Takeaways from Week 6 of College Football: UCLA stuns Penn State, Miami stakes claim for No. 1

College football is unpredictable and delightful, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. And Week 6 certainly delivered, with a shocker in Pasadena that leaves Penn State in a truly unimaginable position.
 
Each Sunday, I’ll publish my biggest takeaways from the college football weekend. I’ll highlight the most interesting storylines, track College Football Playoff contenders and specifically shout out individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.
 

1. Penn State cannot win The Big Game. Now, it also can’t win The Little Ones.

We all know James Franklin’s record against the best teams in college football. But while we gnashed teeth each time Penn State played a top-five or top-10 opponent, we always acknowledged that Franklin’s Nittany Lions were great at taking care of business against inferior opponents.

Well, that’s gone now. UCLA just became the first team in 40 years to start the season 0-4 or worse and upset a top-10 team. And, weirdly enough considering the context of this game, it didn’t seem fluky.

The Bruins jumped all over the Nittany Lions early, setting the tone for the game with a first-quarter surprise onside kick. UCLA gashed Penn State to the tune of 435 total yards of offense (including 269 rushing yards), a frankly embarrassing defensive performance for a unit run by the highest-paid coordinator in the country.
 
At this point, the best course of action for Franklin might be to look seriously at the Power 4 jobs that open this offseason. Penn State won’t fire him — the buyout is north of $50 million — but it does seem like he and the school might be better off separating after 12 seasons. Give both sides a fresh start, and let Franklin rebuild another program that needs help.

02:39

What’s next for Penn State and Texas after Week 6?

Nicole Auerbach, Chris Simms, Joshua Perry and Ahmed Fareed discuss the stunning losses from Penn State and Texas, questioning where each program goes from here.

2. UCLA delivered an only-in-college-football moment that will help define the 2025 season.

I’m not sure anyone had this on any bingo card, certainly not after the 0-3 start that got head coach DeShaun Foster fired, or the 0-4 start that got first-year offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri fired. But here we are, with a previously winless UCLA team upsetting No. 7 Penn State as a 24.5-point underdog, with Nico Iamaleava accounting for five (!) touchdowns and interim offensive coordinator Jerry Neuheisel being carried off the field.

That sort of result and that kind of moment is uniquely college football. There isn’t anything that could be comparable in the NFL. I loved it so much, and that’s not just because Rick Neuheisel (Jerry’s dad and a former head coach at UCLA) is one of my coworkers at SiriusXM (but that certainly added to the proud-papa moment).

3. Miami is my new No. 1 team in the country.

Ohio State did nothing wrong! But I have moved the Hurricanes up to the top spot in my AP ballot after their win over Florida State. This is mostly due to a recalibration of resumes.

Miami’s win over Notre Dame has appreciated in value, as has the victory over Florida (after the Gators beat Arch Manning and Texas). Ohio State’s win over Texas has depreciated for the same reason … and now I think the Buckeyes’ best win of the season is, uh, at Washington? That’s not a bad win, but Miami’s got a better one (or ones). 
 

4. Our preseason prognostications were way off.

I wasn’t the only person who voted for Texas as my preseason No. 1, and I wasn’t the only person who thought Clemson and Penn State would also be among the best teams in the nation. Now, six weeks into the season, four of the preseason top-six teams have multiple losses. Ohio State is the lone unbeaten of the group.

There are myriad reasons for these teams’ disappointments; bad or undeveloped quarterback play applies for more than one, and bad coaching (or scheme) has hurt others that had returning talent. We maybe should have trusted teams like Ohio State or Oregon that seemed a bit inexperienced coming into the year but always identify and develop talent well. 
 
Either way, it is probably time to abandon our preconceived notions of a lot of these teams. This season is showing us we really did not know much before the first game kicked off — and that’s OK! But we need to adapt … and get a redo of our preseason College Football Playoff picks, please.

5. Ty Simpson, welcome to the Heisman Trophy conversation.

Diego Pavia was the quarterback in the Alabama-Vanderbilt matchup who got the most headlines leading into Saturday’s game. Ty Simpson is the quarterback coming out of it that sure looks like he is going to factor into the Heisman race.

Simpson threw his first interception of the season but easily erased that memory with a 340-yard, two-touchdown passing performance that left no doubt who the better quarterback was on the field. He looks so comfortable even when he’s scrambling and delivers such a beautiful ball even when he’s under pressure.

He’s got such great command of the Alabama passing attack that it makes up for a lackluster run game and should keep the Crimson Tide in every game they play the rest of the season.