College Football Week 6 Recap

1. Cal knocks off Utah to take lead in Pac-12 race

Utah survived this one, 30 - 24, helped out by Cal QB Jared Goff's 5 interceptions.  The Utes' earlier win over Oregon lost a bit of its luster, as the Ducks fell to Washington State in double overtime, but nonetheless, Utah takes the lead in the Pac-12 race as the only remaining undefeated squad in that conference.

2. Georgia Tech stuns Clemson in Death Valley

Clemson didn't show any signs of a letdown after their win over Notre Dame, and just plain dominated the Yellow Jackets, 43 - 24.  Georgia Tech looked every bit as bad as their last few losses suggested, and now face an uphill battle to even get bowl-eligible after once holding a top-15 ranking.

3. Ohio State wins the turnover battle vs Maryland

The offense finally resembled the championship unit from a year ago, as they piled 49 points on the Terps.  The biggest difference? Zero turnovers and 6 for 6 in the red-zone (all touchdowns).  The Buckeyes tried something new on offense, with Jones still starting but Barrett coming in for red-zone snaps.  It worked well against Maryland, but Penn State's defense will provide a better measuring stick as to whether the approach will work long term.  Also worth monitoring is the Silver Bullets' struggles with mobile quarterbacks.  They gave up big plays for the second straight week against elusive QBs, though that aspect of the game was probably not a big part of the defensive game-plans coming into either of these match-ups.  Regardless, the offense clicked well enough and limited mistakes, resulting in a +2 turnover margin and a 49 - 28 win for Ohio State.

4. Less than four offensive touchdowns scored in battle between Michigan and Northwestern

It wasn't exactly the defensive struggle I anticipated, but I still got this one right as Michigan scored touchdowns on a kick return and pick-six and recorded a third-straight shutout, beating Northwestern 38 - 0.  The Wolverines' defense looks legit, but a bigger test will come next week against rival Michigan State.  The Spartans have looked sloppy in recent wins and are dealing with a slew of injuries, but should still give Michigan their toughest game since the week 1 loss to Utah.  That game will show exactly how far Harbaugh has brought this program in his first year as head coach in Ann Arbor.

5. UConn gets UCF coach to recognize totally real rivalry

UConn may have tapped in to their supposed hatred for UCF, as they delivered a 40 - 13 beat-down in Orlando.  But if it was anything more than a bad loss to a conference opponent for the Knights, their coach didn't let on about it.  Winless so far this year, maybe UCF could use some made-up rivalries, as it's clear this team needs something to get them fired up.  The misery likely continues against Temple next week, especially if they continue to make plays like this.

Week 6 record: 2 - 3
Overall record: 8 - 22

Other headlines from week 6:

Coaching changes across the nation

I've never been a big fan of schools firing coaches in the middle of the season, unless there's a very good reason.  There was a very good reason for USC, where stories continue to emerge related to Steve Sarkisian's substance abuse issues.  The Trojans parted ways with the head coach, who is now seeking help for his problem.  I hope he gets the help he needs.  Maryland also fired their coach after a poor start to the 2015 season, a move I thought was a bit premature.  There were coaching changes down south as well, as Steve Spurrier announced his resignation as South Carolina's head coach after the team struggled over the course of the last season and a half.  Additionally, North Texas dismissed their head coach after getting blown out by Portland State and stumbling to a dismal 0 - 5 record.

Two SEC East contenders lose key players on offense

Georgia and Florida are teams thought to be top competitors for the SEC East title (and maybe more) this year.  But both teams' paths to that title got a little tougher this week as they learned that they will have to continue without key pieces of their offense.  Georgia running back Nick Chubb was injured on the first play from scrimmage in the Bulldogs' game against Tennessee, and will likely miss the rest of the season.  Sony Michel stepped in for the injured Chubb, and recorded a respectable 145 yards on 22 carries, but Georgia still lost to the Volunteers.  Florida faces problems as well, after finding out that quarterback Will Grier will be suspended for an entire calendar year for taking an over-the-counter supplement that contained a performance-enhancing substance.  It sounds like an honest mistake (though avoidable), but it's one that could cost the Gators dearly.  Florida is undefeated but will turn to back-up Treon Harris at QB for possibly the biggest game of the year for the Gators, at 6th ranked LSU.

Bret Bielema (Bert) initiates contact, flops, draws flag, celebrates like cartoon villain

During Saturday's game against Alabama, the Arkansas head coach showed once again why he is the undisputed slimeball of college football.  Not only did he come onto the field (for no reason except to get in the face of Alabama OL Cam Robinson), then insert himself between the referee and Alabama player (again, for no apparent reason), but then he fell backward, flailing as if pushed, when it's clear that Robinson didn't touch him.  The result was a 15-yard penalty against Alabama on a drive that eventually led to a touchdown score for the Razorbacks.  Arkansas ultimately lost the game (because that's what Bert does), but it doesn't make the move by this coach any less disgraceful.