Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Nobody had a better formula for success in a chaotic Week 6 of the college football season than Texas: Just don’t play.
The Longhorns sat at home and watched as five of the top 11 teams in the county went down. What looked like a relatively tame slate of games proved to be anything but.
Thanks to the upheaval, Texas reclaimed the top spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
No result was more shocking than Vanderbilt’s 40-35 upset of No. 1 Alabama.
The Commodores were previously 0-60 against Top-Five opponents, while the Crimson Tide were coming off a massive win over Georgia that seemingly affirmed their contender status.
Defying history, Vanderbilt jumped out to a 23-7 lead in the first half and held on in the second as Alabama mounted a comeback. Diego Pavia’s touchdown pass to Kamrean Johnson on third down with 5:07 left on the clock was the game-clinching. Ryan Williams’ two-yard touchdown run trimmed the Tide’s deficit, but they couldn’t get the ball back and watched Vandy wind down the clock.
While Commodores fans aren’t used to celebrating big wins like this, they knew exactly how to revel in Saturday’s triumph.
Dylan @Dylanwx03
Vanderbilt fans have the goal post making its way through broadway street in Nashville Tennessee right now. A sight to see! #Vandy pic.twitter.com/P8qHrIbxIW
Arkansas fans were unable to tear down the goal posts at Razorback Stadium and had to settle for just storming the field after a 19-14 win over No. 4 Tennessee.
It was potentially a massive result for Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman. His seat looked to be pretty warm entering this year after a 4-8 campaign, and now the Hogs have already matched that win total.
Brandon Marcello @bmarcello
Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek, to @CBSSports, after storming the field alongside Arkansas fans: “I love Sam Pittman. He gets a lot of crap but that guy is a hell of a football coach. He needs to get some credit for tonight’s win.”
Happy to pay fine for field storm?
“Hell yeah!”
Nico Iamaleava’s stock is trending in the other direction. The Tennessee quarterback had his second straight sub-200 yard passing game when playing into the second half, and Saturday’s loss ended with him running out of bounds rather than heaving a prayer into the end zone.
Iamaleava’s outsider bid for the Heisman Trophy has stalled out for the time being.
Missouri’s, Michigan’s and USC’s upsets were a little surprising but not totally shocking given how they’ve all performed.
The scale of the Tigers’ 41-10 hammering at the hands of Texas A&M was what raised eyebrows. They were down 34-0 midway through the third quarter and saw the Aggies double them up in yards with 512 to 254.
Missouri’s close wins over Boston College and Vanderbilt proved to be warning signs.
The 10th-ranked Wolverines weren’t even the betting favorites by the time they kicked off against unranked Washington. It was only a matter of time before their lack of a passing game was their undoing again. Head coach Sherrone Moore benched Alex Orji midway through the game, only to have replacement Jack Tuttle go 10-of-18 for 98 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
It’s abundantly clear the reigning national champions are fatally flawed, and they are disappointing in every facet.
As much as the angst has grown in Ann Arbor, it pales in comparison to the frustration from USC fans who have watched the program make little tangible progress under head coach Lincoln Riley.
RedditCFB @RedditCFB
COMPARISON TIME
One man, paid $10M+/yr, started at USC with a 22-10 record with no NY6 wins, no conference championships, and one Heisman.
The other, at $3.2M/yr, started at USC with a 23-9 record, a Rose Bowl win, 2 division titles and one conference championship.
🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/3DDBlU2UTU
The Trojans can reasonably ask if there was enough evidence to overturn the original call on the field after the referees ruled Minnesota’s Max Brosmer was short of the goal line on 4th-and-1 inside the final minute.
But USC only has itself to blame for being in a position where the Golden Gophers could go ahead that late.
Especially with the expansion to 12 teams, missing the College Football Playoff will be a disaster for USC. With each passing week, the worst-case scenario gets closer to fruition.
Looking ahead, there’s simply no way Week 7 can match the dramatics of Week 6, but some juicy matchups are on tap.
Oregon hosts Ohio State. Ole Miss hits the road to play LSU. Penn State can pile more misery onto USC at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Texas and Oklahoma travel to Dallas for the next installment in the Red River Rivalry. Colorado has a chance to show its three-game winning streak is for real when it plays Kansas State.
College football fans will want to make sure whatever business they have next Saturday is concluded by the afternoon because there will be too many big games to follow.
Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa) The Ducks might have scored five touchdowns in this game, but it was the defense that was the story. Oregon’s secondary w
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