For a week that did not feature a big headlining game, what it lacked in ranked on ranked matchups, Week 6 made up for it by being one of the craziest upset filled weeks in college football. See which Top 25 teams were able to survive and which teams got upended on a wild, crazy Saturday!
Vanderbilt Defeats #1 Alabama 40-35:
Vanderbilt shocked the world on Saturday with one of the greatest upsets in college football history with the Commodores taking down the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide by a final score of 40-35. Vanderbilt fans celebrated by tearing down the goal post and carrying it out of the stadium all the way into the Cumberland River. Diego Pavia was the hero for the Commodores as he completed 16 of 20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. The Commodores also got two rushing touchdowns from Sedrick Alexander and were catapulted by a pick six by Randon Fontenette to take a 23-7 early lead. Jam Miller had two rushing touchdowns for the Crimson Tide to make it a nine point game. Vanderbilt also did a great job of playing keep away from Alabama’s offense by holding the football for over 42 minutes and converting 12 of 18 on third downs. Jalen Milroe completed 18 of 24 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown plus a rushing touchdown while Ryan Williams had three grabs for 82 yards and a touchdown catch plus a rushing touchdown. Still, the Crimson Tide had too many mistakes with penalties, stopping Vanderbilt’s option attack, and getting off the field on third down as Vanderbilt was able to run the rest of the clock out. Alabama’s one week stay at the top of the polls will be a short one after defeating Georgia last week. It is a historic win for Vanderbilt with this being their first win over Alabama in 40 years and their first win ever against a Top Five team let along a number one ranked team.
#2 Texas (BYE):
#3 Ohio State Defeats Iowa 35-7:
The Ohio State offense struggled in the first half only clinging to a 7-0 halftime lead, but that same offense found its rhythm in the second half to pull away from the Iowa Hawkeyes to a 35-7 win. Will Howard completed 21 of 25 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns with 28 more yards and a score. Howard connected with Emeka Egbuka for three scores and freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith for the fourth score. The Buckeyes defense made it tough for Iowa to move the football by only giving up 226 total yards and sacking Cade McNamara three times while also forcing three turnovers.
Arkansas Defeats #4 Tennessee 19-14:
After starting quarterback Taylen Green left the game with an injury, all Malachi Singleton did was lead the Arkansas Razorbacks to the eventual game winning touchdown with 1:17 left in the game to give them a 19-14 upset victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. Ja’Quinden Jackson also added a touchdown run for the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks overcame a 14-3 deficit for their first home victory over a Top 5 opponent since 1999, which also happened against Tennessee. Nico Iamaleava had an opportunity to lead an almost improbable last second victory but on a fourth down and five, the first year starting quarterback kept it and ran to get pushed out of bounds as time expired. Dylan Sampson scored the two touchdowns for the Volunteers to help keep the offense in the game, but the Razorbacks defense frustrated Iamaleava all night long as he was only held to 156 yards passing through the air. Adding to the other shocking result, which was Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt, this is the first time since 2012 when two Top 5 teams from the same conference lost on the same regular season weekend when LSU and Georgia both lost.
#5 Georgia Defeats Auburn 31-13:
After Georgia’s heartbreaking loss to Alabama last week, the Bulldogs got back on track with a 31-13 win over the Auburn Tigers. The Bulldogs gained control of this game early with Trevor Etienne scoring two rushing touchdowns and Carson Beck throwing for two touchdowns. Dominic Lovett and Dillon Bell were on the receiving end of those touchdowns. It was not a dominant performance by the Bulldogs, but it was good enough to take care of business. The Bulldogs have dominated the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry with eight straight wins in the rivalry.
#6 Oregon Defeats Michigan State 31-10:
Oregon was not looking ahead to this week’s big time showdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Dillon Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as he completed 20 of 32 passes for 257 yards. Jordan James added 166 yards and another touchdown while Tez Johnson had 10 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown to help pull away from the Spartans. Jordan Burch also had a Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week performance with 2.5 sacks and four tackles in the win.
