CFB: Week Six Capsule — Chaos, Calamity and Crisis Inside Top-25
Diego Pavia and emphatic Vanderbilt offense thrash No. 1 Alabama for five touchdowns in 40-35 upset.
Jake McCreven
7 October 2024
After Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Michigan, USC, Louisville and UNLV all lost as ranked teams on Saturday (and Friday — UNLV), the college football fan needs a tranquil and relaxing recap to the weekend that was. That’s why you’re here, right… right? Today, I’ll attempt to put lipstick on a pig and have four teams argue for the nation’s top spot in the rankings (the rankings being my own poll).
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Putting lipstick on pigs.
The case for the nation’s top spot.
Week 6 Magic Ball Sports Poll.
Secondary Rankings ahead of season midpoint.
CFB: Putting lipstick on a pig — making sense of week six’s upsets
No. 1 Alabama (5-1) — 40-35 L @ Vanderbilt — Dropped 6 AP Spots
The Good: The Tide totaled nearly 400 gaudy yards of offense.
The Bad: The Commodores scored 40 points, finished with 418 yards of offense, 26 first downs and no turnovers.
The Ugly: Possible culture issues bubbled over after captain Malachi Moore threw a tantrum on the field.
No. 4 Tennessee (4-1) — 19-14 L @ Arkansas — Dropped 4 AP Spots
The Good: The defense stood strong for three and a half quarters, giving up three points on its first six drives.
The Bad: The Vols had 51 yards of first half offense and had no double-digit play drives the entire game.
The Ugly: The Volunteers surrendered 16 points in 19 minutes as a 14-3 lead quickly dissolved at the hands of Hogs receiver Andrew Armstrong.
No. 9 Missouri (4-1) — 41-10 L @ Texas A&M — Dropped 12 AP Spots
The Good: There wasn’t much, but quarterback Brady Cook hit wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. for a 59-yard score that put Mizzou on the board.
The Bad: The Tigers fell behind 24-0 at the half and surrendered three touchdowns to Le’Veon Moss alone.
The Ugly: Missouri gave up 41 points and 512 yards (236 rushing) in its first away game of 2024.
No. 10 Michigan (4-2) — 27-17 L @ Washington — Dropped 14 AP Spots
The Good: The Wolverines followed two botched Husky possessions with 10 total points.
The Bad: The offense was its usual, sluggish self, giving the ball away twice and going through multiple quarterbacks.
The Ugly: The vaunted Victors’ defense was mauled for 429 yards and 13 unanswered fourth quarter points.
No. 11 USC (3-2) — 24-17 L @ Minnesota — Dropped Out
The Good: Woody Marks rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown against one of the Big 10’s stiffest defenses.
The Bad: Gopher quarterback Max Brosmer missed on only four passes as defensive lapses were all to familiar for the Trojans.
The Ugly: USC’s second loss of the season (and second Big 10 loss) slides the Trojans out of the poll entirely.
CFB: The case for number one — legacy or legitimacy?
Who really deserves number one? Despite the College Football Playoff system not being as dependent on seeding (aside from the top four of course) as the NFL Playoff system, the prestige, pedigree and confidence associated with the number one spot in the polls is something coveted by all 134 FBS teams yearly. Below are the four teams in closest contention for the Poll’s number one spot.
*As of the time this column was written, the post-week six AP Poll had not been released.
Texas (5-0) — IDLE WEEK
Wins Over: Colorado State, Michigan, UTSA, Louisiana Monroe, MIss. State
The Longhorns will likely be the Associated Press’ pick for the nation’s top team after settling into the bye week comfortably at 5-0. UT lost starting quarterback Quinn Ewers to an abdominal and replaced the potential All-American with one of the most highly touted prospects of all time in Arch Manning. While the former blue-chipper didn’t light the world on fire, Manning did more than enough to spark a Longhorn offense oozing with talent, throwing for four touchdowns of 20+ yards and bolstering a PFF passing grade of 90.1 on long throws.
Texas spent time as the nation’s top team (and Magic Ball Sports’ top team) this year after defeating Michigan handedly in Ann Arbor. The Longhorns’ drop last week had more to do with what Alabama did right than what UT did wrong — after all, Texas hasn’t had an opportunity to screw up aside from the Michigan game. What inhibits the Longhorns from laying claim to the number one spot in my poll is a lack of dominance throughout an entire game without Ewers. The Horns throttled Colorado State and Michigan with the former-five star but rarely saw first hald leads balloon under Manning. Saturday’s Red River Rivalry is a prime opportunity to vanquish such claims.
