Best of Week 6: Top 25 games, analysis and highlights

We’ve hit October, and Week 6 already snuck up on us. Consider this your pumpkin spice-flavored guide to everything you need to know about another big Saturday across the college football landscape. Here’s what you need to know.

Jump to: Top 25 games | Best of Week 6

Best of Week 6

Proud mom alert
Tennessee freshman QB Brian Maurer made his first-ever start, and his early TD throw had his mom cheering in the stands.

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Brian Maurer’s mother approves of her son’s first college completion that goes to Marquez Callaway for a 73-yard Tennessee touchdown.

Big Man TD!

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Sam Ehlinger gives to offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi, who works his way into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown.

Just like OBJ
Florida CB Shawn Davis channeled his inner Odell Beckham Jr. with his one-handed interception of Auburn’s Bo Nix.

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Bo Nix throws his first interception of the game as he forces a pass to the sideline and is picked off by Shawn Davis with one hand.

It’s knit
Things got off to a slow start in Lawrence, where the Kansas-Oklahoma game was delayed by weather, which kept things pretty sleepy in the early going once the game started. One fan, however, got things pretty hyped.

College football is ELECTRIC ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/eDM6PJOedY

— ESPN (@espn) October 5, 2019

Derrick Brown’s big play
Auburn’s 6-5, 318-pound defensive tackle Derrick Brown picked up a fumble, and turned on the jets. He broke through, and had lots of open space… until he tackled himself.

RUMBLE (for as long as you can) BIG FELLA! pic.twitter.com/xUhcbiLWPE

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 5, 2019

Credit where credit is due
Yeah, sure, there’s a guy playing the drums upside down in Michigan’s drumline. But isn’t the hero the guy holding him?

Wut. 😂@UMichFootball‘s drumline is on another level 🔄🥁 pic.twitter.com/qMuv42bAXu

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2019

B1G celebration
A couple of weeks ago, a Rutgers offensive lineman punched his quarterback in the face after a touchdown pass. On Saturday, Maryland pulled the same move.

We gotta stop punching players during TD celebrations 😂 pic.twitter.com/hAtSiD6ghk

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 5, 2019

The story behind the alternate uniforms
Louisville is honoring Muhammad Ali, a Louisville native, with black-and-white uniforms featuring typography that mimics Ali’s boxing robe.

Fresh 🔥 from @adidasFballUS for this weekend!#BeatBC | #GoCards pic.twitter.com/lhPQj49GEZ

— Louisville Football (@UofLFootball) October 1, 2019

Ole Miss will pay tribute to Chucky Mullins, who was paralyzed 30 years ago this week while making a tackle and died two years later from a pulmonary embolism. The Rebels will wear the same powder-blue helmets and uniform combination that Mullins wore in that game.

To honor Chucky and the significance of this game 30 years ago, the Rebels will take Hollingsworth Field in the same uniform as that day.#NeverQuit 3️⃣8️⃣ #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/RqNeJrmPUq

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) October 3, 2019

A Cinderella story
First, Cincinnati ended UCF’s 19-game conference winning streak. Then, Cincinnati football’s twitter account added a extra sprinkle of pixie dust.

FINAL:

Cincinnati 27
#18 Central Florida 24 pic.twitter.com/pGxu42SvqB

— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) October 5, 2019

Fight or flight
In the mood to get weirdly creeped out by the fight song of the Montana Grizzlies? Watch Dateline’s Keith Morrison read the lyrics.

Honoring Florida trailblazers
Leonard George and Willie Jackson, Florida’s first two African-American players, will serve as honorary captains for Saturday’s Florida-Auburn game to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Gators team.

Playing lights out
There was a bit of an outage during Temple’s 27-17 win over East Carolina on Thursday night.

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The lights cut out as Temple WR Jadan Blue is being tackled at East Carolina.

College GameDay going to Ireland in 2020

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Rece Davis announces that the College GameDay crew will be going to Dublin Ireland for Navy vs. Notre Dame on August 29, 2020.

For the first time, College GameDay is going overseas next season, heading to Dublin, Ireland for the Navy-Notre Dame game to be held on Aug. 29 in the 2020 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium.

This will be the third time Navy and Notre Dame have played in Dublin with the two playing in 1996 at Croke Park and in 2012 at Aviva.

What the games mean

No. 5 LSU 42, Utah State 6
The time for cruise control is over. After putting itself in the playoff conversation by beating Texas and debuting a newly dynamic offense a month ago, LSU breezed through New Mexico State, Vanderbilt and Utah State. Now comes the real gauntlet for coach Ed Orgeron’s squad, starting with a home game against No. 10 Florida this Saturday, followed games at Mississippi State, home against No. 7 Auburn and at No. 1 Alabama. — Alex Scarborough

No. 6 Oklahoma 45, Kansas 20
The Sooners had their roughest first half of the season, trailing Kansas at one point and leading only by seven until 31 seconds before the half. They shook it off to cruise to a 25-point win, but the issues that arose — particularly on the offensive line — will be something Lincoln Riley & Co. must examine closely ahead of the pivotal Red River Showdown vs. Texas. — Sam Khan Jr.

