Week 6 began with 15 undefeated teams. When it ended, just 11 teams remained without a loss.
For Miami and Tennessee, the road to the College Football Playoff is still visible. In the case of Houston, it’s a lot harder to find.
The Hurricanes fell to Florida State thanks to a blocked extra point with less than two minutes remaining. The PAT would have tied the game at 20-20 and potentially forced overtime. Instead, FSU just ran out the clock.
Tennessee lost a heartbreaker too. But it was a miracle the Volunteers were even competitive in the first place. Tennessee somehow forced Texas A&M to two overtimes despite six turnovers in regulation. The Vols (fittingly) sent the game to OT after a potential game-clinching punt return was fumbled by Texas A&M. And even more fittingly, the game ended when an interception by quarterback Josh Dobbs was the Vols’ seventh turnover of the day.
Miami fell to Florida State. (Getty) But both Miami and Tennessee’s losses came in inter-division matchups. The Hurricanes (ACC Atlantic) and Vols (SEC East) each still control their own destiny within their conference’s divisions. With manageable divisions, it’s not inconceivable to see both teams in their respective conference’s championship games on Dec. 3. And barring multiple losses from now until then, the College Football Playoff is in play with a conference title.
After losing 46-40 at Navy on Saturday, Houston no longer controls its own College Football Playoff destiny. And it could be left out of a New Year’s Six Bowl entirely too.
The Cougars probably had to be undefeated to make the College Football Playoff. And to get to a New Year’s Six bowl, Houston likely had to win the AAC. Those chances took a huge hit.
Navy and Houston share the Western Division in the AAC. If Houston and Navy finish the season tied head-to-head for the division title, Navy gets the tiebreaker. For Houston to get to the AAC title game, it needs to win a three-way tie for the division or make up two games on the Midshipmen.
Navy ended Houston’s undefeated season. (Getty) The Cougars’ loss means Boise State and Western Michigan are suddenly the favorites to be the best-ranked non-Power Five conference team at the end of the season. WMU is 6-0 and has wins over Northwestern and Illinois.
The Broncos from Boise are also 6-0 and have outscored opponents 184-93 this season. And they also got a leg up in the Mountain West’s Mountain division with Air Force’s loss to Wyoming. The Falcons were 4-0 before losing to the Cowboys.
Who will be the next undefeated team to go down? Only A&M, Alabama, Baylor, Clemson, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Washington and West Virginia remain in the ranks of the no-loss Power Five teams. And one or more of those teams could very well lose in Week 7.
Here are the rest of this week’s winners and losers.
WINNERS
Thomas Sperbeck and Cedrick Wilson, Boise State: Boise State’s top two receivers put on a show Friday night vs. New Mexico.*Thomas Sperbeck caught nine passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns while*Cedrick Wilson’s had*eight catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Except for a 12-yard catch by Wilson, all of that production came in the first half. BSU QB Brett Rypien finished 21-of-28 for 391 yards and 5 TDs in the 49-21 win.

Ryan Higgins, Louisiana Tech: After*spending his junior year as a backup to Jeff Driskel, Ryan Higgins is thriving for the Bulldogs. The senior threw for 454 yards and five touchdowns in Louisiana Tech’s thrilling 55-52 win over Western Kentucky. Through six games, Higgins has thrown for 1,869 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Nick Holley, Kent State: Holley’s passing stats in the Golden Flashes’ 44-20 win over Buffalo are pretty pedestrian (7-OF-13 for 89 yards). But that’s not why he’s here.
Holly had 24 carries for 224 yards and four touchdowns, keying Kent State’s second win of the season and its first in the MAC. His four scores tie a school record held by six other players.
Pittsburgh (and its uniforms): Pitt knocked off Georgia Tech*37-34 on a last-second, 31-yard field goal on Saturday and looked good while doing it. The Panthers’ throwback uniforms are gorgeous.
THAT'S IT! #PITT WINS!
FINAL from Heinz Field:
Panthers 37, Georgia Tech 34.#Pitt improves to 4-2 (1-1 ACC).#H2P #ThePursuit pic.twitter.com/Zqv9nVzVkL
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) October 8, 2016
Wyoming: Air Force is no longer undefeated. The Cowboys beat the Falcons 35-26 to improve to 4-2 in 2016. Cowboys quarterback Josh Allen was 15-of-27 passing for 173 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 74 yards.
With two more wins, Wyoming is eligible to go to a bowl game for the first time since the 2011 season. The schedule looks favorable enough to get that done and Boise State’s trip to Laramie on Oct. 29 is looking tougher and tougher.
Oregon State: Oregon State broke a 12-game losing streak in Pac-12 play when it knocked off Cal 47-44 in overtime at home. The Beavers led 41-24 but allowed 17 straight Cal points to force overtime. Cal opened the extra frame with a field goal and OSU sealed the win when QB Darell Garretson ran it in from 16 yards out. The Beavers had a whopping 474 rushing yards in the win, its first in Pac-12 play since 2014.
BONUS WINNER
This official in the Michigan-Rutgers game may not have cat-like agility, but he certainly has great recovery skills.
This official deserves a hand for being a good sport.
He's a pretty good athlete, as well. https://t.co/8hR4p4OJGs
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 9, 2016
LOSERS

Kansas: Kansas blew a golden opportunity to win its first Big 12 game since Nov. 2014 after missing three consecutive field goals on three consecutive drives to end the game vs. TCU. The 24-23 loss to TCU is the third close loss to the Horned Frogs in three years. ”There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ but those don’t matter,” Kansas coach David Beaty said after the game.
Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech: Speaking of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ that don’t matter, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 34 with 1:47 left to play in a tie game*vs. Pitt turned out to be a brutal one.*Pitt linebacker Matt Galambos stuffed Dedrick Mills, forcing a turnover on downs. From there, Pitt ran out the clock and won the game on a 31-yard field goal as time expired.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats were held to a measly two rushing yards and couldn’t find the end zone in a 20-9 rout at UConn. After Cincinnati scored three field goals in the second quarter, UConn responded*with 20 straight points to keep the ‘Cats winless in the AAC. Cincinnati played uninspired football in the second half and is now 3-3 on the year. Tommy Tuberville’s seat is getting warm.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs were demolished 38-14 by Auburn at home and it wasn’t even that close. Auburn led 35-0 at halftime behind three first-half touchdowns from Auburn’s*Kamryn Pettway. Pettway had*a career-high 169 yards*for the Tigers. Mississippi State turned it over three times and had only 289 yards of offense in the loss.

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame: The Irish coach didn’t mince words when talking about the snapping issues center Sam Mustipher had. The Irish lost to North Carolina State in a game played in the pouring rains of Hurricane Matthew. The field was best described as a swamp.
Brian Kelly calls snapping "atrocious" by Sam Mustipher
— Irish Illustrated (@PeteSampson_) October 8, 2016
Perhaps Notre Dame could have been a bit more conservative too. The Irish had quarterback DeShone Kizer in the shotgun quite frequently and Kizer attempted 26 passes. He completed nine of them for 54 yards.
Michigan State: Things are suboptimal in East Lansing. The Spartans lost for the third-straight week, falling 31-14 to BYU at home. BYU ran through Michigan State’s defense for 260 yards as running back Jamaal Williams had 30 carries for 163 yards and two scores.
Northwestern and Maryland are up next on the schedule for the Spartans, so there’s a good chance to move to 4-3 before playing Michigan on Oct. 29. But if Michigan State is 3-4 or, gasp, 2-5, heading into the Michigan game, the rivalry game could be ugly.
*