SEATTLE — Zach McKinstry came to bat against Seattle Mariners right-hander Carlos Vargas with two outs, the score tied and the winning run on second base in Saturday’s 11th inning. A right-handed hitter, the free-swinging Javier Baez, loomed on deck, a much better matchup for Vargas than the left-handed-hitting McKinstry. The Mariners could have elected to intentionally walk him with first base open.

“We talked about it,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Obviously, Vargy gets the ball on the ground, and that’s what he does best, righty or lefty and, you know, he got the ball on the ground.”

That grounder bounced four times before finding the outfield grass at T-Mobile Park, hit just hard enough to evade a diving J.P. Crawford, plate Spencer Torkelson and send the Detroit Tigers — marked for dead with their season unraveling in epic fashion near the end of September — to a 3-2, extra-inning victory. After winning two of three in Cleveland to overcome the wild-card round, a Tigers team that has spent the last two weeks on the road has taken a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five American League Division Series.

A.J. Hinch, the fifth-year-manager, called these Tigers the “sum-of-the-parts team,” and it showed once again.

It began with Troy Melton, a rookie right-hander used mostly in relief this season, providing four quality innings. Seven relievers — including Keider Montero, a starting pitcher who was called on for a save — followed by holding the Mariners to one run in seven innings. In between, Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer and McKinstry provided the clutch single. Now, with ace Tarik Skubal lined up for Game 2, the Tigers have a chance to take a commanding lead in a series few saw them winning.

“It’s huge,” Carpenter said. “To get a win before the best pitcher in the world pitches is pretty special, and I feel like Skubal is made for these moments.”

The last time Melton took the ball, he recorded one out and was charged with four earned runs in the eighth inning of the second wild-card game on Wednesday. Hinch informed him via text on the plane ride to Seattle on Thursday night that he would start Game 1. He described the decision as a reflection of Melton’s stuff and poise, but really, with Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty already used this week, Hinch had few other options.

Melton responded with four innings of one-run ball in what amounted to his fifth major league start all year, allowing only a Julio Rodriguez solo homer.

“It was kind of normal for me,” Melton, 24, said. “My parents were here. I got dinner with them last night, breakfast with them today. It was like the same routine as when I pitched in college. That kind of made it a little bit more normal. Obviously this environment is a little bit different, and it means a little bit more than my college games did, but I tried to make it as normal as possible. Once I got out there, it was just about executing pitches.”

Mariners starter George Kirby didn’t just execute early; he dialed up his fastball, using the adrenaline of a home playoff start to throw his fastball consistently in the upper 90s early on, roughly two ticks faster than his season average. Kirby navigated some trouble but kept the Tigers scoreless through the first four innings while striking out eight.

In the fifth, he allowed a one-out single to Parker Meadows and got Gleyber Torres to ground out, bring up Meadows, the left-handed-hitting outfielder who was 4-for-10 with four home runs lifetime against him. Wilson had lefty Gabe Speier warming up in the bullpen, a move that would have prompted Hinch to pinch-hit with the right-handed-hitting Jahmai Jones. But Wilson decided to let Kirby face Carpenter a third time.

“It’s a tough one,” Wilson said, “and you do the best you can and try to take the information that you have and what you’re seeing. And we thought George continued to throw the ball pretty well there and still had pretty good stuff and a lot left in the tank.”

Kirby just missed inside with an 0-2 sinker. He then went to the sinker for a third straight time, but it traveled middle-up, about chest high, and Carpenter sent it 409 feet to give the Tigers a lead.

“I was seeing him well tonight, especially after that first at-bat,” Carpenter said. “I feel like I got my timing back a little bit. And I just wanted to make sure to get a good pitch to hit that at-bat, because they had a base open, and I didn’t know how they were going to pitch me. And so I felt like I was on time and had a good approach there.”

Rodriguez tied the game with an opposite-field single in the sixth, but the Mariners couldn’t do further damage in a half-inning that saw each of their first three hitters reach. Tyler Holton relieved a struggling Rafael Montero and recorded three quick outs. Tommy Kahnle, Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest followed by allowing one baserunner in four innings, setting up the game-winning sequence in the top of the 11th.

Spencer Torkelson drew a leadoff walk against Vargas, a lanky right-hander who can reach triple-digits. Wenceel Perez and Dillon Dingler struck out, but McKinstry turned on a first-pitch, 99.6-mph sinker near the middle of the zone and came up with a base-hit up the middle, deflating a sold-out crowd that has waited 24 years for the Mariners to win a home playoff game.

In the bottom half, Montero faced the top of the Mariners’ lineup and navigated it without much issue, allowing a two-out single to Rodriguez and then coming back to strike out Josh Naylor to record the first save of his pro career.

It was the realization of a dream.

“When I was in little league, they would use me like that,” Montero, a 25-year-old from Venezuela, said in Spanish, “and I always told my teammates in the minor leagues that my dream was to close out a game.”

