College Football Roundup Week 6 - Best & Worst Teams

Week six in college football shook up quite a few things and created some real speculation around the country. In this article, I want to review all of those shakeups and get you set for week seven coming up next week. 

Biggest Upsets

Upset's keep the college football world breathing and alive. Any given Saturday (Or now Thursday, Friday or Wednesday even) can result in an upset that sends a team reeling. ALL CAPS team is the home team. This week, my number one upset is

Iowa State 38 OKLAHOMA 31

This was a real shocker for more then just one thing. Iowa State was on the road, facing off against a healthy Baker Mayfield who shredded their defense and would have put up an even bigger stat line (306 passing yards, 2 TDs, 57 rushing yards, 1 TD) had he not suffered from more then one drop by his receiving corps. The Cyclones 3rd String Quarterback entered the game in the 1st quarter, and threw for 343 yards and 3 TD's all the while looking as composed as a veteran starter. Iowa State simply shocked Oklahoma, and now we are left wondering how good Oklahoma really is. 

Michigan State 14 MICHIGAN 10

I really don't care what you see on tape from Michigan State from before this game. The Spartans were a completely different football team, as they always are when facing the Wolverines. A goal line stand won them the football game, along with a torrential downpour that may have helped to their advantage as well. The Spartans forced 6 turnovers, all the while committing none, and sealed the deal. Both teams now sit at 4-1. 

Alabama 27 TEXAS A&M 19

This isn't on this list because Texas A&M was expected to win big. This was put on the list because Texas A&M kept it so close against Saban's Brute Squad. They held a clear advantage in time of possession (32:28 to Bama's 27:32) and forced Alabama's first turnover of the season on a Robert Foster fumble. They held Alabama to just 27 points. They held them to 4 of 14 on third downs. Texas A&M should have been blown out, but they hung in there and held on for the win. That's why this game made this list. 

Confirming the Hype

Despite the surprising upsets of the day, a few rising teams solidified their hype by adding massive wins today and proving what they are truly made of. First on that list is

Georgia 45 VANDERBILT 14

 

Yet another game has passed where "Lightning and Thunder" have both run for 100 yards or more a piece. Between Sony Michel, Nick Chubb and upcoming freshman Elijah Holyfield, Georgia ran for 339 of their 423 rushing yards and 4 TD's. Freshman Jake Fromm made more impressive throws and the defense played solid, fundamental football and shut a reeling Vanderbilt team down. Take away Commodore Running Back Ralph Webb's 28 yard run, and Georgia held him to 11 carries for 19 yards. Georgia has now outscored SEC opponents 117-17 over 3 games. Georgia is SEC Title bound, boys. 

Washington State 33 OREGON 10

In a typical Washington State season, the Cougars would have blown this game along with their perfect record and moved out of the Top 20 on the AP and coaches poll, elevating USC to higher places. 

Ladies and gentlemen, this isn't a typical Washington State Cougars football team. Oregon's offense has been downright explosive so far this season, even while missing QB Justin Huebert. Except for today. Cougars QB Luke Falk shredded the Ducks defense, and the Washington State defense came up big and held Oregon to 10 points or under for the first time since September 16th, 2009. Solid day for the Cougars and a great response to their 200th consecutive appearance on College Football Gameday. 

Heisman Race Continues

The top candidates may have gotten shook up a little bit after a few shocking performances (or lack of performances) had occurred. Here's our stock report.

Top 5 Candidates

1. RB Saquan Barkley, Penn State 

2. QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma

3. RB Bryce Love, Stanford

4. QB Luke Falk, Washington State

5. QB Jalen Hurts, Alabama

Going Up

RB Bryce Love, Stanford 

Six games into the 2017 season, Love is sitting at 1240 yards rushing and 9 TD's. Adding 152 and a score in the win at Utah last night, Love is moving up as a favorite to win the Heisman outright. 

Going Down

QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville

Most certainly one of the most exciting players to watch in the country, Jackson continues to have trouble finding his ways to beat teams with the Louisville offense. While his accuracy and passing skills have become more honed over this past offseason, Jackson simply can't be the entire offense just as Bobby Patrino is asking him. Jackson is getting shut down and his stock is falling. 

Top 25 Overall

If the College Football Committee were to release their first set of rankings for the 2017 season on Tuesday, here is how I project them looking. 

