Just when you thought this College Football season couldn’t get any weirder, Week 6 was one of the most chaotic weeks the sport has seen in recent history. There were wild finishes in the big games all day on Saturday but no game shook the sport more than the primetime upset in College Station. For the past several weeks I have been talking about how Alabama and Georgia had separated themselves from the pack and appeared to be the only two teams that looked like sure bets for the College Football Playoff.

That all changed when Seth Small’s 28 yard field goal curved just inside the left post to secure Bama’s first loss to an unranked team since the Tide lost to UL Monroe in 2007. Jimbo Fisher also ended another streak being the first former Nick Saban assistant to beat the seven time National Champion. Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin got beat to the punch by Fisher who not only got the win but will probably get a free round of golf from Saban in the offseason.

Alabama fans shouldn’t panic though as the Crimson Tide still control their destiny for the playoff. The Tide still have ranked wins over Florida and Ole Miss on their resume and opportunities for quality wins against Arkansas, Auburn, and a likely date with top ranked Georgia in the SEC Championship down the road. Bama’s a lock if they win out, that’s not the question, the question is can the Tide be the first two loss team to make the four team bracket. If Alabama loses a close game to Georgia, Alabama could find themselves in the top four if things play out around the country. They would need Cincinnati to lose and hope the Big Ten beats each other up to get in with a second loss.

Speaking of the Big Ten, how about the year they have had. Half of the top ten is made up of Big Ten teams and two of those teams, Iowa and Penn State had a game for the ages this past weekend. The Nittany Lions looked in control before Sean Clifford went down. The Hawkeyes stormed back and got a
huge victory to remain undefeated and take a big step towards their first playoff appearance. Iowa has the benefit of being in the vastly inferior Big Ten West and likely won’t have to face another ranked opponent until the conference championship.

The Big Ten East is a bit more complicated as four teams all control their destiny and have looked like serious contenders this year. Ohio State is in the mix as always and has overcome a slow start to look like an elite team over the past couple of weeks. Penn State has had a major bounce back campaign but is dealing with uncertainty at QB heading into this dogfight for the division. Michigan and Michigan State have returned to prominence and are both undefeated halfway through the regular season.The Big Ten will get at least one team in the playoff and could get two if Alabama and Cincinnati slip up down the stretch.

College Football Top 25 Rankings
1.Georgia Bulldogs (6-0) W vs Auburn 34-10, last week-2
2.Iowa Hawkeyes (6-0) W vs Penn State 23-20, last week-3
3.Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0) W vs Temple 52-3, last week-5
4.Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) W vs Texas 55-48, last week-6

5.Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) W vs Maryland 66-17, last week-7
6.Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1) L vs Texas A&M 41-38, last week-1
7.Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1) L vs Iowa 23-20, last week-4
8.Michigan Wolverines (6-0) W vs Nebraska 32-29, last week-8
9.Michigan State Spartans (6-0) W vs Rutgers 31-13, last week-10
10.Oregon Ducks (4-1) Bye Week, last week-9
11.Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-0) Bye Week, last week-12
12.Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-0) W vs Arkansas State 52-20, last week-13
13.Ole Miss Rebels (4-1) W vs Arkansas 52-51, last week-16
14.Kentucky Wildcats (6-0) W vs LSU 42-21, last week-17
15.Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1) W vs Virginia Tech 32-29, last week-14
16.Arkansas Razorbacks (4-2) L vs Ole Miss 52-51, last week-15
17.Arizona State Sun Devils (5-1) W vs Stanford 28-10, last week-19
18.SMU Mustangs (6-0) W vs Navy 31-24, last week-21
19.NC State Wolfpack (4-1) Bye Week, last week-22
20.Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-0) W vs Syracuse 40-37, last week-23
21.Texas A&M Aggies (4-2) W vs Alabama 41-38, last week-unranked
22.Florida Gators (4-2) W vs Vanderbilt 42-0, last week-24
23.BYU Cougars (5-1) L vs Boise State 26-17, last week-11
24.Texas Longhorns (4-2) L vs Oklahoma 55-48, last week-18
25.Clemson Tigers (3-2) Bye Week, last week-25

Dropped out of rankings – Auburn