Following his second touchdown of the night, Miami receiver CJ Daniels looked directly into the ESPN camera and sang the FSU war chant.

The U isn’t just back — so is its swagger.

Miami owns the state of Florida, having knocked down South Florida, Florida and Florida State, further cementing its case for the top team in the country. Penn State’s stunning loss at UCLA doesn’t help Oregon. Texas losing in The Swamp doesn’t help Ohio State.

Miami earning its first road win — against an FSU team that beat a now-surging Alabama — helped the Canes further legitimize what could be their first No. 1 ranking in the CFP era. The 13-member selection committee doesn’t release its first ranking until Nov. 4, but this is the latest projection of what the group’s top 12 would look like if it were released today.

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Ranking | Bracket

Projecting the top 12

Why they could be here: The Canes have the best combination of eye test and résumé, with wins against Notre Dame, South Florida, Florida and now Florida State. The Canes earned their first road win of the season, and they did it against their in-state rival, officially claiming the unofficial state title. Miami also entered Week 6 ranked No. 10 in the country in total efficiency and No. 4 in ESPN’s strength of record metric. The Canes are checking all of the boxes for the committee’s No. 1 team, including star power with quarterback Carson Beck and defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr.

Why they could be lower: Undefeated Ohio State won at Minnesota, but it’s hard to imagine the committee members giving the Buckeyes the nod for the top spot given Miami’s résumé — unless they truly believed Ohio State is more talented.

Need to know: That was likely Miami’s last chance to impress the selection committee against a ranked opponent. It won’t matter if the Canes continue to play like this. Miami can clinch a spot in the playoff if it wins the ACC — which it’s on track to do — but even a runner-up finish should cement a spot.

Toughest remaining game: Nov. 1 at SMU. Miami should win this game — it’s the more talented team — but it’s not an easy trip. And it will be the first time all season that Miami leaves its home state.

Why they could be here: The season-opening win against Texas is good — but not great — after Texas lost at Florida on Saturday. The Buckeyes’ place in the pecking order is less about one standout win and more about the steady consistency expected from a national title contender. They’ve won on the road against a decent Washington team that just rallied for a road win at Maryland, and at home against Texas and Minnesota. The committee doesn’t look just for wins against top-25 teams; it also values wins against opponents over .500, and Ohio State now has three Power 4 wins against such teams.

Why they could be higher: Miami hasn’t left its home state yet, and Ohio State entered this week No. 3 in the country in defensive efficiency, No. 12 in offensive efficiency and No. 3 overall — ahead of the Canes in each category.

Need to know: Saturday’s game at Illinois suddenly looks more daunting than the Nov. 1 home game against Penn State. The reality is that Ohio State should win both, but Illinois is coming off back-to-back Big Ten wins against USC and Purdue, whereas the Nittany Lions were stunned at UCLA.

Toughest remaining game: Nov. 29 at Michigan. Sound familiar? Ohio State has lost to its rival four straight times, and the Wolverines are starting to find their identity with freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. Michigan beat Wisconsin on Saturday for its third straight win since losing in Week 2 at Oklahoma.

Why they could be here: The Ducks had a bye week to recover following their double-overtime road win at Penn State, and both teams above them won. Oregon’s win against the Nittany Lions was diminished following Penn State’s loss at winless UCLA, and it was also the Ducks’ first win against an FBS opponent above .500.

Why they could be higher: Oregon has been dominant against the weaker teams and found a way to beat Penn State on the road in a hostile whiteout environment. The committee could be more impressed with Oregon’s cross-country win against two-loss PSU than Ohio State’s home win against Texas now that both have two losses. The Ducks have two road wins compared with Miami’s one.

Need to know: If Oregon doesn’t beat Indiana next week, and it finishes 11-1, it would still be in the playoff, but it might not be in the Big Ten title game. Oregon doesn’t play Ohio State or Michigan during the regular season. If Ohio State is undefeated, and Indiana and Oregon are the league’s only other one-loss teams, IU would have the head-to-head tiebreaker (Penn State would have two losses, to Oregon and Ohio State). Because of the change in seeding this year, Oregon can still earn one of the top four seeds and a first-round bye even if it doesn’t win the Big Ten. This year, the top four seeds go to the committee’s top four teams — regardless of if they are conference champs.

Toughest remaining game: Oct. 11 vs. Indiana. This might be the last ranked opponent the Ducks face during the regular season following USC’s loss to Illinois last week.

Why they could be here: The Aggies have won three straight games against strong opponents, further proving that the Sept. 13 win at Notre Dame wasn’t an anomaly. Saturday’s win was against a Mississippi State team that has looked much improved from a year ago, and the Sept. 27 home win against Auburn is still against an SEC team above .500. The nonconference road win against the Irish, though, remains one of the best in the country and will continue to separate the Aggies as long as the Irish keep winning, which they did again on Saturday against Boise State.

