5 College Football Programs That Should Be Worried After Week 6

The calendar has turned to October, and every team has played at least a third of its season, with narratives starting to emerge. Which five teams should be worried after six weeks of the 2025 college football season?

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1. Florida State Seminoles

After a rousing start to the season with a thumping of Alabama, the Florida State Seminoles have now dropped two straight ACC games, and their path to the College Football Playoff is now extremely narrow. The Seminoles ended up outgaining Miami, but many of their yards came after Miami had built a 28-3 lead deep into the third quarter. Miami was able to make Florida State one-dimensional, and if Tommy Castellanos has to attempt 42 passes in a game, the Seminoles are likely to dislike the outcome. FSU has improved significantly over the debacle that was 2024, but this season is now trending downwards, and they still have road trips to Clemson, NC State, and Florida on the schedule.

Week 7: Pittsburgh at FSU (-9.5)

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

This was supposed to be the year. Much like Ohio State in 2024, Penn State paid a whole lot of NIL money to convince NFL Draft-eligible players to return for another season in State College. The Nittany Lions then bolstered the receiver room via the transfer portal and subsequently paid a significant amount to poach defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Columbus. Penn State is only five games into the season, and all of those hopes have come crumbling down. They have gone from having title hopes to wondering if they have a head coach capable of leading the program. Penn State lost to Oregon in a game they were fortunate to get to overtime, and then they went on the road and gave up 42 points in a dreadful defeat to previously winless UCLA. The Bruins ran the ball for 280 yards and 5.4 yards per rush as they jumped out to a big lead and held on for dear life down the stretch. PSU was a 26-point favorite against 0-4 UCLA, but the Nittany Lions are now 3-2 and 0-2 in the Big Ten, and the path to the College Football Playoff appears very nearly closed off entirely. If Penn State has had enough of James Franklin, they would need to find $56 million for his buyout, plus additional funds to cover the buyouts of the staff, and then even more money to pay for Franklin’s replacement. Yikes.

Week 7: Northwestern vs. Penn State (-20.5)

3. Maryland Terrapins

Oh, Maryland. The Terrapins were right there! They were ahead 20-0 at home in the third quarter against the Washington Huskies and were on the verge of moving to 5-0 and becoming a ranked team, while also avoiding games against Penn State, Ohio State, USC, and Oregon. Terrapin fans were dreaming of the College Football Playoff. Alas, the Terps were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter and fell 24-20. Maryland was outgained 393-274, and the familiar questions of how Mike Locksley’s teams fade in October and November are now back in full force with Nebraska coming to town next.

Week 7: Nebraska (-5.5) at Maryland

4. Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats lost at Georgia in just about the exact manner you would expect a Georgia versus Kentucky game in Athens to go. In and of itself, that is not a reason for concern for Kentucky fans, but look around the SEC and find a program in worse shape than the one in Lexington. UK is 0-3 in the league and is being outscored by 50-100 points, resulting in a conference-worst point differential. Mississippi State appears to be a stronger team than the Wildcats. Arkansas has already fired Sam Pittman, and its fans have hope for the future with a likely injection of funding for whoever the new coach is, and former cellar-dwellers Vanderbilt is far from the basement under Clark Lea. Kentucky’s administration cannot afford to pay Mark Stoops’s buyout, and it’s unlikely there is any motivation to do so even if they could. The ship appears rudderless. 

5. Texas Longhorns

Texas has national title expectations, but they do not appear capable of blocking any good defensive front. They only got 11 carries for 15 yards from their running backs in a disappointing loss at Florida on Saturday. The defeat drops Texas to 3-2, and they have yet to impress against a team with a pulse. Quarterback Arch Manning is not elevating the offense in a meaningful way. Texas is now 3-7 against the combination of Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, and Ohio State under Steve Sarkisian, and they are now 9-15 in one-score games with the current head coach. The Longhorns are recruiting as well as anyone, at least on paper, but the preseason number one team in the country is flailing, and they now must take on the fierce defensive line of Oklahoma.

Week 7: Oklahoma at Texas (-2.5)

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