Top 25 College Football Rankings: Mike's Week 6 Standings

October 6, 2026

Mike's top 25 college football teams for Week 6 of the 2026 college football season. His complete top 25 rankings, including Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and more.

We are getting to the point where teams are starting to beat each other up. Road wins will mean a little more. Some are unhappy with Mississippi State's place in the AP Poll.

The Bulldogs have wins over a Minnesota team that just beat Washington and Michigan, and South Carolina. Those still have to count, regardless of what Alabama did to them. We have only played five games. A "good loss" does still exist. Ohio State and Mississippi State have good losses.

The controversy of Week 1 no longer matters, but we already have more controversy. The field goal in Blacksburg, for instance. Unfortunately, college rules differ from the NFL rules on field goal kicks. In college, the ball has to go between the uprights. One that goes over the upright is, by rule, not good. We have some shakeups in the rankings this week. Are you really surprised?

25. Northwestern (3-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 34-13 vs. Penn State

COLLEGE FOOTBALL, WELCOME TO RYAN FIELD https://t.co/tZqZ1HrMKB

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) October 3, 2026

There is no part of me that bought into Penn State being good after the first couple of weeks. That's why I didn't have them ranked when they finally fell.

Northwestern has manhandled Penn State and Colorado, beaten one of the best FCS teams in South Dakota State, and pushed defending champion Indiana in a tough road game. This team is going to surprise some people when the schedule gets tougher in a few weeks.

24. Wisconsin (4-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 31-3 vs. Michigan State

Wisconsin lost to Notre Dame, and even though the score was lopsided, I wouldn't say they were embarrassed. This team won in Happy Valley and dominated Michigan State. Colton Joseph has made a huge difference to this offense. He's a great quarterback for a power run game.

Wisconsin told Luke Fickell to get back to "Wisconsin football," and he adjusted the offense to appease the people signing his paycheck. So far, it has paid off, and he may just keep his job.

23. Nebraska (5-0)

Previous ranking: 23 ⇔

Result: W 48-23 vs. Maryland

Nebraska is 5-0 for the first time since 2016, but it still feels like this team hasn't really been tested. Anthony Colandrea has added another dimension to this offense, and the defense looked markedly better than last year. If this team hangs with Indiana, maybe we can start to believe.

22. Utah (4-0)

Previous ranking: 22 ⇔

Result: BYE

We may have to evaluate the win over Iowa State since the Cyclones lost at home again, but the Idaho team that Utah blasted in Week 1 just beat reigning FCS champion Montana State.

21. Georgia (5-0)

Previous ranking: 20 (⇓1)

Result: W 38-14 vs. Vanderbilt

Georgia's only road game was against the worst team in the SEC, and they beat two other teams at the bottom of the SEC in Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. When it comes down to it, I see why many think Alabama can beat Georgia again.

At least Alabama is tested. In Georgia's defense, it does say something that they are handling teams they are supposed to handle.

20. Arizona (4-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 34-7 vs. Cincinnati

The Wildcats manhandled an undefeated Cincinnati team at home last week. The loss to BYU was both respectable and expected. This Arizona offense is different with Giovanni Richardson in it.

Tre Spivey gained some much-needed confidence while Richardson was sidelined. The Arizona offense could be even better down the stretch if Richardson can stay healthy. He left the Cincinnati game with a hamstring injury.

19. Boise State (4-1)

Previous ranking: 17 (⇓2)

Result: W 37-18 vs. Utah State

Boise played Oregon tough and beat a couple of the main contenders for the fifth automatic qualifying spot in the CFP: Memphis and Western Michigan. The weakness of the schedule down the stretch is going to hurt, but it feels like this is Boise's slot to lose.

18. UCLA (4-0)

Previous ranking: 14 (⇓4)

Result: BYE

The win over Cal takes a hit, and there are mitigating circumstances for San Diego State's fall. We're going to learn a lot about UCLA this weekend in Eugene.

17. BYU (4-0)

Previous ranking: 18 (⇑1)

Result: W 17-10 at TCU

BYU can sometimes be hard to evaluate because they're not an explosive or flashy team. They're very methodical, and most of their wins reflect that. The win over Arizona is looking more impressive, but it was also at home.