Why they could be lower: Ole Miss has a case to be ranked above the Aggies because of its impressive performance in the win against LSU and its overall body of work, which includes three SEC wins and a win against Tulane.

Need to know: The Aggies entered Saturday ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s strength of record metric, which means the average top 25 opponent would have just a 20.1% chance of achieving the same undefeated record against the same opponents.

Toughest remaining game: Oct. 25 at LSU. This is the middle game in three straight road trips, and although LSU’s offense has been average, its defense will be one of the best the Aggies face this season.

Why they could be here: The Rebels had a bye week but earned their first statement win on Sept. 27 against LSU. They have now won four straight games against respectable opponents, including three SEC teams (LSU, Arkansas and Kentucky). The Sept. 20 win against Tulane will also be valued by the committee, as the Green Wave remain in contention for a playoff spot if they can win the American Conference. Overall, this is one of the stronger résumés of the contenders, but Ole Miss is also passing the eye test as a complete team.

Why they could be lower: Kentucky and Arkansas are a combined 4-6, and Georgia State is 1-4 in the Sun Belt.

Need to know: The Rebels have one of the more winnable remaining SEC schedules among the contenders, with back-to-back trips to Georgia and Oklahoma their biggest looming obstacles. The undefeated Rebels also have something key to impressing the selection committee: two quarterbacks capable of starting. The play of backup quarterbacks is critical to the selection process (it kept undefeated ACC champ Florida State out of the CFP in 2023 but helped Ohio State in during the 2014 season). With Austin Simmons injured, it’s clear backup Trinidad Chambliss is more than capable of leading a team toward an SEC title run.

Toughest remaining game: Oct. 18 at Georgia. The Rebels also have an Oct. 25 trip to Oklahoma, but it’s unclear if the Sooners will have injured starting quarterback John Mateer back by then (unlikely).

Why they could be here: The Tide beat Vanderbilt and continued to show measurable improvement since a season-opening loss at Florida State. Alabama has now earned back-to-back wins against ranked opponents, including on the road against Georgia. Because Florida State lost to Miami and now has two losses, the Noles’ season-opening win against Alabama will be less of a factor in the committee meeting room. Their records are no longer comparable, which opens the door for the committee members to disregard that tiebreaker in their protocol.

Why they could be higher: Every team ranked ahead of Alabama is undefeated, so if the committee is going to push the Tide ahead of one of them, it would be because it values wins against Georgia and Vandy more than it does some of the contenders above Alabama — which is possible. But FSU losing to Miami on Saturday doesn’t help the Tide’s case. A lot of it would depend on where the committee had Georgia, Vandy and FSU ranked.

Need to know: Heading into Saturday, Alabama had the best chance of any team in the SEC to reach the conference title game (53.4%) and win it (34.5%).

Toughest remaining game: Oct. 11 at Missouri. The undefeated Tigers had a bye week to prepare, they’ll have home-field advantage, and they will be the third straight ranked opponent Alabama faces. The Tide at least get Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma at home.

Why they could be here: The undefeated Sooners beat Kent State with backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who was playing for injured starter John Mateer. Beating a 1-4 Mid-American team isn’t going to earn the Sooners any points with committee members, but the group will respect the play of OU’s backup quarterback and the fact the Sooners still left no doubt they were the better team. Oklahoma’s Week 2 win against Michigan remains one of the better nonconference wins, as the Wolverines beat Wisconsin and have won three straight.

Why they could be higher: The Sooners are undefeated, and Alabama’s loss to Florida State took another hit on Saturday night when the Noles lost to the Canes. The win against Michigan is a nonconference boost Alabama doesn’t have. This will settle itself on the field on Nov. 15 in Tuscaloosa if it doesn’t before then.

Need to know: Six of Oklahoma’s next seven opponents are ranked, and it’s still unclear if Mateer will be cleared to play in time for Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game. The committee’s protocol requires consideration of factors such as injuries to key players. As long as Mateer is out of the lineup, the committee will rank the Sooners based on if they look like a top-12 team with Hawkins in the lineup. OU has some margin for error, and it has plenty of opportunities to compensate for a loss or two.

Toughest remaining game: Take your pick. The Sooners could be facing rival Texas on Saturday without Mateer, but the best team they’ll face right now looks like Ole Miss on Oct. 25. OU will have home-field advantage, but the Rebels might be the most complete and consistent team in the SEC.

Why they could be here: The Bulldogs did what they were expected to do: They beat an unranked Kentucky team that remains winless in SEC play. The Sept. 13 overtime win at Tennessee is the highlight of Georgia’s playoff résumé so far. The close loss to Alabama on Sept. 27 will keep the Dawgs behind the Tide in the ranking because of the head-to-head result as long as the records are comparable, which they still are after Alabama beat Vanderbilt on Saturday. That same tiebreaker will keep Georgia ahead of the Vols.

