The Red River Rivalry delivered, and so did Alabama vs. Georgia. Nebraska let Indiana slip away, Kentucky keeps going for two, UCLA keeps winning, and Florida has thrown away all of its good will from a couple weeks ago. All of this and more from the action in week 6 of college football. Let’s get to the latest rankings from 18 Stripes.

18 Stripes Top 20 Ranking

RANK TEAM RECORD NEXT
1 Georgia (+4) 6-0 vs. Auburn
2 Notre Dame 6-0 at BYU
3 Miami 5-0 vs. Florida State
4 Ohio State 5-1 at Indiana
5 Indiana (+2) 6-0 vs. Ohio State
6 Alabama 5-1 at Tennessee
7 Texas (-6) 4-1 vs. Florida
8 Texas Tech (+2) 5-0 vs. Arizona State
9 Utah (+2) 5-0 at Colorado
10 BYU (+2) 6-0 vs. Notre Dame
11 Ole Miss (-3) 4-1 vs. Missouri
12 UCLA (+7) 5-0 vs. Wisconsin
13 Miss State (NR) 4-1 at LSU
14 Kentucky (NR) 5-1 at Oklahoma
15 Tennessee (+1) 5-1 vs. Alabama
16 Wake Forest (NR) 5-1 at California
17 Houston 5-1 vs. Oklahoma State
18 USC (+2) 5-1 BYE
19 Iowa (NR) 5-1 BYE
20 Missouri (NR) 5-1 at Ole Miss

Dropped Out:

#13 Oregon
#14 Pittsburgh
#15 Nebraska
#18 Florida

Controversial perhaps, but the only team from this list that should feel really bad is Florida who lost by 19 points at home to…South Carolina!?!? That’s now back-to-back losses for the Gators by a combined 47 points. Yikes!

Maybe you could make the case that Pitt should also feel bad. Like Oregon, they were faced to play their backup quarterback but all the same outgained North Carolina by 100 yards and threw away the game in a 21-17 home loss to North Carolina.

National Stories:

#1 Kentucky Does the Thing

Let’s hope this isn’t the peak if you’re a big Kenny Minchey fans because things are going really well right now for the former Notre Dame quarterback. A week after throwing for the game-winning two point conversion to beat South Carolina, Minchey runs in the two-point score to beat LSU in overtime. It’s a heck of a start for Will Stein as head coach (Oregon do seem to miss him quite a lot this year) and you might be able to convince yourself this UK team has 8 or 9 wins in them.

#2 Down Ducks

Speaking of Oregon, they didn’t play quarterback Dante Moore (concussion) which could’ve been an excuse of sorts except UCLA finished the game without Nico Iamaleava who left the game with a leg injury. Unlike Kentucky, this was a game where Oregon failed to convert a two-point play late to tie things up. It was a very weird game. The Ducks turned the ball over 7(!) times. UCLA was +4 in turnovers and only won 17-15, but the Bruins did put in a great defensive performance and easily outgained Oregon.

#3 That’s Why You’re Nebraska

The Indiana win streak lives to see another week–now up to 22 games straight. Nebraska had this game! The Cornhuskers led 17-6 with under 12 minutes remaining in the game. Then, the Hoosiers scored on back-to-back drives to lead 20-17 and the rest of the game resulted in pretty gross football and no luck for Nebraska.

#4 Oh, Arch

Arch Manning continues to provide evidence of why he shouldn’t come anywhere near the top quarterback drafted in the spring, and definitely not the no. 1 overall pick. Texas led 17-7 at halftime but a pair of brutal interceptions from Manning (plus a missed field goal) kept Oklahoma in the game. The latter pick, set up the Sooners’ game-winning field goal to take the Red River Rivalry 27-24.

#5 SEC Battle

A late defensive pass interference no-call and Alabama personal foul penalty marred the ending of a very classic SEC matchup between Georgia and Alabama. It was an up and down game for both sides but I thought Georgia was just a little more consistent across the board to take the win 20-17 and become our 18 Stripes new no. 1 team. The Tide won’t be too worked up, they will barely be dinged for this loss, and as long as they navigate the next tricky 3 weeks (at Tennessee, Texas A&M, at LSU) they are a decent bet to make the playoffs, even with 2 losses.

#6 Fight the Fans

Mike Elko isn’t endearing himself to A&M fans these days. Well, the non-internet version are fine he thinks. Everyone else is a problem! Also a problem, the Aggies losing by 21 points at Missouri this weekend. That’s losses in 3 out of their last 4 games and an overall 3-5 record stretching back to the end of the 2025 season. A reminder that Elko just signed a contract extension this past February! The buyout is somewhere in the region of $60 million right now, but never underestimate what oil money will do in this situation.

Opponent Recap:

Wisconsin (4-1): Coming off a bye week, the Badgers will have a very fun game at UCLA this weekend.

Rice (1-5): Five straight losses for Rice after a 28-12 defeat to East Carolina.

Michigan State (2-4): A furious comeback versus Illinois fell just short. The Spartans were stopped on an overtime two-point conversion and drop to 0-3 in the Big Ten.

Purdue (3-3): Are things turning around in West Lafayette? Maybe after back-to-back wins for the Boilermakers following a 41-13 demolition of visiting Minnesota.

North Carolina (3-2): The Tar Heels are on the board in the ACC with their 21-17 win over Pittsburgh.

Stanford (2-4): Stanford has lost their last 2 games by a combined 105 points!

BYU (5-0): This Cougars offense finally found a passing game for one week in a 24-10 win over Iowa State. That’ll make this week’s game preview a little more interesting.

Navy (2-3): Twenty second half points drove a comeback 34-26 win over Tulsa. That’s a solid win for the Middies.

Miami (5-0): A bye week for the Canes who prepare for Florida State (if you really need to do much preparation for these Seminoles).

Boston College (2-3): Another future opponent enjoying a bye week.

SMU (4-1): And yet another team with a bye week.

Syracuse (2-3): No Angeli again for the Orange as they lose 28-25 at Virginia. Syracuse led 17-7 late in the 3rd quarter, too.