(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy. A previous version referenced USC by its AP Top 25 ranking as opposed to its Coaches Poll ranking.)
The day of Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, is going to be the talk of college football for years to come.
Heading into Week 6, it would have been fair for fans to call out the slate of games for the first weekend of October to be underwhelming. However, by the end of the day, it almost felt like it may have been better not to be a top-ranked team but rather a home underdog.
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Despite eight teams ranked inside the top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll on bye during Week 6, five of the teams in the top 15 suffered losses, including No. 2 Alabama, while another top-10 team in No. 8 Miami had a close call on the road.
Saturday’s college football games will have a major impact on the new national polls, which are due out later Sunday.
Here’s a recap of the major college football upsets in Week 6:
Diego Pavia ended the Commodores‘ putrid showing against top-5 opponents with an impressive home win, which resulted in a field storming and a potential fine from the SEC. Prior to Saturday’s win, Vanderbilt had been 0-60 against AP top-5 opposition. The Crimson Tide were coming off a win over No. 1 Georgia.
Alabama was a -23.5 point favorite over the Commodores, a program it had not lost to since 1984. But the Commodores always seemed to be in control of the win, leading by as much as 20-7 in the first half and answering an Alabama score each time the Crimson Tide got within one possession.
A New Mexico State transfer, Pavia completed 16 of 20 passes for 252 yards in the win. His 80% completion rate was the highest against Alabama since South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia completed 85% of his passes in 2010 vs. the Crimson Tide, per ESPN.
The Razorbacks pulled off another improbable top-5 victory by an underdog SEC program and then blared Tennessee’s “Rocky Top” at Razorback Stadium to troll Vols fans, to boot. It was Tennessee’s first loss since November 18, 2023, and marked the first time two top-5 SEC teams lost on the same day.
In relief of the injured Taylen Green, Malachi Singleton scored on a QB keeper with 1:17 remaining to give the Razorbacks the win. Tennessee, which averaged 60 points through its first three games, was slowed down to just two touchdowns and did not score for the final 20 minutes. Arkansas led 3-0 at halftime.
By overcoming a 14-3 deficit entering the fourth quarter, Arkansas earned its first win over an AP top-5 team since 2007 when it upset No. 1 LSU. The Razorbacks had lost 18 straight matchups in that span.
While the Aggies were home favorites for this game, the lopsided nature of the final score was still shocking. The Aggies set the tone with a turnover on downs forced on defense on the very first drive by the Tigers. Then they scored the next 34 points and never looked back against a top-10 opponent which looked like a fraud.
The Aggies held a 24-0 halftime lead and running back Le’Veon added salt to the wound with a 75-yard touchdown to open the second half to quell any potential comeback thoughts for Missouri. A&M’s defense was on point, allowing just 2.3 yards per carry while racking up six sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Connor Weigman returned to the starting lineup and finished 18 of 22 for 276 yards passing, while Moss had 138 yards and three touchdowns. Missouri quarterback Brady Cook completed 13 of 31 and only 186 passing yards.
The national championship rematch lived up to its billing. The Huskies got revenge on the road for January’s loss. Despite new coaches, quarterbacks and other players from last season’s matchup, both teams were motivated by the Big Ten conference matchup.
In the loss, Michigan benched starting quarterback Alex Orji in the second quarter and turned to seventh-year signal-caller Jack Tuttle. After entering the fourth quarter trailing 17-14, the Huskies outscored the Wolverines 13-0 in the fourth quarter. Grady Gross tied the game with a field goal with 13:38 remaining and added another with 1:36 left to push the lead to 10.
Jonah Coleman’s 1-yard touchdown run with 6:22 left was the Huskies’ winning touchdown. Will Rodgers had 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The win marked Washington’s 18th straight at Husky Stadium, the second-longest streak in program history.
Max Brosmer scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 7-yard one with 56 seconds remaining to catapult the Golden Gophers to an impressive upset victory over the Trojans at home. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck deserves credit for going for it on fourth-and-goal with the QB sneak to pull off the upset.
USC quarterback Miller Moss finished with two interceptions in the loss, including one with nine seconds remaining to secure the win for Fleck and the Golden Gophers. The win marked the first one for Minnesota over the Trojans since 1955.
Darius Taylor had 200 yards from scrimmage for Minnesota in the win. The Golden Gophers put a scare in No. 10 Michigan on the road the prior week after scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter. So, this was a well-earned win for the Golden Gophers.
Outside of the upsets in Week 6, Miami had a close call in a road game against Cal in Berkeley, California. The Hurricanes trailed by as much as 35-10 but secured a 39-38 victory after Heisman hopeful Cam Ward led Miami to a game-winning scoring drive with 26 seconds remaining.
Miami’s win was not without controversy for a second straight week. Miami defender Wesley Bissainthe was not called for a targeting penalty on a four-yard run by Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza on a third-and-12. It left Golden Bear fans furious, as it would have given Cal a fresh set of downs with 1:52 remaining in the game.
SMU knocked off No. 22 Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, behind an LJ Johnson touchdown run with 6:39 remaining in a back-and-forth contest. The Mustangs are 2-0 in ACC play in their inaugural season in the conference.
Outside of that, other top 25 teams handled business without too many hiccups, though they had relatively closer-than-expected scores. No. 7 Penn State beat UCLA 27-11 and No. 14 Clemson beat Florida State 29-13 in Tallahassee. FSU dropped to 1-5, while Dabo Swinney picked up win No. 174 and surpassed former Seminole great coach Bobby Bowden for most career wins by an ACC coach.
That’s college football, sometimes. Here’s the full scoreboard for each ranked team in Week 6:
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