Why they could be lower: The committee could have the Hoosiers ranked higher because they’re undefeated. Wins against Austin Peay and Marshall also aren’t doing anything to help Georgia’s résumé.

Need to know: ESPN’s FPI projects Georgia will win each of its remaining games. The regular-season finale against rival Georgia Tech could impact seeding because the Yellow Jackets are in position to play for the ACC championship. If Georgia gets a win against the ACC champs or runner-up, Georgia could earn the higher seed at the Jackets’ expense because of the head-to-head result. That could mean the difference between a home game and a first-round bye.

Toughest remaining game: Oct. 18 vs. Ole Miss. The Rebels, who had a bye week before hosting Washington State on Oct. 11, should be undefeated heading into Athens.

Why they could be here: The Hoosiers had a bye week before a tricky trip to Oregon, and they’re coming off back-to-back Big Ten wins against Illinois and Iowa. The jaw-dropping performance in the 63-10 beatdown of the Illini is the most impressive win on IU’s résumé, but most of the teams ranked higher have defeated a more elite opponent. The committee members would know, though, that it’s notoriously difficult to win at Iowa.

Why they could be higher: Unlike several teams listed above, Indiana hasn’t lost — and for the most part, it has looked good in the process. The committee would also note that the Hoosiers entered Saturday No. 5 in defensive efficiency and No. 17 in offensive efficiency.

Need to know: Indiana doesn’t play Ohio State or Michigan during the regular season, but it has a more difficult path to the playoff with trips to Oregon and Penn State. If the Hoosiers finish 10-2, they will be in a precarious playoff position because of their nonconference schedule (Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State).

Toughest remaining game: Oct. 11 at Oregon. The Hoosiers could earn one of the best wins in the country, and the program could reach a new level with an upset on Saturday.

Why they could be here: The undefeated Red Raiders earned a road win against previously undefeated Houston, and they also have a convincing 34-10 road win against Utah. The committee would consider that Texas Tech asserted itself against two respectable conference opponents and did it on the road. The Red Raiders also got starting quarterback Behren Morton back on Saturday from injury. Texas Tech got a boost in the ranking this week at the expense of Penn State, which fell out entirely after its road loss to UCLA.

Why they could be lower: Kent State is 1-4, Oregon State is 0-6 and Arkansas-Pine Bluff is an FCS team. The committee also tracks opponents’ opponents — and Houston doesn’t have any impressive wins. Even though the Vols have one loss, the committee could deem them the better team and give them the edge for beating Syracuse and Mississippi State.

Need to know: Heading into Week 6, Texas Tech had the best chance of reaching the Big 12 title game (52.3%) and the best chance to win it (31.5%), according to ESPN Analytics.

Toughest remaining game: Nov. 8 vs. BYU. With Friday night’s win against West Virginia, BYU remains undefeated, leaving Texas Tech and BYU as the only Big 12 teams still undefeated overall.

Why they could be here: The Vols had a bye week, but the overtime road win at Mississippi State and the season-opening win against Syracuse are keeping them in contention right now. The 45-26 win against the Orange is better than some other contenders’ nonconference wins — and the committee will know it came against a healthy starting quarterback, Steve Angeli. With Angeli out and injured, though, Syracuse has fallen to 3-3. The overtime loss to Georgia is hardly a “bad loss,” but the Vols could use some true statement wins in the second half of the season to move into a safer spot.

Why they could be higher: The committee has ranked one-loss teams ahead of undefeated teams before, and it could simply be a matter of the group believing Tennessee has a better combination of wins and talent.

Need to know: Entering Week 6, ESPN’s FPI projected the Vols will win each of their remaining games except the Oct. 18 trip to Alabama. If that were to hold true, the Vols would have a strong case to return to the playoff at 10-2 but wouldn’t be a lock. What if Notre Dame finishes 10-2? They’d both have good losses, but the Vols might win the résumé battle. Eye test will matter, too.

Toughest remaining game: Oct. 18 at Alabama. The Tide are getting better each week, but they will be coming home from a tough road trip to Mizzou. If Alabama loses that game, it will be under tremendous pressure against the Vols to avoid a third loss. If the Tide win, they will be bringing some major playoff momentum home.

Why they could be here: The committee would also probably consider undefeated Georgia Tech for this spot, but its protocol also asks it to compare common opponents without incentivizing margin of victory. Georgia Tech beat Clemson at home by three points, and LSU beat the Tigers at Clemson by a touchdown. The fact that LSU had to go on the road would give it a slight edge, but the committee would also know that Georgia Tech needed overtime to beat Wake Forest, and the ACC conceded an officiating mistake in that game that would have given the Demon Deacons a critical first down. The missed call allowed Georgia Tech to extend its drive and win in overtime.