Ohio State (5-0) — 35-7 W vs. Iowa
Wins Over: Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall, Michigan State, Iowa
The Buckeyes stormed past Iowa in a 35-7 beatdown which saw the Ohio State second team defense surrender a late touchdown to Kaleb Johnson. Using its marauding defense as its backbone, Ohio State has rolled to a perfect start by surrendering more than one touchdown just once and allowing 34 points through five games. The Buckeyes have led every game at the half by ten or more points and have allowed just two scoring possessions after the break as Will Howard — while admittedly not phenomenal to start his Ohio State tenure — has had little to no pressure on him at all times.
The asterisk I placed on Texas does not apply to the Buckeyes, as OSU has led every game by more than one possession at the half of every game. The defense is among the nation’s best statistically and the offense is littered with NFL prospects at every position — literally.
Placing the Buckeyes anywhere but No. 1 would be a mistake in my opinion. The most dominating team through six games (perhaps excluding Army) has been Ohio State on arguably both sides of the ball.
Oregon (5-0) — 31-10 W vs. Michigan State
Wins Over: Idaho, Boise State, Oregon State, UCLA, Michigan State
The Ducks were cast aside and banished from its top three preseason poll rank after struggling to put away FCS-Idaho in a 24-14 slugfest in week one. After stumbling to a last second victory against now-ranked Boise State, the Ducks have collected a pair of three touchdown victories and a 35-point mauling of rival Oregon State in the Civil War. Dillon Gabriel placed himself atop of the Heisman race and the Ducks’ offense took flight with over 430 yards in its last three outings, all of which against well respected programs historically.
With its signature win coming against Group-of-Five juggernaut Boise State, Oregon lacks a true “number one in the country” redeeming win. Oregon State, while 4-1 and virtually running through the Mountain West, underwent massive changes structurally and play a relatively soft schedule. Idaho — while an FCS contender — is 4-2 after losing to UC Davis. Michigan State and UCLA find themselves in the cellar of the Big 10 after unimpressive spurts throughout the first half of the season. Oregon’s lack of a true resumé defining win will keep it from reaching No. 1 status to this point. I placed Oregon third in my week six poll.
Miami (5-0) — 39-38 W @ California
Wins Over: Florida, Florida A&M, Ball State, USF, Virginia Tech, Cal
The Hurricanes opened the season ranked 19th but have climbed every week following a booming 41-17 victory over rival Florida in Cam Ward’s Miami debut. The Canes stormed to victories over FAMU and Ball State, winning by a combined 100 points. After a beatdown of AAC frontrunner USF, Miami struggled to put away a pesky Virginia Tech team in Coral Cables last Friday as the winning Hail Mary was ruled incomplete on video replay. The Hurricanes slipped one spot as a College Gameday showdown against California in Berkley shined its beaming spotlight for center stage. Falling behind 35-10 with a quarter and a half remaining, Ward shed the Golden Bear defense for two second half touchdowns and a two point conversion (ultimately proving to be the difference maker), finishing with 439 yards passing as the Canes scored with under 30 seconds remaining to put away the game.
With three wins over Power-4 programs and a stomping of a G-5 contender, Miami pockets a gaudy resumé in comparison to the three other teams on this list. The issue? Its most impressive win — 41-17 @ Florida — has aged like milk. The opportunity for a true test arrives this week in the form of red and white as Louisville plays host to the Canes.
CFB: Week 6 Magic Ball Sports Poll
Notes (1-10):
Ohio State slides into first for the first time this season after detonating Iowa’s defense.
Texas stays put as it welcomes back the return of quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Oregon slides back inside the top three after gashing Michigan State on Friday.
Miami climbs up one after coming back 25 points in 18 minutes against the Golden Bears.
Georgia notches up two spots after throttling Auburn on defense.
Penn State’s No. 6 ranking marks an end to the upper-upper tier.
Notre Dame slides inside the top ten only after losses to other teams.
Tennessee is punished less harshly after losing by five points to a respectable Hogs team.
Alabama falls victim to the trap game and drops one in Nashville.
Iowa State claims its first top-ten ranking in MBS polling history.
Notes (11-25):
Clemson carries destructive momentum inside top-15 after dominating Florida State.
Ole Miss has a second window after many top-SEC foes drop league games this weekend.
Texas A&M thrashes Missouri and pegs up the rankings.
Syracuse makes the highest not-ranked-to-ranked jump this season, climbing inside the top-17 after a thrilling overtime victory.
Missouri is the week’s second biggest dropper after dropping its away opener by 31 points.
SMU and TTU make jumps inside the top-20 following impressive wins against formerly ranked squads.
Michigan falls four spots after being upended by vindictive Washington squad.
Jeanty’s hype train carries the Broncos up two spots.
USC drops a week high 15 spots after dropping to 1-2 in Big-10 play.
