Ranking the 5 Biggest Losers From a Wild Week 6 of College Football

Few sports can compete with the insanity of college football. Inarguably, Week 6 of the 2025 season was the most ludicrous week to date. 

Check out which teams were the biggest losers after a wild Saturday!

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1. James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions

For a school steeped in history and tradition, the Penn State Nittany Lions have become most infamous for their latest annual observance, watching James Franklin fall flat on his face when his team needs him most. 

This was supposed to be a formality for the Nittany Lions. Penn State entered its Week 6 tilt versus a winless UCLA Bruins squad as massive -24.5 road chalk. Instead, the former CFP contenders proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot on multiple occasions, ultimately gifting the win to UCLA. 

 In the end, Penn State was out-gained 435-357, held onto the ball for just over 20 minutes, and couldn’t stop the Bruins when they needed to most. 

With an 0-2 record in the Big Ten and just one marquee matchup the rest of the way, Penn State’s season is effectively over. Enjoy the Citrus Bowl Nittany Lions; it’s the bowl game you deserve. 

2. Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns

Reputation only gets you so far, and at a certain point, you need to deliver on it. Unfortunately for Arch Manning, he’s running out of chances to prove that he’s worthy of that opportunity. 

For the second time in five games, Manning led the Longhorns to defeat. Head coach Steve Sarkisian came out in defense of his quarterback after the game, stating that Manning was dealing with a shoulder stinger and wasn’t at his best. However, Manning’s stats lead us to a much more compelling conclusion. 

Manning doesn’t have it as a college football quarterback. The sophomore has a 60.0% completion percentage, averaging 8.5 yards per pass attempt, and has recorded 11 touchdowns to five interceptions. Not terrible benchmarks, but more than a few football fields from the Heisman Trophy candidate he was made out to be.

It’s time to appreciate Manning for what he is, a mediocre underclassman quarterback with a name carrying him further than he can throw a football. 

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3. The Alabama Crimson Tide

Not so long ago, Bryant-Denny Stadium was a seemingly impenetrable fortress where opponents went to die. Now, even the Vanderbilt Commodores can infiltrate its defenses and give the Alabama Crimson Tide more than they can handle. 

Everyone was getting a piece of the Crimson Tide before kick-off. After opening as -10.5 chalk, Bama was bought up to -13.5 before the SEC showdown began. As it turns out, the hosts were undeserving of even the opening. 

These conference foes went into halftime knotted at 14. From there, Alabama’s offensive drives would continue to peter out, nearly turning four red zone drives into just 12 points, hardly the mastery we’ve seen from the perennial contenders in previous years.

Four mistakes cost Vanderbilt this game. While Alabama will get credit for the win and the miraculous cover, the Crimson Tide are a shell of its former selves.

4. The Louisville Cardinals

This was the Louisville Cardinals’ game to lose, and that’s precisely what they did in Week 6. Entering their intra-conference battle as -6.5 home chalk, the Cardinals let the Virginia Cavaliers walk all over them, caging any hope of competing for a conference or National Championship. 

Louisville deserved some credit ahead of this ACC battle. The Cardinals were 4-0 and exceeding the modest expectations placed on the program at the outset of the season. Saturday’s clash versus the 24th-ranked Cavaliers could have been the inflection point where this team went from a fringe Top 25 team to a legitimate ACC contender. 

Instead, the Cardinals never took flight. They found themselves in a back-and-forth battle, rarely getting their offense off the ground and clipping their own wings on defense. 

The overtime frame is analogous to the game as a whole. Louisville had its chances, but in the end, the Cardinals crumbled when it mattered most.

5. The Boise State Broncos and Group of 5 “Contenders"

Most college football purists have been patiently waiting for the Boise State Broncos to recapture the magic of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. But every time they take on a legitimate contender, the Broncos move further away from becoming the program everyone hopes they could be. Week 6’s loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is a perfect example of that. 

Boise State faced long odds ahead of this non-conference tilt. The Broncos were installed as +21.5 underdogs, highlighting the gap between one of the premier Group of Five teams and a perennial contender. Bettors can give the Broncos credit for covering the spread by a half-point, but that’s where the laudation ends. 

The MWC frontrunners were stymied from start to finish. Boise State put up seven points, nearly equaling Maddux Madsen’s four interceptions. Worse, their lead rusher totaled just 39 yards, and their offensive line let Madsen get sacked four times. 

The lesson bettors need to learn is that Group of Five programs will never contend for the National Championship. As appealing as those +100000 odds look, it’s just a donation to the sportsbook. 

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