The first weekend of October did not disappoint, featuring top 10 teams continually losing all day and night long.
Entering week six, there was not much clarity on who had already set themselves up for success within their own conference, and within the playoff chase. After week six, however, there is even less clarity.
Week Six Significant Outcomes
Texas A&M steamrolls Missouri
The Aggies entered the matchup ranked No. 25, but after beating Missouri 41-10 and improving to 5-1 (3-0), they have vaulted up to No. 15 in the AP Poll.
After sitting out multiple weeks and being questionable for the game against the Tigers, TAMU redshirt sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman was able to give it a go. Weigman was efficient, completing 18 of 22 passes for 276 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Compared to other Southeastern Conference schedules, Texas A&M has a quite favorable schedule and could potentially make a run at the SEC Championship Game.
Some college football fans felt this coming for Missouri after the team had won its last two games by a combined nine points.
The Tigers were simply unprepared on both sides of the ball, getting doubled up in total yards. They were only able to gain 254 yards offensively and surrendered 512 yards to the Aggies, including 236 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Missouri fell from No. 9 to No. 21 in the rankings and is now 3-1 (4-1) on the season.
Vanderbilt pulls all-time stunner, takes down No. 1 Alabama
Where to begin? The Commodores have been the laughing stock of the SEC and college football for years, but on Saturday, they won what may be the biggest win in program history.
Vanderbilt took the opening possession down the field for a score – then, on Alabama’s opening drive, Jalen Milroe’s pass was deflected and intercepted for a pick six. From then on, the country started to tune in and believe in the 22.5-point underdogs.
After being down 23-7, the Crimson Tide scored 14 straight points to cut the lead to two, and it felt like the fun was over for Vanderbilt. However, the Commodores answered with a 36-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-and-one play.
Alabama continued to score, but every time the team needed a big play, whether it be a third down conversion, a field goal or a turnover, Vanderbilt made it happen.
The Commodores won by a score of 40-35 and move to 3-2 (1-1). They were previously 0-60 all time against top-10 teams and 0-10 against teams ranked No. 1.
The Tide went from the highest of the high (beating Georgia in the previous week) to the lowest of the low. All they can do now is move on. They still have everything in front of them in terms of a national championship run, but the loss was eye-opening.
Their time spent at No.1 was short-lived as they drop to No. 7 and take an early hit in the SEC standings with their 4-1 (1-1) record.
Arkansas takes down No. 4 Tennessee in defensive battle
Tennessee, who entered the week six matchup against the Razorbacks with one of the top offenses in the country, had no answers for the Arkansas defense in the first half.
The Hogs held the Volunteers to under 80 yards through the first two quarters, and despite Arkansas having over 200 yards themselves, a 3-0 halftime lead is all they had to show for it.
After the Razorbacks had a field goal, a missed field goal, two turnovers on downs and one kneel down in the first half, they felt that they should have at least a two-possession lead.
Tennessee’s offense woke up, scoring the first 14 points of the second half, but the Razorbacks responded with seven points of their own to cut the lead to 14-10.
The defense went back into shut-down mode, forcing four straight Tennessee punts, allowing the offense to score a field goal to cut the lead to one, and a go-ahead touchdown to put the team up 19-14 with under two minutes.
The Vols quickly got down the field, but one more time, the Razorbacks made a stand, sealing the upset and moving to 4-2 (2-1). Tennessee fell to (4-1, 1-1) and No. 8 in the rankings.
Washington avenges national championship loss
The Huskies, though they have many new coaches and players, waited almost nine months for their opportunity to defeat Michigan and made the most of it.
Washington entered as a 1.5-point favorite against then No. 10 Michigan, and got out to a 14-0 lead with under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.
The Wolverines then benched junior quarterback Alex Orji for sixth-year quarterback Jack Tuttle. Tuttle helped the Wolverines score 17 straight points to take a 3-point lead.
However, after adjusting to a quarterback that was a downfield threat, Washington’s defense gave up no more points.
The Huskies’ offense, which had gone scoreless for exactly 26 minutes, tied the game with a field goal early in the fourth quarter. Washington then scored another 10 points to win by a score of 27-17 to move to 4-2 (2-1).
The Wolverines have been ranked every week since week three of 2021, but slid to No. 24 with a 3-2 (1-1) record after the loss.
Minnesota takes down No. 11 USC at home
One week after losing to then No. 12 Michigan on the road by three points, the Golden Gophers got another shot against a top-12 team – this time, at home under the lights.
Against a USC offense that has potential to score plenty of points, Minnesota knew it needed to make it a lower-scoring defensive game, which is exactly what it did.
With the Gophers holding a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, USC got on the board with a touchdown, but Minnesota came right back with one of its own.
The Trojans were again moving the ball, but fumbled. Fortunately for them, so did the Gophers on their ensuing possession. At the end of a busy second quarter, USC kicked a field goal to tie the game at 10-10 at halftime.
The Trojans scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half to go up 17-10, then were moving the ball again, threatening to go up two possessions. Another turnover, this time an interception, abruptly ended the drive, allowing Minnesota to go down the field and tie the game with a touchdown.
With just over six minutes left in the game, the Gophers embarked on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a fourth-and-goal touchdown to take the lead with 56 seconds left.
The Trojans quickly got down the field, but another interception ended it for USC, as the team fell to 3-2 (1-2), resulting in a fall out of the top 25.
Minnesota is now 3-3 (1-2), and after playing one Los Angeles school at home, will hit the road to play the other, the UCLA Bruins (1-4, 0-3).
Demetri Manousos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
