Winners and Losers from Week 6 of College Football
Week 6 of the college football season is in the books. The first week of October got off to a wild start long before ESPN's College GameDay went live in Oxford, Mississippi.
On Thursday, Arizona shook up the Pac-12 and national conversation by upsetting Oregon in Autzen Stadium. On Friday night, Utah State derailed BYU's hopes for an undefeated season.
That was just the beginning.
Alabama fell to Ole Miss and Oklahoma was unable to survive a shootout with TCU. Arizona State beat USC on a Hail Mary, South Carolina dropped the ball against Kentucky and UCLA couldn't overcome Utah.
The college football world is chaos—and it's beautiful. According to ESPN, this was the first time five of the AP poll's top eight teams lost in the same weekend in the regular season.
With that, we wish the College Football Playoff selection committee the best of luck in its future decisions.
In the meantime, which teams and players came out as winners in Week 5? Which ones didn't?
Winner: Pac-12 Chaos
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Arizona's stunning 31-24 upset on the road at Oregon was quite a way to kick off Week 6.
One might think this puts Oregon, or the Pac-12 for that matter, in a loser's category. Surely the playoff chances for both are kaput, right?
Not so fast. It's the first week in October. Nothing is going to be decided as far as the playoff is concerned for another two months. Oregon isn't out of the picture. If anything, it makes things more intriguing with Arizona, the lone remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12.
Meanwhile, USC was stunned by Arizona State on a Hail Mary and UCLA finally dropped a game to Utah (more on those later). Fitting in with the national narrative, things are upside down in the Pac-12 right now. But rather than announce the Pac-12 dead on arrival as far as the playoff is concerned, let's embrace the possibilities.
Let the season play out and enjoy it. As Arizona showed on Thursday, there are plenty of good football teams in the Pac-12. Not every narrative has to be centered around the Ducks.
Loser: BYU Cougars
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Oh, BYU. Not like this.
The Cougars were eyeing an undefeated season with maybe—maybe—an outside shot at a playoff spot. That hope has basically been tossed out the window after a 35-20 loss to Utah State—which, mind you, is without its own star quarterback, Chuckie Keeton—on Friday night.
To make matters worse, BYU lost starting quarterback Taysom Hill for the year to a broken leg—and after this website was created to highlight Hill for some "national attention," no less.
It all has to feel like a bad dream for a program and player with such high expectations.
Furthermore, you hate to see a great player like Hill have his season cut short.
Winner: Mississippi State
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Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, Mississippi State has turned a corner as a program.
The Bulldogs beat LSU on the road in Week 4, flexing their muscles and pushing the Tigers around for basically the whole game. To come right back and beat up on Texas A&M at home in a 48-31 win in Week 6 was just as impressive.
Head coach Dan Mullen was 1-12 at home against Associated Press Top 25 teams heading into Saturday. The narrative, rightly so, for a long time was that Mullen couldn't win the big games. Now, Mississippi State has two major back-to-back wins under its belt.
A home game against Auburn next week will obviously have major SEC West implications as well.
This is easily Mullen's most talented team, and quarterback Dak Prescott, with a five-touchdown performance, is putting his name in the Heisman conversation. Not the fun Heisman conversation at the beginning of the year, but the actual conversation.
A lot of credit needs to be given to the Bulldogs defense as well, which made Aggies quarterback Kenny Hill uncomfortable in the pocket for most of the game.
Mississippi State can control both lines of scrimmage. Want to win a lot of games? Follow that formula.
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Loser: Texas A&M
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Texas A&M made things a bit more interesting toward the end of the game, but make no mistake, the Aggies were thoroughly outplayed against Mississippi State.
The box score stats are just a little more tolerable to look at because of a late-game run.
A&M was again out of sync on offense. Quarterback Kenny Hill made some inaccurate throws, and he didn't get much help from his receivers, either, who dropped balls all day. Freshman Speedy Noil made some highlight-reel catches, but it was clear how much A&M missed leading receiver Malcome Kennedy, who was sidelined recovering from a shoulder injury.
A&M can still do a lot of damage in the SEC West, but the defense remains a liability despite lots of young talent. The number of drops by Aggies receivers—Travis Haney of ESPN.com counted nine—was alarming, as was the amount of pressure A&M's offensive line allowed.
