The College Football Playoff picture is set up for a major shakeup in Week 6, with the SEC hierarchy, Red River, and a few other pressure points all lined up for a revealing Saturday.
A lot of the attention is landing on Tuscaloosa, where Alabama faces a Georgia team that could help sort out the top end of the conference. The Crimson Tide are in one of those spots where Kalen DeBoer usually does his best work, but the combination of potential weather at Bryant-Denny Stadium and Georgia waiting next means Alabama will need a top-tier performance just to stay unbeaten by Sunday.
There’s also a big test for Boise State, and it comes in a league that doesn’t look like a free pass this season. The Broncos head into a tricky Saturday night matchup with Fresno State, a team that is fully capable of handing them another loss.
Further east, Brigham Young has already taken care of Iowa State on Friday night and can now turn its full attention to a highly anticipated date with Notre Dame. Injuries remain a major issue for Kalani Sitake’s team, especially with the offense looking disconnected without tailback LJ Martin. Miami is dealing with its own injury-related concerns as it heads into an off week, hoping to get a few players back in the lineup before next Saturday.
Elsewhere, some of the weekend’s road favorites are walking into uncomfortable spots. LSU’s trip to Kentucky is not the kind of game that should be taken for granted, and it will take a high-end effort from Lane Kiffin’s team to get out with a win against a scrappy Wildcats group. Indiana, meanwhile, is facing a difficult road assignment of its own, though the Hoosiers at least bring a Top 25 ranking into a Nebraska matchup that has historically been hard for the Cornhuskers to overcome over the past decade.
Ole Miss is finally back on the field after what feels like an eternity following its first loss of the season, and Vanderbilt gives the Rebels a chance to reset on Saturday afternoon. Florida also gets a home game that should be more interesting than it looks on paper, with South Carolina coming in and Gamecocks pass rusher Dylan Stewart returning.
Ohio State has its own matchup that could turn into a mismatch in a hurry. Maryland is well aware that Jeremiah Smith cannot be handled by one defender alone, so the question becomes how many defensive backs the Terps are willing to throw at him in a matinee at the Horseshoe. Even then, it may not matter much, because the Buckeyes have a chance to name their score.
Notre Dame should also have an opportunity to iron out some issues before its next major test. Stanford once had the kind of profile that made an upset in South Bend feel possible, but that’s probably not the case this season as the Cardinal work through a rebuilding effort. The Irish get a chance to clean up both sides of the ball before heading to BYU for what looks like their first real test of the season.
And then there’s the Red River Rivalry, where anything can happen. Texas needs to be sharp against an Oklahoma team that badly wants to spring the upset at the Cotton Bowl and get its season moving in the right direction.
The big question in the SEC may be which team emerges as the one to beat, even if it isn’t the highest-ranked one. Saturday night’s Alabama-Georgia game should go a long way toward answering that.
In Other News...
Texas Let A 2-0 Lead Slip Away In Brutal Road Loss
Texas built what looked like a winning cushion early at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before halftime and appearing to have control of the match on the road. The Longhorns got key contributions from Elise Ernest, Rayna Powers, Amalia Villarreal, Ava McDonald and Audrey Bryant, and for a while it looked like the night would extend their recent run and reinforce the progress that had carried them into the contest.
Instead, Kentucky flipped the script after the break and turned the game into a gut-punch finish for Texas. The Wildcats scored three times in the second half, and Kyla Dawn delivered the winner in the 90th minute, sending No. 25/18 Texas to a 3-2 defeat that snapped its four-match unbeaten streak and left the Longhorns with plenty to sort through after a road lead vanished so quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Volleyball May Have Found Its SEC Identity In Arkansas Rally
Texas volleyball spent a good chunk of Friday night in a familiar place, chasing the match before finally taking control in Fayetteville. No. 9 Texas dropped the opening set to Arkansas, then had to survive a long second-set battle before finding its rhythm in a four-set win that pushed the Longhorns to 8-5 overall and 4-1 in SEC play. Torrey Stafford did the heavy lifting on offense with a season-high 29 kills, while the victory also came with a defensive exclamation point from Ramsey Gary.
Gary finished with 33 digs, setting a Texas rally-scoring era record and giving the Longhorns the kind of back-line steadiness that can travel in conference play. For a team still trying to define itself in a new league, the rally against Arkansas offered a useful glimpse of what Texas wants to be: stubborn, balanced and capable of turning a tense night into a decisive finish once the match starts to bend its way. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Opens Red River With Early Drama Beyond The Score
The Red River Rivalry brought its usual edge at the Cotton Bowl, and Texas wasted little time making an early statement. Arch Manning connected with Cam Coleman for a first-quarter touchdown, giving the Longhorns a quick spark in a game that already felt charged before either side settled in.
Even before the scoring play, the opening quarter carried plenty for Texas fans to track beyond the scoreboard, from the pregame warmups to the injury situation that shaped the tone of the afternoon. With key plays coming fast and both teams absorbing the atmosphere of one of college footballs most watched rivalries, the Longhorns had plenty of drama to navigate right away. [Read more 🡒]