25. Virginia (4-1) 

     Has big wins at Boise State and versus Duke. Loss was to Indiana by 14. 

24. Texas A&M (4-2)

     Is 10 points away from being 6-0, a UCLA comeback away from 5-1. 2-1 in SEC play. 

23. Stanford (4-2)

     Losses to USC and San Diego State. Wins over UCLA and at Utah. 

22. Oklahoma State (4-1)

     Loss is to TCU. Who have they played so far? 

21. USF (5-0)

     Riding momentum train. Will they hold up versus Houston or UCF? 

20. Ohio State (5-1)

     Biggest wins against Indiana and Maryland. Loss to Oklahoma. Where's the challenge? 

19. Oklahoma (4-1)

     Win over Ohio State, how valuable is that now? Almost lost to winless Baylor two weeks ago. 

18. USC (5-1)

     Has looked very susceptible to attack all season long. Is Darnold forcing things?

17. UCF (4-0)

     Scott Frost has a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators. Report is that coaching staffs don't want to play them.  

16. San Diego State (6-0)

     Big win over Stanford. Strongest team outside of the Power 5 Conferences. 

15. Michigan (4-1)

     Big win over Florida opening week has lost a lot of value. Loss to Michigan State. 

14. Michigan State (4-1)

     The Spartans beat Wolverines on the road, lost to Notre Dame at home. 

13. Notre Dame (5-1)

     Star QB goes down and the Fighting Irish still look strong. Win over Michigan State by 20, single loss to Georgia by 1. 

12. Miami (Fl) (4-0)

     Mark Richt finally gets his signature win with a crucial one over Florida State in Tallahassee. Undefeated, strong defense. 

11. Virginia Tech (5-1)

     Strong performance so far from true freshman QB. Has win over West Virginia.  

10. North Carolina State (5-1)

     One blemish is the road loss to South Carolina opening week. Looks very strong on and they don't make mistakes. Wins over Florida State and Louisville. 

9. Auburn (5-1)

     Single loss is to Clemson by 8 on the road. No big win yet. 

8. Wisconsin (5-0)

     Not really a big win in the season so far. Beat Northwestern at home and Nebraska on the road. 

7. Washington State (6-0) 

     Huge win over USC. Unblemished so far. Big win on the road at Oregon.

6. Washington (6-0)

     Destroyed California. Clear lack of competition in the out of conference schedule. Have yet to play a close game.

5. TCU (5-0)

     Big double-digit wins on the road in Arkansas and Oklahoma State. Nice win over West Virginia at home. 

4. Georgia (6-0)

     Very strong defense. Has win at Notre Dame, 3-0 against SEC opponents and has outscored them 117-17. 

3. Penn State (6-0)

     Wins at Iowa and at Northwestern. Has yet to play a game where they can land signature win. 

2. Alabama (6-0)

     Wins against Florida State and at Texas A&M. Looked very strong until last night. 

1. Clemson (6-0)

     The strongest schedule in the league. Has wins over Auburn, at Louisville and at Virginia Tech. Hasn't come close to loosing. 

Top 15 Teams Outside the Power 5

15. UTSA (3-1)

14. Tulane (3-2)

13. Marshall (4-1)

12. Colorado State (4-2)

11. Western Michigan (4-2)

10. Army (4-2)

9. Toledo (4-1)

8. Fresno State (3-2)

7. Houston (4-1)

6. Troy (4-1)

5. Navy (5-0)

4. Memphis (4-1)

3. USF (5-0)

2. UCF (4-0)

1. San Diego State (6-0)

Worst 10 in the Power 5 Conferences

10. Pittsburgh (2-4)

9. Arizona State (2-3)

8. Illinois (2-3)

7. Pittsburgh (2-4)

6. Missouri (1-4)

5. North Carolina (1-5)

4. Rutgers (1-4)

3. Baylor (0-5)

2. Kansas (1-5)

1. Oregon State (1-5)

Worst 10 Outside of the Power 5

10. UMass (0-6)

9. Ball State (1-4)

8. East Carolina (1-5)

7. Kent State (1-5)

6. San Jose State (1-6)

5. UConn (1-4)

4. Charlotte (0-6)

3. Texas State (1-5)

2. UTEP (0-6)

1. Georgia Southern (0-4)