Kentucky v Georgia
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Week 6 of the college football season delivered with dramatic showdowns in marquee matchups as conference play continues to heat up around the nation. The day began with an instant classic as No. 12 Oklahoma upset No. 3 Texas 34-30 in the Red River Rivalry behind a late touchdown drive led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

That was just the beginning as the afternoon also delivered a tense thriller with league title implications that impacted the national landscape as No. 11 Alabama rallied to beat Texas A&M 26-20. The victory left the Crimson Tide as the SEC West's last unbeaten team and suggested that perhaps coach Nick Saban's squad has a shot to make the College Football Playoff after all.

The ACC also contributed to the day's drama as No. 17 Miami suffered a stunning and outright inexcusable loss to Georgia Tech. On a positive note for the league, however, No. 25 Louisville upset No. 10 Notre Dame and improved to 6-0 under first-year coach Jeff Brohm. And don't forget about the Pac-12 where Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes improved to 4-2 while demonstrating their flair for thrilling finishes yet again.

Let's have a look now at some winners and losers from the Week 6 college football action. 

Winner: Georgia hits the gas

Kentucky's 33-14 thrashing of Florida last week suggested Georgia could be in trouble this week after the Bulldogs faced double-digit deficits in SEC games against South Carolina and Auburn in recent weeks. The Bulldogs rallied to win both contests as part of an uninspired beginning to league play, but UK seemed like a more worthy challenger for the two-time defending national champions. Not the case. Georgia mashed the gas pedal from the start against Kentucky and never looked back on the way to a 51-13 dismantling of the overmatched Wildcats. 

This was the type of performance that validates the Bulldogs' No. 1 ranking. To this point, UGA had been coasting on the laurels of what the 2021 and 2022 teams accomplished to justify its spot atop the poll. Now, the 2023 'Dawgs have shown some swagger of their own.

Loser: Miami

A Georgia Tech team coming off a 38-27 home loss to Bowling Green pulled off a wild 23-20 road win over No. 17 Miami thanks to a stunning lack of situational awareness from the Hurricanes' coaching staff. Instead of kneeling and allowing the clock to run out on third-and-10, the 'Canes opted to hand the football to Donald Chaney Jr. He surpassed 100 yards rushing on the play ... but also fumbled the football. A simple kneel would have ended the game, but instead the Yellow Jackets recovered and took over at their own 26-yard line with 26 seconds left. Inexplicably, Miami allowed quarterback Haynes King to connect on passes of 30 yards and then 44 yards for a touchdown to Christian Leary that put Georgia Tech ahead just before time expired. 

Winner: Virginia finally wins 

Virginia began the season 0-5 with three losses coming by a combined seven points as the Cavaliers continued to suffer tough breaks after their 2022 season was cut short by tragedy. It looked like the brutal start might continue on Saturday as they fell behind FCS foe William & Mary 13-3 before rallying for a 27-13 victory. UVa pitched a shutout in the second half, and Perris Jones ran for 134 yards on just 12 carries. The Cavaliers deserved a happy ending for once, and on Saturday, they finally got one.

Loser: A&M blows a chance

When Texas A&M's Bryce Anderson intercepted Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe early in the third quarter with the Aggies holding a 17-10 lead, it seemed like A&M was about to plant its flag as the SEC West frontrunner. Then, two plays later, Alabama freshman safety Caleb Downs made an interception of his own. The play sparked a rally from the Crimson Tide, who scored 16 unanswered over a long stretch of the second half on their way to a 26-20 win before a hostile crowd of 108,101 at Kyle Field. 

The outcome marked a squandered opportunity for A&M, which is now 4-2 (2-1 SEC) and chasing the Crimson Tide in the division along with Ole Miss and LSU. A&M was the better team in the first half as its rush defense stifled Alabama, its pass rush frustrated Milroe and its offense and special teams produced big plays. But, in the second half, the Aggies let Milroe and Alabama receiver Jermaine Burton take over. The problems A&M demonstrated in a Week 2 loss at Miami defending the pass are still there, and they cost the Aggies a golden opportunity at a marquee win.

Winner: Brent Venables' stock

Entering Saturday's Red River Rivalry, second-year Oklahoma coach Brent Venables' marquee victory was either last season's win over Kansas or last season's win over Oklahoma State, both of which were sub .500 teams in the Big 12. While OU jumped out to a 5-0 start and rose to No. 12 early this season, it remained thoroughly untested entering its seismic rivalry showdown with No. 3 Texas. 

After a 34-30 win over the Longhorns, Venables has the Holy Grail of marquee victories to his credit. So does quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who delivered a game-winning drive in the final 1:17 on the biggest stage of his career. Not a single team remaining on OU's schedule was ranked entering the week, giving the Sooners ample opportunity to build on the momentum and make a run at the College Football Playoff.

