With another week in the books, we turn the page into October football, where schedules get tougher and matchups become more impactful.
Last week’s insanity started on Friday night when two unranked, but undefeated teams faced off in an ACC clash. Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech became the first pair of unranked 4-0 Power Four schools to face each other in modern college football history.
This game was decided by inches with the final field goal kick called wide sparking a slight controversy amongst fans. The 35-33 victory for Pitt was fueled by 21 unanswered points after trailing 0-14 early in the contest. The Panthers improved to 5-0 for the second time in three years and claimed No. 25 in the AP Poll.
No. 3 Notre Dame escaped North Carolina after trailing by only seven at halftime. The Tar Heels found themselves behind the Irish by one early in the third quarter, but back-to-back touchdowns for the Irish sealed the victory.
Previous No. 7 Alabama jumped up one spot after a 56-23 route over No. 16 Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide’s quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 285 yards, adding four total touchdowns with three in the air. Alabama’s matchup next weekend brings all the attention as they are set to take on No. 2 Georgia. The matchup between two of the most dominant programs in college football will be a bloodbath in the SEC.
No. 5 Ohio State continues to roll, including their most recent win against No. 14 Iowa, 31-14. The Buckeyes fell to Texas in Week 2 but have since outscored opponents 132-36. They face Maryland for a second straight Big Ten matchup before No. 7 Indiana the following week.
Iowa dropped six spots to No. 20 and faces a Washington program that is coming off back-to-back losses. The matchup comes Friday night under the bright lights of Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington.
No. 25 Missouri shocked Florida in their SEC duel as the Tigers won 45-17, handing the previous No. 8 their first loss of the season. The Gators have since slid eight spots while Missouri jumped 11. The season is far from over for these two foes, as Missouri will host Texas A&M before traveling to Ole Miss. The Gators face South Carolina before a pair of road games against the two best teams in the country, a task Missouri faces later in the season.
No. 24 Kentucky nearly escaped South Carolina after a gutsy two-point conversion call in overtime. The narrow victory knocked Kentucky out of the AP poll, but they have a chance to reclaim the spotlight hosting No. 10 LSU this weekend.
Looking ahead to Week 6, only two top 25 matchups take place with one coming in the top 10 between Alabama and Georgia. The other takes place out west in the Big Ten with No. 13 Oregon hosting No. 21 UCLA.
The Ducks are still uncertain about their potential Heisman quarterback Dante Moore as he continues his way through NCAA concussion protocol. The quarterback suffered a brutal hit against USC two weeks ago, but the Ducks responded with backup Dylan Raiola, who they would rely on if Moore cannot return. The Bruins remain unbeaten but have not faced much competition. Both teams come out of their bye week, so jumping out early is going to be crucial.
Week 6 may not have a quantity of ranked matchups, but the quality is definitely there. The SEC clash faces the two highest scoring offenses in the country. Dating back to 2015, Alabama and Georgia have made a combined nine appearances in the national championship. They faced one another twice, splitting the series. These two programs take the field in the regular season for potentially the biggest game of the year.
Make sure to tune in for this one on Saturday night, because it is going to be all gas and no breaks for these overpowering offenses.