What a week it was around the country. Despite a slate of matchups that looked a bit underwhelming heading into Saturday, five of the nation's top 11 teams lost, leading to an impromptu shuffle of teams inside the AP Top 25.
One week after ascending to the top spot in the polls following a win over Georgia, Alabama was stunned after a trip to Vanderbilt left them empty-handed. Yet, that was far from the only eye-opening result on Saturday afternoon. Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers went into Arkansas and lost. USC (vs. Minnesota) and Michigan (vs. Washington) traveled across the country and went down. And to wrap up the night, Miami quarterback Cam Ward had to put on his magician hat to lead the Hurricanes to a win after a large second-half deficit.
It was anything but underwhelming, anything but boring, and in totality, it’s what makes college football so darn special. And with a new look AP Top 25 officially out as of Sunday afternoon, the schedule of what’s to come down the road makes things just that much more exciting as wins continue to increase in value.
In just a few months, the new-look 12-team College Football Playoff will become the focus of the sports world—a new wrinkle to a playoff structure that has been limited to four teams since its inception. The chaos that ensued during Week 6 should get everyone excited about the bedlam and disarray that the 12-team tournament has in store beginning on Dec. 20.
What makes it even more interesting is not only the matchups we’d see between teams that we never experienced if it weren’t for the tournament but the spot saved for the No. 12 seed (highest ranked Group of 5 champion), currently held by Boise State, is led by Heisman candidate RB Ashton Jeanty. Then there’s formerly Top 25 ranked UNLV, who lost in OT to Syracuse, and the undefeated Army Black Knights.
Although you’ll have to wait until Nov. 5 for the first rendition of the CFP committee’s rankings, college football this winter has a little bit of extra steam to it as we approach the holiday season. Away from the dominance seen thus far from the likes of Texas, Miami, Penn State, Ohio State, and Oregon (the latter two will face off in Week 7), much of college football remains in flux, which, in turn, makes for more pivotal matchups each and every week. It also should make those at Georgia (No. 5 overall) and Alabama (No. 7) feel a little bit better about their CFP chances after an up-and-down last two weeks. A total of seven other SEC teams make up the rest of the Top 25, and No. 1 ranked Texas’ next two games (at No. 18 Oklahoma and home against Georgia) could rapidly turn the tide atop what has annually been college football’s most talented conference.
Everything about Week 6 was wild and wacky, including Vanderbilt’s goalposts taking the three-mile trek into the Cumberland River after their upset of the Crimson Tide. It was Saturdays in the fall at its finest, and ultimately what makes the sport so electric.
As conference play continues to ramp up across the country, and teams begin to separate themselves inside the Power Four, you can’t help but take a look over the horizon, toward the College Football Playoff, and the exciting mayhem soon to come.