Week 6 of the college football season was framed as a lackluster slate. Instead, the midday window took a blowtorch to expectations. Projected College Football Playoff teams No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Texas lost stunners against unranked opponents to shake up the picture.
The Nittany Lions’ setback against UCLA was one of the most surprising losses of the season. The Nittany Lions fell as 24-point favorites. It was the first loss by an AP Top 10 squad to a winless team (of at least 0-4) since 1985. No. 14 Iowa State similarly dropped a big game against Cincinnati that could have long-ranging implications for both programs.
However, some of the heralded programs took care of business. No. 3 Miami outlasted No. 18 Florida State to take control of the ACC race. No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 1 Ohio State held off upset bids in dominant victories. Even No. 10 Alabama got revenge against No. 17 Vanderbilt on the big stage.
Here are the biggest winners and losers of college football’s Week 6.
Texas, Penn State CFP paths narrow after Florida, UCLA upsets: SEC, Big Ten chaos arrives to postseason race
Brad Crawford
Winner: Miami WR Malachi Toney
Fort Lauderdale’s Malachi Toney was rated a three-star, a relatively unheralded recruit when he opted to reclassify to the Class of 2025. After another sensational performance in No. 3 Miami’s 28-19 win against No. 18 Florida State, Toney’s reclassification suddenly appears to be one of the biggest decisions in college football.
Toney was electric, catching seven passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He cooked the Seminoles for a 44-yard touchdown on first down, and then pulled away on fourth-and-two for a 40-yard touchdown. The freshman has recorded at least four catches for 40 yards in every game this season, and reached 80 yards three times during a 5-0 start. He has been arguably the best true freshman in America this season and made huge plays for a team capable of winning the national championship.
Winner: UCLA
Heading into the weekend, UCLA was perhaps at the greatest risk of going winless in 2025. After losing to New Mexico, UNLV and Northwestern, the Bruins were positioned as heavy underdogs — including 24-point ‘dogs against No. 7 Penn State on Saturday. What happened at the Rose Bowl on CBS was truly remarkable.
After an inconsistent start to the year, UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava delivered 166 yards passing, 128 yards rushing and five total touchdowns to shock Penn State 42-37. The win was the first win by a team 0-4 or worse against an AP top 10 team since UTEP beat No. 7 BYU in 1985. Newly-promoted offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel was carried off the field by players after the win.
The win was an incredible moment for a program that has scraped some of the lowest moments of the 2025 season.
Loser: Penn State
I try to not use teams from the same game in this column, but it’s impossible to overlook what a disaster the loss is for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were already reeling after losing in double-overtime to Oregon at home, but losing against Penn State essentially serves as a closed door on their season.
In so many ways, Penn State positioned itself as the successor to reigning champions Ohio State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions retained NFL talents. They had easy nonconference schedules. They gave themselves the opportunity to grow. It was supposed to culminate with a trip to the College Football Playoff and chance to win a national championship.
Instead, five games into the season, the most important roster in Penn State’s 21st Century is lacking. The Nittany Lions still have to play No. 1 Ohio State and No. 8 Indiana, games they will probably lose. This will go down as one of the biggest “what if” rosters in program history. With Franklin, that question will come up for years to come.
Winner: Cincinnati
The Bearcats have been one of the worst teams in one-score games over the past two years. In a stunning upset of No. 14 Iowa State, Cincinnati closed strong. The Bearcats scored a late fourth quarter touchdown to pull ahead in a 38-30 victory behind more than 250 yards rushing.
Cincinnati invested heavily into the trenches over the offseason and has seen major gains, especially behind the left side of the offensive line. However, second-year quarterback Brendan Sorsby also just appears to have taken a star turn, dicing up defenses with both his arm and legs.
Suddenly, Cincinnati has a case as the breakout team of the 2025 season in the Big 12. And one year after Arizona State went from picked last to Big 12 champs, the Bearcats have a real pathway to replicating the feat.
Winner: Western Carolina QB Taron Dickens
The sophomore quarterback from Miami had a historic day in a 23-21 win over Wofford. Dickens set an NCAA record with 46 consecutive completions, finishing 53 of 56 for 378 yards and three touchdowns. He also led the team with a game-high 44 rushing yards. The previous single-game record was 36 straight completions, set by East Carolina’s Dominique Davis in 2011. Dating back to his last outing, Dickens completed 50 consecutive passes — the most ever over a two-game stretch.
Loser: Texas
The Longhorns started the season No. 1 for the first time in program history. After a disappointing 29-21 loss against Florida (that wasn’t as competitive as the final score), No. 9 Texas is now 0-2 against power conference opponents.
The Gators were only 1-3 coming into the game, but physically owned the Longhorns on both lines of scrimmage. Quarterback DJ Lagway had the best game of his career against a power conference opponent.
Texas is showing cracks in nearly every aspect of the game, but the struggles in the trenches are a major warning sign heading into the heart of SEC play. With Florida’s ability to bully them, games against No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 12 Georgia and No. 6 Texas A&M suddenly look insurmountable. Texas likely has to win out to make the College Football Playoff. With what we’ve seen, that’s highly unlikely.
Winner: Texas Tech
The Red Raiders continued their revenge tour with a road trip against Houston, one of the top defenses in the Big 12. Following a slow start in the red zone, Texas Tech pulled away for a dominant 35-11 victory against the Cougars. The 5-0 start was the first for the program since 2013, and picked up five consecutive 20-point victories for the first time since 1954.
Texas Tech’s struggles in the red zone cost it several points, but the numbers still showed up. The Red Raiders accumulated 549 total yards, including 346 through the air and 203 on the ground. Houston was held to only 3.5 yards per carry and 1 of 12 on third down.
Oh, and by the way, the Red Raiders earned a commitment from Class of 2027 No. 1 defensive lineman Jalen Brewster during the game. The Red Raiders are rolling.
Loser: North Carolina coach Bill Belichick
Every week, there seems to be new — and stunning — lows at North Carolina. The most recent on Saturday was a 38-10 loss at home to Clemson, the first time the Tigers scored more than 27 points in any game (including Troy). Clemson had 28 points after the first quarter and coasted to victory.
The loss was Belichick’s third straight by 25 points against power conference opponents. That’s more 25-point losses than North Carolina has had over the last seven seasons prior to Belichick’s arrival. Things only seem to be getting worse for this program as the roster looks both wildly undermanned and totally outcoached in every game.
BYU has protected its true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier through the start of its season. In a 38-24 win against West Virginia, Bachmeier finally got to open the clip. The Murrieta, California, native threw for 351 yards and a touchdown, and added 43 yards with a score on the ground. Receivers Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston both posted 100 yards in the win. If Bachmeier is an above-average Big 12 quarterback, the Cougars join Texas Tech among the favorites to win the league.
The Owls made a shrewd hire after poaching legendary FCS coach K.C. Keeler from recent FBS transitioner Sam Houston. In his American debut, Keeler’s squad showed in a come-from-behind 27-21 victory against UTSA to make a statement in the conference. Quarterback Evan Simon threw for 181 yards and touchdowns and the defense held UTSA star Robert Henry Jr. to only 42 yards to pull away late. When these teams played last year, Temple lost by 24 points. Keeler is already showing dividends.
Loser: Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers have been perhaps the greatest dumpsterfire that no one is talking about. Coastal Carolina lost 47-7 against Old Dominion for its third loss of at least 38 points. In fact, outside of a surprising 38-20 win against South Alabama last week, CCU has been outscored 133-14 in its games against FBS competition. Tim Beck had the misfortune of replacing Jamey Chadwell as Chanticleers’ head coach, but it appears the job will be on the market this winter.
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