16. Indiana (5-0)

Previous ranking: 19 (⇑3)

Result: W 47-15 at Rutgers

We're not learning any more about Indiana, but we are learning something about their opponents. North Texas is one of the best teams in the American Athletic Conference once again, despite losing their coaches and most of the team.

Northwestern is a really solid team. The game in Lincoln this weekend will tell us more about the Hoosiers. It's a hostile road environment against an undefeated team.

15. Notre Dame (5-0)

Previous ranking: 16 (⇑1)

Result: W 37-26 at North Carolina

It's a road win against a power conference team, but what helped the Irish more this week is how good Wisconsin has looked. I said after the Week 1 game that Wisconsin didn't play a bad game. Notre Dame beat them so easily that it looked like they were.

We are now seeing evidence to the contrary. The Badgers aren't back in the upper echelon of the Big Ten just yet, but they are definitely back in the middle.

14. Iowa (4-1)

Previous ranking: 7 (⇓7)

Result: L 31-14 vs. (3) Ohio State

The problem isn't that Iowa lost to a good team. That's forgivable, even at home. The issue is that Iowa's biggest wins over Iowa State and Michigan both took a hit this weekend as well.

Michigan lost to Minnesota in Minneapolis for the first time in 49 years, and the Cyclones lost the Riot Bowl at home to West Virginia. That sinks Iowa's ranking more than a loss to a team that everyone thinks is better than them anyway.

13. Florida (4-1)

Previous ranking: 2 (⇓9)

Result: L 45-17 at Missouri

Florida's run defense is going to be a massive problem with Matt Fuller, Hollwood Smothers, and Releek Brown (not to mention Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens) coming up before the end of October. If Florida doesn't figure something out soon, Jon Sumrall's adoration by the fan base is going to dwindle quickly.

12. Missouri (4-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 45-17 vs. (2) Florida

Turned a few yards into 77

JAMAL ROBERTS IS HOUDINI https://t.co/mEIsAxdIYL

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 3, 2026

Florida's weak run defense was gouged by Jamal Roberts. Yes, Roberts is technically Missouri's backup, but he could have been starting somewhere else for at least the last two years. He's from Missouri and wanted to play for the Tigers. The injury to Ahmad Hardy has given him the chance to be featured.

It makes you wonder what a healthy Kewan Lacy would have done to Florida's defense. That's a what-if scenario, and I hate trying to base rankings on that, but how else do we do it when we have teams playing the worst of the worst of their respective conferences?

11. Mississippi State (4-1)

Previous ranking: 12 (⇑1)

Result: L 56-23 vs. (13) Alabama

That loss to Alabama looks bad, and it was. We also need to add some context. Kamario Taylor was not completely healthy and ended up leaving the game, and the Bulldogs lost star RB Fluff Bothwell on the first drive of the game. Those injuries matter to teams like Mississippi State, who aren't very deep.

I'm not taking anything away from Alabama. That defense played a complete game and forced Taylor into mistakes before he got hurt. Even with a healthy Taylor and Bothwell, Alabama wins the game. This just gives context as to why the Bulldogs are still ahead of Missouri and Florida.

10. Wake Forest (4-1)

Previous ranking: 11 (⇑1)

Result: W 57-3 vs. Stanford

We're measuring Wake by how badly they thrashed Stanford and a relatively close 13-point loss to Miami, in which they held the Hurricanes to 33 points. Stanford lost by 39 to Miami at home, 28 at Duke, and 54 at Wake. Wake is the second-best team in the ACC right now, and it's not particularly close.

9. Texas Tech (5-0)

Previous ranking: 9 ⇔

Result: W 29-7 at Colorado

Beating Colorado isn't much of an accomplishment at this point. Northwestern beat Colorado worse than Texas Tech did, even though it was at home. Tech is coasting on the back of a win by inches over Houston at home and outlasting a surprisingly good Oregon State team in Corvallis.

