College football was at its best Saturday with the top teams putting their status on the line in a series of prize fights, and after a major upheaval in Dallas and a heavyweight fight in Tuscaloosa, we’re about to have a new #1 team in the country.
Texas had held the top spot in the AP Top 25 poll since being No. 1. 1 Ohio State back in Week 2. The Longhorns’ stunning loss to Oklahoma in the latest edition of the Red River Rivalry put the top spot on the table for the winner of Alabama’s showdown against Georgia later that night in Tuscaloosa. The two SEC powers delivered the theatrics you expect from the stage, allowing Georgia to rise to the top.
The quality of work already done this season limits some damage to Texas and Alabama’s standings, as this was the first loss of the year for both. The same can’t be said for Oregon and Florida, which could each find themselves unranked heading into Week 7 as voters weigh the impact of ranked wins versus multiple losses. On a Saturday where ranked teams are mostly minding their own business, losses to the Ducks and Gators as double-digit favorites provide plenty of opportunities for voters to upset their ballots.
Further down the rankings, a dramatic rise is predicted for UCLA as the Bruins improved to 5-0 on the year with the Eugene win and interesting debates for the final spots in the top 25.
Here’s what we think the new AP Top 25 poll will look like on Sunday after Week 6 scores and results:
1. Georgia (2): The Bulldogs’ first win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa since 2007 should return this proud program to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since September 2024. The back-to-back defending SEC champions put themselves in the driver’s seat for a return to Atlanta with Saturday night’s win over the Crimson Tide, but it will also mark a return to the top of the sport as the team to beat in college. football.
2. Notre Dame (3): From a rankings standpoint, the Fighting Irish won’t have an argument for No. 1 when comparing results from Week 6. But there’s still a lot to like about Notre Dame’s latest drubbing of an ACC opponent. The Fighting Irish continue to benefit from some real breakout potential in freshman running back Jonaz Walton, who scored on touchdowns of 97 and 40 yards in the 58-7 win over Stanford.
3.Miami (4): The Hurricanes were off in Week 6 and will be back in action next week against Florida State.
4. Texas (1): This becomes pretty clear to voters trying to grapple with adjusting a team that just lost to a team not ranked as a touchdown favorite. The win doesn’t validate Oklahoma as much as the loss invalidates Texas’ claim to first place, and now, with a loss, the Longhorns enter the “best teams with a loss” debate. This is where the head-to-head win over the Buckeyes from Week 2 serves as an anchor, keeping Texas in the top 10 after a stunning rivalry loss.
5. Ohio State (5): Ryan Day consumed a heavy dose of the running game, Jeremiah Smith was a star again and the Buckeyes defense put pressure on Maryland all afternoon in a 45-16 victory. The biggest impacts on the Buckeyes’ standings actually happened elsewhere, as unexpected losses to Texas and Oregon had an unexpected impact on the strength of their schedules.
6. Indiana (7): Voters will have different ways of assigning credit and responsibility for Indiana’s comeback and Nebraska’s collapse to Lincoln. But ultimately, the 20-17 victory puts the defending national champions at 6-0 this season and 33-2 since the start of 2024. The aesthetic wasn’t ideal for bolstering the argument that Indiana is the best team in the country, but there is a high tier for which the Hoosiers can land on a ballot.
7.Alabama (6): The narrow margins of the 20-17 loss, including frustrating calls for Alabama fans, will limit any type of harsh punishment from AP voters. Look for the Crimson Tide to hang on in the top 10, even staying ahead of some undefeated teams in the power conference.
8. BYU (8): With star running back LJ Martin out of the lineup due to injury, Bear Bachmeier answered the call to be the running back and ended with a solid 14-point win over Iowa State on Friday night. Bachmeier threw for 329 yards and rushed for 109 more to get the Cougars off to a 5-0 start for the third straight season.
9. Ole Miss (9): This win over LSU does a lot of work for Ole Miss’ resume, which didn’t necessarily improve with a 52-17 win at Vanderbilt, but certainly didn’t get any worse. The takeaways for the Rebels involve Kewan Lacy returning to the lineup ahead of key games against Missouri and Texas.
10. Texas Technology (11): The Red Raiders were off in Week 6 and will be back in action next week against Arizona State at home.
11.UCLA (21): We’re projecting one of two different landing spots for UCLA after improving to 5-0 on the season with a road win over Oregon. Voters are likely to respect the Bruins’ undefeated record with a strong run and potentially use a fellow undefeated record (in this case, Texas Tech) as an appropriate reference. Saturday’s win over the Ducks was undoubtedly the best win of the season from a resume standpoint, but it’s also possible that Oregon will be unranked come Sunday afternoon.
