Graphic by the Author and AI
Only nine unbeatens remain and are ranked at the top in Week 6 of the Power Rankings!
1. Indiana (6-0) (Last Week #1) (Ranked #5 and #4 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
It was a close one, but Indiana defeated Nebraska in Lincoln with a fourth-quarter comeback. For the first time this season, Charlie Becker was held in check. Becker had three catches for 52 yards. This was the Nick Marsh game for IU. The Michigan State transfer would have six catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns, and Indiana would stay unbeaten with a 20-17 win. The Hoosiers host Ohio State next week for a rematch of the 2025 Big Ten Championship.
Also, it is utterly stupid that two 5-0 teams in the Big Ten played and only one of them was ranked. It would never happen in the SEC because of the media’s idiotic bias for them. If you had Kentucky and Vanderbilt both 5-0 and had only beaten FCS and the worst Group of Six teams, the slanted media would have had them both ranked. That’s a big reason why I don’t believe in the SEC. Because so many believe in it strictly on faith, and that’s not fair to the game. Shoot! It’s not fair to the SEC.
2. Notre Dame (6-0) (Last Week #2) (Ranked #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Notre Dame fed Stanford into a woodchipper. The Fighting Irish led the Cardinal 37-0 at the half. Notre Dame would go on to win 58-7, and that was with them taking their foot off the gas for most of the second half. CJ Carr and the Irish now look ahead to their biggest game of the season to date when they head out west to play BYU in Provo next Saturday. It’ll be a battle of unbeatens, but Notre Dame will be the heavy favorite against BYU. When the season is all said and done, this could very easily be one of the games of the year.
3. Georgia (6-0) (Last Week #4) (Ranked #1 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The only SEC team that is even slightly justifying the SEC propaganda is Georgia. They’ve taken care of their cupcakes and won against the solid teams on their schedule. They’re a typical Kirby Smart team. That means they’re competent on offense and scary on defense. Gunnar Stockton is a lot like Stetson Bennett, and Georgia is rolling. They should take care of Auburn pretty easily this week, even though the Tigers are an improved team.
4. Miami (5-0) (Last Week #5) (Ranked #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Canes had this week off and will be at home next week for a big rivalry game. Miami-Florida State will look to deliver once again, as most rivalry games do. While FSU is capable of giving Miami a test, the Hurricanes should win.
5. BYU (5-0) (Last Week #6) (Ranked #8 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Cougars showed that they can win despite some mistakes, with Bear Bachmeier making up for the absence of LJ Martin. Beating Iowa State 24-10 at home with a lot of hiccups is a good start. The bigger question now is if they can beat an elite team that way. Their top-ten matchup against Notre Dame next week looms even larger than it did before. It’ll be a difficult game to win, but win or lose, it should be a big opportunity for this team to grow and take the next step in their progression.
6. Texas Tech (5-0) (Last Week #7) (Ranked #10 and #9 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Tech had their bye this week and will be back at home against Arizona State this week.
7. Utah (5-0) (Last Week #8) (Ranked #12 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Utes had a fight at home against Kansas. It was a field goal game going into the fourth quarter before they pulled away for the 41-24 win over the Jayhawks. The Utes schedule is nice because it runs through Salt Lake City for the most part. Of the ranked teams left on Utah’s schedule, BYU and Houston come to Rice-Eccles Stadium, and they have a road game at Arizona. Like last year, Utah will finish strong, with double-digit wins, and make it tough on the committee on selection Sunday.
8. UCLA (5-0) (Last Week #10) (#12 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The goose egg in the loss column speaks very loudly in football. Head coach Bob Chesney and his Heisman candidate running back Wayne Knight have the Bruins undefeated. There’s something in the water at James Madison. If their current head coach also goes to a basketball school and turns around the program next year, people will head to JMU to search for the Fountain of Youth next. UCLA will run it back to the 1999 Rose Bowl when they host 4-1 Wisconsin this week. By the end of next week, only two Big Ten teams will remain undefeated in conference play.
9. James Madison (5-0) (Last Week #15) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
It’s atrocious that the AP and Coaches Polls have teams with two losses ranked ahead of a team that is undefeated and made the College Football Playoff just a year ago. Add in that their previous two head coaches are a combined 11-0 to start this season and both are in the Big Ten, and this team isn’t just not getting respect; it’s being disrespected. They defeated Georgia Southern in a nail-biter on the road and will be back home in Harrisonburg to play 4-1 Georgia State this week.
10. Texas (4-1) (Last Week #3) (Ranked #7 and #6 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
This is why ranking systems can be so ridiculous and why this is one of my rules. Ohio State and Texas have almost the same record, yet now Ohio State is ahead of Texas in both polls. Despite the fact that Texas played and beat Ohio State. That’s nonsensical. My Power Rankings are far from perfect, but when you have two teams with the same record and have played each other, you’ll never see the loser of that head-to-head matchup ranked ahead of the winner.
That said, Texas is going to be fine. Arch Manning just needs some more help and more development. The Longhorns still have plenty to play for, and plenty of time to correct what went wrong against Oklahoma. As long as they don’t panic, they should be able to get a win against a solid Florida team at home in Austin this week.
11. Ohio State (5-1) (Last Week #16) (Ranked #4 and #5 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Ohio State is all Jeremiah Smith, and that’s pretty dang good. They’ve been getting their running game on track the last two weeks, too. If they can get consistent protection for Julian Sayin, and if Sayin can find a solid WR2, there will be no one who can stop this offense. The defense is just getting better every week, having shut down Iowa and Maryland. This week they’ll have a taller task against the defending national champions and the most potent offense Ohio State has seen so far.
