WEEK 6 IS ALL ABOUT EATING YOUR VEGETABLES. If last week was about banana peels and slip-ups, this weekend’s slate is about doing the little things. Skip the gimmicks and shortcuts. Vanderbilt heads to Tuscaloosa for a second helping of Alabama, while Texas orders the Seinfeld Big Salad — otherwise known as the Florida defense. Miami and Florida State will square off in arguably the highest-profile matchup of the weekend. And Mississippi State will hope to serve up a boiled Brussels sprouts special at Texas A&M..
They might not love the taste, but if these teams want to remain contenders, they’ll need to clean their plate.
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BURNING QUESTIONS
Five Week 6 Ponderings
Photo by Ryan Hunt/Getty Images
1⃣ Last year’s Vanderbilt team felt like a feel-good story. Is this team something more?
Vanderbilt’s epic upset over No. 1 Alabama last season was a testament to the power of belief. The basement-dwelling Commodores battered the blueblood, sending shockwaves across the SEC and the sport itself. For one wild weekend in Nashville, Vanderbilt was the king of college football.
This time around, Vanderbilt is much less of a feel-good story; instead, this version of the Commodores has quietly gone from aristocrats to ass-kickers. Clark Lea didn’t just relish last year’s triumph—he used it as a springboard to build the type of blue-collar, battering ram team that embodies what he’s all about. Led by short king Diego Pavia, this team isn’t just happy to be here; they’re playing for keeps.
On Saturday, Vanderbilt will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on an Alabama team still refining its identity. Last year, the Tide were cosplaying as a Nick Saban team. Now, they feel much more DeBoer-like. And while the Alabama mystique of the 2010s is gone, the Crimson Tide are rounding into form, and just might be the best team in the SEC.
That makes Saturday less about shock value and more about cementing a new status in the SEC. Vanderbilt proved it can topple a titan once, but doing it again would vault the Commodores into contender status.
2⃣ How far can the Texas defense carry a struggling Arch Manning?
Through four games, the Texas defense has proven to be one of the best units in the country.
The Longhorns are allowing just 7.8 points per game and have allowed just 31 points total through four games, albeit against a weak slate — still impressive considering all of the talent they lost from last year’s excellent group.
But the question remains: how far can this unit carry a struggling offense?
My guess is decently far. This week, Texas takes on a struggling Florida team and then has games against a Mateer-less Oklahoma and a fairly incompetent Kentucky group. If the defense keeps up this excellent run, the Longhorns will likely find themselves with six or seven wins before the meaty part of their schedule.
This soft stretch should give them more wiggle room to iron out the kinks with Arch Manning and the offense.
3⃣ Mississippi State knocked off ASU and almost beat Tennessee. Can they spring another upset against Texas A&M?
Mississippi State is arguably the most improved team in college football.
Last season’s Bulldog team went down early and often, stayed down, and just absolutely refused to get off the mat. One loss snowballed to three. One mistake led to many more. You catch my drift.
But now? Mississippi State is suddenly fun and proving it can hang with what we think are some pretty good football teams. MSU’s upset over Arizona State was validation that this team isn’t just a carbon copy of the 2024 team. Last week’s near-upset over Tennessee gave credence to the idea that this team is something more.
Perhaps it's a stretch to bank on another Bulldogs upset against A&M. This A&M team is legit and has the backing of its incredible home crowd. But I don’t think we should overlook this Mississippi State team moving forward. With every passing week, it feels like this team will flirt with bowl eligibility, which would be a monster win in Year 2 under Jeff Lebby.
An upset on the road at Kyle Field? That would be proof of concept as to what Lebby and company are trying to build.
4⃣ How has it gone so wrong so quickly for Jamey Chadwell at Liberty?
Ever since last year’s shocking loss to winless Kennesaw State, Liberty has unraveled.
After that loss, Liberty lost three of its last six games to close out the 2024 season. This season, they’re sitting at 1-4 and have one of the worst offenses in all of college football. That last part makes it even more befuddling, considering how good Chadwell teams have been on that side of the football.
Liberty is the biggest fish in a small pond. The Flames have more money and NIL backing than any other team in Conference USA. And yet, they can’t string together wins and look destined for a lost season.
I’m not sure I have a great answer for what’s gone wrong and why it’s gotten this bad. Maybe the transfer portal and NIL churn hit harder than expected, eroding what made Chadwell’s system so dangerous. More than anything, I just find it perplexing. Chadwell felt like a slam-dunk hire. I surely thought he’d roll to a few conference titles before bolting to a bigger job. Now? Nothing is off the table. What an odd situation all around.
5⃣ Who won the September Heisman?
The September Heisman is a funny concept. We’ve seen it all before — a guy piling up highlights and stats in the first month of the season, only to fade once the schedule toughens.
Then reality sets in. The schedule gets tougher. His play drops off. Heck, maybe doeesn’t even get an invite to New York in December.
For the sake of the exercise, let’s take a look at some worthy September Heisman candidates.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer has lit it up through the first month of the season, but faces time on the sidelines with a hand injury.
Penn State QB Drew Allar, Texas QB Arch Manning, and LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier haven’t lived up to the billing…and have since fallen off their lofty preseason places.
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football, but I’m not confident he’s had enough WOW moments thus far.
Miami QB Carson Beck and Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza have strong cases.
Perhaps the answer is Oregon QB Dante Moore, who just helped Oregon notch a signature victory against No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley. He’s the quarterback on what might be the best team in college football.
September Heismans don’t count for much. But if I had a vote, I’d probably lean toward Mateer or Moore through the first month and change of the college football season.
THE PODCAST
Your Week 6 Preview Show is live!
Welcome to Week 6, the start of… Cocktober. We dive into a slate that's loaded with opportunities for offenses to establish themselves (or for underdogs to sneak in and steal one). We circle back and discuss the two biggest games of the weekend: Vandy traveling to Alabama and Miami making their first road trip to face Florida State in Tallahassee. Both have baggage, both feature ranked teams, and both could shake up the playoff picture.
From there, we explore the sneaky-important matchups that nobody's talking about enough: Iowa State's trip to Cincinnati, Kansas State trying to bounce back at Baylor, and Texas facing a desperate Florida team in The Swamp. We also hit on Notre Dame's chance to make a statement against Boise State, the letdown potential for Illinois, and why we're believers in some serious home dog action this week (looking at you, Cal and Virginia).
Plus, we've got our weekly Pat League lookahead, a breakdown of the optimal quad setup for Saturday, and a look at the Taylor Swift curse, bear coat turnover props, and more.
We’d love to get your feedback on this newsletter. Reply back with your thoughts!