UK & Ireland College Football Media Top 25 Rankings: Week 6

By Simon Carroll

If the AP or CFP committe can’t get it right, then perhaps we can!

Since the start of the 2022 season, some of the UK & Ireland’s most talented writers, content creators and students of the college game have combined to deliver their own weekly set of college football rankings. The UK & Ireland CFB Media Top 25 is announced every Monday evening, and today we can bring you the standings after Week 6. Buckle up – there’s a surprise or two!

2024 - Week 6

Graphic: Owain Jones (Twitter - @Owain_Jones_)
  1. TEXAS LONGHORNS (5-0, ↑1)
  2. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (5-0, ↑2)
  3. OREGON DUCKS (5-0, ↑3)
  4. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (5-0, ↑3)
  5. GEORGIA BULLDOGS (4-1, =)
  6. MIAMI HURRICANES (6-0, ↑2)
  7. ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (4-1, 6)
  8. TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (4-1, 5)
  9. OLE MISS REBELS (5-1, ↑7)
  10. IOWA STATE CYCLONES (5-0, ↑2)
  11. CLEMSON TIGERS (4-1, ↑4)
  12. BYU COUGARS (5-0, ↑1)
  13. TEXAS A&M AGGIES (5-1, NE)
  14. LSU TIGERS (4-1, =)
  15. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (4-1, ↑2)
  16. INDIANA HOOSIERS (6-0, ↑4)
  17. UTAH UTES (4-1, ↑1)
  18. BOISE STATE BRONCOS (4-1, ↑5)
  19. PITT PANTHERS 5-0, NE)
  20. OKLAHOMA SOONERS (4-1, 1)
  21. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (4-1, ↑1)
  22. MISSOURI TIGERS (4-1, 13)
  23. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (4-1, ↑1)
  24. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES (4-2, 14)
  25. SMU MUSTANGS (5-1, NE)

*NE – New Entrant. Teams dropping out: Rutgers, UNLV, USC

TAKEAWAYS

Sweet Sweet Chaos

It has been, without doubt, the hardest week to rank college football teams since the media this side of the pond began delivering their Top 25. Week 6 of the 2024 season was touted as one to avoid – buy yourelf some credit with your partner, take them on a day out, and save all your TV hogging rights for next week when the big games come thick and fast. Well, take your eye off this sport for one second at your own peril…

This week saw the most Top 25 programs defeated by unranked teams since 2007 – and the second most in the history of college football. For analysis of all the shocking scenes in Nashville, Minneapolis, and Fayetteville you’ll have to wait for my colleague Rory’s weekly review – but the shockwaves were clear amongst the voters.

In the end, there were only three new entrants to the rankings. This was as much to do with different opinions on who should replace this week’s big losers as much as it was still faith in the blue blood programs. With 15 of the 25 having at least one loss at this juncture, perhaps the new college football landscape of NIL and the transfer portal has actually brought more parity rather than widening the chasm between the have’s and have nots – as many initially feared.

Early Losers Climbing Back

Something we’ve discussed in this column before is how the expanded college football playoff has meant that losses aren’t as devastating as they once were in this sport. That is of course still true, but despite the new format even now you would prefer to lose early in the season – giving voters time to forget your missteps and yourself time to get back into the reckoning.

Well, four programs have already erdicated painful early memories. Clemson, so brutally handled by Georgia in their curtain raiser, are playing extremely well and are back up to #11 in the list. Fellow Tigers LSU have enjoyed a similar rise to #14 despite their loss looking less impressive as USC struggle with big cross-country trips in the Big Ten.

Texas A&M, narrow losers to Notre Dame in Week 1, were the biggest movers this week, jumping to #13 after being totally unranked last week. Chaos ahead of them and a tidy win over Mizzou will do that to you. And the Irish, who delivered that loss to the Aggies, are now back up to #15 – jumping up two spots without even playing. The embarrassment of Northern Illinois is not forgotten, but it’s not insurmountable either.

Who's Flying Under The Radar?

College Football delivers drama at a rate no other sport can compete with. So, when teams show consistency, they inevitably avoid the spotlight. But there are a handful of undefeated teams who have gone about their business and are making a strong run at a playoff berth…

Oregon might have struggled to overcome Idaho in Week 1, but the win over Boise looks quite tidy now. They’ll soon encounter some serious Big Ten action, but for now, it’s job done with little fuss. Same for their conference counterparts Penn State, who have waltzed through an early slate and will be looking to build on a very solid platform as we head into the dog days of the season.

Iowa State might be the cream of the crop in the Big 12 – sure, BYU have turned heads, but the Cyclones have again crept up on the rails to crack the top ten. And could Pitt be the cream of the ACC? Nobody is talking about Pat Narduzzi’s Panthers, and perhaps that’s just the way they like it.

Don’t be distracted by the glitz and glamour, the highs and lows – sometimes, slow and steady wins the race.

Players Of The Week:

Offense: Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

Defense: Cameron Whitfield, LB, Louisiana

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head Of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST.

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