Week 6 of the college football season was framed as a lackluster slate. Instead, the midday slate took a blowtorch to expectations. Projected College Football Playoff teams No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Texas lost stunners against unranked opponents to shake up the picture.
The Nittany Lions’ loss against UCLA was one of the most surprising losses of the season as 24-point favorites against a winless squad. No. 14 Iowa State similarly dropped a big game against Cincinnati that could have long-ranging implications for both programs.
In the evening slate, there are still big-time battles remaining. No. 3 Miami travels to No. 18 Florida State in a heavyweight showdown. Ohio State tries to hold off an upset bid by Minnesota, and Texas Tech’s elite trenches get tested by Houston.
Here are the biggest winners and losers of college football’s Week 6 heading into the primetime slate.
Texas, Penn State CFP paths narrow after Florida, UCLA upsets: SEC, Big Ten chaos arrives to postseason race
Brad Crawford
Winner: UCLA
Heading into the weekend, UCLA was perhaps at the greatest risk of going winless in 2025. After losing to New Mexico, UNLV and Northwestern, the Bruins were positioned as heavy underdogs — including 24-point ‘dogs against No. 7 Penn State on Saturday. What happened at the Rose Bowl on CBS was truly remarkable.
After an inconsistent start to the year, UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava delivered 166 yards passing, 128 yards rushing and five total touchdowns to shock Penn State 42-37. The win was the first win by a team 0-4 or worse against an AP top 10 team since UTEP beat No. 7 BYU in 1985. Newly-promoted offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel was carried off the field by players after the win.
The win was an incredible moment for a program that has scraped some of the lowest moments of the 2025 season.
Loser: Penn State
I try to not use teams from the same game in this column, but it’s impossible to overlook what a disaster the loss is for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were already reeling after losing in double-overtime to Oregon at home, but losing against Penn State essentially serves as a closed door on their season.
In so many ways, Penn State positioned itself as the successor to reigning champions Ohio State and Michigan. The Nittany Lions retained NFL talents. They had easy nonconference schedules. They gave themselves the opportunity to grow. It was supposed to culminate with a trip to the College Football Playoff and chance to win a national championship.
Instead, five games into the season, the most important roster in Penn State’s 21st Century is lacking. The Nittany Lions still have to play No. 1 Ohio State and No. 8 Indiana, games they will probably lose. This will go down as one of the biggest “what if” rosters in program history. With Franklin, that question will come up for years to come.
Winner: Cincinnati
The Bearcats have been one of the worst teams in one-score games over the past two years. In a stunning upset of No. 14 Iowa State, Cincinnati closed strong. The Bearcats scored a late fourth quarter touchdown to pull ahead in a 38-30 victory behind more than 250 yards rushing.
Cincinnati invested heavily into the trenches over the offseason and has seen major gains, especially behind the left side of the offensive line. However, second-year quarterback Brendan Sorsby also just appears to have taken a star turn, dicing up defenses with both his arm and legs.
Suddenly, Cincinnati has a case as the breakout team of the 2025 season in the Big 12. And one year after Arizona State went from picked last to Big 12 champs, the Bearcats have a real pathway to replicating the feat.
Loser: Texas
The Longhorns started the season No. 1 for the first time in program history in 2025. After a disappointing 29-21 loss against Florida (that wasn’t as competitive as the final score), No. 9 Texas is now 0-2 against power conference opponents.
The Gators were only 1-3 coming into the game, but physically owned the Longhorns on both lines of scrimmage. Quarterback DJ Lagway had the best game of his career against a power conference opponent.
Texas is showing cracks in nearly every aspect of the game, but the struggles in the trenches are a major warning sign heading into the heart of SEC play. With Florida’s ability to bully them, games against No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 12 Georgia and No. 6 Texas A&M suddenly look insurmountable. Texas likely has to win out to make the College Football Playoff. With what we’ve seen, that’s highly unlikely.
BYU has protected its true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier through the start of its season. In a 38-24 win against West Virginia, Bachmeier finally got to open the clip. The Murrieta, California, native threw for 351 yards and a touchdown, and added 43 yards with a score on the ground. Receivers Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston both posted 100 yards in the win. If Bachmeier is an above-average Big 12 quarterback, the Cougars join Texas Tech among the favorites to win the league.
Every week, there seems to be new — and stunning — lows at North Carolina. The most recent on Saturday was a 38-10 loss at home to Clemson, the first time the Tigers scored more than 27 points in any game (including Troy). Clemson had 28 points after the first quarter and coasted to victory.
The loss was Belichick’s third straight by 25 points against power conference opponents. That’s more 25-point losses than North Carolina has had over the last seven seasons prior to Belichick’s arrival. Things only seem to be getting worse for this program as the roster looks both wildly undermanned and totally outcoached in every game.
The Owls made a shrewd hire after poaching legendary FCS coach K.C. Keeler from recent FBS transitioner Sam Houston. In his American debut, Keeler’s squad showed in a come-from-behind 27-21 victory against UTSA to make a statement in the conference. Quarterback Evan Simon threw for 181 yards and touchdowns and the defense held UTSA star Robert Henry Jr. to only 42 yards to pull away late. When these teams played last year, Temple lost by 24 points. Keeler is already showing dividends.
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