College football winners, losers in Week 6: Michigan reeling, Texas A&M QB finally fulfills five-star billing

Something was in the air this week. Maybe we grew too calm after a legendary win by Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama to reach No. 1. Maybe it was just the Calgorithm meme-ing its way to relevance on social media. On paper, Week 6 looked like a bland one, but college football always seems to find a way. 

Ultimately, five of the top 11 teams in the AP Top 25 fell. Four of them lost against unranked opponents, with Missouri dropping against No. 25 Texas A&M, which barely made the poll. Four teams in the AP Top 12 have not fallen on the same day since 2021, making this another special day in the sport. Miami capped things off with a 25-point comeback to shock California, the biggest comeback in an FBS contest this season. 

Suddenly conference championships and playoff races are wide open. The search for a perfect team this season may be coming to a close. Instead, the year of chaos is just beginning. Here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 6. 

Plenty of people deserve credit in a 40-35 win over the No. 1 Tide, but Pavia’s story is truly insane. The Albuquerque native only came to New Mexico State after a year at military school. He led NMSU to its first 10-win season since 1960. Then, he transferred to Vanderbilt and helped the Commodores win their first ever game against a No. 1 opponent, throwing for 252 yards and rushing for 56 yards. Pavia is a gamer who now takes his rightful place as the folk hero of the 2024 season. 

Loser: Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer

Welcome to the hot seat, Kalen DeBoer. Well, not for his job, but the honeymoon is officially over after No. 1 Alabama lost to Vanderbilt for the first time since 1984. The Commodores cleared 40 points against the Tide for the first time since 1906 and beat a No. 1 team for the first time in program history. Needless to say, Alabama hasn’t suffered a loss quite like this since Nick Saban’s first year at the helm. 

These are the real moments where DeBoer’s entrance to the Southeastern Conference will be tested. The pressure at Alabama is a different animal than Washington, or Fresno State, or Sioux Falls. Beating then-No. 2 Georgia is forgotten as quickly as it happened. How DeBoer and Alabama handle the next three weeks –- South Carolina, at Tennessee, Missouri –- will set the tone for DeBoer’s first year in Tuscaloosa, and maybe more. 

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was unafraid when he took the job, immediately challenging the best teams in the conference. Don’t look now but the Hoosiers are the first team in college football to reach bowl eligibility after starting 6-0 for the first time since 1967. Perhaps crazier, Indiana has been dominant, winning all of its games by at least two touchdowns. In a 41-24 road win against Northwestern, Kurtis Rourke diced up the Wildcats to the tune of 380 yards and three touchdowns. Cignetti should be on every national coach of the year award list, regardless of what happens in the final six games. 

Winner: SMU

The Mustangs were written off after falling to BYU, but SMU has found new life with new quarterback Kevin Jennings. The Dallas native completed his first 13 passes and cleared 100 yards rushing in the first half as SMU shocked No. 22 Louisville to move to 5-1 and start ACC play with a 2-0 record. 

The Mustangs bet heavily on themselves during their move to the ACC, accepting zero television payout and transitioning up to the power conferences after nearly 30 years. Since Jennings took over, SMU has looked the part of a serious ACC contender with wins over TCU, Florida State and Louisville. A Nov. 2 home date against Pittsburgh suddenly looks like a game with major ACC title implications. After watching the ex-AAC converts struggle in the Big 12 last season, SMU’s start deserves serious credit as a power conference newcomer. 

Loser: Tennessee’s offense

The Volunteers scored only 25 points against Oklahoma, but Josh Heupel told quarterback Nico Iamaleava that he let up the gas. After only scoring two touchdowns in an astonishing 19-14 loss against Arkansas, there may be a few more issues at play. Tennessee mustered only 332 yards and 16 first downs, a far cry from the elite-level offense that was promised. Iamaleava had 158 yards and completed fewer than 60% of his passes in the loss. 

In three games against power conference competition, Iamaleava has yet to clear 211 yards passing. In two SEC games, he has only one touchdown pass. Quietly, Tennessee has become a team that runs the ball well and defends hard, but simply does not have much consistency in the passing game. There’s little chance that the Vols can compete for a national championship if the unit doesn’t get better. 

Reports of Weigman’s demise were greatly exaggerated. After missing several games with an injury, the former five-star prospect stepped in and flashed his serious talent in a 41-10 upset victory over No. 9 Missouri. Weigman completed 18 of 22 passes for 276 yards and hit 10 different receivers in the win. Three different players had at least 55 yards and a 40-yard bomb to Jahdae Walker helped flip the game on its head in the second quarter. If Weigman is starting to find his form and a manageable schedule, the Aggies are a serious factor in the SEC title race. 

The Wolverines have played with fire in nearly every win this season, but a double-digit loss to Washington wasn’t in anyone’s plans. The Michigan passing offense was bad enough that the Wolverines inserted seventh-year quarterback Jack Tuttle. Washington outgained them by nearly 150 yards and quietly diced up the UM secondary to the tune of 315 yards and two touchdowns. 

After a loss in the national title game rematch, Michigan’s path forward looks much scarier. A road trip to Illinois next week won’t be fun, and games against Oregon and Ohio State were always potential losses. Getting into the top 10 and CFP conversation always felt a little tenuous, but losing to the rebuilding Huskies sets the floor far lower. 

Jeanty could land on this list every week, but his 186-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 62-30 win over Utah State was hilariously good. Jeanty came into the game with -2000 prop bet to score a touchdown in the game and delivered on his first play with a breakaway of more than 60 yards. He has astonishingly already cleared 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns in only five games. More importantly, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe did himself no favors in the Heisman conversation. Jeanty’s path to New York should be all but assured at this point. 

Winner: ULM

Louisiana-Monroe is one of the toughest jobs in the FBS, but Bryant Vincent has pulled off one of the most miraculous turnarounds of the season. The Warhawks have already doubled their win total from last season after starting 4-1. The Warhawks forced two turnovers in a shocking 21-19 win over Sun Belt favorite James Madison. ULM has not reached bowl eligibility since 2018, but Vincent has the postseason well within reach.