by Wayne Root
Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026Chaos in the SEC was the headline in Week 6 of the 2026 college football season, while the marquee matchup of Alabama and Georgia lived up to the hype in a tight game that was decided by a late field goal.
When the dust settled on Saturday's action, Texas, LSU and Florida had all suffered upset losses to shake up the SEC picture, while ACC contenders Pittsburgh and Duke both took their first losses of the season to open up multiple spots at the bottom of the rankings.
1. Georgia
In a battle between the SEC’s two biggest powerhouses over the last decade, Georgia looked fully composed on the road. Kirby Smart’s squad always seems ready to rise to the occasion, and Saturday was no different.
Georgia battled in a back-and-forth game, but it inched ahead late and then leaned on the defense to do the rest. There are never gimmes in the SEC, but a home date with Auburn next weekend should be manageable.
2. Notre Dame
Notre Dame faced an overmatched Stanford team and made relatively short work of it. The Fighting Irish led 37-0 by halftime and made sure there was never any drama whatsoever.
The Fighting Irish have continued to creep up the AP Top 25 poll. Next week will be a big judgment game for Notre Dame, which doesn’t have a ton of them on the schedule. It’s a road trip to BYU on tap.
3. Miami
Miami benefited from its bye week as Texas lost. Sometimes that’s all it comes down to really, win each week and survive. The Hurricanes have done that quite well to start the season.
With an offensive cast that features two Heisman Trophy hopefuls, Miami has been clicking at a high level all year long. Up next is a rivalry game against a Florida State team with some issues, but that matchup can always prove tricky.
4. Ohio State
Ohio State has rebounded quite nicely from the loss to Texas earlier this season, and Saturday continued that trend. It was a stress-free Saturday against Maryland, even with a pick-six from Julian Sayin.
Now comes a game that could determine the direction of the rest of the season for the Buckeyes. With one loss the margin for error is already thin, and a road trip to Indiana could decide how real a contender Ohio State really is.
5. Indiana
This year’s Indiana team hasn’t been quite as dominant as last year’s was, at least by season’s end. But the Hoosiers have still been plenty good overall. Saturday provided a close win at Nebraska.
Josh Hoover hit a 44-yard touchdown pass to Nick Marsh to provide the difference in the game. Now Indiana gets ready for the big one against Ohio State. Curt Cignetti has been excellent in these kind of games.
6. Alabama
Alabama doesn’t tumble far in the rankings after losing to a top-ranked Georgia team. The Crimson Tide were right in the thick of it against the Bulldogs until the bitter end, a few plays away from a different outcome.
There won’t be a whole lot of time to sulk for Alabama, though. Up next is the Third Saturday in October matchup against Tennessee. That one is on the road in one of college football’s most hostile venues.
7. Texas
Texas’ offensive operation hadn’t been firing on all cylinders, but it hadn’t yet proven costly. Until Saturday, that is. Arch Manning made some absolutely killer mistakes and Oklahoma took full advantage of them.
Ultimately, everything is still out there to play for for the Longhorns. Next they’ll look to exact some revenge on a Florida team that pulled a stunner in the matchup a year ago, effectively killing Texas’ playoff chances.
8. BYU
BYU played on Friday night, which could improve important to the next one against Notre Dame. The Cougars will be on one day’s extra rest when the two meet up with a metric ton at stake.
As for this week, BYU knocked off Iowa State. Bear Bachmeier was terrific from start to finish, throwing for 329 yards and two scores while rushing for 109 yards.
9. Ole Miss
Weather was a potential concern with Hurricane Isaias rolling through the south, but it didn’t prove problematic on Saturday. And Ole Miss took advantage of that by putting together a complete game against Vanderbilt.
Trinidad Chambliss threw for three touchdowns and the ground game provided three more as Ole Miss routed Vanderbilt 52-17. Up next for Ole Miss is a matchup against a Top 25 Missouri team.
10. UCLA
Bob Chesney’s incredible start continued on Saturday in dramatic fashion with a 17-15 upset of Oregon on the road. The Bruins stopped a two-point conversion late to help secure the win.