8. Miami (FL) (5-0)

Previous ranking: 10 (⇑2)

Result: W 41-13 at Clemson

There is a very good chance that Clemson is not a good football team. I think it's more likely that Clemson finishes under .500 than wins seven games. This is a road conference win, and most teams don't even have that. Mega conferences are so bad for the sport...

The only thing that we know for sure is that Miami is the best team in the ACC, and most of that is based on the video game numbers that Darian Mensah is putting up. Miami now plays one more ranked team in Pitt, but that one is also at home, and Pitt will not have star quarterback Mason Heintschel in that game.

7. LSU (3-1)

Previous ranking: 8 (⇑1)

Result: W 63-14 vs. McNeese 

We're still giving LSU credit for embarrassing Clemson. Miami embarrassed Clemson too, but it was by fewer points. The Tigers didn't start the big comeback on Ole Miss until Kewan Lacy got hurt. There are still a lot of unknowns about this team, and most of it surrounds Sam Leavitt's turnovers.

6. Oregon (3-1)

Previous ranking: 7 (⇑1)

Result: BYE

Regardless of what I think about USC, that Boise State win is looking better. What does it say that Oregon lost in Stillwater but managed to win by two scores with a backup quarterback in the Coliseum? Big Ten fans won't like it. Neither will the SEC, ESPN, or Fox.

Either Dylan Raiola is better than Dante Moore (unlikely, but he did play very well) or Oklahoma State is better than USC. I'm going with option B.

5. Oklahoma State (3-1)

Previous ranking: 6 (⇑1)

Result: BYE

That loss to Tulsa is going to be one of the most baffling things of this college football season, especially since Oklahoma State could be a playoff team. The irony of the whole thing is that the North Texas team that Eric Morris left for Stillwater (and took most of the starters from the 2025 team) beat Tulsa this year.

The win over Oregon wasn't a fluke. West Virginia should have been ranked when Oklahoma State won in Morgantown, further bolstered by West Virginia's win in Ames in the Riot Bowl.

4. Mississippi (4-1)

Previous ranking: 4 ⇔

Result: BYE

Most of us underestimated just how much Kewan Lacy means to this team. Trinidad Chambliss gets most of the credit, but the Mississippi run game is what allows Chambliss to be what he is.

It puts a strain on the defense when they are on the field so much, but they didn't play great against Louisville either, even with the team at full strength.

3. Ohio State (4-1)

Previous ranking: 3 ⇔

Result: W 31-14 at (5) Iowa

Allowing two touchdowns to Iowa isn't as humiliating as it used to be. This is a big-time win for Ohio State, even with the quality loss. Ohio State is one of the few teams that will be tested nearly every week until the end of the season. The Maryland game this weekend is the easiest game left for the Buckeyes.

2. Alabama (5-0)

Previous ranking: 13 (⇑11)

Result: W 56-23 at (12) Mississippi State

Some soured on Alabama after Florida State put up 36 points on the Tide, but maybe Florida State isn't as bad as we thought. Mike Norvell isn't the coach most likely to be fired anymore, so that's something.

Alabama has played two conference road games already and dominated in both of them. Last week's win was so impressive that many think Alabama can beat the mighty Georgia this week. The Tide have certainly been tested more than Georgia.

Keelon Russell was hitting NFL THROW after NFL THROW against Mississippi State.

• 16/22 (73% completion percentage)
• 285 passing yards
• 4 total TD’s (3 passing, 1 rushing)

The Crimson Tide QB just put his name in the hat for the 2028 NFL Draft’s QB1 ?? https://t.co/VRIIZMs3Jz

— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) October 3, 2026

I've watched every Alabama game so far, and the improvement that Keelon Russell has made since the first half of the Kentucky game is incredible. His confidence is off the charts right now, as is the confidence of Alabama fans.

1. Texas (4-0)

Previous ranking: 1 ⇔

Result: BYE

Ohio State beat a solid Iowa team on the road, so they have at least certified their ranking. The Texas win over the Buckeyes is still the best win of the season for anyone.

Beating Oklahoma won't do much for the rankings, but Texas had better do it. It would be one of the more monumental upsets in Red River Shootout history if Oklahoma won this year.

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