Why they could be lower: LSU didn’t look much like a playoff team in its 24-19 loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 27. The offense struggled, and the defense gave up too many big plays. The committee could favor Georgia Tech more because it hasn’t lost and quarterback Haynes King has been one of the toughest in the country.

Need to know: If the playoff were today, LSU would get bumped out of the CFP during the seeding process to make room for the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion, which is guaranteed a spot in the field.

Toughest remaining game: Nov. 8 at Alabama. LSU is entering a season-defining stretch, with three of its next four games against ranked opponents. The Oct. 18 trip to Vandy won’t be easy, but Bama just wrote the blueprint to beat the Commodores. LSU gets Texas A&M at home.

Bracket

Based on the rankings above, the seeding would be:

First-round byes

No. 1 Miami (ACC champ)
No. 2 Ohio State (Big Ten champ)
No. 3 Oregon
No. 4 Texas A&M (SEC champ)

First-round games

On campus, Dec. 19 and 20

No. 12 Memphis (American champ) at No. 5 Ole Miss
No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama
No. 10 Texas Tech (Big 12 champ) at No. 7 Oklahoma
No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Georgia

Quarterfinal games

At the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential and Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

No. 12 Memphis/No. 5 Ole Miss winner vs. No. 4 Texas A&M
No. 11 Tennessee/No. 6 Alabama winner vs. No. 3 Oregon
No. 10 Texas Tech/No. 7 Oklahoma winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State
No. 9 Indiana/No. 8 Georgia winner vs. No. 1 Miami

It might seem hard to believe, but a quarter century ago, there was no more fearsome program in college football than Miami.

Those were strange days. Most people’s phones were tethered to a wall, the internet was strictly for arguing over “Star Trek,” and Bill Belichick was considered a wildly disappointing head coach.

Only one of those things is true today. And yet, for all that has changed over these past decades, for all the misery Miami has endured, Saturday marked an inflection point.

The Canes are back.

Let’s look at the résumé. Miami opened the season with a win over Notre Dame, and the Irish now look like a true contender again, after beating Boise State in emphatic fashion 28-7 on Saturday. Miami dominated USF, one of the Group of 6’s best teams. Miami thumped Florida, which showed signs of life in Week 6 by stunning Texas. And in Tallahassee on Saturday, Miami made a statement in dismantling Florida State 28-19.

And while Miami soared, No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Texas endured mosaics of laughter and cocktails of tears in Week 6. Oh, sorry, we’re being told that’s actually the Mad Libs description Taylor Swift used for her new album. But it’s still fitting.

Six weeks into the season, it’s probably worth taking a step back and recalibrating, reevaluating and, frankly, regretting so much of what we thought to be true before the 2025 campaign kicked off.

We’ve seen how far preseason assumptions have gotten us. Clemson, Arizona State and Illinois were all supposed to be playoff favorites, only for September to shatter that illusion.

In Week 5, we saw four top-10 teams lose — Florida State, Penn State, LSU and Georgia.

And in Week 6, the grim reaper came for the Nittany Lions (again) and the Longhorns, courtesy of two teams who had yet to win a Power 4 game.

That Florida upended Texas is a surprise, to be sure, but not like realizing the guy from “White Lotus” also played Uncle Rico in “Napoleon Dynamite.” We could, after all, have seen this coming. Billy Napier is college football’s Jason Voorhees — drown, hacked, flambéed and forced to watch all the entire DVD collection of “According to Jim,” and yet he keeps coming back. Napier cannot be felled by conventional weapons. Florida will only be able to fire him after enlisting the help of witch doctors, paranormal psychologists and Auburn boosters. Napier is like “Grey’s Anatomy,” a thing you’re shocked to learn is somehow still going each new college football season.

Napier’s latest revival came in a 29-21 win over Texas in which the Gators’ defense racked up six sacks, picked off Arch Manning twice and held the Longhorns to 52 yards on the ground. The only highlight for Texas was a late-game sack in which Manning’s helmet popped off, and his mop of disheveled hair forced all of America to swoon just long enough to forget Texas was the preseason No. 1 team in the country. Manning and the Horns have been this season’s version of an “Avatar” sequel — a massive endeavor earning millions of dollars based on a legacy franchise, while no one’s quite sure why we’re still supposed to care.

Meanwhile, we might have reached even more desperate times for the preseason No. 2 team. A week after falling to Oregon in overtime, Penn State looked utterly shell-shocked against UCLA. The Nittany Lions fell behind 27-7 at the half, had a chance to get back into the game, then on a crucial fourth-down play, did the football equivalent of splitting your pants while bending over to pick up a nickel.

After the game, James Franklin reeled off a litany of excuses, from travel to injuries to, of course, the hangover from the Oregon game.

“Obviously we didn’t handle last week’s loss well,” Franklin said, and that feels like the obvious answer because it means Franklin actually lost twice to a top-10 Oregon team, more befitting his reputation.

