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Week 6 provided us with the most significant shakeup to the Top 25 so far this season. With multiple upsets that knocked teams out of the rankings entirely, and dominant victories for top teams, we now have a clearer understanding of who’s a real title threat.

Each week, our fantastic college football staff at A to Z Sports drops its own top 25 ranking to combat the inconsistent polls from other sources. Let’s dig into four teams that stood out the most in the ranking.

#2 Miami

“Miami has the eye test and the resume of the top team in the country. The Hurricanes have controlled every game they’ve been in and boast wins over Notre Dame, USF, Florida, and Florida State. No one else has a resume that comes close to what the Canes have pulled off over the season’s first six weeks.” —Craig Smith

Smith’s analysis here is succinct, which should be the case for any breakdown of Miami. The way the Hurricanes have won through their challenging stretch of the schedule has been efficient and consistent. I’ll continue to push the narrative that this Miami team is the most balanced in college football, as they’ve flashed an ability to win on the ground and through the air. The victory over Florida State showed what Carson Beck and Malachi Toney can do if the run game isn’t dominating like usual. Personally, I have Miami at #1, but I won’t argue with a placement at #2 due to the talent of Ohio State.

#7 Alabama

“I was torn on where to rank Alabama–fourth, fifth or sixth. I ended up landing at sixth overall this week in a virtual tie with Oklahoma and Texas A&M just outside the top three teams in the country, but couldn’t believe the AP Poll is still punishing them for the Week 1 loss to Florida State. The Crimson Tide are a completely different team now thanks to the emergence and development of quarterback Ty Simpson, and their defensive havoc creation on almost every play. Convincing wins over Vanderbilt and Wisconsin? Defeating Georgia in their house, snapping a 30+ home game win streak for the Bulldogs? And the the AP Poll barely has them as a top ten team? Get out of here with that.” —Travis May

The fact that the AP ranking does not have Alabama as a top 10 team is precisely why you should pay closer attention to the A to Z ranking. While our staff ranked the Crimson Tide at #7, I could even argue that this program should be among the top four. Their recent string of dominance is notable. More importantly, the way they’re airing out teams with Ty Simpson’s Heisman-worthy season keeps them in every football game. We’ll find out this Saturday if my projection is correct, as Missouri will challenge them on the road.

#22 Texas

“What to do with teams like Texas and Penn State was the hardest decision I had to personally make with my rankings this week. Both teams had embarrassing outings and suffered downright terrible losses for their resume. Texas ended up losing to a Florida team that had lost three straight ahead of this matchup and was playing a very uninspiring brand of football. Texas fell out of the top 25 altogether in the newest AP poll and I honestly wish I could have done that because they deserved some level of punishment. The problem is if I’m ranking who I believe to be the top 25 teams in the country, then the fact that Texas made Ohio State sweat more than anyone this year has to matter.” —Destin Adams

Like Adams, I’m incredibly torn on what to do with the disappointing teams from Week 6 that lost inexplicably. Texas is the more redeemable loss because they lost in the Swamp to a talented Florida roster. However, I’d argue against Texas being ranked in the Top 25 and advocate for Florida to take their place. If LSU beats South Carolina and USF beats North Texas this weekend, Florida’s resume looks stronger than many realize. They’ll need to prove their worth against Texas A&M, but Billy Napier could spark another turnaround when everyone least expects it.

To address Texas, there’s nothing they’ve done to justify them being ranked this year. While their roster boasts the talent of a Top 10 team, they have no Power Four wins to date. And if they lose to Oklahoma this weekend, they’ll be entirely out of contention for the College Football Playoff. The quality of the roster doesn’t match on-field performance, and the Longhorns should be docked for it.

#23 Penn State

“Penn State has now lost two straight games after being the No. 2 team to start the season. The Nittany Lions entered the season with a stacked roster and they sure didn’t look as if they had one in the embarrassing loss to UCLA. Drew Allar hasn’t progressed for Penn State as they’d like and James Franklin still can’t win big games. However, I still believe the Nittany Lions are a top-20 team and will only lose one more game in the regular season–and that’s on Nov. 1 against Ohio State.” —Brandon Little

Alright, this has to be the most impossible team to address. Everything Little said here is accurate. The roster is wildly talented, but like Texas, they’re not playing up to their potential. The loss to UCLA was an aberration because the team was clearly distracted. However, as we look ahead, this squad lacks the mental fortitude to withstand the challenges of Indiana and Ohio State. Additionally, like Texas, this team doesn’t have a win against a Power 4 team and should be reprimanded for it. Until they start winning Big Ten games, we should keep them out of the ranking.

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