12. Utah (12): The Utes never trailed against Kansas, but watched the Jayhawks win a game by one score three times before prevailing with a 41-24 victory Saturday night. The game’s kickoff time was adjusted due to weather issues, so it didn’t fit into the typical flow of action of a voter trying to follow the top 25 results. Utah lived up to expectations to win handily at home, so its positioning shouldn’t change much.
13. Missouri (14): Texas A&M’s offensive woes benefited Missouri, which was able to lean on its defense and another big day from running back Jamal Roberts (34 carries, 222 yards, two touchdowns) in a 27-6 victory to improve to 5-1 on the year.
14. Tennessee (15): The Vols overcame three turnovers and some third-down struggles to escape Arkansas with a seven-point victory. George MacIntyre threw for 247 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in relief of Faizon Brandon, bringing less clarity to the quarterback situation and reinforcing this team’s reliance on DeSean Bishop (19 carries, 138 yards, one touchdown) as the engine of this year’s offense.
15. Mississippi State (17): The Bulldogs were off in Week 6 and will be back in action next week at LSU.
16. Oklahoma State (18): Eric Morris has now matched Oklahoma State’s win total over the past two seasons combined as the Cowboys improved to 4-1 with a two-touchdown win over UCF at the end of the bye week. Drew Mestemaker threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns in the win, so even though that signature win over Oregon seems less impressive, the quality of this team in Big 12 play appears stable.
17. Iowa (20): The Hawkeyes solidified their status as a top 25 team with a declared victory in Washington on Friday night. Iowa improved to 5-1 on the season with a 41-24 victory at Seattle, which marked the program’s first regular season victory in the Pacific Time Zone since 1965.
18. USC (19): After a high-scoring first half, the Trojans settled in and made huge plays from their defense to escape the Happy Valley and White Out conditions with a win over Penn State. The win goes against USC’s poor road reputation under Lincoln Riley and temporarily calms some of the panic about this team’s ability to compete in the modern Big Ten.
19. Kentucky (NR): Now 5-1 with wins over Texas A&M and LSU, Will Stein exceeded expectations in guiding the Wildcats through a torrential first-half schedule, and now prepares for an entry into the top 25. Stein’s scoring two and the overtime victory made for a dramatic end to chaotic top-25 results, and now Kentucky is ready to return to the polls after a week-long stay earlier this season.
20. Houston (22): Willie Fritz and the Cougars had a remarkable road test by traveling to Manhattan and handling Kansas State to improve to 5-1 on the year. Houston outgained the Wildcats by 176 yards (475-299), and tight end Patrick Overmyer was an absolute threat with eight catches for a season-high 83 yards and four touchdowns in the 35-16 victory.
21. Boise State (23): The Broncos scored a big rivalry victory in a new conference, outlasting Fresno State in a 38-31 victory Saturday night. The victory keeps Boise State undefeated in Pac-12 play and reclaims the Milk Can Trophy from the Bulldogs after three straight losses in the series.
22. SMU (24): The Mustangs were off in Week 6 and will be back in action next week against Virginia at home.
23. Wake Forest (NR): The Demon Deacons were just 20 voting points away from the top 25 line last week, then went to Raleigh and ran the Wolfpack out of the building in the second half. Wake Forest is 5-1 with three road wins against Power Conference teams, including a victory at Louisville, and should be back in the AP top 25 for the first time since October 2022.
24. Arizona (NR): Sometimes voters will have a “shock” reaction to a score, leading to further investigation into whether that team deserves one of those final spots on a ballot. This week’s case is Arizona, which won 52-31 at West Virginia on Saturday. The Wildcats were 33rd in voting points last week, but have now improved to 5-1 with four straight double-digit wins since their 28-17 loss to BYU in Provo. It’s not the best single-loss record in terms of high-end wins, but there’s enough quality in Brent Brennan’s group to see continued progression in voting points.
25. LSU (10): Will LSU hold on in the top 25? It’s rare to go from 10th in the standings, especially after a conference overtime road loss. But LSU’s resume keeps getting thinner, as the Tigers now count Texas A&M and Clemson as their best wins. If LSU holds on, it will be because of voters recognizing the overall quality of the team and the slim margins of the two road losses in a 4-2 start to the Lane Kiffin era.
Planned abandonment: No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Florida, No. 25 Pittsburgh
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