In reality, it was woeful UCLA, 0-4 entering the game, a team that had fired its head coach and had turned to Jerry Neuheisel for offensive playcalling — a man who had never so much as worn the headset on the sideline before and who had tragically lost the finals of the All Valley Karate Tournament to Daniel LaRusso.

Jerry Neuheisel’s first words after orchestrating a stunning upset over No. 7 Penn State.

“Just a special, special day. I don’t know where it would rank. I don’t know how to really put it into words I just am glad I’m the one who gets to be in it right now.” pic.twitter.com/9iMLNKMvYR

— Ira Gorawara (@IraGorawara) October 4, 2025

That Florida and UCLA — two of the most frustratingly awful teams of the first month of the season — could open October by knocking off the teams ranked first and second to open the season speaks volumes. This season has no prewritten script. There is no favorite, no dominant team, no safe bet for the playoffs.

Except for, maybe, Miami.

The Canes do not have a clear weakness. They have a QB who is playing angry, an offensive and defensive line that are mean, big and powerful, and skill guys who not only make plays but offer the type of swagger that had once been Miami’s calling card.

CJ Daniels taunting Florida State again after running up the score on FSU 😅 pic.twitter.com/OR8Wk9ZyGD

— ESPN (@espn) October 5, 2025

Are we comfortable unironically pronouncing Miami as the king of the college football world again? Of course not. We remember what it was like for Jacory Harris to toy with our emotions like a cat with a ball of yarn. We remember Al Golden prowling the sideline dressed as an Enterprise Rental Car agent. We remember when Mark Richt came to the cold realization that 15 years of forgetting to run the ball in Athens was still far less exasperating than trying to figure out what to do with N’Kosi Perry.

Miami spent 20 years being feared by everyone in college football.

Anyone who has watched Miami over the past 20 years is still plenty scared of buying the hype this time around.

And yet, here we are, nearly midway through a year in which nothing seems certain, and somehow the biggest surprise of all is that the safest bet in the sport might be the Canes.

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UNC blown out
Trends | Under the radar
Heisman five

Heels down

The dream of recreating the Deion Sanders experience in Chapel Hill took its first major step forward Saturday, when a world-famous rapper finally showed up for a game. Unfortunately, this was because Ludacris was contractually obligated to play the pregame concert, and due to the miserable September unfurled by both of Saturday’s participants, he was forced to (ahem) roll out of bed bright and early for a 9:45 a.m. set. It’s rare for Carolina’s usually staid wine-and-cheese crowd to dig into the Chicken-n-Beer (we know) before lunch, but in fairness, they would’ve otherwise been 2 Furious 2 Fast (seriously, we’re sorry).

This was supposed to be one of the season’s great matchups — Belichick vs. Dabo Swinney, the first college football game between a coach with a Super Bowl ring and one with a natty since Bill Walsh and Joe Paterno faced off in the famed 1993 Blockbuster Bowl, which feels a little like saying The Beatles and The Rolling Stones once got together to play a show at a RadioShack. With North Carolina and Clemson a combined 0-5 against Power 4 competition entering play, Saturday’s matchup might well have been dubbed The Disappointment Bowl.

The game started well enough for UNC, with the Heels down 28-3 after the first quarter. Unfortunately, Belichick wasn’t coaching against the Atlanta Falcons in this one.

If losses to TCU and UCF were embarrassing for UNC, Saturday’s first half was something altogether different — like a septuagenarian posing for a 20-something’s Halloween photos on Instagram.

It is not yet halftime. pic.twitter.com/dVSM4JCMno

— 💫🅰️♈️🆔 (@ADavidHaleJoint) October 4, 2025

Clemson scored touchdowns on five of its first six drives, and Cade Klubnik had twice as many TD throws (four) as incompletions (two), before the Tigers called off the dogs, and the surviving members of the 1916 Cumberland team could celebrate, knowing their legacy of a 222-0 loss was safe for another week.

Earlier in the week, Heels GM Michael Lombardi wrote a letter to donors that bordered on a manifesto, suggesting this is all part of Belichick’s rebuilding plan, though it had more of the feel of the guys who started Fyre Festival saying the porta potties would be delivered any minute now. For a team that is already having this much trouble scoring points, moving the goal posts seemed a bad idea, but Lombardi’s analogizing Belichick’s plan for UNC to the Philadelphia 76ers’ famed “process” might be fitting. After all, throughout all of the Sixers losing, management continued to invest in bad personnel, and the end result, a decade later, is still nothing close to a title.

Week 6 vibe shifts

Each week, the biggest games, biggest plays and biggest wins help shape the course of the season. Beneath the surface, however, dozens of smaller shifts can have an even more profound effect. We try to capture those here.

Trending up: Tide revenge games

Alabama‘s resurgence continued in Week 6, as the Tide got a little revenge against Vanderbilt after last year’s shocker in Nashville.