No. 10 Florida 24, No. 7 Auburn 13
It does not get any easier for Florida moving forward, with a trip to LSU next Saturday. But if there are any takeaways from the win over Auburn, it is that the defense is capable of making a statement. Granted, LSU has proved to be much better offensively than Auburn to date, and Joe Burrow is playing at a far higher level than Bo Nix. Having cornerback C.J. Henderson back is a big boost as well. If Florida can put together a similar defensive effort, it will give itself a chance to win. Florida looked about the way we expected on offense, and the Gators are certainly breathing a sigh of relief to have Kyle Trask available after he took a hit to his knee earlier in the game, but he made his share of mistakes, too, including two fumbles after being hit while dropping back. Florida’s offensive line remains a liability.

The open week is coming at a good time for the Tigers, who simply did not have the same success on offense as they had the first five weeks of the season. Much of that had to do with the best defense they have faced to date. But the run-pass balance that served this team so well was nonexistent, as the Tigers could not do much of anything on the ground, and Bo Nix threw several passes he no doubt wishes he could have back — including an interception in the end zone. Nix won’t be able to win games on his own, and the defense played well enough to win. But this is not the end of the Tigers’ College Football Playoff chances. With games remaining against LSU, Georgia and Alabama, there will be plenty of opportunities to rebound. — Andrea Adelson

No. 8 Wisconsin 48, Kent State 0
Wisconsin’s early season dominance has been spectacular. The Badgers already have their most shutouts (3) since 1937, and became the first Big Ten team since 1973 Michigan to blank opponents three times in the first five games. Jim Leonhard’s defense has recaptured the nationally elite form it showcased from 2015 to 2017 under three different coordinators (Dave Aranda, Justin Wilcox, Leonhard). Quarterback Jack Coan bounced back nicely from the Northwestern clunker against Kent State, although his performance remains under the microscope. The key now for Paul Chryst’s crew is replicating its efficiency on the road, first against Illinois before the Oct. 26 showdown at Ohio State, a potential Big Ten championship game preview. Road wins against top-10 opponents are the one box Wisconsin rarely checks, so continued progress next week in Champaign is essential. — Adam Rittenberg

No. 9 Notre Dame 52, Bowling Green 0
This was a “win by however much you want” game for Notre Dame, and the Irish chose a 52-point margin. Ian Book was both nearly perfect and done early, the run game found a rhythm, and a bad and completely overwhelmed Bowling Green team didn’t have many answers, gaining most of its 228 yards in garbage time. This was a nice break for Notre Dame before the real games start again — USC next week and Michigan two weeks after that. — Bill Connelly

No. 11 Texas 42, West Virginia 31
West Virginia kept things tighter for longer than the Longhorns preferred, but four interceptions by a pass defense that has taken it on the chin — and is decimated by injuries — is an encouraging sign. Texas will need that type of play when it meets Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl for the all-important Red River Showdown. — Sam Khan Jr.

No. 12 Penn State 35, Purdue 7
Penn State’s schedule is about to get much tougher, but James Franklin’s team continues to look like the best challenger to Ohio State in the Big Ten’s East Division. The Lions went on an 94-0 run — from the Pitt game until the second quarter Saturday — before allowing a Purdue touchdown, their only score surrendered. Brent Pry’s fast and physical defense is showing its depth up front, and the unit responded well to James Franklin’s pre-Maryland challenge to improve on third down (Purdue went 1 of 14). Another efficient performance from quarterback Sean Clifford (264 pass yards, 3 touchdowns) is encouraging, although the offense will really be tested the next two weeks against Iowa (road) and Michigan (home). If the Lions remain perfect, start circling their Nov. 23 trip to Columbus as the game of the year. — Adam Rittenberg

No. 19 Michigan 10, No. 14 Iowa 3
Michigan’s defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions of Iowa’s Nate Stanley, who had thrown 139 straight passes without a pick. The Wolverines held Iowa to 1 total rushing yard, aided by the Michigan’s eight sacks. Their offense, however, sputtered after a 51-yard pass in the first quarter and never seemed to muster any type of momentum against Iowa’s defense. It was an uncharacteristic offensive performance for for Iowa, but it doesn’t bode well for its games against Penn State and Wisconsin later in the season. Michigan, meanwhile, will need to find its offensive footing that it’s struggled with all season if it’s going to get through Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State. — Tom VanHaaren

Cincinnati 27, No. 18 UCF 24 (Friday)
You can’t really beat UCF with speed, but on Friday night at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati outdid the Knights — barely — with everything else: physicality, tactics, takeaways, field position and a crowd as boisterous as the one typically found at UCF’s Bounce House. Cincy is now in the AAC East driver’s seat, and Josh Heupel’s Knights are facing more adversity than they have in a while: They’ve now lost twice in three games for the first time since late 2016. — Bill Connelly

Texas Tech 45, No. 21 Oklahoma State 35
Another spectacular performance from FBS-leading running back Chuba Hubbard wasn’t enough to overcome the Cowboys’ five turnovers, including three interceptions and two fumbles. The defense had no answer for Texas Tech quarterback Jett Duffey, who threw for four touchdowns and ran for another. With two league losses, the Cowboys are going to need some help to stay relevant in the Big 12 race. Oklahoma State will get a much-needed bye week before hosting Baylor on Oct. 19. — Heather Dinich