Going into week six of the college football season, the slate looked as if it was going to be a relatively calm Saturday, with many good teams going up against inferior opponents. It turns out, that wasn’t the case.
Texas and Penn State, the preseason No.1 and No. 2 teams in the country, both continued their incredibly disappointing seasons with upset losses to Florida and UCLA, while Miami added to their impressive résumé with a rivalry win.
Here is my current top 10:
No. 1 Miami Hurricanes 5-0 (1-0 ACC)
Win at Florida State, 28-22
Miami has far and away the best résumé in college football, and only added to that with a dominating win in Tallahassee. The final score may indicate a close game, but the Hurricanes were in control the entire game before Florida State added some garbage time scores in the 4th quarter.
With how suffocating Miami’s defensive line is, the team is on track for their first College Football Playoff appearance in the CFP era.
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes 5-0 (2-0 Big-10)
Win vs. Minnesota, 42-3
The Buckeyes just continued humming along like a well oiled machine this weekend against Minnesota. Freshman QB Julian Sayin had his best game of the early season, going 23/27 for 326 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Ohio State will now look forward to their toughest test of the season to this point next week at Illinois.
No. 3 Oregon Ducks 5-0 (2-0 Big-10)
Bye week
After an impressive win at Penn State, the Ducks got the luxury of sitting back and watching all the chaos unfold this weekend. The bye week comes at an ideal time, as they will have had two weeks to prepare for a huge home matchup against Indiana.
No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies 5-0 (2-0 SEC)
Win vs. Mississippi State, 31-9
Mike Elko and the Aggies are doing something unprecedented for the program: winning the games they should with high expectations. They’ve shown they can win ballgames in many different ways, whether it’s a high-flying shootout or low scoring defensive ballgame.
With A&M’s schedule, there is definitely a path to their first trip to the SEC Championship in program history.
No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers 5-0 (2-0 Big-10)
Bye week
Unlike last year, Indiana has a schedule where we will know if they are a really good team rather than paper tigers. Their next and hardest test of the season is coming up as they travel to the Pacific Northwest to face Oregon at Autzen Stadium.
Unlike last season after they lost to Ohio State, there is evidence that they are for real even with a loss.
No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels 5-0 (3-0 SEC)
Bye week
Lane Kiffin is simply a quarterback whisperer. Starting QB gets injured? No problem. In fact, there is a good chance Ole Miss improved with the installation of Trinidad Chambliss into the offense, as he has had impressive performance after impressive performance this season.
The Rebels have a tune up game against Washington State next week before they reach the meat of their schedule.
No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders 5-0 (2-0 Big-12)
Win at Houston, 35-11
All that oil money that rolled in during the offseason has been put to good use for the Red Raiders, who are clearly the best team in the Big-12. In the only matchup of undefeated’s this week, Texas Tech rolled on the road at Houston, as the defense forced three turnovers and the offense had 552 total yards of offense.
No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners 5-0 (1-0 SEC)
Win vs. Kent State, 44-0
The big question surrounding this OU team is can they survive with star QB John Mateer. After getting surgery on his throwing hand for an injury suffered against Auburn, the Sooners have been able to survive with a bye and a game against Kent State, but competition steps up with the Red River Rivalry this Saturday. Can Oklahoma win with backup Michael Hawkins Jr.?
No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide 4-1 (2-0 SEC)
Win vs. Vanderbilt 30-14
After the early season loss to Florida State, Kalen Deboer has effectively unlocked a new focus with this team. For the first time all season, Alabama was able to run the ball at will with their running backs, as Jam Miller became their first 100+ yard rusher, who went for 136 yards and one touchdown. It doesn’t get any easier for the Tide as they now travel to face Missouri.
No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs 4-1 (2-1 SEC)
Win vs. Kentucky, 35-14
Kentucky was just what the doctor ordered for Georgia to bounce back from a crushing loss against Alabama. Still very much in contention in the SEC, Georgia will look to avoid the upset at Auburn in The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry before a likely top 10 showdown vs. Ole Miss.
Now for the rest of the rankings:
No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers 4-1 (1-1 SEC)
Bye week
No. 12 Missouri Tigers 5-0 (1-0 SEC)
Bye week
No. 13 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 5-0 (2-0 ACC)
Bye week
No. 14 LSU Tigers 4-1 (1-1 SEC)
Bye week
No. 15 Michigan Wolverines 4-1 (2-0 Big-10)
Win vs. Wisconsin, 24-10
No. 16 Vanderbilt Commodores 5-1 (1-1 SEC)
Loss at Alabama, 14-30
No. 17 Virginia Cavaliers 5-1 (3-0 ACC)
Win at Louisville, 30-27 (OT)
No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils 4-1 (2-0 Big-12)
Bye week
No. 19 Cincinnati Bearcats 4-1 (2-0 Big-12)
Win vs. Iowa State, 38-30
No. 20 Iowa State Cyclones 5-1 (2-1 Big-12)
Loss at Cincinnati, 30-38
No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini 5-1 (2-1 Big-10)
Win at Purdue, 43-27
No. 22 Memphis Tigers 6-0 (2-0 AAC)
Win vs. Tulsa, 45-7
No. 23 South Florida Bulls 4-1 (1-0 AAC)
Win vs. Charlotte, 54-26
No. 24 BYU Cougars 5-0 (2-0 Big-12)
Win vs. West Virginia 38-24
No. 25 Utah Utes 4-1 (1-1 Big-12)
Bye week
Teams who just missed: Nebraska Cornhuskers, Florida State Seminoles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish.