- Copyright 2024 © CollegeFootballPoll.com
- About CFP / Contact
- Legal Statements
There are 54 games on this week's schedule which kicked off on Tuesday.
The week got underway this past Tuesday when Liberty played its first game since September 21, and the Flames won't play again until Wednesday, October 23. On Tuesday, Liberty was a 31-24 winner at home over FIU.
Last night, Jax State rolled to a 54-13 win over New Mexico State.
Thursday:
Coastal Carolina at James Madison
MTSU at Louisiana Tech
UTEP at Western Kentucky
Friday:
Arizona State at Utah
Northwestern at Maryland
UNLV at Utah State
Texas is a huge favorite over Oklahoma, but often times the underdog has won. As noted on si.com, "In the last 12 years, teams favored by double digits at The State Fair of Texas are 0-5 covering that spread."
The article by John E. Hoover goes on to say, "This is Texas’ first time as a double-digit favorite since 2005, however. Oklahoma was the big favorite in those last five meetings. While the Sooners didn’t cover the spread in any of them, they did win four of the five."
Here are some details on that game, and a few other big contests that are on tap for this weekend.
The Longhorns and Sooners meet for the 120th time… and the first as members of the Southeastern Conference.
For the first time since 1984, Texas enters the Red River Rivalry as the nation’s top-ranked team. The Horns have coasted to five wins by an average score of 45-7, and they’re expected to return QB Quinn Ewers who sat out the last two games with an injury. The Sooners are also ranked but suffered a home loss in Week 4 to Tennessee. While UT has the nation’s best quarterback situation, OU is starting a true freshman, Michael Hawkins Jr. Hawkins will be facing a Texas D that’s allowed just one TD pass which is tied with the Vols for fewest in the FBS.
These longtime SEC rivals are ranked, rested, and ready to solidify their spot in the conference pecking order.
Ole Miss and LSU each have one loss. Drop a second game and their playoff margin for error will pretty much evaporate. The home team has won four straight meetings, the Rebels surviving last year’s shootout in Oxford, 55-49, as Jaxson Dart outgunned Jayden Daniels. This is a show-me game for both programs, since their schedules have been kinda soft to this point. LSU lost the opener in Vegas to USC, which has since dropped two games, and Ole Miss was upset at home by Kentucky in Week 5.
If Georgia at Alabama was the game of the year so far, this mega-tilt at Autzen Stadium figures to be a very close second.
Ohio State at Oregon is now a battle of Big Ten Conference foes. The Buckeyes and Ducks are consensus top-3 teams. After a few unexpected close calls to start the season, Oregon has begun to roll behind the surgical passing of Dillon Gabriel. However, the Ducks haven’t faced a program nearly as talented as Ohio State – on either side of the ball. The Buckeyes haven’t been tested yet, grappling with Iowa for 30 minutes last week before stepping on the gas. The offense in Columbus makes most of the headlines, but Jim Knowles’ D is elite and eager to show it Saturday night.
The Game of the Week in the Big 12 could go a long way to determining who plays in the league championship game in December.
The Cats and the Buffs both have a loss, though the latter fell to the Big Ten’s Nebraska. Colorado has rebounded nicely from that defeat to win three games in-a-row, including a complete effort two weeks ago over UCF in Orlando, 48-21. Kansas State answered its loss to BYU on Sept. 21 by hammering Oklahoma State, 42-20. Boulder will be the site for one of the most entertaining quarterback matchups of Week 7, Wildcat sophomore Avery Johnson against Buffalo senior Shedeur Sanders.
Another week, another hurricane in the southeast. This time, it was Milton that made landfall, not far south from where Helene came inland on September 26. Helene came ashore in the Big Bend as a CAT 4 near Perry, and continued northward through Georgia, past Atlanta and Augusta, and into North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia where it wreaked devastation on mountains and valleys.
Until the last hours before the eye came ashore, it appeared Milton would strike as a CAT 5. Instead, it diminished to a high CAT 3 before landfall near what is arguably the most beautiful beach in Florida, Siesta Key. This one carved a wide south across the Peninsula and exited near Cape Canaveral. It jogged just enough south of Tampa Bay to avoid flooding of biblical proportions, but left Venice and Sarasota in shambles, among multiple other locales. Its effect was devastating from Fort Myers to Miami to Jacksonville
We are located near Cape Canaveral and were lucky to avoid the path of several tornadoes, or damage from the hurricane itself.
Unfortunately, the shearing of the storm - at the last minute before landfall - was the cause of massive tornadoes never really seen in Florida. The Sunshine gets plenty of short-lived downbursts and small tornadoes that cause damage during hurricanes, but these looked like something out of the Wizard of Oz. They struck from Alligator Alley (I-75 east-west extension near the Everglades) to Clewiston (by lake Okeechobee). They seemed to travel northward on a mission, through Wellington (near Palm Beach), to Port Salerno, Port St. Lucie, and Fort Pierce. They were spotted by Yeehaw Junction (near Florida's Turnpike, south of Kissimmee), and over to Cocoa Beach which sits across the two barrier island waterways from us. They are just a few of the locations I can recall off the top of my head.
We also avoided another spin-up that quickly dissipated within a mile of us.
Remarkably, we only had a few flickers of power in the face of wind gusts that exceed 70 miles per per hour - winds that we endured for about 9 hours, from around 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
To our north, however, Daytona Beach, Palm Coast and St. Augustine, got some stronger winds and much heavier rains. We were oddly dry through a lot of it. In between the coasts, a lot of cities and towns, including Lakeland, Winter Haven and Orlando, experienced varying degrees of damage that ranged from obliteration to wind damage and flooding.
Thankfully, for us, it wasn't a repeat of Francis in 2004 that left us in a state of repair for nearly a year. Francis was one of four hurricanes that hit Florida within a 6-week period, along with Charley, Ivan and Jeanne. 2024 has eerie similarities 20 years later with Debby, Helene and Milton within about 8 weeks.
Sadly now, there are thousands more people who will have to endure the lengthy process of rebuilding. And an unknown number of people have lost their lives. It's no comfort for those who lost loved ones, but countless more have been saved for the fact that the best governor in the nation, Ron DeSantis, knows how to handle these things. He's written the book on how to warn, prepare, and respond to these events. Basically, he told everyone in its immediate path to get out of Dodge - and they did. The citizens responded so well that the traffic was reportedly smooth to tolerable. By daybreak, two of Tampa's main causeway bridges had already been inspected, cleared of debris and reopened.
Valparaiso at Stetson was canceled. Rescheduling decision to be announced later.
Memphis at USF was moved from Friday night to Saturday afternoon at 3:30.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best player with the Maxwell Award. CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a member of the voting panel.
Here’s a look at some of last week’s standout performances on offense.
RB LeQuint Allen Jr., Syracuse: The Fran Brown era is off to a very strong start. The Orange upset No. 25 UNLV in Las Vegas, 44-41, to move to 4-1. Allen headlined a handful of Syracuse offensive stars, showcasing his versatility Friday night. The 6-0, 201-pound junior caught two TD passes and ran for two more, capped by the tackle-breaking game-winner in overtime. Allen finished with nine receptions and 129 total yards from scrimmage.
QB Eli Holstein, Pitt: How good has Holstein been in his Panther debut? On Saturday, he became the first Pitt quarterback since Dan Marino in 1979 to start his career 5-0 at the school. Holstein has been sensational since transferring from Alabama in the offseason. This past weekend versus North Carolina, he threw for a personal-best 381 yards and three scores, while adding a team-high 76 yards and another score on the ground.
QB Will Howard, Ohio State: Ohio State used a strong second half to pull away from Iowa and remain undefeated heading into Saturday’s showdown with Oregon. Howard, in his toughest test as a Buckeye, had more touchdowns than incompletions in the 35-7 win. The multi-dimensional threat ran for a score and completed 21-of-25 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns, three to veteran WR Emeka Egbuka.
RB Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M: Don’t look now, but first-year head coach Mike Elko has the Aggies in the playoff discussion. Texas A&M hammered No. 9 Missouri, 41-10, for the program’s biggest-ever win over a Top 10 opponent. The Ags shut down Mizzou’s offense, and Moss took care of the rest. Needing just a dozen carries, he ripped off 138 yards and three scores, highlighted by a 75-yard gashing of the Tiger defense.
QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt: What a difference the right quarterback can make. Clark Lea plucked Pavia from the portal this offseason and Vandy hasn’t been the same since. The New Mexico State transfer has given the Dores an identity… and one of the greatest wins in school history. Just a week after Alabama rose to No. 1 in the AP poll, the Tide fell to Vanderbilt, 40-35, for the first time in four decades. Pavia, now the unquestioned soul of this program, accounted for 308 total yards and two TD passes, though stats don’t tell half the story of what he’s meant to the Commodores.