Winner: Ohio State
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Quietly, Ohio State has recovered nicely from its Week 2 loss to Virginia Tech with three convincing wins, the latest coming Saturday on the road against Maryland, 52-24.
The Terps may not exactly be Big Ten East contenders yet, but the Buckeyes have looked far more put together than when the season began.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett is showing signs that he's grasping the offense, and the offensive line is allowing him time to make plays. Against the Terps, Barrett was an efficient 18-of-23 for 267 yards and four touchdowns. Maryland's run defense is nothing to write home about either, so the Buckeyes ran the ball 53 times.
Obviously, Ohio State's defensive line is still terrifyingly good.
The Big Ten East could still come down to the Nov. 8 game between Ohio State and Michigan State. By that time, the Buckeyes could (and should) be a much better team than they were in the first two weeks.
Loser: Tennessee
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If not now, Tennessee, when?
It's been a decade since the Volunteers last beat Florida, and Butch Jones' team came agonizingly close to breaking the losing streak on Saturday. However, Tennessee blew a 9-0 fourth-quarter lead (yes, it was that ugly) when the lifeless Gators recovered a fumble deep in Tennessee territory.
A subsequent change in quarterback from Jeff Driskel to Treon Harris provided the spark Florida needed. The final result was a 10-9 win by Florida with Gators coach Muschamp proclaiming on the SEC Network, "It was great to see all these people out here getting disappointed. I love it."
Tennessee is young and talented. This is universally believed, as is the notion that the Vols are slowly but surely on the upswing. In time, Tennessee may very well compete for divisional and conference titles again.
The question is how many more disappointments this program is going to face before it gets over that hump.
Winner: TCU Quarterback Trevone Boykin
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To be clear, the entire TCU offense looks like a completely different—which is to say, better—group from a year ago. The additions of co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie have done wonders for revitalizing the Horned Frogs offense.
Wide receivers also aren't dropping ball and the offensive line is healthy. But the growth of Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin has been fascinating to watch. Pushed into starting duty each of the past two years because of various problems with Casey Pachall, Boykin was not an effective quarterback.
What a difference an offseason makes.
In a 37-33 win against Oklahoma, Boykin was 20-of-38 for 318 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Beyond the stats, Boykin looks more confident and is making great, decisive and accurate throws.
The Frogs looked like a good addition to the Big 12 when the program joined a couple of years ago, but the offense has never been able to complement the teams' stingy defenses. That looks to have finally changed. Behind Boykin, TCU looks like a team that can score points and win nine or 10 games.
Winner: Northwestern
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How about the Wildcats?
Initially left for dead after starting 0-2, Northwestern has now reeled off three straight wins. The latest was a 20-14 upset over No. 17 Wisconsin on Saturday.
Don't look now, but Northwestern is 2-0 in the Big Ten West. As Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets, the Cats actually—wait for it—have a shot at the divisional title.
Granted, that may not happen, but the reality is head coach Pat Fitzgerald has started to turn this team around. Given the utter collapse by Northwestern last year coupled with the slow start this season, a three-game winning streak is huge.
So hats off to Fitzgerald, who continues to do some amazing things at a historically tough place to win.
Loser: Oklahoma
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Where do you start with Oklahoma?
Granted, TCU is a much-improved team. Losing to the Horned Frogs on the road may not look bad by season's end, but the Sooners had a lot of problems on Saturday.
For one, quarterback Trevor Knight had a bad day. Knight threw for 309 yards but most went to Sterling Shepard when he was wide open because of busted coverages. Otherwise, Knight completed 40 percent of his passes and threw two picks, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Then there's the Sooners defense, which is supposed to be the Big 12's best. Oklahoma tried to keep TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin from scrambling, forcing him to make plays with his arm.
The problem is that Boykin did just that.
Like other teams in the playoff discussion, it's too early to count Oklahoma out of anything yet. But with the other losses taking place around college football, this was an opportunity for the Sooners to create some space for themselves.
Winner: Ole Miss
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Um, duh.
For one week at least, the state of Mississippi is the center of the college football universe, as Nicole Auerbach of USA Today tweets.
Mississippi State's win over Texas A&M was impressive, but Ole Miss' 23-17 upset over Alabama in Oxford feels more Earth-shattering.
If the Rebels really wanted to show they've advanced as a program and were capable of competing in the SEC West, it had to knock off the Tide.