#7 Penn State Defeats UCLA 27-11:
The Penn State Nittany Lions took care of business on a week full of Top 10 upsets as they defeated the UCLA Bruins 27-11 in a Big 10 conference matchup. Drew Allar led the way by throwing for 237 yards and one touchdown plus a rushing touchdown. Kaytron Allen also added a rushing touchdown to go with two Ryan Barber field goals in order to complete the scoring. While it was not the most explosive outing for the Nittany Lions, the defense had an impressive outing forcing four punts, two turnovers on downs, and has held its third straight opponent to under 100 yards rushing.
#8 Miami Defeats Cal 39-38:
For a while, it looked like the Miami Hurricanes were going to join the list of Top 10 teams that were going to fall, but Cam Ward and the Canes stormed all the way back for an improbable 25 point comeback. Ward threw a five yard touchdown pass to Elijah Arroyo with 26 seconds left for the game winning touchdown. This was Miami’s biggest comeback since rallying from 28 points to defeat Boston College. After trailing 35-10 in the third quarter, Ward led the offense to four straight scoring drives to help spark the comeback. The Heisman Trophy candidate had an early Heisman moment completing 33 of 53 passes for 437 yards and two touchdowns plus a touchdown run. Led by head coach Mario Cristobol, the Hurricanes are off to their third 6-0 start over the last 20 seasons.
Washington Defeats #10 Michigan 27-17:
The Washington Huskies was another team that played spoiler for a Top 10 team defeating the Michigan Wolverines 27-17 and were able to get revenge in a rematch of last year’s National Championship Game. Former Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the way. The Huskies were able to take the lead at 24-17 on a one yard touchdown run from Jonah Coleman and then seal the deal with a late field goal to make it a 10 point game. This win by the Huskies snapped a 24 game Big 10 regular season winning streak that dates back to 2021. For the Wolverines, Donovan Edwards ran for 95 yards and a 39 yard touchdown while the offense got a spark from Jack Tuttle, but two turnovers did cost the Wolverines at the end.
Minnesota Defeats #11 USC 24-17:
Tied at 17, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck decided to go for the touchdown instead of the go ahead field goal with 56 seconds left to play in the game and the gamble paid off as Max Brosmer powered in for his third rushing touchdown of the game to get the 24-17 win. The Golphers were able to seal the victory with an interception by Koi Perich in the end zone. Darius Taylor had 200 yards from scrimmage including 144 yards on 25 carries. Miller Moss was only limited to 200 yards passing and one touchdown pass to two interceptions. The first interception from Moss was costly as well as it led to the game tying touchdown at 17-17 for Minnesota. Penalties and turnovers were detrimental for the Trojans when suffering their second loss of the season.
#12 Ole Miss Defeats South Carolina 27-3:
The big 325 pound defensive tackle JJ Pegues scored two touchdowns on the ground in Ole Miss’ 27-3 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks as the Rebels bounced back after last week’s upset loss to Kentucky. Ole Miss took advantage of South Carolina’s two mistakes on a fake punt that got stuffed and a fumble on the very next drive to get control of the game early. It was not the sharpest game for the Rebels’ offense as Jaxson Dart failed to throw a touchdown, but the defense also had six sacks and gave up three points.
#13 LSU (BYE):
#14 Notre Dame (BYE):
#15 Clemson Defeats Florida State 29-13:
Dabo Swinney picked up his 174th win at Clemson, which ironically enough breaks the record for victories at an ACC school, which was previously held by Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, who won 173 games in the ACC from 1992 to 2009. The Tigers were able to lean on an offense that is gaining some confidence after the opening season blowout loss to Georgia. Cade Klubnik threw for 235 yard and three touchdown passes to Antonio Williams and TJ Moore while Phil Mafah ran for 154 yards on 20 carries for the Tigers’ run game. Despite Florida State being able to defeat the Tigers last season, this win was the fifth straight for Clemson in Tallahassee as Florida State’s nightmare season continues at 1-5.
