Brian’s College Football Top 5: Week 6

Photo by Gina Ferazzi from The Los Angeles Times

Yet another week that was deemed to be a boring weekend on paper in college football, and another one that ended up incredibly fun.

But who was the most impressive?

5. Florida Gators

The Gators had lost three straight and were reeling as they welcomed a struggling Texas Longhorns team of their own.

In a situation like that, the Gators needed to take advantage and get a victory, and that’s exactly what they did, forcing Arch Manning and the Longhorns offense to have another tough game, and getting a 29-21 win over Texas.

4. Washington Huskies

Going cross country for these schools is really tough (as we will discuss later on).

That’s why Washington went down 20-0 to Maryland and trailed 20-3 going into the 4th quarter.

But Demond Williams and the Huskies offense woke up in the fourth, as Washington clawed all the way back to win 24-20.

That’s a tough win against what looks to be a good Maryland team.

3. Virginia Cavaliers

UVA got a huge win last Friday night against Florida State. It was a win that felt as if the Tony Elliott future had truly arrived in Charlottesville.

But the Hoos needed to get back in gear and go on the road against a very tough Louisville team to prove that the win over Florida State wasn’t just a run of the mill upset win, but a sign of progress.

They did that, thanks to the help of two defensive scores and a game winning touchdown in overtime.

Considering the rest of the schedule, there is a very legitimate chance that Virginia wins 10 games this season.

2. Cincinatti Bearcats

I did not get the Scott Satterfield hire a year ago.

It made no sense, and the Bearcats had a terrible first season with Satterfield and Brendan Sorsby at quarterback. I thought they were going to struggle again this season.

But that’s the thing about the Big 12 in this new era of college football.

You really, truly, never know. Because Cincy is now 4-1 thanks to a victory over previously unbeaten Iowa State.

Maybe the Bearcats are turning a corner. Maybe it’s fools gold. I’m not sure.

But I saw this with WVU two years ago, and Colorado last year.

Ride the wave, Cats. It’s an enjoyable one.

1. UCLA Bruins

There have only been two instances in college football history, which is over 150 years, where a 0-4 or worse team took down an AP Poll top 10 team.

Tulane beat number 6 Navy in 1958, and UTEP beat number 7 BYU in 1985.

But we can finally add a third team to that list, as UCLA, with an interim coach and a likelihood of going 0-12 on the season, somehow found another gear offensively and upset Penn State 42-37.

It’s a win that I don’t think anyone thought possible, and legitimately one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

Congratulations to the Bruins, who desperately needed a win like this to jump start some life into that program.