By Anthony Wootton
We’re at the halfway point of the college football regular season. So, who impressed, and who disappointed in Week 6? There’s a return to the summit for one of this week’s climbers.
Here are my college football risers and fallers.
Week 6 College Football Risers
Georgia Bulldogs (ranked 1, up from 2)
Georgia’s the top dog once again. It was a vintage 2021 performance from the Bulldogs in their 42-10 win over Auburn on Saturday. Their defense reduced the Tigers to nine punts in the game, while the Auburn quarterback, Robbie Ashford, had 165 passing yards on 38 attempts.
On offense, Georgia was just as dominant, especially on the ground. The Bulldogs ran for 292 yards, with running back Daijun Edwards scoring three touchdowns off a total of 83 rushing yards. Freshman, Branson Robinson, led the team in rushing, carrying the rock for 98 yards and a score.
The Dogs entered the red zone on five occasions and scored on each visit. If they can maintain this form, with their powerful offensive line, they look almost unstoppable.
UCLA Bruins (ranked 11, up from 18)
It was another impressive win for the Bruins on Saturday. They were the home dogs against the 11th-ranked Utes, and as soon as Dorian Thompson-Robinson ran in the touchdown to open the scoring at the end of the first quarter, the Bruins never lost their lead in this 42-32 victory.
That score came off a seven-play 97-yard drive. Thompson-Robinson also threw four touchdown passes in the game. Each time that Utah reduced the deficit, UCLA seemed to counter with a score of their own. The Bruins hadn’t beaten the Utes since 2016 and failed to achieve back-to-wins against ranked opponents since 2005. This was Utah’s first Pac-12 loss of the season and had won their last four games in a row.
Head coach, Chip Kelly, was beaming after this win. UCLA is being recognized once again.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (ranked 16, up from 23)
The Bulldogs are streaky at the moment. Saturday’s 40-17 win over Arkansas was their third in a row. This was Mississippi State’s first victory over the Razorbacks in three years.
Quarterback, Will Rogers, is the current passing leader in college football, averaging 351.7 yards per game. In Week 6 he passed for 395 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bulldogs looked composed throughout. They never trailed in the game and looked commanding on offense. The Razorbacks gave up a season-high 568 yards. Led by the veteran Rogers under center, the Bulldogs are a strong offensive unit that can continue to push up the rankings.
Week 6 College Football Fallers
Utah Utes (ranked 20, last week 11)
One of this week’s biggest fallers, following their heavy loss to the Bruins. The Utes were knocking on the door after winning four in a row. Worse still for Utah, this was their first Pac-12 defeat of the season. They’re the defending champions.
The Bruins had over 500 yards of offense on Saturday, a lot of those were given up because of missed tackles on big plays. It was as though the ghost of Week 1 had come back to haunt them. They won four on the bounce after that one, they’ll need a similar run otherwise their hopes of defending their title could be soon over.
Oklahoma Sooners (not ranked)
The Brent Venables experience is not going well right now. The Sooners are 3-3, and this defensive mastermind just oversaw the biggest beating in the history of the Red River series. The team couldn’t get anything going in this 49-0 loss to the Texas Longhorns.
They looked out of their league, had far too many miscues and were terrible on defense. They clearly missed quarterback Dillon Gabriel and couldn’t move the ball without him. But his absence isn’t the entire reason they’re 3-3 this season. They’ve got to turn it around fast, otherwise, their 23-year run of winning seasons could come to an end quickly.
Miami Hurricanes (not ranked)
This is another team that’s continuing to slide. The Hurricanes have lost three in a row. They’re now 2-3 on the season, following their impressive start. Miami’s first-year head coach, Mario Cristobal, saw improvement in their 27-24 loss to the Tar Heels at Hard Rock Stadium last Saturday. T
hey’ve got to move the ball better. The Hurricanes were 5-of-14 on 3rd down. The secondary gave up a big play on a 74-yard pass to UNC’s J.J. Jones. Their offensive line is hurting, and they’ll be hoping some of their starters will be back for the big game against Virginia Tech in Week 7, if they’re to stop the skid.
