BULLYBALL TOP 25: WEEK 6

Week six saw four ranked matchups, including a top 10 showdown between Texas and Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. With Oklahoma edging out Texas, 34-30, in an instant classic for the rivalry’s swan song in the Big XII, how much did both teams move, and with Georgia waxing Kentucky, just how tight is the top three?

Huskies on a bye; remain on top

Washington was off this week, and the gap between them and second and third ranked Michigan and Georgia has become razor thin after both teams soundly won in week six. Washington will play their biggest game of the season this week as they welcome Oregon to Spokane for a top-10 matchup with massive PAC-12 implications. Though they’ve more than earned their spot here, we are going to see just how legit this ranking is.

Biggest Riser: Oregon State (25 to 17)

A major factor in Oregon State moving up as much as they did this week comes less from the fact that they beat Cal on the road and almost entirely due to six teams directly in front of them losing, so, kudos to the Beavs for winning! This team continues to earn its stripes on the ground, and while their defense had an off night, it’s proven to be a good unit as well.

Biggest Faller: Notre Dame (12 to 23)

The Irish are clinging onto a Top 25 spot for dear life after a total dud of a performance at Louisville, losing 33-20. The good news for Notre Dame is that they return home this week. The good news for the rest of us is they play USC. Sam Hartman has struggled mightily against competition at or above Notre Dame’s level, and this once vaunted ground game disappeared this week when needed most. Above all else, is the moment proving to be too big for Marcus Freeman? He outdueled Ryan Day in a who can try to lose better competition, and then he chose to go for it on 4th-&-11 from the team’s 35 yard line with over nine minutes remaining down 11. I understand he’s new to this, but this is Notre Dame. This team’s situational football needs to be much better moving forward.

Who’s New?

15. Louisville

Louisville finally got their “prove it” game, and they knocked it out of the park. They dominated defensively, completely neutralized Notre Dame’s running game, and picked off Sam Hartman three times while adding five sacks. Jawhar Jordan ran all over the Irish defense to the tune of 143 yards and two touchdowns as Jeff Brohm’s first season with the Cardinals has been very fruitful thus far.

19. LSU Tigers

Alas, the LSU Tigers are back after a 49-39 win over Missouri. This is the worst defense of any team in the top 25 with a success rate allowed over 46%. That being said, a fantastic offense with Heisman candidate Jayden Daniels carries their weight on here.

21. UCLA Bruins

A major win for UCLA over Washington State in a game many people scoffed at their chances of winning. The Bruins ran 97 plays and completely bludgeoned Washington State’s defense into submission while simultaneously slowing down Cam Ward and their high-flying offense. The depth of the PAC-12 on full display once again.

24. Duke Blue Devils

Duke fell out of the top 25 for a week, solely due to a home loss with other teams behind them winning strong games. Now, the Blue Devils benefit from a bye week while a lot of those same teams lost in week six, and they return to the fold. The health of quarterback Riley Leonard is paramount to Duke’s hopes of not just staying ranked but also not losing their next three games. They’ll host an NC State team that may have found something since benching Brennan Armstrong before hitting the road to face Florida State and Louisville. A rough road ahead is laid out for Mike Elko and co.

Team of the Week

#6 Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma went into the Red River Rivalry as four point dogs with a 49-0 itch to scratch. Dillon Gabriel was finally going to get a shot at Texas after having to miss last year’s game, and he outplayed Quinn Ewers in this game, leading the Sooners to a 34-30 victory. OU has done a full turnaround in year two under Brent Venables, and I think it’s safe to say this program will be just fine adjusting to life in the SEC moving forward.