CFB Week 6 Takeaways: Miami Survives Wild, Upset-Filled Saturday

David Kenyon Featured Columnist IV

CFB Week 6 Takeaways: Miami Survives Wild, Upset-Filled Saturday

Ric Tapia/ There is no question we just watched the most stunning week of the 2024 college football season.
Down the road, there may be a more dramatic week. This coming Saturday, for that matter, is loaded with marquee games that have a substantial impact on the conference and College Football Playoff races.
Week 6, however, was absolutely bonkers.
Amid the carnage—highlighted by No. 1 Alabama losing at Vanderbilt—one team managed to escape. In the final game of the weekend, Miami climbed out of a gargantuan hole at Cal to avoid being the sixth team ranked in the top 11 of the latest AP poll to suffer a loss.
What a Saturday. Let's get to it.

Absolute Chaos!

Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via In the following sections, I'll take a deeper look at several of these results. You would expect as much, I'd think.
But, my word, that was an incredible day.
If you have an allegiance, perhaps it wasn't the greatest weekend of your life. I understand. However, top-ranked Alabama left unhappy at Vandy, as did No. 4 Tennessee against Arkansas, No. 9 Missouri at Texas A&M, No. 10 Michigan in Washington and No. 11 USC opposite Minnesota. For good measure, No. 22 Louisville also lost.
The mayhem included a truly unbelievable nightcap at Cal, where eighth-ranked Miami overcame a 25-point deficit to stay unbeaten.
You want analysis. It's right on deck.
That weekend, however, is exactly why we love college football. It is equal parts thrilling and nonsensical, exasperating and exhilarating.
And it was on full display in Week 6.

Oregon Isn't Quite Clicking

Tom Hauck/ That headline is admittedly vague. How would you describe "clicking" for a college football team? I hear you.
Oregon has played five games, though, and is still missing from a talent-filled offense.
Dillon Gabriel has superb efficiency stats, leading the nation with a 77.8 completion percentage and a solid 8.7 yards per pass attempt. He's thrown for 289.8 yards per game, and the Ducks are 5-0. On paper, that looks like a high-quality start to the campaign.
However, the offense has a modest 66.7 red-zone touchdown rate—and committed two turnovers inside the 20 on Friday. The running game has flashed but lacked consistency. Oregon just hasn't played up to its potential.
The good news? All of the discomfort won't matter if the Ducks take down Ohio State next weekend.
The bad news? Those concerns are a significant part of why Oregon has opened as a 4.5-point underdog at home.

Pitt, SMU Lurking in ACC

Grant Halverson/ I highlighted Clemson as a hard-charging team last week, and we absolutely must talk about Miami in this round of takeaways.
Keeping the wider picture in focus is vital, though.
Because of Miami's miraculous comeback, just a handful of the league's 17 programs remain unbeaten in conference play.
Clemson is another one, along with Virginia—although the expectation is UVA won't navigate a tricky schedule. Pitt and SMU, meanwhile, have played their way onto the fringe of the national radar.
Pitt and SMU, respectively, hold 5-0 and 5-1 records this season. Pitt opened ACC action with a victory at North Carolina over the weekend. SMU, which just settled its quarterback situation, went on the road and picked up a valuable win at Louisville.
SMU's lone ranked opponent left on the slate is Pitt, and Clemson is the only other Top 25 team on Pitt's docket.
Miami and Clemson have some company.

Missouri Hype Is Crumbling

Tim Warner/ I will unashamedly say that Missouri sat on my radar to crash the College Football Playoff party. The schedule looked very appealing since the Tigers didn't play most of the SEC's highest-ranked teams.
If they could topple one of Texas A&M, Alabama or Oklahoma avoid any bad loss, the Tigers would be in business.
Well, the first of those matchups ended rather poorly.
The problem isn't simply that Mizzou lost. No, the issue is that Texas A&M annihilated the Tigers 41-10. Brady Cook mustered just 6.0 yards per throw, and the rushing attack trudged to 3.9 yards per carry even removing the six sacks allowed in the blowout loss.
Missouri still has that Playoff path. But if version of the Tigers shows up again, the road will narrow quickly.

Top Heisman QBs Stumble

Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire via Rarely does a non-quarterback win the Heisman Trophy. In the last 20 seasons, only three running backs and one wide receiver have hoisted the sport's most prestigious award.
The tides are turning in that direction—not in the least because the Crimson Tide's signal-caller had a bad weekend.
Jalen Milroe committed two turnovers in Alabama's shocking loss to Vanderbilt. Later in the day, Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava managed just 158 passing yards in the upset at Arkansas. USC's Miller Moss tossed a couple of picks in the setback at Minnesota, and even Gabriel had those two red-zone interceptions in Oregon's win over Michigan State.
They're still contenders. They're definitely not front-runners.
Instead, the single quarterback with that label is Miami's Cam Ward—and it took a heroic effort to keep it. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter are otherwise the leading Heisman candidates.
Since the regular season is only nearing the midway point, be careful about jumping to conclusions. The race is far from finished, but there's a clear hierarchy developing with QBs not in their typical spot.

Miami Escapes, Part II

Eakin Howard/ Oh, you thought a controversially overturned Hail Mary against Virginia Tech was drama? Miami had more in store on Saturday.
After taking an early lead on Cal, the Hurricanes began a horrible 30-minute stretch. The defense gave up explosive passes of 57, 51 and 66 yards that either set up or went for a touchdown. Meanwhile, the offense stalled as quarterback Cam Ward kept big-play hunting rather than taking the underneath throws that Cal's defense was giving up.
The worst moment happened on Miami's opening drive of the second half. The defense forced a quick three-and-out, and Ward heaved a mind-numbing interception—a lofted ball, late, across the middle—that Cal returned for a touchdown and took a 28-10 lead.
Soon enough, the lead ballooned to 35-10 after yet another long reception of 56 yards. It could not possibly be Miami's night.
Ward ultimately led four touchdown drives in the last 20 minutes, including three in the fourth quarter. He found a wide-open Xavier Restrepo for a clutch 77-yard gain, converted a 3rd-and-20 and connected with Elijah Arroyo at the goal line to save the Hurricanes' unbeaten year.

Chaos Sets Up Huge Saturday

David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Are you ready for a different kind of chaos?
Upsets can happen any week, so that potential always looms. This recent weekend, though, only one of the games featured a pair of ranked teams. Week 7, on the other hand, is loaded with marquee matchups.
The first SEC edition of the Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas will be played. Also in the mid-afternoon, undefeated Penn State travels to USC. The prime-time spotlight will be shared as unbeaten Big Ten front-runners Ohio State and Oregon clash out West and Ole Miss goes to LSU.
To wrap up the evening, Kansas State plays at Colorado for an important Big 12 showdown of one-loss teams.
Week 7 will be hugely impactful in shaping how the 2024 season ends. And if Week 6 was an appetizer, I can hardly wait to watch the madness expected to surge over the horizon.

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