A controversial forced fumble and recovery for a touchdown by Alabama corner Cyrus Jones just before halftime put the Tide up 14-3. That could have been the moment that broke Ole Miss for good, but instead the Rebels outscored Alabama 20-3 in the second half.
"To be very candid, I felt like my heart was ripped out before the half," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said of the fumble (via Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports).
It's a huge moment for Ole Miss football. Suddenly, the wide-open SEC West got way, way more interesting. Mostly because it might not run through the state of Alabama anymore.
Loser: Alabama
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Alabama doesn't fall into the loser's category just because it lost. Losses happen. As Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated tweets, a loss in the BCS era would have meant you were dismissed from the national title conversation. Not anymore.
But there's an alarming stat that's snowballing under head coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide is 4-3 in its last seven games—with all three losses coming against ranked teams (h/t Mark Coomes, InsiderLouisville.com).
Of course, that dates back to last year and Alabama was 11-0 before that. Still, did you ever think you'd read something like that about Alabama under Saban?
It does play into a quote from Ole Miss safety Cody Prewitt, via Fox Sports’ Brandon Speck:
"We understand that we haven't played a team that's going to be as good as Bama. But we don't really think Bama is as good as they have been. And we're better than we have been. We're looking forward to getting to the game plan and really nailing down all the tweaks and stuff that we're going to have to put into Bama.
"
Obviously, Prewitt was on to something. Alabama is mortal and it showed in Week 1 against West Virginia. The Rebels were able to capitalize on it.
Winner: Notre Dame
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The weather was downright dreary in South Bend, Indiana, which led to a low-scoring game between Stanford and Notre Dame—until the final three minutes of the game.
Then, hark, a scoring barrage appeared!
The Cardinal looked like it had the game in control when running back Remound Wright bolted 11 yards for the go-ahead score with just three minutes remaining to put his team up 14-10.
But a heroic Notre Dame drive led by quarterback Everett Golson ended in a busted coverage that allowed a 23-yard touchdown to Ben Koyack. Notre Dame came away with 17-14 win.
Golson wasn't always sharp for the second straight week, but he made plays when it counted. More importantly for the Irish, this team is 5-0 on a weekend when upsets were commonplace.
Notre Dame's playoff picture is still clear. On a wild weekend like this, that's all any team can ask.
Loser: Michigan
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Yeah, it's piling on at this point, but what's happening at Michigan remains baffling.
Specifically, what happened in Piscataway, New Jersey, is another ominous sign that Wolverines coach Brady Hoke's days may be numbered. Rutgers won its first Big Ten game over Michigan, 26-24, with the Scarlet Knights blocking a go-ahead field-goal attempt from the Wolverines with just over three minutes remaining.
There was also a controversial catch made by Michigan's Amara Darboh that was ruled incomplete. To make matters worse, Rutgers fans stormed the field—after beating a 2-3 team.
According to Mike Huguenin of NFL.com, this is the first time in 47 seasons that Michigan has started conference play 0-2. The offense has been notably bad, but Michigan allowed Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova to throw for 404 yards and three touchdowns.
A win over Rutgers would at least slow the bleeding for Hoke, who has been criticized heavily for how he handled a head injury to quarterback Shane Morris in Week 5.
Instead, an already bad situation got even worse. You have to feel for Hoke, who is generally regarded as a well-liked guy. But the feeling is that his time might be up.
Winner: Auburn
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So much of the attention on Saturday has, rightly so, been focused on the state of Mississippi. (Katy Perry, by the way, is getting absolutely crazy in Oxford and will be the town's elected official by Sunday. So, sure, live it up.)
But Auburn would like to remind everyone that it's still the reigning SEC champion. A 41-7 win over LSU confirmed that, yes, Gus Malzahn's team is still one of the best in the country.
Tigers quarterback Nick Marshall led the way with 326 total yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Sammie Coates was a beast, too, pulling in four catches for 144 yards and a score.
The Tigers of LSU, meanwhile, are a mess. Freshman Brandon Harris turned out not to be the answer at quarterback, and Anthony Jennings was brought in as a relief with marginal results.
LSU can't run the ball (or pass it) or stop the run. That's a bad combination.
Auburn, however, has a great combination working. It's next game, at Mississippi State, will be must-see TV.
Loser: South Carolina
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As is customary in these situations, we must guess what the great Steve Spurrier might opine: "Waylp."