12. Ole Miss (4-1) (Last Week #17) (Ranked #9 and #10 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Another game that was over by halftime was Ole Miss against Vanderbilt. Ole Miss led 42-3 at the break in Nashville. The Rebels took their foot off the gas in the second half but still cruised to a 52-17 victory. Ole Miss will host surging Mizzou next week, at home, in Oxford.
13. Wisconsin (4-1) (Last Week #18) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Wisconsin has a bye this week and will follow that up with a trip to the Rose Bowl to play another team that’s much improved this year, the UCLA Bruins.
14. Iowa (5-1) (Last Week #20) (Ranked #17 and #16 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
After being held to 238 yards and 14 points against Ohio State, the Iowa offense exploded on the road in Seattle against Washington. The Hawkeyes had 465 total yards and 41 points in their 41-24 win over the Huskies. Kamari Moulton had only 27 yards against OSU, but he made up for it on Friday night with a career high of 208 yards and two touchdowns.
15. Northwestern (4-1) (Last Week #21) (#25 and Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I took notice of Northwestern when they beat Colorado 41-7. Colorado isn’t the best team in the world, but Northwestern just rarely beats anyone that badly. They pummeled Ball State 45-14 this week. They battled Indiana for four quarters and beat Penn State. The Wildcats are for real. They’ll be on the road this weekend in a huge grudge match against former head coach Pat Fitzgerald and the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing.
Northwestern plays their final non-conference game at home this week against Ball State.
16. Wake Forest (5-1) (Last Week #22) (#21 and #23 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Jake Dickert is turning out to be a pretty good coach. Should he continue to win and Wisconsin need a coaching change, I know they’d call this native son of their state. They have solid wins over Purdue, Louisville, and, this past week, NC State. They battled Miami hard and will look to get to 6-1 this week and be bowl-eligible two years in a row when they head out west to take on Cal.
17. Houston (5-1) (Last Week #23) (Ranked #20 and #18 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
The Cougars are Big 12 contenders thanks to Connor Weigman and Willie Fritz. They defeated Kansas State 35-16 in the Little Apple this past week. Now they have a big home game against Oklahoma State this week. This will be their second ranked matchup of the season, and one they need to win to stay in contention for the Big 12 crown.
18. SMU (4-1) (Last Week #24) (Ranked #24 and #22 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
SMU has this week off before hosting Virginia on October 17th.
19. Nebraska (5-1) (Last Week #13) (Unranked in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Nebraska has had a history of strong starts to seasons and fizzling out, but that’s no excuse to disrespect them for being one of only 15 teams to make it to Week 6 undefeated. They battled the reigning, defending champions hard and nearly came away with the upset. Now, they have to go on the road to a reeling Oregon team that, despite being 3-2, is desperate and dangerous. A win at Oregon would prove that this isn’t another season where the Huskers start strong and fizzle in the back half of the season.
20. Alabama (5-1) (Last Week #9) (Ranked #6 and #7 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Bama had impressed me in their 5-0 start, but floundering against Georgia brought back all the doubts I started this season with for the Tide. As good as they appeared before falling apart against Georgia, they should finish this season 11-1 and a lock for an at-large or better playoff berth. Anything less would prove that doubting Alabama post Nick Saban is the correct call.
21. Arizona (5-1) (Unranked Last Week) (Ranked # in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Arizona hasn’t looked bad in a game yet this season. Even in their loss to BYU, the Wildcats were solid and battling well into the fourth quarter. They’ve demolished previously unbeaten Cincinnati and went off for 52 points on the road in Morgantown against West Virginia. They’ll have this week off before taking on Iowa State in Tucson and then having a huge road game in Lubbock against Texas Tech on Halloween.
22. Oklahoma State (4-1) (Unranked Last Week) (Ranked #18 and #20 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
I’m not sure there is a team that laments an early season loss this year more than Oklahoma State. That loss to Tulsa in the season opener may come back to haunt them. If they’re being compared to an SEC or Big Ten school at the end of the season with a similar or slightly worse record, it will be used to keep them out of the CFP. In the meantime, the most they can do is just win the games in front of them. They did that with a 42-28 win over UCF and now have to look to a road game at #17 Houston.
23. Tennessee (5-1) (Unranked Last Week) (Ranked #14 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Before any defenders of the Vols say they deserve to be ranked higher, just remember they barely squeaked by an Arkansas team, 24-17, that a lowly Big 12 Utah team pummeled 43-10. Tennessee has a chance to prove themselves at home against Alabama this week. Do that, and folks will believe they’re more than just the conference patch on their jerseys.
24. USC (6-1) (Unranked Last Week) (Ranked #19 and #15 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
In the preseason, this stretch of schedule against Oregon, Washington, and Penn State looked really daunting for the Trojans. Now people are wondering how good SC is since they only won two of those three games instead of all three. Beating Penn State 31-23 in their building is a solid feat. While they have a bye this week, USC has plenty left on its schedule to prove themselves. One way or another.
25. Missouri (5-1) (Unranked Last Week) (Ranked #13 in the AP and Coaches Polls)
Mizzou’s schedule hasn’t been much. Florida and Texas A&M look like paper tigers at the moment, and Mississippi State got the better of them. They’ll have another ranked team this week in Ole Miss. Still, Missouri may not get figured out until they play Texas, Georgia, and Kentucky in three weeks in November.
On the Radar: Kentucky, Mississippi State, Cincinnati, Pitt, Duke, Boise State, Liberty, Memphis, North Dakota State, Air Force