Jam Miller ran for 136 yards and a touchdown, Ty Simpson threw for 340 and two scores, and Alabama rolled to a 30-14 win. The Tide fans, who had spent a full year hearing about last year’s loss to Vandy, were happy to celebrate, much to Diego Pavia‘s chagrin.

As Diego Pavia left the field in Tuscaloosa following Vanderbilt’s loss to Alabama, he got into a heated argument with a Crimson Tide fan in the stands. pic.twitter.com/E9EEYQhl9y

— Alabama Crimson Tide | AL.com (@aldotcomTide) October 4, 2025

On one hand, we have to wonder why the security guard and lead vocalist for Tuscaloosa’s finest ZZ Top cover band (He’s Got Bangs) didn’t intervene. Regardless, it’s a shame to see fans like this yelling at Pavia. They should know it’s not polite to talk that way to their elders.

Trending down: Hiring the hot coach

After the 2022 season, Luke Fickell left Cincinnati, where he had become one of the most respected coaches in the country, for Wisconsin. The Bearcats then turned to Scott Satterfield, who was already on his way out at Louisville, to replace him. This all seemed like getting your Lamborghini stolen and then buying a pickup truck, but we’re not here to talk about Carson Beck right now.

In any case, turns out the truck was a pretty good buy.

Satterfield has the Bearcats at 4-1 after Saturday’s 38-30 win over No. 14 Iowa State, with a ground game that ran for 260 yards and another stellar performance from QB Brendan Sorsby.

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Cincinnati snaps Iowa State’s perfect record

Cincinnati jumps out to a big early lead and holds on late to knock off No. 11-ranked Iowa State at home.

Fickell, meanwhile, couldn’t have been a worse fit in Wisconsin if he had been lactose intolerant, as the Badgers fell to Michigan 24-10. Wisconsin has failed to crack 20 points in eight of its past 10 games vs. FBS competition, and Fickell’s explanation that the offensive line just overindulged at Culver’s simply isn’t going to fly with the boosters much longer.

In the wild Big 12, Cincinnati’s win announces the Bearcats as a genuine contender in the conference, thus setting up the fine people of Cincinnati for another round of disappointment that will continue to be dished out by the sports gods until they all admit cinnamon doesn’t belong in chili.

Trending up: Frog retribution

Sonny Dykes and TCU got some long-awaited revenge on Coach Prime and Colorado with a 35-21 win Saturday, their first meeting since the Horned Frogs, fresh off a trip to the national championship game, lost to Deion Sanders in his Buffaloes debut.

Colorado led 14-0, but TCU dominated the second half, scoring twice in the final six minutes, as Josh Hoover threw four touchdown passes.

Under Sanders, Colorado is now 15-16 overall with more retired jerseys (2) than wins over ranked foes (1). On the flip side, Sanders has reasonably argued that if the Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t going to use Travis Hunter more, then Colorado should get to have him back for the rest of the year.

Trending down: Sweater weather in College Park

Stop us if you’ve heard this story before: Maryland was off to a great start. Maryland had a sizable lead over a better team. Maryland blew that lead, then drove off a cliff.

Yes, the calendar has turned to October, which means it’s time for Terps fans to find a stool at Cornerstone and not recognize reality again until basketball season is over.

Maryland, which opened the year 4-0, had a 20-0 lead on Washington midway through the third quarter, but the Huskies scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and emerged with a 24-20 win.

This was entirely predictable, of course. Since 2013, Maryland is 40-10 (.800) in August and September and 28-70 (.286) after that. While those splits could be confounding to some, we can’t help but think Mike Locksley’s decision to begin using the school’s pumpkin spice helmets each October might be part of the problem.

Trending down: The life of a Boilermaker

Illinois dominated Purdue 43-27 Saturday behind 390 passing yards from Luke Altmyer, and this might seem like something of a trend for the Boilermakers.

Now, it would be easy enough to blame Ms. Swift for this coincidence, but it’s also worth remembering that Purdue is also, like all of America, winless when Creed releases a new album.

Trending up: Navy‘s air game

Navy wasn’t simply satisfied beating Air Force in Week 6. The Midshipmen needed to throw a little salt in the wound by proving which service academy owns the air.

Navy QB Blake Horvath completed 20 of 26 throws for 339 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to go with 130 yards and a score on the ground. According to ESPN Research, Horvath is just the second player in Navy history with 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game, joining the incredibly appropriately named Brian Broadwater, who did it in 2000 vs. Tulane.

After the game, Horvath humbly congratulated Air Force on a well-played game and wished each of the Falcons the best of luck in their future career flying the Raleigh-to-Newark route for Southwest Airlines.

Trending down: Elite memes

It has been 11 years since Frank Beamer bestowed upon the college football world one of the truly great memes in social media history as he celebrated a missed Wake Forest field goal that sent a 0-0 game to overtime.