#16 Iowa State Defeats Baylor 43-21:
The Iowa State Cyclones continue their undefeated season with a 42-31 win over the Baylor Bears. Rocco Becht threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way. The 5-0 start is the best start for the program since 1980. His top receiver is Jayden Higgins, who finished with eight catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. The rushing game also played a big part in the come from behind victory with 265 yards on the ground led by Jaylon Jackson, who had 107 yards on the ground. After trailing 14-3, the Cyclones were able to outscore the Bears 40-7 the rest of the way.
#17 BYU (BYE):
#18 Utah (BYE):
#19 Oklahoma (BYE):
#20 Kansas State (BYE):
#21 Boise State Defeats Utah State 62-30:
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty continues his impressive early Heisman Trophy campaign with another nice performance with 186 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries. He also became the eighth FBS running back to rush for 1,000 yards in only five games into a season. Maddux Madsen also threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos’ offense put up 49 points in the first half, which allowed them to cruise in the second half as Spencer Danielson’s team is averaging over 50 points per game making them the current favorite to grab the Group of Five playoff spot.
SMU Defeats #22 Louisville:
The SMU Mustangs were able to not only pickup an upset over the #22 Louisville Cardinals, but they also became a major contender in the ACC race with a 34-27 win. Kevin Jennings was the team’s leading passer and rusher as he completed 21 of 27 passes for 281 yards while rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown to help give SMU a double digit lead at 21-10 and 24-13, but the Cardinals came back to eventually tie the game at 27 at one point as Tyler Shough completed 22 of 35 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns and Ja’Corey Brooks, who had three grabs for 121 yards and two touchdowns. SMU ended up getting the go ahead touchdown after what orginally was a SMU fumble that was recovered by Louisville turned out to be an overturned call. The Mustangs capitalized with a LJ Johnson touchdown run and the defense was able to seal the deal with an interception by Isaiah Nwokobia to improve SMU’s record to 5-1 this season.
#23 Indiana Defeats Northwestern 41-24:
The Indiana Hoosiers are off to their best start to a season since the 1967 season when the Hoosiers also started the season 6-0. They were able to accomplish that feat by defeating Northwestern 41-24. Kurtis Rourke threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Hoosiers offense. They also showed some balance offensively with 149 yards on the ground led by Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton, who each had touchdown runs. Elijah Sarratt was Rourke’s top target with 135 yards on seven catches to help give the nation’s number three scoring offense their fifth 40+ scoring game of the season.
#24 Illinois (BYE)
#25 Texas A&M Defeats #9 Missouri 41-10:
In the only ranked on ranked matchup of Week 6, #25 Texas A&M dominated the #9 Missouri Tigers handing them their first loss of the season by a final score of 41-10. Le’Veon Moss led the way in the blowout as he rushed for a career high 138 yards and three touchdowns including a 75 yard touchdown on the first player of the third quarter to break the game open at 31-0. The Aggies also held Brady Cook to only 186 yards passing and one touchdown while Texas A&M returned their quarterback Connor Weigman back from injury where he threw for 276 yards. Amari Daniels also added two rushing scores to complete the dominant performance.
Syracuse Defeats #25 UNLV 44-41 (OT):
UNLV’s stay in the AP Top 25 poll will not be a long one after losing to Syracuse 44-41 in overtime. The UNLV Rebels were one of the teams in the running for the Group of Five college football playoff spot and that took a big blow on Friday suffering an upset loss to the Orange. LeQuint Allen had four touchdowns in the game including the winning touchdown in overtime. Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord also played a big part into the win by completing 40 of 63 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns to only one interception with Oronde Gadsen II having 10 catches for 442 yards. On the other side, UNLV’s Hajj-Malik Williams completed 21 of 25 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns and an interception. He and Ricky White III did their best of keeping the Rebels within striking distance as White had 10 grabs for 135 yards and a touchdown as well as a blocked punt.
