THE LOOKBACK

The 6 things to know before Week 6

1) It’s an open secret that the Big Ten and SEC wield a disproportionate amount of power in today’s era of college football, so it should come as no surprise to hear about their latest maneuver. Per ESPN’s Heather Dinich, the conferences will actively push for as many automatic bids as possible in the upcoming 14-team playoff, which starts in 2026. One source stated a desire for potentially four auto-bids per conference, which set off a collective groan throughout the sport. My hunch is that it’s more of a negotiating tactic than a red line.

In better news, the idea of a scheduling partnership between the Big Ten and SEC is absolutely something that would benefit fans and should definitely be prioritized. These types of arrangements have existed forever in college basketball and absolutely add to the allure of the regular season.

2) Kalen DeBoer is doing his part to keep Nick Saban’s legacy alive in Tuscaloosa. This week, he took Saban’s famous “rat poison” diatribe and made it a reality by setting rat traps throughout the Alabama football facility. The staff did it on the heels of Alabama’s massive win over Georgia and their ascension to the top of the AP Poll. The Crimson Tide squares off against Vanderbilt this weekend in Nashville.

3) Sacramento State is raising barrels of money in an attempt to move its athletics program forward, notably on the football side where its hoping to level up to the FBS ranks. The school raised $35 million in the span of 24 hours for NIL with an overall target of $50 million. It’s also trying to get a major stadium renovation project off the ground in order to meet the minimum thresholds required to join a conference like the new-look Pac-12.

4) We have another high-profile voice in the sport calling for a College Football Commissioner: Mike Gundy. Citing the need for more leadership at the top, Gundy threw out Nick Saban and Mack Brown as two names who should be considered for the hypothetical job.

5) We have new player ratings in EA College Football 25! Now a month into the season, EA Sports has updated some rankings based on what we’ve seen so far. Some of the biggest risers: Michigan’s Kalel Mullings (+6), South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart (+9), and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson (+13). Travis Hunter also saw his rating increase two points up to a 97 overall.

6) From Wednesday, presented without commentary:

ON THIS DAY…

On October 4, 1980, Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant picked up his 300th victory with a 45-0 rout of Kentucky. By the end of his storied career, Bryant finished with an incredible record of 323-85-17.

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THE LOOKAHEAD

Our Week 6 Locks are…

But there’s more to Week 6 than our possibly flawed locks…

Your full Week 6 Preview Pod is live!

Watch yourself, this week has some rough edges that might catch your college football team. In this college football podcast episode, we peel back the onion of College Football Week 6, previewing the most notable action across the country, from Missouri’s tester at Texas A&M to Ohio State’s match with Iowa’s defense, Ole Miss’s rebound attempt at South Carolina, the Michigan-Washington rematch, Tennessee’s primetime trip to Arkansas, an ACC After Dark contest between Miami and Cal, and much more! Plus, some help building your afternoon quad boxes, a brief Patriot League Lightning Round, and a proof of membership test for the Verballerhood.

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Also, don’t forget that our new video series, Big Ten Breakfast, goes live every Friday morning at 9am ET out on our YouTube channel.