QB Kurtis Rourke, Indiana: The Hoosiers are off to their best start since 1967, riding the arm of their first-year quarterback and the moves of first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. IU is showing it’s for real, winning all six games by no less than two touchdowns. In Saturday’s 41-24 victory at Northwestern, Rourke showcased his accuracy and poise with 380 yards and three TDs on 25-of-33 passing.
QB Cam Ward, Miami: Ward has had cleaner games than his Week 6 performance in Berkeley. He has never engineered a more impressive or impactful come-from-behind win. The No. 8 Canes were on the ropes late Saturday versus Cal, looking like the latest top 10 team that would suffer a crushing loss. But Ward miraculously rallied Miami back from a 20-point fourth quarter hole to remain undefeated, 39-38. The Maxwell Award contender finished with 452 total yards and three TDs, tossing the winner with 26 seconds left.
RB Hahsaun Wilson, Charlotte: It's not getting much attention right now, but the 49ers are 2-0 in the American after pounding East Carolina Saturday, 55-24. Wilson was the offensive star as Charlotte won back-to-back games for the first time since early in 2021. The Florence, S.C. junior needed only 15 carries to jet for 164 rushing yards and three touchdowns, capped by a nifty 65-yarder down the right sideline.
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a member of the voting panel.
Here’s a look at some of last week’s standout defenders.
CB Marques Buford Jr., Nebraska: With half a season left, the Huskers are one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. Nebraska moved to 5-1 Saturday, handing Rutgers its first loss of the season. The offense struggled, so the Blackshirts picked up the slack, holding the Scarlet Knights scoreless for the first 56 minutes. Buford spearheaded a great effort from the entire secondary with an interception and three of Nebraska’s nine pass breakups.
DE Jordan Burch, Oregon: Lookahead averted. Now the Ducks can prepare for their monumental visit from Ohio State. Oregon took care of business versus Michigan State Friday night, 31-10, pitching a shutout until the game was well in hand. Burch, the 6-6, 295-pound next-level pass rusher, set the tone up front. His four tackles included a career-high 2.5 sacks of the slippery Aidan Chiles and a fumble recovery.
MLB TJ Dottery, Ole Miss: The Rebels got off the mat after last week’s loss to Kentucky, stifling South Carolina in Columbia, 27-3. Dottery has really begun to emerge in his first full season with the program. The Clemson transfer was at the center of a D that dominated the line of scrimmage all afternoon, racking up a game-high 13 stops, two tackles for loss, a sack, and a pass breakup.
S A.J. Haulcy, Houston: Houston arrived in Fort Worth on the heels of back-to-back shutout losses. The Cougars left town with a critical 30-19 upset of TCU as a 17-point underdog. The offense was better Friday night, but the D led the charge with four takeaways. Haulcy, who has been the program’s top player all season, paired a team-high seven tackles with two key interceptions of Josh Hoover.
MLB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech: Six weeks into the season, the Red Raiders are the only Big 12 team that’s 3-0 in conference play. This past Saturday, Tech earned its best win so far, holding off Arizona, 28-22. Rodriguez took his game to a new level to preserve the crucial road victory. He tied a career-high with 13 tackles, sacked Noah Fifita, tipped a pass that was intercepted, and sealed the win late in the fourth with a right hook that forced a fumble to end the Wildcats’ final drive. Rodriguez’s PFF grade of 92.3 was the highest of any Week 6 defensive player.
STAR Kaleb Spencer, Virginia Tech: The Hokies have struggled this fall in close games, going 0-3 in one-score battles. Fortunately, Saturday’s game on the Farm was never in doubt as Virginia Tech rolled Stanford, 31-7, to snap a two-game losing streak. From his hybrid role on the back end, Spencer sparked the defensive effort with five stops, including three for minus yards, a sack and a forced fumble.
CB Justin Walley, Minnesota: The Golden Gophers knocked off No. 11 USC Saturday night, holding the Trojans to their lowest scoring output of the season. Walley was a big reason Miller Moss had his worst game as Troy’s starting quarterback. The senior corner from Mississippi had three tackles and four pass breakups to earn the weekend’s top coverage grade among Power 4 defensive backs, according to Pro Football Focus.