On a day already full of upsets, what's one more for giggles? South Carolina coughed up a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to lose a heartbreaker to Kentucky, 45-38.
Though the Gamecocks got out to an early 14-0 lead, the two sides exchanged points for much of the game. Then, things fell apart. Kentucky strung together a pair of touchdown drives before Alvin Dupree returned a Dylan Thompson interception for a touchdown.
South Carolina falls to 2-3 in the SEC. Despite a key win over Georgia in September, South Carolina has been unable to cement themselves as East Division favorites with two straight losses.
"We're not a real good team. I think it's obvious with the yards we're giving up and so forth," Spurrier said, via Michael Haney of 107.5 The Game.
Kentucky, meanwhile, is 4-1 and an overtime loss away from being undefeated. A bizarro world this is, indeed.
Winner: Arizona State
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Holy Hail Mary, Arizona State.
Not to be outdone by their in-state rivals, Arizona, the Sun Devils decided they too would partake in last-second Pac-12 victories.
Down 34-32 to USC with just seven seconds remaining in a tightly contested game, Arizona State was too far outside field-goal range to attempt a kick. So, quarterback Mike Bercovici, playing for the still-injured Taylor Kelly, chucked a 46-yard bomb to the end zone that was caught by Jaelen Strong to give Arizona State the 38-34 win.
(By the way, the radio call of the Hail Mary can be found here. It's worth a listen.)
Despite getting housed by UCLA in Week 5, the Sun Devils are still very much in the thick of the hunt in the Pac-12 South. While defense remains a liability, it has to be comforting to know the offense can move the ball regardless of which quarterback is taking snaps.
As for USC, the Trojans have lost two games in opposite fashion. The bigger issue, however, remains depth, which could cost this team again before the season is done.
Loser: Nebraska
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Nebraska came up on the short end of a 27-22 thriller at Michigan State, but to be clear, the Huskers' effort certainly doesn't qualify them as losers.
Nebraska trailed 27-3 heading into the fourth quarter but made a ferocious comeback aided by some serious "Sparty no!" moments.
While trying to run out the clock with just over a minute to play, Spartans running back Jeremy Langford ran out of bounds on a stretch play. Then, Michael Geiger's 37-yard field-goal attempt that would have put Michigan State up by eight points bounced off the upright.
However, the Huskers were unable to come up with a successful scoring drive, and the last undefeated Big Ten team has been crossed off the list.
Nebraska could have made a great case for its own playoff hopes with a win over Michigan State since the remaining schedule is more than manageable. Not having that win, however, could mean it's up to Michigan State to keep the Big Ten's playoff hopes alive.
Again, not counting anyone out as of yet, but Nebraska really could have used that win.
Loser: UCLA
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As it turns out, UCLA’s rout of Arizona State in Week 5 was an anomaly. The Bruins were right back to their usual selves in a 30-28 loss to Utah on Saturday night.
That’s not a good thing.
The Bruins gave up, by our last count, 10 sacks to the Utes. Some of that lies on the offensive line, which has been horrid all season long. Part of that rests on quarterback Brett Hundley, who held on to the ball too long at times.
Regardless, it’s tough to get anything going when an offense is playing behind the sticks.
It’s difficult to get a true feel for this UCLA team. It’s looked sub-par most of the season, but looked prolific against an Arizona State team that just shocked USC. A game between UCLA and Oregon in Week 7 has lost some of its luster, but would also be a major rebound for either program.
Suffice to say, though, UCLA has been a major disappointment so far.
Winner: Late Night, Record-Breaking, Weird Football
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"Pac-12 After Dark” is a very real thing. And it’s some of the weirdest football you’ll ever see (which is why it’s been blocked by many parental controls).
So it’s only fitting that the final game of an incredible day of football was Cal’s 60-59 victory over Washington State.
“Goodness, how did those two teams score so many points?” you might ask.
It starts with the fact that Wazzu quarterback Connor Halliday threw for 734 yards, beating the FBS single-game record of 716 set by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990. In fact, Halliday and Cal quarterback Jared Goff combined for 1,261 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.
So, naturally, the game came down to a 19-yard missed field goal in the final seconds. (Washington State fans will also contend their team had a touchdown taken away from them earlier.) Amazingly, Cal has allowed 115 points in the past two games—and won both.
College football, everyone.
Cal-Wazzu was as entertaining as anything on display during Week 6. That’s saying something.
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