Loser: Notre Dame's CFP hopes

No. 10 Notre Dame came 1 yard away from one of the most impressive wins of the college football season just two weeks ago in a 17-14 loss to Ohio State. It was a valiant effort even in defeat, and the Fighting Irish validated their legitimacy with a gutty 21-14 win at Duke last week in a primetime showdown. But all those positive vibes dissipated Saturday night with an 33-20 loss at Louisville as the No. 25 Cardinals improved to 6-0 in Year 1 under Jeff Brohm largely because of their defense. 

Notre Dame's vaunted offensive line failed to establish the running game as the Cardinals limited Fighting Irish star back Audric Estime to 2 yards per carry. Notre Dame could not run the football effectively and committed four turnovers. Brohm is an offensive guru, but his defense shined against the Fighting Irish. Louisville looks like it will absolutely be a factor in the ACC race, and Notre Dame has been effectively eliminated from CFP contention in early October under second-year coach Marcus Freeman.

Winner: Buffs inch toward bowl eligibility

Colorado continued its remarkable Year 1 turnaround under coach Deion Sanders with a 27-24 win over Arizona State. By the Buffs' standards, it was a defensive struggle as the teams combined for 14 punts. But the finish got wild. After ASU tied it up with 50 seconds left, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders came through in the clutch again as his 43-yard pass to Javon Antonio helped position Alejandro Mata to hit a 43-yard field goal with 12 seconds left. 

The Buffs are now 4-2, and with games against Stanford and Arizona still remaining on the schedule, Sanders has positioned a program that was 1-11 last season to potentially reach bowl eligibility.

Loser: Minnesota floundering

Minnesota's 3-3 record may not look so bad, but the Gophers are bad. Their 52-10 home loss to No. 2 Michigan was just the latest evidence. The Wolverines held Minnesota to only 169 total yards and ran back two interceptions for touchdowns in a game that was out of hand by the second quarter. The Gophers barely squeaked past Nebraska in Week 1, and their other victories are against Eastern Michigan and Louisiana. A blowout loss at North Carolina and a defeat against Big Ten bottom-dweller Northwestern also mark the resume. 

Maybe the Big Ten West is weak enough this season that seventh-year coach P.J. Fleck can rally his squad to reach a bowl. But, in future performances, the Gophers may want to complete more than just five passes for 52 yards, which is all they could muster against the Wolverines.

Winner: Kansas runs wild

If you left Kansas for dead on the side of Big 12 Highway after the Jayhawks' 40-14 loss to Texas last week, it's time to rethink that decision. KU is quietly 5-1 (2-1 Big 12) after obliterating UCF 51-22 while averaging 7.8 yards per rush. Star quarterback Jalon Daniels remained absent, but it would not not have mattered who was under center against the Knights' porous run defense. Devin Neal ran for 154 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries while Daniel Hisaw added 134 yards and two scores on 19 carries. For good measure, Dylan McDuffie also added 91 yards and two scores on 13 carries. 

The Big 12 is a muddy mess behind the first-place Longhorns, and Kansas remains formidable a presence in the slop.

Loser: Washington State wilts

In its final season before splintering apart, the Pac-12 is enjoying a banner year. Six teams from the league were ranked inside the top 18 of the AP Top 25 entering Saturday's action. But one of the fears about the Pac-12's parity is that it could create a cannibalistic scenario in which the team's deep well of quality teams beat each other and thus crater the league's chances of producing its first College Football Playoff participant since Washington in the 2016 season. UCLA's 25-17 win over Washington State was a prefect example of that concept. 

The No. 13 Cougars were one of four unbeaten Pac-12 teams remaining entering the day but dropped from that category while being outscored 13-0 by the Bruins in the fourth quarter. Now that it has taken an ugly loss, don't be surprised if Wazzou turns around plays the role of spoiler for someone else such as Oregon or Washington later this season. The Pac-12's depth would be an asset in the 12-team playoff era, potentially helping it place several teams in the field. But the league won't make it to the 12-team era in its current iteration, and it's not yet certain whether the conference has a single squad dominant enough to crack the four-team field this season.

Winner: Luther Burden's Bilentnikoff candidacy

No. 21 Missouri fell 49-39 to No. 23 LSU, but sophomore receiver Luther Burden continued his sublime season for Mizzou with 11 catches for 149 yards. Burden is up to 54 grabs for 793 yards with five touchdowns on the year and should be mentioned with the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State and Brock Bowers from Georgia in the discussion about college football's top pass-catchers. He led the nation in yards receiving and ranked tied for third in total receptions entering the day, and only solidified his standing as one of the nation's best. Sure, LSU's defense can't stop anyone, but don't let that detract from the fact that Burden is on pace for 108 receptions and nearly 1,600 yards receiving.