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Red River delivered. And Ohio State took care of Maryland, but questions remain. Check back all day for updates from our writers around the country on Week 6’s biggest stories. Here’s the full Top 25 schedule (all times Eastern):
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 20 Kentucky, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 Michigan at Minnesota, 7:30 p.m., NBC
No. 12 Oklahoma 34, No. 3 Texas 30
No. 4 Ohio State 37, Maryland 17
No. 5 Florida State 39, Virginia Tech 17
No. 10 Notre Dame at No. 25 Louisville, 7:30 p.m., ABC
No. 11 Alabama 26, Texas A&M 20
UCLA 25, No. 13 Washington State 17
No. 14 North Carolina 40, Syracuse 7
No. 16 Ole Miss vs. Arkansas, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
No. 17 Miami vs. Georgia Tech, 8 p.m., ACC Network
No. 23 LSU 49, No. 21 Missouri 39
No. 24 Fresno State at Wyoming, 8 p.m., Fox
Oh, Jimbo
Texas A&M was up 17-10 on No. 11 Alabama at halftime, the Grim Reaper dangling his narrative scythe over Nick Saban and the 2023 Crimson Tide. The game had all the makings of an upset at Kyle Field, Jimbo Fisher silencing the hot-seat and buyout chatter for another week as A&M took sole possession of first place in the SEC West. Instead, the Aggies went searching for rakes to step on, spoiling a prime opportunity to send Alabama’s season spiraling. A blocked field goal and a safety on consecutive possessions helped trump a mistake-riddled Bama team that lost the turnover battle, had 99 penalty yards and was sacked six times.
Fisher made his share of contributions to the cause. There was the punt on fourth-and-1 in Alabama territory with the game tied at 17. (The punt went for a touchback, and Alabama scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive.) Then there was some nauseating clock management late in the game, including burning a timeout with just over two minutes left to set up a field goal from the 2-yard line while down by nine, after letting precious seconds run off during an unhurried trip to the red zone. It’s tough to argue Texas A&M should have won that game, but that’s because it did just about everything it could to make certain it didn’t deserve to.
The result is yet another underachieving Aggies team that sits at 4-2 and a head coach in Fisher who can’t seem to avoid being the lead character in all of it. Generally, there’s little shame in a six-point loss to Saban, even at home. But Texas A&M managed to manufacture some on Saturday against the most fallible Alabama team in some time, ensuring those all-too-familiar doubts and disappointments in College Station aren’t going anywhere. — Justin Williams
Dillon Gabriel had to wait a year, and Brent Venables put his football team through a lot of change.
Oklahoma surely thinks it’s worth it now. Gabriel was phenomenal with his feet all day, and his final drive — 75 yards in 1:02 — was masterful. On this day, he outdid a resilient Quinn Ewers for a huge win. Texas will surely think about how it handled that final possession, especially third down — leaving that much time for a hot QB.
Ewers’ start was a mess, and that’s notable as it featured some bad habits he’s shown in the past. However, he’s young, and this was the Red River game — things get charged up. His first two interceptions were the result of a rushed process — throwing the ball without fully surveying or without setting his feet properly. However, once he settled down, he displayed more of what we’ve seen this season.
This was an up-and-down battle for Ewers. Hardly the best he’s played. However, QBs who stay in the fight until the end last the longest. He didn’t wilt or fall apart, instead Ewers calmed down and made plays when needed. Texas and its playmakers showed up when it mattered.
That said, Oklahoma’s defense is much improved and is more in-tune with what Venables wants. It had Ewers guessing and confused more than a few times early — which never happened last season. So many of the new additions showed up — from Peyton Bowen to the new-look defensive line keeping Texas more honest up front. The Horns had injury issues on the offensive line in this one but, to be clear, Oklahoma brought more of a fight.
Oklahoma’s offensive line showed up. There’s still growth happening there, as the broadcast was quick to point out some of the pressures allowed. But OU took the ball and moved down the field via the ground game to open the second half and take control. Gabriel was spectacular with his feet and, for the most part, kept the offense on schedule.
The goal-line stand was the improvement of this defense in a nutshell: stuffed in the middle, stuffed out wide. Venables’ best defenses at Clemson (and once upon a time in Norman) featured active defensive backs who weren’t afraid to run downhill and hit. That’s happening again at Oklahoma and after a rocky start, the future looks bright for the Sooners. — Nick Baumgardner
GO DEEPER
Vannini: Oklahoma is back — and perhaps Sooners were never truly ‘gone’
Look out for UNC at full strength
Is it time we start talking about North Carolina as a legit Playoff contender? It’s starting to feel that way after the Tar Heels demolished Syracuse on Saturday, 40-7. Quarterback Drake Maye reminded everyone why he’s a Heisman hopeful and the best NFL Draft prospect at his position not named Caleb Williams, throwing for a season-high 442 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers were aided by the return of transfer wideout Tez Walker, who dramatically had his immediate eligibility reinstated by the NCAA mid-week, hauling in six catches for 43 yards and opening things up for the rest of UNC’s receiving options.
The Tar Heels racked up their first four wins with relatively minimal drama, a nervy double-overtime escape against Appalachian State notwithstanding. It felt like the Tar Heels were skating by, and maybe they are, but their story has also been the story of the ACC at large. Florida State has had a couple of close calls. Duke will be without quarterback Riley Leonard for the immediate future. In a season where everyone looks mortal, ACC and beyond, North Carolina with Maye and a rejuvenated Walker might have just enough. There are some tests ahead, starting with Miami next weekend and Duke next month, but the current conference favorite, Florida State, isn’t on the regular-season schedule. If those two do end up meeting, there’s a solid chance a trip to the Playoff will be on the line. — Williams
Is Ohio State Playoff-level good?
Ohio State’s 37-17 margin of victory over Maryland looks much better on a box score than it felt to watch. The Buckeyes outlasted Maryland on the back of blue-chip talent that the Terrapins couldn’t match, but played in a way that never established strategic identity or physical domination on offense. Without TreVeyon Henderson in uniform, Ohio State’s running backs combined for just 84 yards on 26 carries, and it wasn’t entirely the fault of the ball carriers. This offensive line has lost talent to the NFL, and the attrition shows in its struggle to move bodies up front or get to the second level of the defense to ward off LBs. Marvin Harrison Jr. had to come to the rescue for this offense, generating more than half of Ohio State’s production in the passing game with 163 yards and a score.
The real silver lining for this program was its defensive play, particularly on the back end. Safeties Josh Proctor and Lathan Ransom had a pair of interceptions, and the blanket coverage downfield helped Ohio State’s defensive line affect the pocket throughout the game. Star defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau had a sack and TFL, and proved unblockable. This defense is good enough to compete, but there’s still uncertainty as to whether Ohio State is Playoff-level good. — Diante Lee
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