Of note, quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the game with what was described as a leg injury. He did not return in the second half, so his status will certainly bear monitoring going forward as the Bruins look to stay unbeaten. The Bruins host have a great rushing group so the quarterback won’t be as misses as the media thinks as they host Wisconsin.
In a battle between the SEC’s two biggest powerhouses over the last decade, Georgia looked fully composed on the road. Kirby Smart’s squad always seems ready to rise to the occasion, and Saturday was no different.
Georgia battled in a back-and-forth game, but it inched ahead late and then leaned on the defense to do the rest. There are never gimmes in the SEC, but a home date with Auburn next weekend should be manageable.
2. Notre Dame
Notre Dame faced an overmatched Stanford team and made relatively short work of it. The Fighting Irish led 37-0 by halftime and made sure there was never any drama whatsoever.
The Fighting Irish have continued to creep up the AP Top 25 poll. Next week will be a big judgment game for Notre Dame, which doesn’t have a ton of them on the schedule. It’s a road trip to BYU on tap.
3. Miami
Miami benefited from its bye week as Texas lost. Sometimes that’s all it comes down to really, win each week and survive. The Hurricanes have done that quite well to start the season.
With an offensive cast that features two Heisman Trophy hopefuls, Miami has been clicking at a high level all year long. Up next is a rivalry game against a Florida State team with some issues, but that matchup can always prove tricky.
4. Ohio State
Ohio State has rebounded quite nicely from the loss to Texas earlier this season, and Saturday continued that trend. It was a stress-free Saturday against Maryland, even with a pick-six from Julian Sayin.
Now comes a game that could determine the direction of the rest of the season for the Buckeyes. With one loss the margin for error is already thin, and a road trip to Indiana could decide how real a contender Ohio State really is.
5. Indiana
This year’s Indiana team hasn’t been quite as dominant as last year’s was, at least by season’s end. But the Hoosiers have still been plenty good overall. Saturday provided a close win at Nebraska.
Josh Hoover hit a 44-yard touchdown pass to Nick Marsh to provide the difference in the game. Now Indiana gets ready for the big one against Ohio State. Curt Cignetti has been excellent in these kind of games.
6. Alabama
Alabama doesn’t tumble far in the rankings after losing to a top-ranked Georgia team. The Crimson Tide were right in the thick of it against the Bulldogs until the bitter end, a few plays away from a different outcome.
There won’t be a whole lot of time to sulk for Alabama, though. Up next is the Third Saturday in October matchup against Tennessee. That one is on the road in one of college football’s most hostile venues.
7. Texas
Texas’ offensive operation hadn’t been firing on all cylinders, but it hadn’t yet proven costly. Until Saturday, that is. Arch Manning made some absolutely killer mistakes and Oklahoma took full advantage of them.
Ultimately, everything is still out there to play for for the Longhorns. Next they’ll look to exact some revenge on a Florida team that pulled a stunner in the matchup a year ago, effectively killing Texas’ playoff chances.
8. BYU
BYU played on Friday night, which could improve important to the next one against Notre Dame. The Cougars will be on one day’s extra rest when the two meet up with a metric ton at stake.
As for this week, BYU knocked off Iowa State. Bear Bachmeier was terrific from start to finish, throwing for 329 yards and two scores while rushing for 109 yards.
9. Ole Miss
Weather was a potential concern with Hurricane Isaias rolling through the south, but it didn’t prove problematic on Saturday. And Ole Miss took advantage of that by putting together a complete game against Vanderbilt.
Trinidad Chambliss threw for three touchdowns and the ground game provided three more as Ole Miss routed Vanderbilt 52-17. Up next for Ole Miss is a matchup against a Top 25 Missouri team.
10. UCLA
Bob Chesney’s incredible start continued on Saturday in dramatic fashion with a 17-15 upset of Oregon on the road. The Bruins stopped a two-point conversion late to help secure the win.
Of note, quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the game with what was described as a leg injury. He did not return in the second half, so his status will certainly bear monitoring going forward as the Bruins look to stay unbeaten. The Bruins host have a great rushing group so the quarterback won’t be as misses as the media thinks as they host Wisconsin.
