What We Learned About College Football in Week 6

Winning the Lottery May Not be what it Seems

You know those stories about people who win the lottery, bringing a set of circumstances that left them worse off? Well, LSU fans may be able to relate. The Lane Kiffin Sweepstakes took over the college football world, as several programs were at a standstill attempting to land the former Ole Miss coach. The Tigers eventually beat out the Rebels and Gators to land the services of Kiffin, which came with a highly-ranked portal and recruiting haul. The expectations at LSU, which are already outsized, were that Kiffin would be the guy to turn the Tigers into national championship contenders immediately. Well, things aren’t going to change that fast. LSU already has two losses after being upset by Kentucky in overtime, and their best win thus far is over Clemson. They will likely need to win out to make the playoffs, which is a tall test with four games remaining against teams ranked #16 or higher.

Georgia Separates Itself

Things have looked pretty open at the top through the first six weeks – there were several teams you could make an argument to be #1. However, after Georgia passed their first huge test, the ‘Dawgs may be ready to return to the top. Georgia is loaded with future NFL talent all over the roster. From a suffocating defense, to a bevy of outstanding running backs who have reinvigorated the run game, to Gunner Stockton making clutch throws whenever they are most needed, Georgia seems to be the team to beat as we approach the midway point of the season.

The Red River Shootout Delivers Again

The Texas-Oklahoma series is true to the “throw out the records” rivalry mantra. It may be the most dependable rivalry where you can expect the unexpected. Texas entered the game at #1, while Oklahoma seemed to be in the midst of a free fall. While Oklahoma’s offense was still mostly stagnant, they did what they needed to do to get just enough to win on a last-second field goal…with plenty of help from the defense and Arch Manning. The Sooners picked off Manning twice in the fourth quarter to fuel a wild comeback. First a pick-six to get back into the game, then an interception on a poorly thrown pass that set up the game-winning field goal. The split-stadium of red and burnt orange is one of the best atmospheres in college football, and the game almost always delivers – it sure did this year.

The #2 Curse Continues

The comparisons between this year’s Oregon team and 2025 Penn State continue. Both started the season ranked #2 with a roster that was built for a national championship run. The Nittany Lions came nowhere close to those expectations, and the Ducks seem to be on a similar path. They were upset by Oklahoma State in week two, then dropped another game to UCLA at home on Saturday. It’s not just the losses – the Ducks are coming up wildly short and are struggling on both sides of the ball despite their talented roster. The run game has been lacking, they are down to their third quarterback after Dante Moore was injured and Dylan Raiola was benched after an atrocious performance against the Bruins, and the defense is having a hard time getting opponents off the field when they really need to. There is no room for error the rest of the way with several challenges ahead, starting with a visit from Nebraska on Saturday.

Same Ol’ Nebraska…Same Ol’ Result

How many times have we heard that this could be THE YEAR Nebraska finally rejoins the college football elites? It’s been a common theme for the past two decades, because they falter every time they seem ready to turn a corner. It was a little different this time around. The Huskers didn’t lose because they were overrated and out manned by a superior opponent. They controlled the game for three-and-a-half quarters as the defense did an outstanding job of shutting down the Hoosiers offense and continually won at the line of scrimmage. However, they missed opportunities throughout the game that cost them points, and ultimately came back to haunt them. Indiana struck on two big plays in the fourth quarter for the comeback victory in the latest crushing loss for Huskers fans.

Florida is Flailing

It looked like Florida was a serious contender after throttling Ole Miss 52-28. The victory sent the Gators rocketing into the top 10, and it looked like we were about to witness a major turnaround in Gainesville. However, things have not gone smoothly since. Florida was rocked by Missouri, 45-17 the week after their impressive win over Ole Miss. Then things got even worse on Saturday, as the Gators lost 38-19 to South Carolina, which was previously winless in conference play. Talk about an eventful few weeks.