On Saturday, the two teams renewed their rivalry, and this time, Virginia Tech managed to score a whopping 23 points despite not even having Wake’s playbook this time.

And yet, it still wasn’t enough for the Hokies, who fell 30-23 as Robbie Ashford led the way for the Deacons with 256 passing yards and a touchdown.

Afterward, interim Virginia Tech coach Phillip Montgomery sat on the bench and shook his head solemnly before finally affirming the outcome, stared down Ashford as Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones looked on angrily, then retired to his kitchen, which also happened to be on fire, to enjoy a warm cup of coffee.

Trending up: Points for Pitt

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Mason Heintschel airs it out for 18-yard touchdown pass

Mason Heintschel airs it out for 18-yard touchdown pass

The Panthers benched starting QB Eli Holstein after back-to-back losses, turning the reins over to freshman Mason Heintschel, as Pittsburgh-sounding a name as you can get short of “Yinzy FitzCornedbeef.” It proved a stroke of genius.

Heintschel ignited the Pitt offense, which steamrolled Boston College 48-7. The freshman threw for 323 yards, four touchdowns and no picks — the first ACC freshman to hit those marks in their first career start since Deshaun Watson did it in 2014 against UNC.

After the stellar debut, Heintschel further proved his Pittsburgh bona fides by crushing a can of Rolling Rock on his forehead, donated his NIL check to the local pipe fitters union and added french fries to his salad.

Under-the-radar play of the week

Kudos to Colorado Mesa for playing good situational football, eschewing the more traditional nickel or dime defensive coverage schemes in favor of the far less utilized “all the change in your couch cushions” set to stop Colorado School of Mines’ final hook-and-lateral attempt to secure a win.

Mines was in last-gasp mode, with one lateral after another to keep the final play alive, when the entirety of the Mesa sideline spilled onto the field, and a player who hadn’t even been in the game made the final tackle.

I’ve seen some folks asking, so here’s the full clip of the second-to-last play of the Colorado School of Mines-Colorado Mesa game earlier this afternoon. CMU was assessed a five yard penalty for illegal participation. pic.twitter.com/3fEWER5N6J

— Adam Busack (@Kingbus5) October 4, 2025

Yes, it was a penalty, but that just forced Mines to run the play again, which Mesa snuffed out more easily the second time around.

Under-the-radar game of the week

Western Kentucky moved to 5-1 on the season after narrowly escaping Delaware, 27-24 on Friday. The Hilltoppers were down 7 at the half but battled back thanks to a pick-six and a Nick Minicucci fumble going into the end zone that produced a 14-point swing. WKU led by 3 when the Hens got the ball back at their own 5-yard line with just 54 seconds to play and no timeouts.

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Koron Hayward gets a pick-six for Western Kentucky

Koron Hayward gets a pick-six for Western Kentucky

That’s when Minicucci led the Hens on Delaware’s most heralded drive since Caesar Rodney’s famed midnight ride to vote for the Declaration of Independence. The Hens drove 70 yards on five plays, spiked the ball at the 25 and set up a potential game-tying kick from 42 yards out.

Unfortunately, like Rodney’s slightly less famous midnight ride to return “Weekend at Bernie’s II” before incurring any late fees, this quest was doomed to failure, as UD’s kick sailed wide, and Western Kentucky walked off with the win.

Heisman five

Six weeks into the season, we’re really starting to worry that Arch Manning‘s Heisman campaign isn’t going to come to fruition. In fairness, we also didn’t think we would ever use the term “Senator Paul Finebaum” and yet, here we are.

1 (tie). Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Oregon QB Dante Moore and Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss

They all had off in Week 6, which, unlike Manning, was fitting since their teams were off, too. Anyway, that’s boring, so let’s make the rest of the list guys who actually played.

2. Alabama QB Ty Simpson

Yes, he lost to Florida State in Week 1. But who remembers Week 1? That was like a month ago! If we all had to continue to be defined by what happened in August, South Carolina would still be a top-15 team, Javen would still be deeply in love in his “Love is Blind” pod and Dabo Swinney would still be selling counterfeit Cade Klubnik jerseys to raise money for his transfer additions .

3. Notre Dame QB CJ Carr

In the past three games, Carr has eight TDs, no picks and has won three straight. Five of his past seven games will be against the ACC. He might throw for 900 touchdowns.

4. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith

He had seven catches and two touchdowns in a 42-3 win over Minnesota. More importantly, he helped sneak Julian Sayin into an R-rated movie.

5. Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby

Is there a more underrated player in the country than Sorsby, who has posted an 87.2 Total QBR, 12 passing TDs and a single pick so far this season as the Bearcats have emerged as Big 12 contenders? Of course, the Bengals have already inquired about the possibility of him foregoing the remainder of the season, donning some Chad Powers makeup and filling in for Joe Burrow, so there’s no saying whether his Heisman campaign will have real legs.