Kansas State might be 0-2 in Big 12 play, but their 2 losses were to Oklahoma State & Oklahoma. The Wildcats own a top 50 win over Nevada & a win over Stanford as well.
44. Virginia Tech (3-2, 1-0) ⬇️11
Virginia Tech had a good chance at beating Notre Dame before the Irish won with a FG. The Hokies win over North Carolina doesn’t look as impressive as it once did. They also have a bad loss at West Virginia.
45. Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1) ↔️
Mississippi State has 2 bad losses against Memphis & LSU. However, they have 2 top 50 wins over NC State & Texas A&M. Mike Leach teams are always inconsistent. They have a tough challenge against Alabama this week.
46. Virginia (4-2, 2-2) ⬆️5
Virginia’s win over Louisville came down to the very last play. They don’t have any top 50 wins though. The Cavaliers have 2 winnable games coming up before they enter a tough 4 game stretch.
47. Oregon State (4-2, 2-1) ⬇️13
Oregon State suffered a disappointing loss at Washington State on Saturday. The Beavers have a chance to recover against a solid Utah team after their bye week.
48. Utah (3-2, 2-0) ⬆️3
Utah’s only two losses were to top 50 teams in BYU and San Diego State. They dominated at USC this past week. This team has gone through a ton of adversity with the loss of Ty Jordan & now Aaron Lowe.
49. UAB (4-2, 2-0) ⬆️2
UAB picked up their first win at their new stadium this week against FAU. The Blazers 2 losses came against Georgia & Liberty. The C-USA west division is going to be ultra competitive this season.
50. UTEP (5-1, 2-0) ⬆️1
UTEP is off to a great start. However, their only tough game this season was at Boise State & they lost by 41 points. The Miners will face a decent Louisiana Tech team on Saturday.
On the Horizon
Iowa State
Maryland
Army
Boise State
Western Michigan
Wyoming