JACK Cameron Whitfield, Louisiana: Southern Miss tried multiple blockers and different schemes to neutralize the closing speed of Whitfield. It didn’t work. The sophomore was a blur off the edge in Saturday’s 23-13 win over Southern Miss that snapped an 11-game losing streak in Hattiesburg. Whitfield tied a single-game school record with four sacks and forced two fumbles, the last of which sealed the win for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
The Maxwell Football Club supports former Alabama and Seattle Seahawks star RB Shaun Alexander in annually naming the top college freshman.
S Koi Perich, Minnesota: Minnesota has a track record of developing playmaking DBs. Perich is next in line. In the most significant action of his first season with the Gophers, the instate kid from Esko excelled in Saturday’s upset of No. 11 USC. In 48 snaps, Perich had six tackles, a forced fumble, and a fearless game-ending interception in the end zone. His 80.5 PFF grade led all freshman defensive players in Week 6.
There are no FBS-FCS games scheduled for the second straight week.
FBS schools are 108-6 in such games this season, and a collective 1,908-158 (.924) since we began tracking this in 2003.
In 2024, there are 121 scheduled scheduled matchups between FBS and FCS schools with 119 schools playing one such game, while Hawaii and UMass each play two.
This year, 15 schools do not play a FCS opponent and 5 are in the B1G (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, USC and UCLA). Texas is the only school in the SEC that will not play a FCS program. The same is true for Virginia Tech in the ACC. In fact, Texas and Virginia Tech, along with Michigan and Houston, are repeats from last year's list of schools that played all FBS programs.
2024 FCS wins vs. FBS:
August 24: Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
September 7: St. Francis (PA) 23, Kent State 17
September 7: Idaho 17, Wyoming 13
September 7: Southern Utah 27, UTEP 24 (OT)
September 21: Monmouth 45, FIU 42
September 28: UT-Martin 24, Kennesaw 13
In 2023, FBS schools were 114-4. These were the FCS wins last year:
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 12
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
MISSOURI - Had over-all winning streak end at 8.
Last: Lost 41-10 at Texas A&M on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Visits UMass on Saturday, October 12.
ARMY - Won 9 straight overall.
Last: Won 49-7 at Tulsa on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Hosts UAB on Saturday, October 12.
LIBERTY - Won 16 straight regular season games.
Last: Won 35-24 at home over East Carolina on Saturday, September 21.
The Flames' 9/28 game at App State was canceled due to Hurricane Helene, followed by a bye week.
Next: Visits FIU On Tuesday, October 8 for first game in 17 days. Won't play again until 15 days later (Wednesday, October 23) at Kennesaw State.
GEORGIA - Won 27 straight home games.
Last: Won 31-13 at home over Auburn on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Hosts Mississippi State on Saturday, October 12.
MICHIGAN - Had streaks end at 27 straight conference wins, and 11 straight road wins.
Last: Lost 27-17 at Washington on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Visits Illinois (after a bye week) on Saturday October 19.
TULANE: Won 14 straight conference games.
Last: won 71-20 at UAB on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Hosts Rice (after bye week) on Saturday, October 19.
TEXAS: Won 8 straight road games.
Last: Won Won 35-13 at home over Mississippi State on Saturday, September 28.
Next: Oklahoma in Dallas on Saturday, October 12.
KENT STATE - Lost 14 straight over-all. Lost 6 straight home games.
Last: Lost 52-33 at home to Eastern Michigan on Saturday, September 28.
Next: Hosts Ball State on Saturday, October 12.
VANDERBILT - Had conference game losing streak end at 10.
Last: Won 40-35 at home over Alabama on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Visits Kentucky on Saturday, October 12.
STANFORD - Lost 10 straight home games to FBS foes.
Last: Lost 31-7 at home to Virginia Tech on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Visits Notre Dame Saturday, October 12.
UTEP - Lost 7 straight home games.
Last: Lost 41-21 at home to Sam Houston on Thursday, October 3.
Next: Visits Western Kentucky on Thursday, October 10.
TEMPLE - Lost 17 straight true road games.
Last: Lost 29-20 at UConn on Saturday, October 5.
Next: Hosts Tulsa (after bye week) on Saturday, October 19.
PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football’s charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF’s media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game. For more information about PFF, please visit: pff.com
Rich Cirminiello is the VP of College Awards at Maxwell Football Club. He can be followed on Twitter at @Rich Cirminiello